Slowly I sat up and yawned it was warmer now and the fire was still burning. The woodpile was getting low again. Everyone was still asleep, so I thought until Nick sat up and moaned loudly. He held his head.

"You okay?" I asked.

"It feels like I got hit by something." He whispered as he winced in pain.

"Technically you did." I sighed and got up and crawled over to him. "The ground." The gash was pretty deep and red. The blood had dried and now covered Nick's face and it had colored his hair.

"What happened?" He asked looking at me.

"Let's just say you fell into a hole and hit your head." I shrugged then crawled over to the door. Hey, it was the truth.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To get more wood. We're running low." I said and opened the door. A cold breeze shot through and I closed the door again.

"I'll come." He said.

"Yeah right! You'll probably fall down the hole again!" I hissed. I must have acted as if I was mad at him because he shut up and looked into the dying fire. I wasn't mad at him just at everything else that was happening. "I'm sorry, alright, you can come." I said then opened the door again.

We walked down the path toward the wood. Cloud followed us, sniffing around the ground and drinking from the snow.

Nick and I remained silent as we picked up two armfuls of wood and headed back. I noticed Nick hesitate and look down the large hole he and Howie had been. Then he followed back to camp.

When we reached the camp the others were awake.

We set the wood down and then sat down to warm up. I seemed to be getting colder and colder.

"I'm hungry." AJ sighed about an hour later.

"Yeah me too…" Howie said. He had his ankle propped up on a log of wood.

"We'd better take care of your ankle first." Kevin said as he went over to the first aid kit. "We need two sticks. Small but strong." Kevin said as he grabbed some gaze that had been stored there just in case AJ got ran over again, when we were packing for the tour.

Nick got up and went out before anyone could tell him to sit back down. He returned a few minutes later with two sticks, small but strong.

"You do that again I will kill you." Kevin said in a low voice. Nick didn't say anything as he sat down again.

I got up and went over to help Kevin. I held the sticks in place as he wrapped the gaze around it.

"You have to straighten the bone first." Nick said not moving. He stared ahead into the fire.

"What? Is this from that book of yours too?" Kevin asked.

"No." Nick shook his head then looked at us, "Everyone knows that."

Kevin sighed, Nick was right. I didn't want to tell Kevin but the smile on my face must have given him a hint. "Shut up." He looked at me then slowly, carefully took Howie's foot. "And how do we straighten it?" Kevin asked.

Nick got up and came over to us and took Howie's foot.

Howie winced.

"Sorry." Nick said, then sighed, "This is going to hurt ya know." He looked at Howie.

"I figured that out." Howie sighed.

"Give him something to bite on." Nick looked around.

AJ broke a stick from one of the logs and handed it to Kevin. Kevin put it between Howie's teeth.

"Okay." Nick took a breath, "Ready?"

Howie nodded.

Nick suddenly twisted Howie's foot and we all heard a crack.

Howie yelled in pain followed by a few choice words. But then he shut up and took deep breaths. Kevin and I started with the bandaging as Nick went back and sat back in his spot. Cloud went over to him wagging his tail and nudged Nick's hand.

When we were done, Howie sat up.

"You okay D?" AJ looked at his friend.

Howie nodded, "Yeah. Just do me a favor and never break anything." We all smiled at that and went back to our spots by the fire.

The rest of the morning we sat in the shelter. I was actually warm and if felt good. It also made me feel a bit sleepy but it was really nice. Kevin, Howie and AJ looked about how I felt. But Nick couldn't stop shivering. He wouldn't say anything to us, like to ask us to put more wood on the fire or to give him one of our blankets. He just sat by the fire and shivered. I was a little worried. His skin was a pasty white and every hour it seemed to get whiter. His lips were even a pale pink.

I didn't want to worry anyone but I could see the look in the others eyes. I casually looked around and stopped at the woodpile and made like I was thinking then said, "Hey, does anyone know the first signs of hypothermia?" I asked no one in particular.

"Y-you start to get cold. And can sometimes go really white." Nick shivered. "I think…"

I looked at the other three. They were looking at me too, "How do you stop it?" Howie asked.

"You keep the person warm…we all know that." AJ said.

"Yeah, I've heard to take off your clothes and huddle together with blankets and things." Kevin nodded in agreement.

Cloud barked. We all looked at Nick.

"What…" He looked at each of us.

"Nick, we kinda have bad news…" Howie started.

I took my pants off, which were stiff. I really hated jeans, and then grabbed a blanket while Howie argued with Nick. Nick didn't want to admit that he was cold and that he was probably suffering from hypothermia. Kevin and AJ followed my actions and did the same. Then Kevin told Nick to shut up and Howie joined us. We all huddled in a tight circle to keep warm. We were all completely covered.

"I don't think it's too bad." AJ said. "It's not like you were throwing up or anything."

"What?" Nick looked at him. They were quietly talking. But Nick didn't do it quietly.

"I donno…something I've heard. Like heat stroke, ya start to throw up and stuff. Sorry." AJ shut up.

"We need food." Howie said.

"Yeah I'm starving." I agreed. I hadn't eaten anything all morning.

"AJ, you and I could go fishing." Kevin said, "We'll bring back food and cook it."

"Alright." Kevin and AJ got up and then grabbed their clothes. Then grabbed the fishing pole. We had to make repairs on the net.

"You need this?" AJ asked Nick as he picked up my old T-shirt.

Nick shook his head.

"Cool, then I'm gonna borrow it." AJ said, putting it on. His sweater that he had been wearing had gotten torn so bad he couldn't wear it.

"We'll be back later." Kevin said as he and AJ got out of the shelter.

"Do ya hafta?" Nick asked jokingly before Kevin shut the door.

"Ah, hush up." Kevin said as Cloud squeezed through the door and followed them down to the stream.

"This looks like a good spot." Kevin said as he and AJ reached the bank of the river.

"Nah, I bet I could find a better one." AJ said, continuing to walk down the bank, following the current.

"Be careful. It's slippery." Kevin warned.

"I know." AJ said. Kevin followed and the two walked for about three miles. Cloud followed close behind, stopping every few minutes to sniff around and do his business.

Suddenly AJ slipped, Kevin tried to grab a hold of him but he slipped too and they both fell into the fast moving water.

As he surfaced, Kevin choked on the water. "AJ! Where are you?" He looked around. Cloud was following him by the shore.

"Right here!" AJ called. Kevin looked and spotted AJ a few feet a head of him. Kevin swam fast and caught up to his friend.

"Try to swim to shore!" Kevin had to yell from the rushing water. They both tried to swim but the water was too strong. They continued to travel along in the middle of the river. Suddenly AJ spotted a fallen tree and he grabbed onto it. Kevin held on around AJ's waist. They were about 6 miles away from the shelter.

"Cloud!" AJ coughed, "Go get Brian boy!"

Cloud barked and ran back to the shelter.

"You feeling any better?" I looked at friend.

Nick sighed and nodded. He had at least stopped shivering. Though now he had a fever and kept falling asleep.

"No you don't." Howie shook Nick again as Nick closed his eyes. "What's that?" Howie suddenly said. The three of us stopped and listened.

"It's Cloud." Nick said.

"Oh well." I shrugged, "Kevin and AJ are probably coming back with a lot of fish."

"No." Nick shook his head and got up, then went over to the door and opened it.

"Nick! Get back here!" I hissed and got up to follow him. The kid was in his boxer shorts and he had been the reason we had huddled together in the first place.

"Something's wrong." Nick said, staring at the barking mutt standing in the snow.

"Yeah, he probably spotted a rabbit." Howie rolled his eyes.

I was behind Nick and watching Cloud as well, "No How, I think something's wrong too. Neither Kevin nor AJ are anywhere in sight…"

"Oh great." Howie sighed, "Now what?"

"I donno…but I'm gonna go check. Both of you stay here and try to stay warm." I looked directly at Nick as I pulled my jeans on.

After I closed the door I ran over to the mutt, "Now what?" I looked at him. He barked once then took off toward the river. "Here we go again." I sighed and followed him; "They better not have been chased by a pack of wolves and fallen down a hole!" I yelled as I ran.

When we reached the river nobody was in sight. "Where'd they go?" I asked myself and whoever else was listening. This was the fishing spot and nobody was there. Then Cloud barked. I looked at him. He was standing, pointing the direction to go. I spotted the tracks stuck in the mud of the bank.

"Alright, alright! Let's go play 'hero' again." I sighed and followed him, running close behind.

We ran for what seemed like hours then Cloud stopped and kept barking.

"Why'd you lead me here?" I looked around, "No one's here boy!" I said and started to go back.

"Brian!" AJ's voice suddenly called.

"Bone? Where are ya?" I went back to where Cloud was.

"Right here! Help!" He yelled.

I crawled onto a large fallen tree then got down on my knees and looked over it. AJ was holding onto one of the branches. Kevin was holding onto AJ.

"Oh geez!" I sighed and laid down on my stomach then reached down to try and grab a hold of AJ. My hands were just out of his reach.

"Common Brian!" My cousin yelled, "It's cold down here!"

"I'm tryin' man!" I tried to stretch but I was getting no where fast. "Where's Spider Man when you need him?" I said to myself.

"Spider? Where?!" AJ looked around.

"No! Never mind!" I said. I needed help. Howie couldn't help. His ankle was broken, he couldn't even walk. And Nick couldn't help either. But they were the only chance.

"Guys, I gotta go get the others!" I yelled, "Try to hold on, I'll be right back."

"Hurry up Brian!" AJ yelled as I took off running.

"Just, don't go anywhere!" I said.

"Where are we gonna go huh?" Kevin snapped.

I didn't answer; I was already heading back to the shelter.

"Howie! Nick!" I panted as I reached the shelter. The door opened and Nick came out.

"What?" He asked.

"Kevin…AJ…river…branch…cold…waterfall." I could barely breathe. But I didn't need to say anything else Nick understood what I was trying to say.

"Come on." He grabbed my arm, "Howie, we'll be back!" He said and pulled me after him back where I had come from. More running. Great. I thought, then noticed Nick, still only in his boxer shorts.

I took over when we reached the river and we found the two still hanging from the branch.

"Now what do we do?" Nick asked, mostly himself.

"Pull us up! That's what you do!" AJ said matter-of-factly, yelling it of course. Nick sighed and looked around for something to reach them with. I was looking for another way. The tree had been a big one and it was impossible for me to reach them and stay on the tree. There were no branches on the top to hang onto; I'd slip right off.

"I'm slipping." Kevin suddenly said. He was followed with a few words, unmentionable words from AJ.

"My hands are going numb!" AJ yelled.

Nick got the same idea I had and jumped onto the top of the fallen tree and tried to reach them. AJ moved, trying to grab a hold of Nick's arm. For a few suspense full minutes AJ tried to reach Nick's hand, finally he managed to grab Nick's wrist.

I jumped up and started to pull Nick up. But suddenly the tree shifted and rolled over from the weight of everyone leaning to one side. It knocked Nick off and into the water.

"Where'd he go?" AJ looked behind him at Kevin.

"I don't know." Kevin said, "I couldn't see."

"Shoot!" I yelled, plus a few other things.

Suddenly I heard my name being called. I looked up to see Nick just go over a few rocks. He was heading for the rapids.

"Ah man! He's heading for the waterfall!" I jumped up. I didn't know what to do. I had to go after Nick, but I couldn't just leave AJ and Kevin! What was I going to do?

"You go after Nick, Brian. I'll help these two." I turned around to see Howie hobbling over with the net.

"Thanks man." I jumped off the tree and ran, following the bank of the river. Cloud followed close behind.

When we reached the drop off I looked down at the long drop. Water crashed into the stream below, making a terrible racket. It would have surely killed anyone who went over.

"Nick!" I called. I couldn't see him anywhere.

"Brian!" Nick's voice echoed from somewhere but I couldn't figure out where.

"Where are you!" I yelled, trying to figure out where it had been coming from.

"Over the falls!" He shouted.