Introduction to Winter Disaster Event

"Hallo, you really should eat something."
       It was a cold winter night in the marsh. The sky above was clear and all the little pools had frozen over. A blanket of snow covered everything and Dahzmiq was struggling to keep the home warm.
       Inside the giant mangrove tree, along with keeping the heat from coming in through the thick branches that made the walls of their home, Dahzmiq was having a time keeping Hallo in high spirits. Something was wrong with her, he was sure. She stayed in the lower rooms all hours of the day and hardly came out for any sunlight or food or anything.
       Dahzmiq stood at the top of the rounded staircase, peering down into the dark. Hallo always wanted it dark down there, claiming it was better for the spells and potions. Dahz wasn't so sure sometimes. He worried if it was something else, if there was something deeply troubling her.
       "Hallo," he said again. "I have some food made up here, please come eat."
       He angled his ear towards the darkness, listening for any stirring of any kind. A few moments passed and he heard nothing. With a sigh, he began down the stairs.
       Underneath the mangrove were three levels: the floor level, where you entered, which contained the main room, Hallo's bedroom, and another way out from the back of the tree. The middle floor is where Dahzmiq slept, where they stored food and supplies, and let guests sleep.
       The bottom floor housed Hallo's laboratory, where the only light came from glowing mushrooms that grew in the corners and underneath her desk, and the mysterious, multicolored, floating bubbles that she sometimes made while working on a spell. Holes were bored out of the walls to make shelves that were lined with different sized bottles and bowls, most of which held strange looking liquids, some that gave off a light, some that gave off a smell.
       As Dahzmiq descended he sneezed hard, which made him realize how tired and cold he had become from battling the snow. He hoped he wasn't becoming sick. How could he help Hallo then?
       A strange odor was emanating from downstairs, and the closer he got the harder Dahzmiq found it to breathe. Thick purple clouds were visible as he reached the bottom. A curtain of hanging moss in the doorway was brushed aside when he entered.
       "Hallo?"
       She was at the far end of the room, sitting back on her haunches, crouched over her desk. The purple clouds were originating from whatever she was working on.
       Dahzmiq, after a brisk coughing fit, shook his head and moved over to her side. He put a paw on her shoulder, and she jumped, a brief look of panic on her face, before letting out a relieved sigh and resting her head against his side.
       "I'm sorry Hallo. I didn't mean to startle you." The look in her eyes showed she had really been scared. On her desk sat a stone bowl upon which she was burning some sort of purple herb. Unnatural clouds of smoke plumed from the fire. Dahz rose a brow, fighting back another sneeze. He receded a little into his fluffy mane. "What are you burning? It's making it hard to breathe in here."
       Hallo curled her tail around her, using it instinctively to help her stay warm, as if she had forgotten all the fur and flesh and muscle had fallen off to reveal the yellowed bone. Dahzmiq frowned despondently at it, remembering how heartbroken she was when it happened. He had warned her that going in that cave was a bad idea, that she may never leave...
       And now it seemed like that cave would never leave her.
       Another deep sigh emitted from Hallo as she placed a paw directly on the burning plant matter to extinguish the embers. The sparks fizzled out quickly and gave little protest, ceasing production of the purple smoke at last. Though Dahzmiq wasn't feeling any better; he sneezed again, harsher this time.
       Hallo looked up at him in concern, then burrowed further into his thick fur.
       Dahzmiq smiled softly and gave her a warm hug. "It's okay Hallo. Will you come and eat now?"
       She nodded without leaving the embrace.
       "Will you tell me what you were burning?"
       Hesitantly she leaned her head back to gesture towards the ashes in the stone on her desk, then towards the room itself, giving a flick of her paw.
       "Oh, I understand," he said knowingly. "The herb is a sort of cleanser, right? It banishes bad spirits."
       Hallo gave a slow nod. How grateful he was that he could understand her, otherwise she would have such a more difficult time, he felt. Though then he felt bad for having the thought, for he trusted that she could make it on her own. She made it just fine before he came along after all.
       Suddenly Dahzmiq was overcome with another coughing fit that had him doubled-over. Hallo gasped and knelt to his side, placing a comforting paw on his shoulder and patting a couple times on his back to help alleviate the pressure. She hadn't thought about what he was going through to keep the home warm. And to burn that herb when he could be falling ill, Hallo felt so selfish that she then scoured her shelves for something to help, anything.
       She found some mint leaves, a piece of honeycomb, a couple berries, and a sprig of-
       Where's the enthoroot?
       This is not the time to not have enthoroot.
       Hallo was flung into high gear. She hurriedly ushered a sneezing and coughing Dahzmiq back up the staircase.
       "What are you doing?" The monsterloon protested little; he was beginning to get shaky and his nostrils were running. Hallo directed him past the second floor and into her own bedroom. She pushed him onto the fluffy bed of moss and leaves that made her bed, curling a blanket of moss around him. He settled in quickly. He knew he needed rest. Ever since Hallo had become so melancholy, he had been working harder with the house upkeep and guarding, and had stayed up too many nights making sure Hallo was sleeping well and eating right. He was tired and sick, but mostly he was just happy she came out from under her rock.
       For a moment Hallo curled up with him.
       She couldn't let anything happen to him. Hallo viewed Dahzmiq as a young charge, someone who she took care of in return for bodyguard and assistant related services, but she felt so close to him. Sometimes it felt like the closeness one may feel with a younger brother or a good friend, but sometimes it was more than that. He cared for her when even she couldn't care for herself.
       That selfish feeling crept up her back again and she stood abruptly. Dahzmiq had fallen asleep, his barrel chest heaving peacefully. He snored a little bit. Hallo made way into the main room, giving a little shiver when she realized how cold it really was upstairs. The winter breeze had picked up, and it was snowing again.
       Hallo peered out from behind the driftwood doorway Dahzmiq had put in the main entrance. The snow was falling heavily, and the wind blew around violently. It was a blizzard in her marsh.
       She needed to go out and get enthoroot for Dahz's medicine. And when Hallo decides something there isn't much that can stop her, so she checked on Dahz another second time, stretched out as far as she could go, and shook off her heavy thoughts.
       This was important.
       Hallo slipped out of the doorway and embarked out into the growing snowstorm, heading for the other side of the marsh.
       The dinner Dahzmiq made sat untouched on the table in the main room.