by S. S. Segran
What was more amazing was a dazzling, multicolored flame that streamed from a cauldron at the center of the foyer of the building. Now Aari was baffled. “How does that work? How can it continue jetting fire like that?”
Since no one had an answer, the friends settled on enjoying the colorful flames flaring against the dark of the night. Enthralled as they were by the sight, they continued their journey.
They had walked for ten or so minutes when Jag noticed a massive shadow looming up ahead. He frowned, his dread growing as they drew closer. They stopped and stared up at a near-vertical incline that, according to the map, separated Dema-Ki from the pinecone valley.
“So this is what the line on the map was,” Mariah said.
Kody scanned it from bottom to top, aggravated. “No way am I climbing that.”
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Tegan said hopefully. “It can’t be more than a hundred feet.”
“Do you hear yourself? You put one hand or foot in the wrong place and you’ll drop like a rock. And we’re carrying packs, too.”
“The bears couldn’t have climbed over that, especially not with us on their backs,” Aari said. “Jag, we’ll have to go back to the other side of the valley to get out.”
Jag’s face fell. “No, wait. Maybe there’s a way around this. We’ll comb through this area for a passage or something, and if we can’t find anything . . . then we’ll double back.”
“Time’s a-tickin’, guys,” Tegan muttered.
“Fan out,” Jag ordered, spreading his arms.
They spread out, rapidly covering the base of the incline. Aari climbed onto a ledge and turned around. The clouds had parted, allowing light from the full moon to bathe the valley. The turquoise river shimmered in the light and could be seen winding through the center of the valley. The tops of the villagers’ shelters were barely distinguishable from the vegetation. To a casual observer, the village was nonexistent.
As he looked across the valley, the realization of what they were about to do hit him. They were parting from security and launching themselves against the power of the northern forests. They were truly putting themselves at the mercy of nature.
The clouds regrouped and obscured the moon, throwing the valley into the shadow once again. Jag walked toward the ledge and gave Aari a half-hearted grin. “Come on, brother. We need to keep things moving.”
As Aari jumped down, a happy exclamation caught their attention. “Found it! Think I found a way out!” Mariah gestured at them from the north end of the wall.
“I figured we’d probably be stuck here for a while trying to find it,” Kody grinned. “I guess Lady Luck loves us.”
“Well,” Tegan said, “let’s hope this little romance lasts.”
The four of them sauntered over to Mariah and gazed in the direction she was looking. A path was barely visible, tunneled into the rock wall. The friends peered into the darkness ahead.
“Should we use that portable oil lamp we took from Huyani’s?” Kody whispered.
“There’s a limited supply of oil in it,” Tegan murmured back. “We shouldn’t use it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
The four of them looked at her, peered into the dark tunnel, and looked at Tegan again. Kody clucked his tongue. “Methinks that right now, it is absolutely necessary.”
Tegan stared into the tunnel, then reluctantly agreed. She took out the clay torch from her pack. At the flick of slim lever, a small flame erupted to life. A crystal globe encircled the light. “Who wants to go first?” she asked. The friends looked at each other, no one volunteering.
Finally, Aari took a tentative step into the tunnel and pulled the hood of his jacket up. Tegan passed him the torch and the others followed him in. Jag took up a position at the rear of the group and noticed in the flickering light how well-trodden the ground was. It gave him some comfort that the tunnel was obviously used by the villagers.
The friends marched for a couple of minutes, then Kody piped up. “Are we there yet?”
“No, Kode-man,” Aari replied.
Silence again.
Then: “Are we there yet?”
“No, Kode-man.”
More quiet ensued.
Finally: “Are we there yet?
“Oy! Shut up!”
Kody remained silent the rest of the way. Jag quickly ducked to avoid smacking his forehead on the tunnel’s ceiling. There was barely a clearance over his head, and the passageway was about six feet wide. The bears must’ve walk through here in single file, he thought. In the small dancing light he observed the patches of moss that clung to the sides and water droplets falling from the ceiling. No one spoke for a length of time. The sound of dripping water seemed magnified in the stillness of the tunnel.
“I think I can see the end,” Aari reported, his voice low. Relief swept over the group. “I’m gonna turn off the torch to conserve the oil.”
As they exited the tunnel, Jag looked around. “So this must be the pinecone valley.”
Aari handed the torch back to Tegan, who carefully returned it to her pack. “Yep,” he said. “It feels more open out here.”
“Definitely matches the drawing on the map,” Mariah agreed. “Less vegetation here compared to Dema-Ki.”
They’d taken a few steps when Tegan halted abruptly, causing Kody to bump into her. “Hey,” he said. “What gives?”
She smiled at them. “Just smell that fresh mountain air. Isn’t it nice?”
The friends breathed in deeply, and as they exhaled, they felt a pleasant sensation from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes.
“Kind of reminds me of the scenic drives we used to take to the national park back home,” Aari noted.
“And it’s just as pretty here,” Tegan said. “I’d love to see this place when it snows.”
“Can we stop to grab a bite?” Kody pleaded.
“We should keep going for a while more, then we’ll put up for the night,” Jag said. “We need to put as much distance as we can between us and Dema-Ki.”
The group trekked for two hours more until Kody muttered another complaint about his hunger. They came across an area of soft grass nestled in a grove of tall firs. Kody, apparently satisfied with the spot, sat down and opened the pack he was carrying. “Grab whatever y’all want.”
The friends ate a quick snack and took a few gulps from their water pelts before unpacking their sleeping bags and laying them side-by-side. They crawled into them and listened to the sounds of the night.
Just as they started to nod off, a branch snapped nearby. The teenagers bolted upright. A couple of minutes passed uneventfully and they released their breaths. Hesitantly, they lowered themselves back into their sleeping bags but not before Kody held up a sturdy stick. “My insurance,” he explained.
“It was probably just some small animal,” Tegan said as she closed her eyes. “Good night, guys.”
“Night,” the others murmured. Within moments, the group was lulled to sleep with the quiet hum of the forest.
Barely an hour into their slumber, a loud, spine-chilling roar reverberated through the trees. Not even an ice-cold bucket of water could have jolted the friends out of their sleep so quickly. They sat up, frozen in place.
A resounding snarl echoed through the forest. The teenagers scrambled to the center of the sleeping site and huddled together. A clash of roaring and snarling broke out once more. Blood drained from the friends’ faces as they listened.
There was an eerie pause, and as the friends tentatively moved away from each other, the wild scream of an animal in pain again rang in the darkness.
Then, the noises cut off abruptly.
The group, apprehensive, waited as time ticked by. Once they were certain the noises would not return, they broke off from each other and collapsed in heaps. “What was that?” Tegan groaned.
“Some kind of beast, that’s all I know.” Aari’s breaths were ragged. “Man, I can feel the blood pounding in my head.”
> Jag held his head in his hands. “Yeah, me too.” He looked up after a few moments. “You guys alright?”
They nodded. Kody was on his feet and already packing up his sleeping bag. “I’m alright, but I’m outta here. I can’t sleep after that. Let’s get moving.”
The group hastily hiked for the next hour at a heightened pace, quickly consuming their water supply. Flicking his water pelt and listening to the slosh of water inside, Kody observed, “We’re going to need to refill these things from the next river or stream we come across.”
“Is it safe to drink straight from them?” Mariah asked.
“Are you kidding?” Aari said. “Mountain water is pure. It’s perfectly safe.”
Their brisk pace slowed and soon they were just traipsing along, swerving around large rocks and fallen trees. After a while, Kody yawned loudly. “I need to rest.”
“Thought you were worried about the animal that freaked us out,” Mariah said.
“Right now I could care less. I’m tired. How long do you think we’ve been walking? Aari? Got a clue?”
Aari pulled his hood further over his head. “I’m thinking, in total . . . probably four, maybe five hours.”
“That’s it? Then why am I so tired?”
“I think it’s because we’re still recovering from the crash. And we haven’t really gotten much exercise. Our bodies are probably kinda stiff.” Aari tugged at his earlobe. “I don’t think we should push ourselves too hard right off the bat. Hey, Jag—we should stop soon.”
Jag halted in his tracks. He stared up at the sky and blinked several times. Maybe his eyes were fooling him, but in the darkness he thought he saw a light from an aircraft some ways off. He stared at the spot in the sky and tried to trace the light source but it had vanished. He scanned the heavens again then reluctantly said, “Nah. Let’s gain some more distance before we take a break.”
Kody puffed out his cheeks in discontent. Reaching into his pack, he tried to sneak some food but dropped it right back when Mariah slapped his hand. “No food for you, Mr. Eat-everything-till-there’s-nothing-left-for-us.”
“Actually, I’m Mr. Eat-everything-before-anyone-else-gets-the-food. I’m a go-for-it type of guy.”
“Sure you are, Kody.”
Jag looked up at the sky a while later as they walked, hoping to spot an aircraft again. Instead, he saw the dark sky now speckled with light. “Sunrise in a while,” he said.
A peculiar sound reached their ears; they paused in their tracks and tilted their heads to listen.
“You guys hear that?” Aari murmured. “Some sort of—rumbling?”
“A storm approaching?” Kody wondered aloud.
“No,” Jag said. “I know I’ve heard this before, when . . .” His eyes began to light up. “. . . when the bears were bringing us to Dema-Ki.”
“When we get closer to the mountains in Great Falls back home—remember that sound?” Tegan asked.
Kody rubbed his hands together. “You don’t suppose . . .”
“A waterfall?” Mariah finished.
“Only one way to find out.” Tegan loped toward the sound. Her friends followed her eagerly, at times calling for her to slow down. She would pause and wait impatiently until they caught up before trotting off again. The sound grew steadily louder the closer they got to the source.
As they cleared a large group of trees, the friends found themselves staring at the stunning sight of water cascading over a ledge; it came down with thunderous intensity from two hundred feet up. The pool at the foot of the waterfall was large but calm toward the edges. The tree line made a crescent shape around it, welcoming the friends and appearing to offer a protective embrace. Jag was the last of the group to clear the trees. He passed one with darker bark than the others. He brushed his fingertips against the trunk and scrutinized it quizzically, then continued on.
A cold blast of air hit their faces as they stepped closer to the waterfall. It refreshed them, slowly releasing the tense feeling knotting in their stomachs.
“Woo!” Kody ran to the pool and immediately filled up his water pelt. Jag, Aari, Tegan and Mariah followed suit. As they drank from the waterfall, Jag admired the grand showcase nature offered them. Setting down his pack, he laid back-first on the ground and propped himself on his elbows. A fine spray of mist coated him and he smiled, enjoying the revitalizing sensation the droplets provided.
“This is gorgeous,” she gushed.
“I’ll say.” Mariah pointed a finger skyward. “It’s still not fully daylight yet, but the color of the water is already so beautiful. Kind of makes me want to take a dip.”
Jag half-closed his eyes and lazily watched the scenery. The hypnotic rhythm of the cascade had nearly lulled him to sleep when he saw movement and spotted Tegan and Mariah walking close to the waterfall. He wondered why they were peering so intently at the rushing water. He called their names but they didn’t hear him over the roar of falls. Their movements grew more and more animated.
“Wonder what they found?” Kody said as Mariah and Tegan waved the boys over. The boys hastened over. There, the spray of water on their faces was more intense.
“Guys, you won’t believe this,” Mariah yelled over the pounding water. Indicating the waterfall, she instructed, “Take our spot and tell us what you see.”
She and Tegan stepped back and allowed the mystified boys to take their place. They clung to the rock wall beside where the water rushed down, searching intently but unable to see anything. Nonplussed, they looked back at the girls. “Don’t see anything!” Jag hollered.
“Look harder,” Tegan directed.
“It might help if you squint a little,” added Mariah.
Three pairs of eyes raked over the entire side of the waterfall. Aari shook his head. “I don’t see anything at—whoa!” He spun around. “There’s a cave behind it!”
“I see it now!” Kody confirmed excitedly. “You see it, Jag?”
“No—wait! Yeah, yeah, I see it.” Jag stepped away and wiped his water-sprinkled face with the sleeve of his black hoodie.
Tegan eagerly hopped from foot to foot. “I’m gonna check it out. Anybody wanna tag along?”
Her friends grinned. Jag tossed the girls their packs and they slung them over their shoulders. “Be careful, Teegs,” he warned as she took the lead.
Tegan hugged the slippery wall and inched her way closer to the cascade along a narrow ledge. Saying a quick prayer, she slid behind the water and tumbled into the cave.
The rest of the group followed her in the same manner. They got up, trying to wipe some of the water off themselves, and hooted.
“Epic!” Kody walked around in backward circles, attempting to take in every detail of the cave. It was large and spacious, and to their surprise, not at all cold. The ground was mostly sandy and the friends could hear the particles crunch under their shoes as they walked around. The cave seemed to be lit but they couldn’t find a possible source of light.
Jag tapped the wall with his knuckles. “Why is it kind of bright in here?”
“Refraction,” Tegan answered. “I think it’s the angle the water falls over the cave’s entrance that’s giving it this appearance.”
“It’s kind of cozy in an odd way,” Mariah remarked. “I wouldn’t mind resting here for a while.”
“Why don’t we?” Kody asked.
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Aari said.
Mariah tugged at her sleeve uneasily. “Do you think an animal might come in here?”
“I’m not too worried,” Tegan answered. “There’s a stale smell but it seems pretty faint. Whoever or whatever used this place hasn’t been in here for a long while. Let’s get out the sleeping bags.”
Once the friends were contentedly snuggled into their sleeping bags, they fell asleep immediately, exhausted.
18
A few hours later, with the land already basking in the sun’s golden light, the group reached the end of the valley and stood shoulder
to shoulder on a ledge, looking at the descending slope that led to a flat expanse. The massive basin was moderately forested except on the banks of a long river that coiled in a north-south direction in the middle of the plain.
The friends had been walking with renewed energy since their rest in the cave. Nothing had bothered them in there, and they’d woken up refreshed.
Without a word, Mariah began a nimble jog down the slope. Tegan and Kody raced each other and Aari and Jag followed slowly. Together, they looked up at where they’d come from.
“How far do you think we’ve come since last night?” Mariah asked.
“Hard to say with all the obstacles that we had to skirt around,” Aari said. “Maybe fifteen, twenty miles.”
“Is that good?”
“I have no clue. I hope so.” He strained to look up at the bright sky. “I think it’s almost midday. I’m sure the villagers will have realized we’re gone by now.”
“Not necessarily true,” Tegan said. “They sometimes leave us alone till noon. We still may have a good lead.”
Kody, bored with the conversation, loped to the river and began refilling his water pelt, smiling with satisfaction. He took a big swig and smacked his lips, feeling re-energized.
“You finished your water already?” Aari asked incredulously as he crouched by the river to dip a hand and test the water’s temperature. Kody just nodded, gladly taking gulps.
Jag stared at the river. “So I did remember right. The bears did cross a river after all.”
“You can’t be sure that it’s this particular river, Jag,” Mariah said half-absently as she watched Aari step away from the water. “Whoa—whoa! Aari, watch out!”
Too late, Aari’s foot slammed a couple of feet down into an abandoned rabbit hole. He fell backward with his foot still stuck and landed with a thud on his back.