She smiled at him and giggled, saying, "Maybe."
Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. The suggestion certainly brought warmth into her. But, as he said, the snow here was too deep.
The way up the mountain became steep, and they soon found their snowshoes were hindering their way instead of aiding their ascent. Taking them off, they discovered it wasfaster to use them more like a shovel. In this way, their climb became quicker, even despite the hard, tiring work of shoveling snow out of their way…and uphill.
It was also made worse because, by loosening the snow above them, sometimes a drift of snow would suddenly fall upon First Rider, causing him to fall backward. And, sometimes he became the clown as he removed this snow, exaggerating the flaying of his arms and legs so greatly that she found herself giggling.
At last, they climbed up onto a ledge, and, pausing, they looked out over the mountain landscape; it was so cold but so beautiful that she felt honored to even be here gazing upon it.
He murmured, "My country is beautiful, is it not?"
"It is beautiful. But, come now, I am shivering and so are thou. We should move along so we can warm up."
He looked over his shoulder at her, and, straight-faced, said, "Snow not so deep here."
The implication was obvious, and she giggled before asking, "And, the warm robes and fur? Does thou have them?"
"Forgot," he said, grinning at her. "You so beautiful…cannot remember why we here."
She laughed aloud. "Oh, thou are a flatterer!"
"I not flatter you. It true," he protested.
Shaking her head, she could only chuckle.
But, they could not rest for long because it was true: the bitter cold had them both shivering, even though from where they stood on the ledge, the wind did not reach them.
Kraak!Kraak!
Looking up, Liliann saw the pale-gray and black bird with black feathers dotted white on its ends.
Kraak!Kraak!
The bird, a Clark's crow, also known as a Clark's nutcracker, seemed to be scolding them as it circled above them.
First Rider glanced at her from over his shoulder and asked, "Did you hear what…crow said?"
"Be the bird speakin' to us?"
"Áa.She was."
"What did she say, now?"
"She told me there…is deep pass ahead. To beware."
"Did she tell thee where exactly it be?"
"Saa, we must be alert. I go first."
Liliann grinned at him, then said, "Except for once on that wee bit of a trail over that terrible pass, thou be always goin' first."
He simply laughed. "Come, we…almost there. Meat, warmth and…lovemaking awaits us."
Standing on her tiptoes, she grinned up at him and kissed his neck before saying, "Lead on, oh handsome husband of mine…I be followin' thee."
****
The constant shoveling of the snow coming loose and falling upon First Rider and then upon her in order to simply climb up the mountain was taking a toll on First Rider, who was tasked to do the shoveling. And, although she volunteered to take a turn at the hard work, he forbade it. As they climbed up farther and farther toward the summit of the mountain, Liliann began to see other birds up there, probably more numerous birds than what were in the forest below them. Some were white with black beaks.
