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I slam my icepick into the glassy surface and then push myself up over the edge. I want to collapse, but I look at the time first.
“Shit.”
It’s better than the last time I did it, but not by much. I fall back on the ground, breathing heavily. A ball of disgust forms in my stomach, spreading out into my veins through every inch of my body.
What’s the point of the training?I think. To get stronger. I obviously am getting stronger. And I was faster. Just not by enough.
I reach for my pack. I think that was my sixth, maybe seventh, time up the frozen waterfall this afternoon. I left the pack up here after the first climb. That was the slowest. I felt so much lighter without it. It was almost like I could fly
I pull out one of my water bladders and drink it down. The sweat is running down my neck. This was a great workout. Maybe this is the start of a good streak for me. A winning streak.
As I pull up my rope and unhook my harness I think about the competition, the one I won. Something always seems to happen during a competition to wreck my chances. Not this last time. Maybe it really is my time to shine.
I could repel down, but I want to walk. I’ll take the long trail down, through the quiet woods. I need to stretch my legs, but more importantly, I need to think. I take the telescoping poles out of my pack.
As I tighten them up, I’m reminded of how I found Mira on the trail, alone and crying.
“Stupid,” I mutter.
I don’t mean it cruelly. More like brotherly.
No, definitely not that. I wince at comparing my affection to that of a brother’s, considering the mind blowing sex we shared yesterday.
Okay, I care about her. In a decisively not sibling way. But I don’t need this complication, especially not right now. I have plans. Goals.
“I don’t need this.”
My rather loud proclamation disturbs something in the woods. There is a huge amount of rustling and then I hear it. The flap of the giant wings covered with millions of tiny feathers is a sound everyone knows to fear.
The Great Garuch rises up out of the trees downhill from me. Instinctively, I step off the trail into the woods. No need to offer myself up on a platter to the great beast. As it soars away, I crane my neck to watch it.
Each wing is probably at least as tall as I am. With a giant flap, it rises to an impossible height in the blink of an eye. Then it makes giant circles, scanning for the source of the noise. I plaster myself against a tree. If it sees me…
Another sound shatters the silence. A mighty cry echoes off the range. I can see the Garuch turn its head. It turns and dives, thankfully away from me. Then it’s gone.
I wish I had wings,I think.
It’s a childish wish, a foolish one. Mountain Kiphians don’t fly, we climb. That’s what my mother used to say all the time. Eventually, I stopped saying it, which I guess was the point.
I pick my way carefully down the snow-packed trail. Occasionally, I look up. I can’t help it. A Garuch could pick me up and take me back to its nest if it caught me off guard. I’m lucky that it wasn’t hungry.
“Huh.”
The thought makes me stop. I step back into the trees and peer out at the sky. No sign of him. Gauruchs are said to mate for life. They don’t have the complicated wooing rituals of other animal species. Was that long, low cry its mate?
I shake my head. I need to get off the mountain, take a shower, have dinner, and get some sleep. So I can get up and do this all again tomorrow.
I make it down the mountain without incident. The poles and boot claws help immensely. Without them, a minor slide could turn into a major injury. Mira found that out the hard way.
I sigh as I think about her. Her soft skin and hair in my hands. The beautiful noises she made when I took her…
My comm beeps. I’m back in range of the communications tower. I pull out my comm and look at it.
Call me.
It’s not from Mira, it’s from my mother.
I look around and slide the comm back into my pocket. It’s amazing how that woman can spoil my mood. I decide to call her when I get back to my room at the hotel.
