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We set off down a trail I’ve never been down. Normally, I would go up into the mountains from the village, but this one heads down into the foothills.
I spot a Great Garuch circling in the distance. “Look,” I say, pointing it out. “They’re stunning, aren’t they?”
“Stunning and dangerous,” he replies with a laugh. “I’m glad it’s way over there.”
I remember the terrifying proximity of the one I saw on the day I twisted my ankle. Looking back at it now, the moment seems symbolic somehow. It was the point where we took our relationship to a deeper level. I find it interesting that one should appear again today.
Renxel leads me down into a valley filled with the sweet scent of haliot blossoms. The plant is growing everywhere. I’ve never seen it in such abundance.
“This is amazing, Renxel,” I say. “Did you hike all the way down here yesterday just to pick me flowers from this valley?”
“Yes,” he says coyly. “I thought you’d like them.”
I certainly like this Renxel. This is not the same braggart that I first met strutting into the inn and wanting to be the center of attention.
“I did like them,” I tell him. “And to see them growing wild here is wonderful.”
“Come on,” he says, “There’s something more I want to show you.”
I follow him as he picks his way through the scented blossoms. The land becomes more rocky and difficult to traverse. Several times, Renxel stops and offers me his hand as we come to bigger and bigger obstacles.
“No,” I tell him. “I’m never going to learn if you keep helping me.”
“Fair enough,” he laughs, standing with his arms folded and watching me struggle.
“This had better be worth it,” I tell him after a particularly difficult climb. I brush the dirt from my legs, trying to hidethe fact that I skinned my knee in my determination to be independent.
“Not far,” he promises. “You won’t regret it.”
After a while, I start to hear a deep rumbling noise and my excitement builds. As we inch around a rock face on a precarious ledge, I almost cave and ask for help. But before long, the path opens out to the tallest waterfall I’ve ever seen.
We’re standing on a wide outcrop of rock about halfway up the roaring wall of water. “That’s incredible,” I shout over the noise. “You’re right, I’m not disappointed.”
Strange ferns and climbing plants cling to every nook and cranny, and the bright spring sunshine lances through the tumbling water, creating rainbows everywhere I look.
“Watch,” he says, pointing at the sky.
A flock of brightly colored birds are playing overhead. Their shimmering azure feathers glint in the sunshine and flash as they dive through the rainbows.
Suddenly, one swoops down and dives into the sheer wall of water in front of us.
“Wow. Did you see that?” I exclaim, pointing at where the bird had been.
“They’re the fin-fin birds,” he tells me. “They spend as much time in the water as out. This is their breeding ground.”
As he speaks, another bright flash appears flying out of the waterfall. My heart is filled with joy at the sight.
“Wow, this is marvelous,” I exclaim.
“It gets better,” says Renxel with a smile. He bends down and takes off his pack. Out of it, he pulls two oilskin coats. “Put this on,” he says, handing me one.
Looking at him quizzically, I take it and pull the waterproof hood up over my head, then wrap the garment around me.
He leads me along the stone outcrop toward the wall of water. As we approach the tumultuous cascade, I can see that theledge continues around behind the watery curtain. It pummels at me as I follow Renxel along the rocky path and into a vast cave.
Strangely, the deafening roar of the water is lessened in here.
“Oh, my goodness,” I say in awe as I stare around at the strange glowing crystals that grow from the walls.
