The long-awaited day finally arrived. We both woke up before sunrise and began getting ready for the journey down the Mountain.
I had no shoes. So we started by fashioning some out-of-bed sheets, and some canvas bags that Graham had found in the makeshift pantry. It wasn't a lot but it was better than walking barefoot through the snow.
I was feeling slightly better but I was nowhere near to being at full capacity. It would probably take more time than I had before I would recover completely. And that certainly wouldn't happen if kept eating watery soup. Which got thinner by the day.
Graham gave me any extra clothing he had, even though it wasn't the cleanest. Because he had been doing his laundry with melted snow, and drying them in the cave, the musty smell that wafted from them was cloying my nostrils with each step I took.
" Ready for adventure, young lady? " Graham asks a little out of breath. He'd spent the last couple of hours running around like a mad person, gathering whatever he could find that we could use to protect ourselves from the bitter cold of the winter.
For once the weather was on our side. The sun wasn't up yet, but there was no cloud in the sky. So, that meant there would be no snowfall for the foreseeable future.
But that also meant that the frigid cold would bite and nip at our every bit of exposed skin.
A deep breath to prepare myself for what was waiting for us out there, " Ready," I say through the strip of double-folded bed sheet that he used to replace what we didn't have: A scarf, hat, gloves. We lacked so many things, that if you would have asked any other day if this was a good idea. I would've said that you are out of your mind.
" Lets go Shay," Shay perked up and lazily pushed himself off the ground. It was the first time I've seen him stand up. When he reached us, he stopped next to me and I realised that he was a lot bigger than he appeared curled up on the floor.
He was lean, but he had strangely long legs. Built for running, I suppose. If you judge him by dog standards. But Shay wasn't a dog. His features brought him closer to a fox.
Graham and I nodded, and we set out of the cave.
I was not ready for the wave of cold that greeted us the moment we stepped out of the cave. Also, I wasn't prepared for the steep descent that we would have to make to reach the foot of the mountain.
When I looked down, my breath hitched and took a step back.
" How did you make it all the way up here?" I turned to Graham who looked over the horizon as if looking for something.
" It was at the beginning of the summer. The snow had already melted. It wasn't so bad. And Mason had already taken care of bringing up most of the supplies. He only showed me the way and left," Graham replied, walked past me, and began his descent. Shay yawned and shook his fur, probably not happy either with the journey ahead.
Bracing myself against the wall covered in ice and snow, I trailed after Graham. My makeshift shoes did nothing to abate the cold, and after a few footsteps, I felt my toes going numb. I wished I'd spent more time reading survival guides in cold temperatures than about tropical paradise.
Note to self, if I survive this is something that I need to do.
" How long did it take you to reach the cave?" Making conversation to distract myself from the cold that seemed to find a way in despite the countless layers I was wearing.
" A day. Again, no snow then," Graham answered curtly through clattering teeth.
" I hate the cold. I hate snow. I hate winter," He grumbled under his breath, but it was just us in the mountains and the sun that was making an appearance over the horizon.
As the first rays began to spread over the mountain, my breath caught in my throat at the beautiful display. The mountain range is a winter wonderland. Their peaks speared through the clouds, towering over a valley sprinkled with evergreens and white. The soft golden glow of the sun reflecting off the snow gave the whole mountain range a white shimmering glow.
You'd think after being dragged countless times in my dreams in a similar scenery, one would have had enough of snow. And I did, but still couldn't help myself from appreciating the splendour of the scenery.
" Same," I breathed the word watching my steaming breath in front of me being swept sway on a gentle breeze.
Shay followed behind me with lazy steps, yawning now and again, as if being awake was a struggle. Although he had slept for most of the time, so did I.
If we wouldn't have been forced by circumstances. I wouldn't have left the mountain range.
I sigh at that thought. Hiding wasn't always the solution. But it was a half-decent refuge.
The trail turned more slippery the further we descended and I struggled to stay on my feet.
" We should take a break," I say to Graham, mostly because I was afraid that I would slip and fall and we would both tumble down the cliff like a boulder.
" No, we keep moving. We have little daylight, and we need to be at the foot of the mountain before sunset," His logic made sense but also what good would do if we died before the said sunset?
I move my hand forward to the next portion of the wall, and I feel the chunk of ice that I'm holding onto coming off the wall, my foot slips on a patch of ice, and my ass hits the ground with a thud. In the process, I hit Graham with my other foot and Graham loses his balance and falls over the edge. It happened so fast that I barely had time to blink.
" Shay," Graham shouts, and the next thing I know Shay appears on top of Graham in a ball of blue light and they both vanish mid-air.
They reappear behind me, with Graham panting as if he'd run a mile and Shay licking his face.
" All right buddy. I'm happy too that you saved my sorry ass," Graham chuckles as he unsuccessfully tries to push Shay off him.
" I'm sorry. I slipped," I say ridden with guilt to my bones.
" I know. Don't worry about it," Graham finally managed to free himself and stood up, brushing the snow off his trousers.
He extends a helping hand towards me to help me up and does a quick check on my feet.
" The soles of your feet are covered in ice, " He sullenly says and puts on a thinking face.
" How do you feel about scuttling on your ass all the way down?" Graham asks with quirked brows.
" I can try," I stammer and take a deep breath, " It will take longer to get to the foot of the mountain," I point out and Graham nods. He is aware, and I sigh in relief.
" We won't lose much daylight. We must reach the foot of the mountain in one piece. Shay can bring us back if we fall, but he can't mend broken bones," He had a point.
Without much of a fuss, I lower myself back on the ground while Graham moves in front of me, and begins to walk and I scuttle on my ass behind him.
Not one of my proudest moments but I think I've done worse things to embarrass myself.