The hike out to the lake itself took almost an hour as they crunched through snow or scrambled over rocks. Several times, early in the hike, Hauke attempted to be helpful and offered to carry Ashlynn over a rough bit of terrain, only to be surprised as she effortlessly hopped from one rock to the next, crossing the treacherous ground with ease.
"Thane insisted I learn to do this," she said, landing lightly on a boulder before leaping to another rock outcropping. "As a method of avoiding trackers and hunting dogs. I didn't realize it would be so handy for avoiding mudslides though," she said, looking back at Hauke and Virve as they carried the sled of supplies over the thick gray mud and slush of melted snow.
"Lady Ashlynn is just missing a set of horns to pass as one of us," Andrus said, matching her movements and hopping from one stone to the next with his powerful legs.
