Climbing
Sray nudged Kem when she got out of bed. "If you’re coming, Kem, you need to wake up." Kem stirred and grudgingly slid out of bed. Silfiya was at the door when they entered the hallway. Sray was surprised to see Kenbin Mount'hyuns seated by the door. She had assumed he was too busy with whatever Mishor would ask him to do to spend hours sitting beside her door.
"Off to an early start, I see." He commented.
"Yes." Sray replied simply, eager to get going.
He fished out a small notebook from an inner pocket of his overshirt as he stood and pointed it towards Sray. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "The Hafitch said you would be traveling around the valley. I think you will appreciate some of the maps in here. Perhaps you can fill in the gaps."
Sray took it and briefly thumbed the pages before looking back at him. "Thank you, sir. You really want me to mark in this?"
"As much as you want or need to." He nodded confirmation. "You all travel well and I'll see you at dinner."
They all thanked him and bid farewell before they headed towards the center of the building. It was still dark and a few dim lamps were lit in the hallways, but there was ample light pouring out of the great hall and the first plates of food were just being set out for the early risers among Engama. They each grabbed a few things they could eat as they walked.
Kem shrugged deeper into her coat and shuddered when they hit the grounds. "It's freezing out here." Her exhaled breath puffed into the air in a small cloud.
"Ten grad below." Sray confirmed casually.
Kem looked up at Sray, mystified. "I don't know if I will ever get used to you just not being cold." The corner of Sray's lip curled in a slight smile as she shrugged back, her arms bare below the wide sleeves of her shirt and lower legs bare beneath the skirt without a single goosebump puckering her skin. Kem stood a little straighter and cleared her throat. "So where are we going?"
"We are going to the base of the mountain." Sray informed her. "I will be going futher."
"How much further is that?" Kem asked.
Sray looked at Silfiya who shrugged back, deferring to Sray's judgement. "There used to be Klamon here. I want to see what I can find."
Kem's eyes widened. "Do you think they're still up there?" She looked up through the trees to the mountains above them.
"No," Sray shook her head, "but they may have left something behind and I would like to know what."
They stopped as the ground got rougher and the light started to spill into the western half of the valley. "I think this is where we need to part ways." Sray adjusted the pack across her shoulder and tightened the strap as she looked up the rocky face.
Kem watched her anxiously. "Where are you going?"
"Up," she motioned with her head as she pulled off her shoes and stuffed the socks in the toes before setting them on a nearby boulder. She wriggled her toes across the cold earth, reveling in the sharp crispness of it against her skin and the freedom of being barefoot. At home she hardly ever wore shoes, they were an in-town thing.
"Up?" Kem's eyes slowly scaled he near-vertical face.
"Sray is an excellent climber." Silfiya offered. "When do you plan to be back here, Sray?"
"I'll be back around lunch, I think, and then head back out in another direction. It splits up there and I'd like to try both branches today."
Silfiya nodded.
"Be careful, alright?" Kem offered, still appraising the direction Sray would be traveling with trepidation.
"You wanted to know what I did on each Remstan first term, this was it." Sray assured her. "See you in a few hours."
She started her ascent.
"How do you even do that?" Kem called up to her.
Sray paused and took a deep breath before looking down behind her, Kem's upturned face squinting up from fifty feet below. "Years of practice." She called back before refocusing on her next hold. When Kem and Silfiya were no longer visible she shape-shifted into her natural form and was able to go faster.
"Off to an early start, I see." He commented.
"Yes." Sray replied simply, eager to get going.
He fished out a small notebook from an inner pocket of his overshirt as he stood and pointed it towards Sray. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "The Hafitch said you would be traveling around the valley. I think you will appreciate some of the maps in here. Perhaps you can fill in the gaps."
Sray took it and briefly thumbed the pages before looking back at him. "Thank you, sir. You really want me to mark in this?"
"As much as you want or need to." He nodded confirmation. "You all travel well and I'll see you at dinner."
They all thanked him and bid farewell before they headed towards the center of the building. It was still dark and a few dim lamps were lit in the hallways, but there was ample light pouring out of the great hall and the first plates of food were just being set out for the early risers among Engama. They each grabbed a few things they could eat as they walked.
Kem shrugged deeper into her coat and shuddered when they hit the grounds. "It's freezing out here." Her exhaled breath puffed into the air in a small cloud.
"Ten grad below." Sray confirmed casually.
Kem looked up at Sray, mystified. "I don't know if I will ever get used to you just not being cold." The corner of Sray's lip curled in a slight smile as she shrugged back, her arms bare below the wide sleeves of her shirt and lower legs bare beneath the skirt without a single goosebump puckering her skin. Kem stood a little straighter and cleared her throat. "So where are we going?"
"We are going to the base of the mountain." Sray informed her. "I will be going futher."
"How much further is that?" Kem asked.
Sray looked at Silfiya who shrugged back, deferring to Sray's judgement. "There used to be Klamon here. I want to see what I can find."
Kem's eyes widened. "Do you think they're still up there?" She looked up through the trees to the mountains above them.
"No," Sray shook her head, "but they may have left something behind and I would like to know what."
They stopped as the ground got rougher and the light started to spill into the western half of the valley. "I think this is where we need to part ways." Sray adjusted the pack across her shoulder and tightened the strap as she looked up the rocky face.
Kem watched her anxiously. "Where are you going?"
"Up," she motioned with her head as she pulled off her shoes and stuffed the socks in the toes before setting them on a nearby boulder. She wriggled her toes across the cold earth, reveling in the sharp crispness of it against her skin and the freedom of being barefoot. At home she hardly ever wore shoes, they were an in-town thing.
"Up?" Kem's eyes slowly scaled he near-vertical face.
"Sray is an excellent climber." Silfiya offered. "When do you plan to be back here, Sray?"
"I'll be back around lunch, I think, and then head back out in another direction. It splits up there and I'd like to try both branches today."
Silfiya nodded.
"Be careful, alright?" Kem offered, still appraising the direction Sray would be traveling with trepidation.
"You wanted to know what I did on each Remstan first term, this was it." Sray assured her. "See you in a few hours."
She started her ascent.
"How do you even do that?" Kem called up to her.
Sray paused and took a deep breath before looking down behind her, Kem's upturned face squinting up from fifty feet below. "Years of practice." She called back before refocusing on her next hold. When Kem and Silfiya were no longer visible she shape-shifted into her natural form and was able to go faster.