They had almost reached the way station when the narrow trail became a bit crumbly. Sharana kept going, never speeding or slowly her pace. John looked at her in pity and distaste. She didn't know what she was missing by keeping him... er... them at arms length. However she assumed she was a high and mighty person due to her race. He had full plans to ensure that this was not the case. Ray sent him a warning glance that broke through his daydreaming. He quickly pulled himself together. Counting your chickens before they hatched was a really bad idea. He looked up and saw the way station ahead of them. Blessedly it had a large flat around in front of it away from cliffs. He was eager to get there, relax, enjoy lunch...

Suddenly a sound filled the air. A cracking sound. The trail literally shifted. He quickly adjusted so as to not fall. Ray easily balanced his sword and sidestepped the cracks under his feet. John looked up and saw Sharana merely pause and look back at them, her face devoid of emotion. Something that John was seeing was normal for her. Then screams filled the air. The three stooges were waving their arms wildly about, clutching each other, dancing, standing still mystified... all at once. It was unbelievable. He watched in complete shock at they ended up tumbling over each other and over the edge. Their screams did with them. In silence, he stood there staring. If they had just not reacted the way they had, they could have regained their balance. Sharana called out, "Keep moving" and turned to start riding forward again. John turned and stared at her. Ray gave him a go-figure look and turned to follow her.

The sudden rattle of the ground put Marin on edge enough to pull her knife from her belt and indicate an absolute mistrust of Ray, and of John. Gage pulled Lola away from the edge quite forcefully, as she didn't seem that interested in the situation, nor did she cast a glance at the three fools that had crumbled away with the loose earth. There was nothing to see, as they'd vanished vanished beyond the side and the path had crumbled away enough to not allow any of them near where they had fallen. Gage cast her a worried look, which she responded to by squeezing his hand. It softened his gaze and unclenched his teeth, at least, and as they continued, Marin placed her blade back in her belt, but kept her hand on it.

Lola brushed her hair back, staring along the path and past Sharana's horse to where they would stop for a while. She felt as though she could go for hours; her night hadn't been as bothered as they usually were; but people always underestimated her. So much rested on her shoulders, mainly to prove everyone wrong, while time went by, and as she led them to believe she was only as good as she looked. Maybe her time would come. It had to. And by the way Marin kept staring at John and Ray... something might come up sooner rather than later.

Entering the lawn of the waystation, Sharana dismounted as the station's hosts came out. One came to take the horse, giving her a wink and smile, while the other approached the group. She listened as he, with all due diplomacy, offered the hospitality of the post. "Welcome gentlemen and ladies. We have the mid-day meal almost ready. Come on inside and rest your weary selves at our tables." From past experience, Sharana knew that the stone hearth and sturdy wooden tables in the main room would already have hot cider, bread, butter, and soup set up. It would be the main dish that they were waiting on. She turned her back on the group and walked on towards the station. She had a permanent room here that she wanted to go to... away from them. She was only a guide after all.

Lola squeezed Gage's hand as one of the hosts spoke. He glanced down as she rearranged the basket on her arm, and in what appeared to be a nervous manner, shifted from one foot to another. He moved the heavy bag on his back around a bit, and leaned down. "You want to stay out here?" He asked. It wasn't terribly cool, perhaps from the congregation of people offering their body heat to the environment, and the walls that blocked possible cold wind from infiltrating very easily. Lola nodded twice and glanced up at him. Gage smiled, then turned to Marin. "You can go in with them if you like." He said. "Your sister and I will stay out here."

"Sure." Marin nodded calmly, and meandered after the others as they followed the greeters away. Gage led Lola around to a quiet area, away from nearby buildings, and set everything down. Lola pulled a thin blanket from the outer pouch of the supplies pack and laid it on the ground, making enough room for her and her uncle to sit. Everything in the basket Lola carried was kept warm, for at least half a day, by the hot water bottles she lined it with. The contents included smoked meats her uncle had acquired himself, tea she brewed in a glass bottle that once held healing spring water she'd found before it was decided to go on this journey, and bread that had been baked the previous day. She'd also managed to squirrel away a couple cakes in the bottom, which as she pulled everything out, remained like small gifts in the bottom of the basket with a tiny bowl of butter for the bread.

As Gage pulled one of the three small cups from off the tea bottle's long neck, he looked closely at Lola. "Are you afraid of what's to come?" He asked.

For a long moment, Lola didn't reply. From between several slices of bread she pulled a thin, dull knife that was used to spread the soft butter over the dark brown bread. "No." She said at last. Her voice was soft, and didn't lack the emotion now as it had when she was repeating her father's last words to her.

"No? Not even after you saw the... brothers... fall from the path?" Gage leaned forward, trying to read her placid face. "It'll be much more dangerous when we leave here, you know."

"I know. I'm not afraid." Lola bit her slice of bread as she looked toward her uncle. This time, however, she smiled thinly.

Gage sighed, though he smiled back. Perhaps Lola was just saying she wasn't afraid to avoid conversation. She usually gave short answers anyway, and now... Gage might be lucky to get more than four or five words at a time from her. He settled for what was given.

((Should I put more involving area description? I'm not sure since it's your idea more than mine.))

Changing her clothes and gathering her saddle bags for her Nircoti horse that she had left here, Sharana headed on downstairs. Reaching the bottom, she set the saddlebags on a chair and glanced at those she was leading. John and Ray were at a table already eating what was there. The cook was bringing out a fowl dish of some sort and placing it near them. She saw the those two guys and Marin were the only ones who had come inside. Shrugging, she went to sit and eat with Marin. Another female she could put up with. It was those two she wished she hadn't agreed to allow to come with her.

((Oh your favorite thing in the the world, conversations. ;) ))

((Oh noes, not conversation!))

Marin swirled what was left of her glass of cider as Sharana decided to sit near her. She cast a half smile toward the Nircoti, then tossed a glance at the two she hated, but couldn't specifically say why. But it probably had to do with talkative John. If she had to listen to another of his idiotic escapades...

She shook the pleasing murderous thought from her head and downed the last of her cider in one, running a hand through her hair and tying it back with a piece of braided rope her sister had made. Maybe it would have been better to stay out with her and Gage. But her decision had been made and she never took it back, regardless of how meaningless or trivial it was.

Marin looked at Sharana easily. She'd never been much for conversation, and doubted Sharana was either, but there was something she wanted to know. Marin picked up a piece of bread from the table and began picking at its porous surface. "Sharana. Do you think my sister can make it to our destination?" She kept the question simple and devoid of meaning, a statement more than anything, something not necessarily to dwell on or give soft, cozy answers to. She wanted what Sharana thought of her sister, and that was it.

Sharana leaned back to study Marin. It was a more loaded question than the young girl knew. One that had been nagging at her ever since the young child had played her bewitching instrument. She was a child but at the same time wasn't. That bothered her. If these people she had taken on had no guide, then the obvious answer was a definite no. These mountains were protectors for their lands. Guardians that wouldn't be crossed. Pun intended. However they had a guide, which truly made the chances 50/50. The tipping of that balance generally relied on her. The guide always used their discretion in leading people over. As a general rule, the Nircoti allowed their charges to make their own choices. However she had made up her mind which way this ride was going to end up. That darn child and her music. So it was with carefully crafted words that she dared to reply to Marin instead of ignoring her, "If a Nircoti takes someone or something under her protection, then no harm will befall that person or item. If a Nircoti guides someone into Nircotian lands, then that person with a strong will can make it. If a Nircoti finds someone a threat, they will never see even the mountain pass." Simple rules craftily said. The fate of those with her decided.

Marin squeezed the bits of bread she'd picked from the middle between her thumb and forefinger. Her nails were short, chewed more than filed down, an act of nervousness when she was training with an especially difficult partner. Sharana's reply was less than ideal. It seemed she was trying to dodge the question, if not to point out a specific person in what small group they had left. No, Marin didn't like that answer. It wasn't an answer, not to her. Why, why hadn't she stayed outside with the others?

"The three idiots died under your protection." Marin said stiffly. They fell from the crumbling path, but still, it was basically under Sharana's protection, after she had accepted to guide them. They weren't far into their journey, but they had still begun. "I don't know much about you, but you don't seem like someone to beat around the bush. I figured you of all people would give me some kind of answer." She turned in her seat, so close to going on outside before she even got the rest of her words out. "I'm not looking for peace or hope, I want to know if you have any faith in us, mainly, Lola. She's not as weak as you might think."

No. She wasn't. Marin prided her little sister in being strong, dealing with her nightmares, the moment in her past during which her very innocence had been ripped from her grasp. But what did Sharana see? A weak little girl? Or someone that can make a troubling, long, dangerous journey?

Turning and looking at Marin, Sharana realized a little what she was asking. It appeared that a clarification was needed with this temperamental girl. She figured she better choose her words wisely. Marin might just as likely strike at her as not. Such was her age and personality. So she put on the mask that she wore with outsiders, one of indifference, and said, "I'm a guide. I lead you in the direction of the wilderness and eventually the other side. I said nothing about protecting you or keeping you alive. Simply guiding you in the right direction." She kept her eyes locked onto the girls, looking for any signs of her reaction.

It was a cold reality and one that she didn't usually let them know ahead of time. Basically none of them had a chance unless she deliberately worked to keep them alive. Something that she wasn't really considering with the way John and Ray were acting. The way she saw it, they were conspiring and it involved her homeland. Something she wasn't sure she should let them see. Sharana was pretty sure that guiding them in the right direction might mean a side trip through was what a death path. No one could survive with the horrors that lived above it.

Marin tapped her knee a bit during their guide's reply. Another intentional dodge. She didn't turn away from Sharana's stare; she kept her gaze hard and without intention for more than the necessary time frame, until she decidedly stood, stretched, and ran a hand over her face. "I didn't expect a straight answer from someone like you." She said with a light sigh. "You're too much like Lola."

To get outside, Marin would have to pass Ray and John. John had his seat propped back a bit on its two back legs. As she passed, she pulled it back a bit more; a sharp gasp made her chuckle a bit as she departed, stepping back into light, cool air that they'd soon be departing back into. It didn't matter what the girl thought about Lola. Her little sister looked up from their little picnic as Marin approached, and both smiled.

John turned and looked angrily at the retreating girl. A clearing of Ray's throat had him turn back around. Ray shook his head slightly. John forced himself to relax. Soon and very soon, they would have the intel needed to take in their own party. A party that would get them a piece of the Nircotian wilderness and put those natives in their place. He saw out of the corner of his eye the Nircoti guide stand with her bowl and head for the kitchen he didn't rightly care. She was silent and irritable. Would be fun the day he made her scream.

Getting her stuff, she headed outside towards the stable. It was located beside the main lodge with a small corral on the backside. She went in and was greeted by a familiar beast. "Hello Romeo, my love," cooed Sharana softly to her horse. This Nircotian mount was trained by her from birth. They were a team. However every time she went down away from her home, she left him here. It was best not to tempt those who might otherwise not understand the majesty of their horses. Easily saddling him, she flung the saddlebags onto the back to tie down. Maybe with some luck, she would make it to the pass by nightfall... without any of these annoying brats along.

As Marin took a seat beside her sister and took the offered bottle of tea, Gage looked toward the building she'd come from. "Look good in there?" He asked. Marin tended to follow along with whatever seemed easiest at the time. Perhaps she thought she'd escape conversation, but was cornered anyway.

"Pretty good." Marin replied calmly, taking a slice of bread and piece of deer meat as she spoke. "But I can't stand John and Roy or whatever his name is. I just hate the way they look at Sharana, and I saw John staring at me a bit before I came out here. The sooner we get Lola away from them, the better."

Gage nodded. He'd been a bit wary of those two since he'd met them. Though Marin had a tendency to exaggerate, he had to agree that they weren't good. They were, in fact, very, very bad.

Lola looked between her sister and uncle. An icy feeling had settled in her chest. Bad things had to be happening soon, but she couldn't speak of it. She didn't know what would happen, after all. And people tended not to listen to her anyway.

Ray and John came out. John sauntering in his easy way. He thought he was the man of the hour since no female could truly resist him and there were three ladies in the group. Ray followed with guarded eyes, taking in every detail he could. No sooner had they stepped outside than John saw Sharana walking with a large and impressive horse at her side. The horse wore reins but the bridle had no bit in it's mouth. He raised an eyebrow. She yelled out to them so that they would all be able to hear her, "The easy stretch is over. From here on, it is more dangerous. Pack up and get ready to move on." Ray watched with approving eyes as she mounted up easily. She knew her horses and he knew what breed she rode. Perhaps if they disposed of her earlier than planned, he could inherit her beast. He watched her ride back out to the trail and wait there, comfortable despite the cliffs beside her.

Gage and Marin stood up quickly as Sharana appeared, and Lola gathered everything immediately, placing each uneaten thing back where it was before it had been taken out as though she'd practiced for days. Folding up the small blanket, she placed it over everything else and straightened up. Her wide eyes fell on Sharana's horse. She made no movement toward it, but her even gaze sweeping the beast noted her appreciation.

Glancing at Marin, Gage saw the narrow glare she was casting the way of John and Ray. "Bastards." She muttered with a hiss.

"Easy." Gage barked, and Marin bowed her head a bit. She wanted to rip their heads off. That gleam in John's eyes, and that odd cover Ray was placing over his movements and expressions. There was something going on. Sharana had to have seen it, had to sense it, but if she didn't... Marin wouldn't tell her. She was quick, no doubt. If she didn't see it now, she would later. And it'd give Marin a reason to jump.

Watching them get themselves pulled together, she suppressed a grimace. By sundown, everything would be okay. It had to be. She had to make sure of that. Keeping the calm and uncaring exterior look going, she started riding up the path. Keeping it slow so that everyone, even the child, would not have trouble keeping up on such a steep incline, she worked her way until the path veered away from the cliffs. They were on the last open slope until they reached the pass. Here, there was some semblance of grass growing. Resembles twigs more though. The sun was becoming covered by clouds blowing in. She frowned. An early snowstorm was on the way. The faster they got the pass, the better. Patting Romeo's neck, she glanced back at her group. Almost to the fork. She wanted to tell them that, but held herself in check. No point seeming eager.

When they did finally reach the fork, she pulled to a stop where her position would give no indication of which way she wanted them to go. Letting them reach her, she said simply, "Two things. Don't touch the horse or you will have a nasty bite wound. Second, pick a path. Both go to the pass. The narrow one is faster. The wider one not as steep." It wasn't much of a choice really. The narrow one obviously headed back towards the cliffs, was super rocky, and narrow was an understatement. Some people liked faster better though. The idea of a short-cut was very welcoming. Then there were those who liked the easy route. She didn't blame them if they took it.

It led down with high walls on both sides, actual grass and flowers, and was nice and smooth. It brought an image of a pleasant stroll to mind. After all the hard work earlier today, that path would seem like paradise to them. She had no doubt that these people would choose that way. Ray would because he was protecting John and John looked like he had enjoyed the easy life a bit too much. Also, it looked safer. Gage and Lola would also choose that route for her age sake. Marin was another story. She was every bit the teenager with her aggressive attitude. Just to be difficult, she might vote the narrow path. Sharana was very interested to see how her perception of them would match up with their choices.

((Hint hint: the easy way is the way I really, really want them to go....))

As they stopped and were barked at by their guide, Marin glanced past the horse and its rider. She wanted to get there. Get there and go! “Let’s just go the quick way.” She huffed, twitching as she went from one foot to another.

“It’s not safe.” Gage told her. “Lola could slip or fall.”

“She can handle herself, Gage.” Marin rolled her eyes, glancing at her sister. Lola tapped the toes of her shoes on the ground and stared at a sprig of grass near the path. Her hand was clasped around Gage’s. “She’s done plenty of dangerous things.”

“Not now, she doesn’t have to.” Gage glared at Marin. Though he loved both girls, he had to swallow that kinder side of him when dealing with the older of the two. “We’ve got to get her through this unharmed, that’s what her parents wanted for her, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Marin rolled her eyes, huffing a bit as she crossed her arms defiantly. But she said nothing else.

John looked hesitantly up the steep path. It didn't look even passable or useable. He cringed and looked over at Ray. Ray appeared to share his hesitation. Turning, he glanced at the happy little family. They were in dispute. He smirked at them and figured that he could carry the vote easily. Turning to Sharana, he winked at her and said, "I prefer easy and fast but is easy is all I get then I will take it." She seemed to stare into his soul at that moment. He froze, feeling judged. Then she turned and moved on. Taking her mount up the wide and gentle path, she led them on. He turned and asked Ray, "She is really creepy isn't she?" He laughed, "Yep. Best stick to brothel women John." They followed on.

The landscape, though it appeared to be the better route, soon began to change. It turned and became a steep grade with man twists and turns. In addition, the rocky sides that had seemed like a welcome barrier suddenly were jagged and claustrophobic in their ominous outcroppings. There were dark, tall trees that rose high on the cliffs above them. Their branches reaching out in a grasping appearance. It didn't take long for a wind to swirl through the tunnel like passage, whipping and tugging at their clothes. With it came snow. Frosting the ground and swirling about, it made visibility poorer than it had been just minutes earlier. Through the swirling snow, Sharana seemed to disappear.

Looking ahead, John called after her a bit uncertainly, "Sharana, I have a question. Wait up a moment... if you please..." No sign of her. No sounds except the howling wind and snow hitting the rock like tiny icicles tapping. He froze. Ray paused and turned, unslinging his sword. "John, I think we should turn around and try that short cut. This seems to have been a deception or ...." A screaming cry rose up above them. From the branches far overhead a blue of gray sprang down. So quickly and so fast that not even Ray's reflexes could have saved himself, the large cat landed on John breaking his neck on impact. In a swift moment, the large cat's jaws snapped off John's head in a quick and fluid motion. Turning, the cat looked up with blood along it's jaw. Mouth open and fangs bared at Marin, he snarled.

Ray was standing behind the cat, his mouth dropped open in astonishment. Then another threat sounded, re-echoing off the stone walls. The howls of the wolves sent chills through his spine. They were behind him? Or from the way they had come? He wasn't sure. It drove him beyond his own training as a soldier as their shadows swept over the rock walls and white ground. Certain death lay before them all. That he was certain. Raising his sword, he prepared to fight as the cat sprang towards the girls and one of the wolves sprang towards him.

Gage dropped his heavy backpacks. Sharana was gone. The air was tight with anticipation. He’d felt this before, when the little village he’d visited had been attacked so suddenly it was as though their assaulters had bloomed from the ground itself. Maybe he should have entertained the concept that this could have happened. That maybe, maybe this person wasn’t someone he could trust, not in the least. He grabbed Lola and kept her close as the sense of being watched only intensified, and when the howling began, Marin pulled her dagger. Lola’s busy eyes only became busier, twitching and watching, and her hand squeezed Gage’s. One of the wolves was too far away to focus on any of them, however. Marin turned her attention to the howls as they grew closer, and descended into growls.

Gage sprinted back with Lola, and found a small hole in the rock as Marin stabbed at the leaping wolf. Unfortunately, it was right beside John’s broken body, but he couldn’t think of that right now. He took Lola’s basket and pushed her into the hole. “Stay there. Stay.” Gage said urgently. “Don’t you dare come out, do you hear me?”

Lola nodded as he stood and went back to Marin. She had taken down the front wolf, apparently the alpha of the pack, and it was twitching on the ground as another went forward, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her down. Gage gasped, lunging for his bag and ripping it open, pulling a long dagger out from one of the pockets and going forward, slicing it down the face and shocking it into letting go. Marin screamed in shock, but not from the first bite---the big cat grabbed her around the back of the neck and sent her forward, falling to the ground as Gage thrust the blade into the wolf he’d originally attacked. When he turned his attention to Marin, another had joined in and had rolled her onto her side as she struggled, ripping her throat.

“NO!” He threw himself onto the back of the cat, stabbing it through the stomach and wrenching the blade up, into the chest. It yelped loudly before hitting the ground. As he turned to the other, he gasped as he saw Lola jump onto it, her face twisted in an anger he’d never seen before. She put her arms around it, bringing it back and onto its hind legs like a bucking horse, but refused to let go. It came down and tried to snap at her, but Lola closed her eyes tight and brought one arm back, grabbing the side of the wolf’s head and snapping it to the right. The resulting crack seemed to be the loudest thing at the moment, and it fell limply to the ground.

The wolf that closed down on Ray first was met with a swift sweep of the blade. Like parrying another blade, he easily withdraw and took a defensive stance to meet the next. Only it wasn't alone. As one attacked, he blocked and killed while the other circled and jumped. His backside exposed and undefended, he felt the jaws close on his neck. Ray was a warrior and knew that life could end at any moment. He had fought countless battles and knew this would be swift. As those last few seconds slowed to eternity, he wondered what would happen to their well laid plans? He was no longer going to be around to carry them out. Then everything went black and ended.

Up on the steep sides, along a hidden path that was unseen in the swirling snow and wind, sat Sharana on her Romeo. Look passively down at the fight, she seemed unable to feel pity or remorse. Except when the youngest girl left her hiding place. Suddenly Sharana could clearly hear the young girl's music. Feeling her heart beat harder, she found that she wanted to save the child's life. Helpless to arrive in time, she watched with wide eye and gasping breath as this mere child snapped the neck of the wolf. It surprised her beyond belief and left her shock. Shocked but also relieved that the child lived, she wondered what the child was. Surely she was no human. Those outside the Nircoti Wilderness were weak and selfish. Looking at them, she realized she had another problem. With survivors, should she return to them? The man would kill her. He had lost a loved one after all. She grimaced, uncertain if she should leave them to the mountain and proceed to the pass, go to them, or simply watch from above - hidden in the snowstorm.

Silence, as the remaining animals retreated. Outside the bustling wind and swirling snow, silence reigned on the outside, but within Gage's mind, a sorrow howled at the loss of his older niece. The cat and the wolf had killed her. They had killed John and Ray as well. They would have killed Lola, had the little girl not shown strength beyond her years. And Sharana, she had abandoned them to die. She had left them, more than likely knowing this path had been the most dangerous of them all. Gage fell to one knee beside Marin's bloody, broken body as snow soaked into the red puddle on the ground, covered her.

Lola stepped forward on shaking legs. "Don't blame them, Uncle." She said suddenly. Gage looked, shaking tears away, at the young one, a quizzical expression on his face. "Don't blame the animals. They do what they must. They must eat too. They know no good, no bad. Now Marin won't suffer anymore. She can be free. She's luckier than we are."

Gage sniffed hard, pulling the girl to him and hugging her tightly. "I know, love. But I promised your father I'd take care of both of you."

"You did. But you can't save us from our fate." Lola closed her eyes, blinking away tears as they formed and threatened to freeze on her face in the sudden blast of cold. Gage stepped back, releasing her. As he went to gather his bag, he paused at Marin, and touched her forehead, brushing her staring eyes closed.

"I know." He whispered again, placing the dagger back in the bag and pulling out a long coat before putting the bag back on. Wrapping Lola up, he patted her shoulder. "We've got to keep on." He said. "I've got enough food and water for six days without having to hunt for anything."

Lola put her arms into the coat and wrapped it around her. She still shook from being forced to kill that wolf. Her love of animals had not overpowered her love of her family, though now she only had Gage.

Watching their forms below, she turned Romeo and moved on ahead of them. Looks like they were serious about this trip. They weren't turning back. Sharana, warm in her leathers and fur, headed up the trail towards the pass. They would make it by nightfall. Of that she was sure. Once she was sure she was out of any possible ear shot, she and Romeo glided into a canter putting more distance between them. Soon they were far ahead. Reaching the pass, she pulled Romeo to a stop and quickly looked around.

She didn't want to face them, but the small girl kept Sharana from wanting to see them die. As far she Sharana could tell, the girl was innocent. Gage seemed sincere, but he might have been using the girls as a ruse to get into the Nircotian Wilderness undetected. The two spies were dealt with at least. Their bodies food for the large beasts of this land. Now these two would have to pass the night here. The mountain's high sides were impenetrable. Yet at this spot was a narrow gully leading straight through. The top of which was hidden by the relentless clouds. The bright side was that in the middle was a slightly curved area that allowed escape from the wind. Many trips did she pass the night in that spot.

The spot she would let those in her party rest in. Tonight she went a step further. Crossing to the other side of the pass and it's harsh weather, she gathered several large branches to drag back. It took an hour. It was all she needed though. Leaving them propped against the wall, Sharana pulled out her own flute. A treasure that she wanted the young girl to practice on. Leaving it at the base of the large branches, Sharana mounted and rode on. She would need to find a safe place for the night and thanks to this side quest, had lost valuable time.

Gage kept Lola on the side that shielded her from the wind. He was only glad that he'd put on more than two layers of heavily-furred clothing underneath this lightweight shirt and thick pants. Keeping one arm protectively around Lola, his gaze constantly wandered. He'd traveled through the Nircotian wild only one time before, and never so far. Only halfway then what he and Lola were moving now, and then, he'd been abandoned halfway back. Maybe it'd have been better if he just found a map and winged it. Maybe they wouldn't be in this position, and maybe Marin would still be alive. He couldn't feel anything for the other two---they'd never radiated trustful vibrations, and Gage was a good tell of character. In most cases. Sharana had seemed well enough, someone to trust generally. Of course that was such a bad idea. Now Marin's body froze with two creeps, possible spies or murderers-on-the-run. As though she were no more than a common prisoner, cast aside during a difficult time. Gage gritted his teeth.

The wind whistled as they entered a rather narrow area, the only way between these massive, unforgiving mountains. It was better though, now, since the wind couldn't gather as much strength to hit them. Lola shook herself, though warm under her heavy fur and thick-soled shoes. Her bright gaze watched the shielded sky and squinted when snowflakes fell on her eyelashes. It would be strange without Marin, her voice telling stories of what she would do when she grew better, stronger, faster. How, some day soon, she'd be able to avenge her father's death for both her and her little sister, and Gage would chuckle and shake his head. He'd always taken those stories as just that, at least for the time being. Marin wasn't young anymore---he wouldn't have been able to protect her later, when she finally went out on her own, finding masters of various arts of combat with and without weapons, living with them and learning.

Gage sighed, the sound lost in the wind. As the made it around a slight curve, he was slightly confused to see tree branches piled up against the wall, and something lying before them. Lola paused, and he put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here." He said, and moved on, stepping several paces before being able to see what was both hidden and shown. A little cave-like area, as if it had been scooped from the stone, and a flute lying on the ground. Was this Sharana's way of tormenting them with the fact that she had a horse, and therefore could always be able to follow? That she could pass them, keep up, or do what she liked, and they could only run after with their slow human legs? Perhaps it was meant as a sign for Lola, that the woman was watching the girl, never far away, and not happy at all that they had gotten away from the well-placed ambush? Whether it was coordinated or not, Gage didn't care to dwell on. He motioned Lola forward and, as she stepped over, he looked inside the little sheltered area. Nothing was inside, and it wasn't dark enough to hide well if one wanted to do that. Turning, he saw Lola pick up the flute.

"Hold on." He took it as she was inspecting it and brought it to his nose. No sign of foreign substance. No poison. Though many were able to be purified, they often left a discolored tone on whatever it was placed on, and he couldn't see evidence of that. He sighed again, this time deeply. "Okay." He handed it back, and as Lola blew into it, creating a soft melody that pierced even the whistling wind, he set his bags down near the entrance of the curved area. Best to stay the night before it got too dark.

Romeo was a solid companion beneath her, a part of her, as they battled the other side of the pass. No one could really tell it was the other side until they reached the first of a series of cliffs. The cliffs were steep and hard to navigate. Sharana and Romeo had trained hard here, above the wooded area, until they were comfortable with each other and the terrain. Now she scowled at it. No matter how well they might think they knew it, the coming darkness was not a time to attempt to work their way down. The path was still rocky and grew narrow in many places. Sighing, she looked at the edge of the pass. There was no wind break, but it was safer there than here. Besides, sleeping in the forests below without adequate preparations was suicide. The beasts that wondered there would surely overcome any human dumb enough to not stay awake and alert, especially at night. Her own close calls with them proved that.

Turning they walked back to the entrance of the long narrow valley. Sharana dismounted swiftly and began to dig through the even deepening snow. When she judged she was close to the ground, she switched and began adding more snow around her shallow space. Finally done, she had created a small half hole with the opening on the downwind side. Romeo stepped inside and lowered his head, which allowed him to be completely out of the wind. She crawled in front of him and curled up. They would eat in the morning. She wouldn't risk getting into their rations now when they would need fresh energy at dawn. She watched the lengthening shadows increase until darkness had fallen. At one point, she had thought she heard the sound of a Nircotian flute. It could very well have been her hopeful imagination. She wasn't about to head back into the pass to find out. Their grief was more than she wanted to bear. Besides, she was in her own way still guiding them. Still, she needed to figure out Gage's purpose and motivation soon. Once he got down the cliffs and into the forests, they would need her help to reach the hills. Then it was not them, but her, that needed to make a choice. One she wasn't eager to face. Life or death? To save them or let the savage creatures take them. She had to decide and had maybe only 12 hours to come to a resolution.

Gage quickly had a pallet set up on the cold ground, and used some of the tree branches as fuel for a small fire near the entrance. It wasn't too large, but it would heat the little area despite the cool breeze floating in from the heavy wind whistling. He worked, however, in a light music that filled the space, drowning out both the bustling wind and crackling fire. She was covered now in not only her coat, but a thick blanket that had at one time been rolled up at the top of the largest of Gage's bags. "Do well to get some sleep tonight, Lola, please." He said to the girl as she drew in another breath. She nodded, though continued a light, sad melody. Gage dug in his bag again, pulling out another blanket, setting it on the ground, and finding a waterskin he felt would come in handy. Lola took it when offered, and as she drank half the contents, Gage nodded silently to himself. It was definitely a good investment. As he cut a few thicker sticks from the heavy branches that stifled some of the wind outside and set them in the fire for good measure, he brought out his knife, a small bag of dried bear meat and bread rolled in a thin cloth, and crawled back to Lola. She ate what she was offered, gaze fixed on the the fire.

For once, she managed to fall asleep quickly. Gage covered her with the blanket, and made sure she was warm before settling right beside her, bringing up his legs and wrapping his arms around him, keeping his hand grasped tightly around his knife. If someone, or something, were to enter, though it was unlikely, he'd be right there. He slept lightly, and would hear something, anything, if it ran afoul of the dry leaves or stumbled on a loose stone. He shut his eyes, draping the lighter blanket over him. Lola's nightmares might keep her awake during the night. Gage was fine with staying up with her when they got too bad, but now, it was vital to move during the day and not stay awake for too long. He sighed, letting these worries fade as he tried to sleep.

The gray clouds covering the sky took on a darker tone than normal. The darkest part of the night was right before sunrise. Sharana stiffly stood and began to rub Romeo down. It was more for getting herself limbered up than for him. However his muscles needed the added bloodflow for the part of the trip they faced today. As she reached the saddlebags, she paused long enough to pull out a measure of grain and slip it into a muzzle feeder. Strapping it on so that he could eat, she then continued her minestrations until she was warmed up and knew that every muscles in his body was too. It had also given her a chance to check Romeo over for any injuries. A practice she did often out of habit. They were both fine. Drinking some cider from a small canteen and pulling out a piece of dried meat to chew on, Sharana mounted Romeo and rode out of the snow shelter.

They took their time walking towards the cliffs. The few stragly trees up here were nothing compared to the ones below. However getting down to that treeline was going to be quite a challenge. One she didn't relish but was a part of what made invading her homeland so hard. Reaching the cliffs, the traveler could see for the first time that they had come to the other side of the mountains. That they had passed through the pass. The view was breathtaking. Even with the winter clouds hovering about, the sloping forests below stretched out before them. Out of view today, but on the clear days, were the hills that housed so many of her people. Beyond that the plains which sheltered the cratered desert. No foreigner was allowed near that desert. It was more than sacred ground. It was powerful and the reason guides such as herself allowed the elements and nature kill so many that were brought in.

Steeling herself and tightening all her senses, she turned Romeo towards the trail that headed down the cliffs. In the predawn light, they started crisscrossing across the rock face. There were many forks in the face of the mountain. Some led to dead ends. Some were merely a different path on the same journey. All of them were narrow. Taking a horse or pack animal on these trails was certain death for outsiders. If they took the wrong trail and came to a dead end, there was no room to dismount or turn around. Another wonderful precaution against invasion. Though there had been a successful invasion once, they didn't last long. History would not repeat if she could help it. It was on these cliffs that she was able to greet the rising sun. It's brilliant rays turning the snow a blinding white and casting harsh glares into the eyes.