Shifters

A Treacherous Path

Josh bent over gasping for breath as heavy perspiration slowly dampened his clothing. After reporting his earlier observations, Herman had taken him on a circuitous route to their destination in order to avoid any unseen onlookers. As they stood at the entrance of the naturally formed ledge, Josh marveled at the multiple rainbows being formed within the floating masses of mist. Having caught his breath, he straightened himself as he studied the path they would soon cross. Although seemingly wide enough for them to traverse, he wasn't too keen on how close the rushing water fell to their path.

'Herman was right,' Josh thought, 'Looks like a soaking is unavoidable.'

Laying down his pack, Herman brought out his flask, upending the bottle as he drank its contents greedily. Subconsciously, Josh stretched out a hand to remind Herman to conserve the water but faltered after recalling the resource was no longer an issue. 

"You want some?" Herman asked handing the bottle over, mistaking Josh's actions. 

"No I'm good," he replied, refusing the drink. 

"Are you sure?" Herman asked still holding the flask out, "You won't be able to pull out that canteen whilst we're on the ledge and after that bit of exercise I think you could use some refreshments."

"It's fine," Josh said, firmly maintaining his stance, "I've already caught my breath anyway and I don't feel all that thirsty especially with all of this water around me."

"Suit yourself," Herman shrugged setting his eyes on the path ahead, "So what do you think?"

"Is it safe?" Josh asked, staring at the rocky ledge. 

"Can't speak for all of it as I didn't journey in too far before turning back," Herman responded, "However, it seemed sturdy enough to support my weight."

"What about both of our weights combined?" Josh persisted. 

"It should be fine as long as we take our time," Herman replied. 

"What if I fall?" Josh asked, peering over the edge. 

"Valid point," Herman said, pausing as if the thought hadn't crossed his mind until now, "After all we'd been through, I'd forgotten you're still just a rookie."

After a few moments of intense beard stroking, Herman dug into the bottom of his pack before retrieving an inch thick, hand woven rope. Unravelling the strands until it reached its full length, he tied it around his body in an intricate fashion before repeating the same process with Josh, leaving a couple inches of rope between them. 

"There," he said after finishing, "If you fall I guarantee that I'll be able to pull you to safety."

"And what if you fall," Josh asked, considering the possibility.

"Then I guess we're both screwed," Herman said chuckling darkly, "Enough happy thoughts, are you ready?"

Feeling much safer with the extra insurance provided by the makeshift harness, Josh nodded, signaling for Herman to lead the way. Stepping forward, Herman poked and prodded the ground ahead with the tip of his shoe, inching his way forward in an overly cautious manner. As the two slowly made progress, Josh turned his attention to the waterfall. Although surprisingly clear, the swiftly flowing water produced a distorted image of the other side resembling that of a foggy window. Not paying attention to his movements, Josh bumped into an unmoving Herman, almost stumbling head first into the cascading watery wall. 

"What's wrong?" Josh breathed, recovering from what might have been certain death. 

"Do you hear that?" Herman asked.