Among The Wolves

Mountain

“Vae'Lee.”

I opened my eyes and recognized Ty'Bin's voice.

“Time to go?” I asked quietly.

“Yes.” He whispered.

I opened my eyes all the way to expel the sleep from them then sat up as he left the tent. Holding back a yawn I turned and began gathering the blankets around me and folding them. I knew that the Omegas would take care of this but if I could make their work easier…

After my bedding was tidied I reached into the bag I was given the night before and pulled out my outfit for today. I was told this part of the trip I would need warmer clothes so I brought with me long pants and an undershirt with a knitted sweater.

Once dressed I ran my fingers through my hair and stepped out of the tent. Ty'Bin was standing there. “Sorry for making you wait.”

With the darkness I could not see his facial expression but his tone told me he was smiling. “I'd wait all day if it came to it.”

I knew his vision was better than mine so I turned when a blush rose up my cheeks. “I appreciate that.”

“Come here.” Ty'Bin put a gentle hand on my elbow and guided me in a direction. We stopped near the glowing embers of the fire and he picked up something. “It's a little warm still.”

I took the moderately hot package, realizing this was breakfast. I looked at it and unwrapped the foil, finding a baked potato and sausage.

“Is that enough for you?” He asked.
I nodded, “It is.”

“OK, let's go over to the side so we don't wake the others when we eat and then we can be on our way.”

We sat by the stream and ate and drank. I could now see the faintest details around me as the night was lifting.

“How far do we have to go?” I asked after tasting the delicious meat.

“It will be similar to yesterday. It will take all day but the scenery will be vastly different.”

I opened my eyes in notable excitement. “What is it like?”

I heard him chuckle, “I can't spoil it for you, now can I?”

Motivated, I consumed the rest of my food. Ty'Bin stood up and washed his hands in the stream, I copied him and was surprised when he took my hand. “This way.”

He led me to the slope that was the exit out of the ravine. I noticed there was an Eta standing there. Ty'Bin patted his back and thanked him before walking past him. With his help I climbed up the ravine and reached the top. My breath was taken away. The air was much cooler up here and the beginning rays of the sun struck the rocks of the terrain, giving way to golden silhouettes along the horizon.

I breathed in deeply, feeling very awake and ready for the next part of the adventure.

Ty'Bin commissioned me to carry a satchel and then shifted. Without hesitation I climbed on his back. With one last breather he set off.

Right away I noticed a change from the day before, which most of the day had been incrementally traveling upwards. Now, we were more downwards. The air changed considerably around us. It became wetter and smelled salty.

Needless to say, Ty'Bin had not been wrong about the scenery. The mountains ahead stood like giants and yet the glow that the sun cast on them seemed to feed their glory. Trees blanketed them and some jutted areas exposed steep cliffs that intimidated me at the concept of getting too close. Yet, in the direction we ran, Ty'Bin steered for some of the lower peaks. He knew where he was going, there seemed to be this trail, invisible to my eyes that he was following. No doubt he knew a safe route to the other side. He was able and I resided to trust in that.