Blackbird

Chapter 6

Several near-death experiences later, and the path to the top started to broaden.

If we went one more mile, I was going to die. And it's not as if Ilva was helping either.

She, among other things, was a professional​ at climbing and didn't look back at me once, other to adjust the ropes when I was three second close to sliding off the cliff face.

When we got to the broadened road, she turned at said with a smile, "It's only walking from now."

I had never heard such sweet words in my life.

However, unfortunately, as I had the fear of falling to distract me before, now all I had was the scenery. And even that was incredibly boring.

Mushy, fly infested leaves covered the bunch of trees, blocking my view from anything remotely interesting. However, as we made our way up the mountain, the landscape seemed to transform.

The trees donned their work clothes for mossy ballroom gowns and leaf green suits, and the fog disappeared, presenting a view of flowers, springs and stem green hills, way down below. As we moved, however, the scenery became denser and more humid, and before long the lush scenery had become a hazardous rainforest, and I had three mosquito bites on my legs. I understood why no one would want to live here.

Finally, we got to the top of the mountain and found a small clearing, cosily nestled into the manic range of bugs, trees and rushing rivers that was called a rainforest.

Ilva seemed to see something I didn't. She was staring (it seemed) directly into space as she tilted her head and cawed loudly three times. As I struggled to see what she was looking at, a call responded. Then my eyes and my mind linked together and I realised what I was staring at.

It was so camouflaged you could walk right past it and not notice. But it wasn't just that. You would need to look up to notice anything out of the ordinary.

I turned to Ilva, who was grinning at the look on my face, "Arbor lives in a treehouse?"