The Witch, The Wizard, and The Out-Worlder

A Lot of Walking, A Lot Less Air

After what only seemed like an hour or two, the grade of the hike started to increase. Soon, the river quieted down and grew smaller, as we were hundreds of feet above. The wind began to pick up, the soft ground beneath our feet transformed into a jagged, hard earth. The air started to get thin, making breathing a task, slowing down our walk. What made the climb worse, was the chill that was creeping up on us. The higher we got, the colder it would get, made worse by the wind.

"Can we stop for a little while?" I gasped in defeat. I had taken to focusing on the hike that I didn't notice that Felix too looked tired.

"Of course. I'll get the water and food." He said as he swung his pack around and set it on the ground. I quickly discarded mine to a large rock as well.

Neither of us were in the mood to talk, only trying to regain our strength. Once Felix had the food and water out, we ate and drank in silence. Being so high up gave us a grand view of the world around us. We were not yet above the plants, especially the trees, but it was high enough to give us a drastically different scene than the one below. Large leaves sprouted from the stalks of the plants, birds flew in the swarms, flowing like wind through the leaves and gigantic flowers. I could only imagine how sweet the air was closer to the flowers.

"Climbing high up as a cat was a lot easier than in this body." Felix lamented as he ate his bread and cheese.

"I can only imagine. Hopefully, once we cross the bridge, we travel back down. I'm not sure I can handle too much more of the high altitude climbing. My legs are on fire." I replied. Felix gave me a quizzical look for a moment. Sometimes I forget he doesn't know many turns of phrases. He only nodded and carried on with his food.

As we relaxed against the rocks, I felt like I could take a nap, not because I was too tired, but because I was feeling weak. Knowing we had to push on, I sprung to my feet, willing myself to carry on. Seeing me get up, Felix quickly repacked his bag and slung it on his back, ready to move. Without having to say anything, we marched onward and upward.

The climb up the hill wasn't steep, rather it was gradual over a long walk. I strained my eyes, trying to see something in the distance that simply wasn't there yet. I looked off to the side and down the cliff at the river, only to notice that we were so high up now, that I couldn't hear the river, and I could barely make out the white rapids. The cliffside was significantly steeper than the hillside, but it wasn't a dead drop, if we were to fall down the cliff, we would have a rough time rolling down the steep grade.

After walking for some time, I noticed that the climb had leveled off. It was a welcome change, not having to walk up a grade, but it didn't make the air less thin, the wind sting less, and the chill fade.

"Is that the bridge?" Felix questioned out loud.

At first, I didn't see anything in the distance. After looking harder, I saw what he was looking at, which wasn't much. A thin line in the distance traveled from the cliffside, straight across. I was unable to see the bridge make it all the way to the other side, but was sure it did, the chasm was incredibly wide.

"I think so. Seems so small from here." I observed. I shook my head and pushed myself forward once more. We were so close to the bridge, one step closer to going home.

"I'm glad we found it, I was beginning to get worried." I didn't take Felix for much of a pessimist thus far, maybe it was the thinning air getting to him.

The hike was going incredibly slow now, as both of us were verging on exhausted. To make matters worse, closer we got the bridge, the more worried I became, as the bridge didn't seem that much bigger the closer we got.