The Fox, Red

046 - The Test On The Mountain II

I'm used to the woken up by the sun coming through my cabin window. It wakes me up slowly letting me enjoy the warmth of my bed. This morning I don't get that luxury. The sun begins to beat through the snow. Where we are right now, the snow-covered hills, every little ray of sun is reflected off those hills in every direction. The thin walls don't do anything against the sun. It's almost jarring.

I don't have to move to feel the pain my body is in. The frozen ground does not make a good bed. As I try to wake myself up and adjust to the light I can see the shadow of my other occupant. She hasn't moved since last night. Her legs are crossed, her arms are tucked inside her coat, and she has her head down emphasizing her breathing as she continues to rest.

I shift myself against the ground to get myself up to a sitting position. The little bit of movement is enough to wake up Madam Odette. Her head just raises as she blinks. Her eyes adjust to the light rather quickly. She looks at me still looking like she's in a half-asleep state. I'm not awake either.

The unfamiliar setting activates some survival instinct in me quickly bringing myself from this half-awake daze into what is almost full-blown panic. With one deep breath, I bring myself back down to where I can think clearly. I get to hear the soothing voice that puts me at ease, "Good, you've got control again."

Madam Odette sits across from me staring at me as I collect myself. I'm not sure exactly what it is but her eyes seemed to have changed. Almost as though she's lost something of herself. Maybe she's just serious. This task she's given me isn't small by any means. Making sure that both of us arrive home safe and sound is a huge undertaking. She did mean it when she said this would be a test of everything I know.

With no better time than now, I stand up breaking through the snow cover that was our shelter bringing in the bright morning light reflecting off the snow. It's blinding every time. Part of my preparations should have been sunglasses or better eye protection. Madam Odette stands with me brushing off some of the snow from her coat.

"Red, before we continue..." Her voice trails off as though she is lost in thought again. It's like when we landed. Something was on her mind she wanted to say but couldn't. "Red, the next few days are going to be rough. I want you to remember them well and I want you to think about what you want to do after this. This is your final test."

Those words carried more weight than normal. It almost felt like there was a second meaning behind them. She wants me to think about what I want to do after this. Does this mean once this test is over she'll have nothing left for me? Does this mean the world will be mine to do with as I please? To travel, to learn, to be my own person again.

I can think while we move through. We still have a lot of ground to go. The only relief I can find in this area is that some portions of the snow drifts are lower than others. It makes it easier to traverse. The big thing that I have to figure out right now is which direction to go. I may have to change my game plan.

I've been trying to head down this mountain trying to get to where I can find flat land. But what will I do when I get to flat ground? I still have no idea where we are and in which direction I need to go. The change would be to find a higher vantage point to try and find a landmark or something I have familiar with. I also have to consider what Madam Odette told me. At best, we will make it back in five days. She expects us to make it back in about seven.

So far to this point, I have taken her expectations and surpassed them. But there is a lot more at stake here. It might be best to take it slow and make sure that I do this correctly.

The day is long. Madam Odette and I barely speak the entire time. She occasionally makes a noise like a cough but our communication is limited. I lead us around the base of a small point where two mountains connect. Where they have been shoved together by the Earth's shifting. On the other side, I can see that it is much more open. I may get my wish of being able to find where we need to be but we'll have to backtrack a bit. That will be the plan for tomorrow. For today, we are both tired and need to rest.