Back To Krypton

Chapter 11

Kara thinks that on some strange level, she will miss this place. As brief as their stay has been, it certainly has been eventful. Well, eventful and weird.

There is a melancholy air about the building as they begin to filter out, checking around to make sure they haven't accidentally left anything behind that they will need. One by one they take their leave, passing through the living room on their way out and heading for the stairs.

Last to leave are Kara and Lena. They haul their packs up onto their backs and trudge their way out, Kelex floating just ahead of them with his own backpack of food strapped to his poor headless body.

As they approach the hallway to the stairs Kara pauses, making Lena stop too out of concern. She watches as Kara digs the spy beacon out of her pocket and places it down onto the nearest surface with delicate hands.

"Some things should be left in the past," Kara whispers as she loops her arm around Lena's waist to make her keep walking.

Lena's own arm comes up around Kara's middle in a soft kind of side hug before they are forced to separate so they can head downstairs.

The crunch of the twigs and leaves beneath their boots is a welcome sound. There is a soft breeze whistling through the branches of the trees, greeting them after their brief break away from nature.

Alex is waiting for them to stand clear of the staircase with impatience in her eyes and a jittery tapping foot. "Come on slowpokes, let's get a-movin'."

The little jab doesn't do much to spur them on as they carry on slowly meandering away from the staircase and towards the tree trunk where they can lift the staircase back up into the accommodation.

They all watch as it slowly raises up into the bottom of the building and it disappears from sight, still enraptured by the ingenuousness of it all.

"Alright, shall we head off?" Lena asks.

With a few nods, they set back off into the forest, eyes peeled for any more scarlet plants that might lead them back here again if they aren't careful.

Their legs don't appreciate the shock of walking for hours on end again after the relaxing slumber of their stay and they are all betting that their back won't appreciate the air mattresses after the beds they had been sleeping in.

Esme is skipping along beside them, everyone watching her closely, so she doesn't accidentally get hurt. As much as they would love to keep her off the ground just in case, it's just not a viable option in the long term.

The overall tension drains away quickly as Esme jumps over fallen branches and points at the funny-shaped leaves on the trees, all with a cute smile across her face.

Their packs weigh heavy on their shoulders, overfilled in order to bring as much of the food with them as they could. They are forced to keep their fingers crossed that the seams don't give out but it's worth it to not have to worry about food at all on this mission, hell, they may even have enough to last an extra month, but it means that they don't have to ration, and they won't go hungry at all as long as they can keep hold of all of their stock.

Halfway through the first day back out in the wild, they find a slow-moving stream with a waterfall just a few metres high and a little alcove of rocks. There's also a nice big tree for shade and decide to take a lunch break, they are already behind anyway because of their detour so why not relax by the water for an hour before the trek continues?

Groups are formed quickly, Alex and Kelly, Nia and Lena and Kara and Esme. The latter are the only ones willing enough to get wet, so they go swimming in the shallow water. It only comes up to Kara's waist, but she still has to hold Esme up, which she finds adorable.