Back To Krypton

Chapter 24

If they thought the heat was bad before, they were severely mistaken. It wasn't anything even close to where they are at now and they still have a little while left to go before they will be able to see The Fire Falls.

The only upside to it is that the heat is preventing the growth of any of the plants from The Scarlett Jungle, making their trip a lot easier since they've left the ravine.

In some ways, they miss it, the simplicity of it, the mostly-even ground and the fact that they didn't need to duck under branches every five minutes when they were walking. Still, being back out between the trees, feeling the drops of moisture that have gathered on the leaves brush off onto their skin, cooling them down as they walk and listen to the chirping of birds and creaking of bugs, both of which are eerily similar to those they would be likely to see on Earth from what little glances they've had at them, not at all like the monstrosities they came across before.

"Kara, please tell me we're not going to be walking in this heat for much longer," Nia complains to the blonde, oblivious to the sweat that is dripping down Kara's forehead, the same amount that's dripping down her own.

"I hate to say it, but that's not all that soon, we have a couple of weeks before we even reach the falls properly and we have to go the long way around so we don't run into any tourists and get asked questions we don't have the answers to." Kara answers, panting while they walk up a gentle incline, one that they have been making their way up for the past twenty minutes and hating every second of it.

Nia groans animatedly and it's contagious because she gets a litany of groans in response, the conductor of the planet's most annoyed orchestra.

Lena wants to groan too but holds back since she's the only one in the group that has any restraint at this point in time. She isn't enjoying the heated trek they're on and absolutely despises the fact that she can't even hold her girlfriend's hand because the pool of sweat that sits between their palms makes her want to gag.

She isn't complaining though, this is what she signed up for and complaining about it isn't going to make her feel any better about where they are or what's going on. Their path is clear and they just have to suck it up and follow it, put everything else aside and just deal with it.

"There is some good news, you know?" Kara turns to speak to the group behind her, walking up the back backwards and surprisingly, she's actually finding it easier.

Lena perks up at that, whatever Kara is about to say, it might just get the others to stop moaning. "What is it?"

"The falls have been here for so long that the wildlife and the environment around them has adapted over time so there are awesome plants around that we can eat to have a bit more variety in our diets and there is also something else, something every last one of you is going to appreciate."

"Kara, I couldn't give a damn about your foraging right about now." Alex huffs, moody from not only being hot and tired but also from carrying Esme, the little princess having been struggling to keep up on the uphill until she got picked up and then she promptly fell right asleep on her mom's shoulder.

Holding her hands up in surrender, Kara keeps talking. "Ok, I'm sorry, I should have started with the good bit, I see that now."

"What's the good bit, Kara."

"Natural hot springs." Kara grins. "We just have to find them, there is a whole bunch of them about though, pretty much all of the bodies of water around will be warm though and the closer you get to the falls, the hotter they are, just another reason for us to stay away from getting to close though, we won't get scalded by the water."

Nia's jaw drops. "Kara, I'm about to ruin your relationship because I want to kiss you right now."

"Forget mine and Kara's relationship, you would be ruining your own relationship because Brainy would be informed of what you did... when I tell him the reasoning behind why I murdered you." Lena glares, at the younger woman, her frustration at their heinous walk coming out in the form of overprotective jealousy.