Existing (under editing)

Chapter 14*

We continued to track down into the canyon, as the sun reached its peak over the day Pepper and Hunter started to pant, tongues hanging out and flopping as they walked. Morin had retreated from the sky and had settled on Alma's shoulder not needing to navigate as the road was clear for the time being. Alma on the other hand was effortless as she moved. The only sign of stain was the bead of sweat on her for head. Her braided dreads swang at her hips and her breathing was paced. I tripped up, my boot hitting a rock, not paying enough attention to what I was doing. I blushed and hoped it wasn't too obvious in my already read face from the heat. I wiped my clammy hands on my pants vigorously to distract myself.

Eventually the sun started to set as we hiked through the crevices and the shadows gave comfort from the rock walls above. We had made good ground and had no site of the tunnel anymore way off in the opposite direction. It was long gone. Alma stopped and we all sat, taking a rest.

"Morin, can you look from the sky please?" the sparrow had nodded and disappeared over the rocky surface above us. Alma started to pull out some apples, chucking one at me. Hunter and Pepper disappearing around a corner casing a lizard for a meal.

I took a chunk out of the apple letting the juicy contents sink into my stomach. "So how long till dark do you think?"

"About an hour. We need to find shelter before then, possibly with a place to hold hammocks. There could be snakes around here," she shivered with the chilly breeze, munching on her own apple.

"Don't like snakes?" I asked.

"They're tricky, they.... Take advantage?"

"Manipulative?"

"Yeah, that word." she sighed and Morin returned settling on a rock. She stood up and I followed. "We have around two day's travels, at most. It isn't really that far if we don't get caught going the wrong way. There is a place to sleep tonight just up ahead."

I nodded and followed. There was a cave like dent in the stone. Alma felt around then pulled out a hammer and some hook like picks. She started to try and hit them in but her strength of her hit not enough. After another failed hit she readjusted herself, hitting from a different angle, then tried by taking her bag off so she could put more swing into it, then a tried a possibly easier spot.

"Here." I laughed setting my own pack down and taking the hammer off her. She blushed and stepped back. I positioned it, turning to her. "So here?"

"Hhmm? Oh! Yes, there!" she said, and then proceeded to unpack the bedding still blushing.

"What's wrong?" I asked hammering away.

"I was kind of hoping I could show you how strong I got." she pouted.

I laughed and moved on, screwing in the last bit to grab the next one. We managed to hang the hammocks and light a fire before it was too dark to see. Hunter was fast asleep tongue out and ears flopped to the side, snoring gently, and legs twitching in his dream like state. Morin wasn't anywhere to be seen, he had flown off earlier. Pepper sat cynically by the entry to the cave, eyes piercing into the gloom of the canyon. Alma and I lay in our hammocks, swaying a little with the night's air. It felt like a cocoon, wrapping around my sides. Although it had been hot today the temperature had dropped dramatically with the absence of the suns harsh rays so we had rugged up for the night ahead. I rubbed at my dry skin on my nose, hoping it hadn't burnt.

"I wonder how you got the jam." Alma said, eyes were closed she lay.

"I don't know, maybe it was a part of my rations." I replied.

"But isn't jam more of a sweet?" This made me think.

"Yeah actually..." I sat up. "No, an old lady gave it to me. As they chucked me out she managed to throw it at me. She was one of the food keepers. I think she must have been sneaking it for herself then felt sorry for me. Jeez, what a joke."

"Because only when she thought you were going to die did she show kindness?" She mumbled and I nodded. "Do you ever wonder if there are others, outside the city, still surviving like I was?"

"There were rumours. Talk of a place further north away from all the original colonies." I wondered. "Who knows, it was probably just wishful thinking."

"But I was out there. Tomorrow we will scale to higher ground, try to get a better lookout. Maybe there's one nearby."

"Yeah."

The fire had started to die and kindle. The light flickering dimmer and dimmer on the cave wall. Alma was snoring softly within the first five minutes. Only when I could see the stars did I close my eyes. More questions in my mind than answers.