Blood Falls
Rixen Rise and rise again until lambs become lions;
"We need a few more over there!" I directed, gesturing with my head to a patch of mud and rock where the water was beginning to leak through. Grabbing a bunch of soil-covered sticks between my teeth, I shoved them into a small crack that I’d spotted just below my knees to the right. This makeshift dam seemed to be working, but it wasn’t time to celebrate yet. The water still raged on, gurgling angrily. Then suddenly it seemed to die down. Almost out of the blue. The sounds of its rage became less noticeable by the minute as the water shrank back into the base of the waterfall. Becoming more aware of the sound of my ragged breath now that there was no roaring waves to drown it out, I noticed that I was still breathing hard. My chest heaved in and out, and the white parts of my coat had turned translucent with sweat. I looked around at the others, who seemed just as winded as I was. Smiling as best I could between each inhalation, I commented half to myself, "Well, that was an abrupt end." It was surprising. Not to mention a relief. Then the bear god reappeared from the snow. He smiled, and his words oozed with praise for our efforts. I too hoped that the Blood Falls would not lash out again - this seemed like an intriguing place, one that I knew I’d like to come back and explore someday. Thinking about the towering waterfall, I remembered Kiada telling me that she had been born here. My attention snapped back to Vourib as he began to pass out gifts to each of us, offering my a small waterfall charm, which I accepted with a gracious bow of my head. As Valkyrie muttered some angry comment beneath her breath, I was busy grinning, thinking about how it would make a nice decoration for my antlers. Then my eyes moved to the other horses, examining and admiring the beautiful trinkets that each of them received. We could all probably have used a bath. We were all a little winded. But we had succeed; at present, no one was too concerned about washing up. "TALK HERE" |
