They follow the easy tracks, broken branches and shrub sprouts, up the mountain for over two days with injured Melody barely keeping up and no idea where they are heading. They kept moving anyway, sure of their path. And for a moment, lost in the beauty of the warming sunlight and the companion of family, they forget the adversaries they have faced since the beginning of this journey. The forest surrounds them. larches and spruce spread across the high desert mountains, covering small badgers and squirrels and night birds. Pine trees scent the air, their fallen needles pining softly under their feet. Insects drone happily in the warm afternoon, buzzing near their ears, attracted to their sweat. There is a beauty in nature, a calmness that they need. Probably when all this is over, they wil

