the secret of silver lake

Wrong path

I stood up from where I had been sitting to give my body a good stretch. My legs and back had gotten stiff from sitting on the rock ledge. Maggie had done the same, full body stretch arms to the sky, then down to touch the toes' sound effects included. I continued to stretch a bit more to prepare myself for the hike down the mountain. It was a blur to me now the trip up, and I would probably end up lost on the way down as I was not at all paying attention on the dash up thank God Maggie had come up after me.

I hope the climb down was not going to take too long. I was starting to feel thirsty after so many hours on this hot ledge above the lake. Maggie's voice pulled from my thoughts "Well what way?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"I am sorry, Maggie, I didn't hear what you said. What way are you talking about." I said with a smile well placeing my hand on the side of my hips.

Her smile deepened as she pointed to two very different paths, "which one medium or hard"

"Which one is faster," looking from one path

to the other.

"depends on how adventuresious you feel," she said with a wink.

"I don't know if I like the sound of that, but you know me. I am down for danger." I didn't get a chance to finish before Maggie laughed out loud. After a minute, she wiped her eyes and then looked at me with a big smile as she pointed to the hard path down with an almost vertical climb down.

"The hard way it is, miss. I am down with danger too, but Lilly, we have never done a trail like this, are you sure?" She raised her eyebrows at me as she spoke. My mind briefly went back to that morning. My senses will be heightened as my wolf surfaces, reflexes, sight, and hearing, too.

I always thought there was a piece of me missing, something different.

"Let's do it, Maggie. I think I am up for a challenge, and I am so thirsty the faster the better." Before I could react, a bottle was flying through the air towards me. my tract record with catching things was not the best. I tried to catch it, but it slipped through my fingers. It was a good thing it was a plastic water bottle she tossed as it hit my head. I did catch it on the bounce, though. I opened it and drank greedily.

"Why did you not say something earlier Lilly, sorry I should have offered sooner. But with that out of the way, let me be clear this is not a trail you want to rush down. So if you turely want to go faster we should take the other one." She was not looking at me as she spoke but was turned looking out over the lake. A distance look in her eyes, as I followed her line of sight, did I really see movement in the trees in the valley. All of my insides screamed something was wrong. That's the valley leading to the cabin, our cabin. I put my hand on Maggie's shoulder as she turned to look at me. I was greeted with the gold eyes of Ember, Maggie's wolf.

I was a little surprised by this. I didn't understand why Ember would show herself now. Panic started to bubble deep in the pit of my stomach. What was going on did I really see movement in the trees. It must have been my imagination. But something felt off.

"Change of plans we go the easy way follow me and try to keep up." And with that last word, she truned and was gone. I take the path I last saw her on. It's an easy run. At first, the grade starts to shift steeper and steeper. Till i am no longer running, I've slowed down to a crawl. How did I make it up here on my own? Did I take a wrong turn. No, the trails are clearly marked. I just choose to go down a bit more advanced one than i am used to. I tried to concentrate on the climb, but my mind was racing. Why would Maggie take off like that. I have never known Maggie to be that fast, but when thinking about it. Her eyes and voice had changed. maybe her wolf gave her speed.

She did say that once I gained my wolf, my strength,speed, hearing, and sight would double from what it is now. I really hoped so because my strength right now was almost gone, and right now was not the time to have that happen. I was in a pickle, I had definitely taken a wrong turn as now I am hanging on a ledge about 60 feet up or so. with very little room for mistake. I was doing well considering I was not good at this without the proper gear, Maggie had taken me climbing before but only twice without gear and never on this grade.

I was now stuck in "crab walk of shame" now perched on a slab of granite angled at a steep 35° slope, my fingers raw from clutching at handheld that feel more like razor blades then rock. Every time I shift my weight, the mountain lets out a sicking crunch-the sound of loose shale skittering away into the abyss. My legs in full "sewing machine" mode, my quadriceps vibrating so violently from fatigue that I could barely keep my boots flat. the path led to a jegged spine of weather beaten limestone, bleached white is some spots and staind a bruised, oily black by moss in others.