Blackfoot Forest Step by Step

Skipping ahead sounds good - I tried to keep the travel vague to avoid PP'ing Sebastian. Basically, their route was neither easy nor hard - I figured Sebastian directed while Andalusia took his directions and used her knowledge of terrain to guess the easiest path over the mountains. Probably not the quickest way, but the least taxing on them both.

"Oh? That's good to know, about the goldenrod," Andalusia said, at ease in their discussion of travel and medicine. Her face cracked at his look of disgust, and her airy laugh lifted the air. "Hey, now that's clever. If it wasn't the dung, but the plants they ate." The Ostrega tilted her head. Her laughter faded, but a grin still curved her maw, "I wonder..." Who really knew what happened to matter in the bowels of a cow? Maybe the process gave the herbs an edge they didn't possess in their organic form, which would explain a lot. How they could find out was a different matter altogether...

Andalusia's twitched her ear, and she turned to Sebastian. He lumbered out of the water, and Andalusia drew to her paws and backed away, giving him room to shake if he wished. But her mind had already locked onto his next words, and her thoughts churned. She glanced to the sky, which held the glow of late afternoon, then set her gaze on the mountains. They could make good progress by nightfall, even better if they found a lower path through the crags. Maybe a cave system that led to the other side, or a selection of tow paths around the mount's outer edge. But assurance of an easy road would only come with travel. The day was half over, and yet still too full to write away.

The Ostrega didn't turn from the mountain, but met the hills with a roll of her shoulders. "Alright, then," her voice was firm, set for them both. "We leave now."

--

They didn't find a lower path, but with Sebastian's directions, Andalusia made best with what the mountain gave them. The sun crawled through the heavens, and the moon glowed brighter the further his sister sunk. But only when the stars began to show their faces did Andalusia pause. Her legs ached from the steady climb, and her body moved with a weary drag. She'd spent her life travelling, sure, but she had never moved so far without proper rest. And Sebastian - she marvelled at how he'd made it this far. No doubt either of them could go on much longer. "How much further to your valley?" she asked, and paced on spot to keep her blood flowing and her buzzing mind awake.