Her mind was on the mountain as she made quick work of its graduated slopes, until they came to the natural ‘steps’ along its face. It was here that the woman looked back to her follower, marking first the state of his paws with an inquisitively arched brow then raised her sights to glance for the first time at his eyes. More to gain his attention than challenge him. Had there been an ulterior motive she would have expressed it long before reaching the pocked path ahead of them.
Rather than share aloud what he needed to do to cross the narrow way, she led by example with a quick bound for an open flat setting jutting slightly. There was only enough space from the rock wall to rest just a moment before taking another surface within reach. The small tuff of a bush made it difficult to see, but by her successful touchdown, she proved that indeed there was something to land on. Again, she crouched a little before springing to another surface, then continued in rhythmic progression several times until all four paws fell firmly on more stable ground.
“I am Xi’nuata,” she announced once her mind was no longer fixed on the mountain and she was able to release a calming breath. However sure-footed she felt on the mountain, there was nothing to diminish the danger of crossing… nor blank from her mind the very real possibility of falling. |