Chapter Seven: Take a Hike!

The sun rose on what was the second to last day of vacation. Mimiko relished sleeping in a bed again, not wanting to get up. Despite her scare the night before, and the bruises from vain attempts to skate, she felt pretty good, if not a little stiff. "Guess I'm not cut out for roughing it," she commented as she recalled the past two days. Civilization had never looked so good. Next time she went on vacation, she'd go for a hotel in some exotic location like Hawaii. She'd heard it was really nice there.

She yawned as she stretched. Two more days. What were they going do to in those two days? And where had Zelman slept for the night? He'd left the group as they'd headed back to the apartment, saying he'd join back up with them in the morning. She still wasn't entirely happy with him for his little stunt, but she could forgive him. After all, she hadn't really gotten sick, just really dizzy.

Someone knocked on her door and she looked at her watch. It was close to nine, local time. She must have been tired. Making sure she was decent by throwing on a robe, she called out, "come in!"

The door opened and Kotaro's curly haired head popped in. "Morning, Mimi!" He bounced into the room, full of energy.

She couldn't help but smile. "And good morning to you, too. Where's Jiro? If you're up, he's bound to be too."

Kotaro came up to the bed and shyly traced patterns on the bedspread with one finger. "Brother's helping cook breakfast this morning. He said something about wanting it to be real special."

Mimiko looked up in surprise. "That's unusual," she commented without thinking. Jiro actually did cook quite a bit back home, but they were on vacation, and he was up and about in such activities already. She hoped he'd forgiven Zelman for his little prank yesterday and that he wasn't just cooking to keep distracted.

Kotaro beamed up at her. "He said that since we only have today and tomorrow left, we might as well do something special. I think he's trying to convince everyone to do something, but he won't tell me what."

She blinked at him. "I wonder what he's up to," she commented, and then looked around. "Looks like I need to get ready. Mind stepping out for a minute while I get dressed?"

Kotaro shook his head as he left the room, closing the door behind him. "I'll be waiting in the front room," he said before the door closed entirely.

Mimiko contemplated her wardrobe, though her thoughts were more on what Jiro had up his sleeve. Finally, she decided on a pair of khaki pants and a matching shirt. After donning them, she left the confines of her room to find only Kotaro waiting for her. "Hey, where is everyone?"

Kotaro sat on the couch, swinging his legs, humming to himself. He looked up when Mimiko came into the room. "Oh, hey Mimi! Everyone's over at the guys' apartment. I told them I'd wait for you and take you over."

"O…kay…" She slowly followed after his energetic form, out into the hallway, and across to the other apartment.

Zelman had already joined them, she noticed as she walked through the door. He was sitting on one of the couches, perfectly at ease, the usual can of coke in one hand. He grinned up at her. "Morning, Compromiser."

Mimiko hesitated for a moment, but entered the room. "Good morning, Zelman Clock. I hope you slept well."

He chuckled. "Of course." He didn't mention that he had a hotel room nearby.

Mimiko looked around to see Jiro in the kitchen, oven mitts on his hands as he reached into the oven to remove something that smelled absolutely wonderful. "Good morning, Jiro," she said.

Matt and Damien were mixing something on the stove top, something that smelled like fruit. Scott was whipping up some cream. James was bending over a waffle iron, checking to see if the waffle that was cooking was done yet.

Lucienne was licking her lips as she came over to Mimiko. "Belgian waffles and baked omelet's," she commented. "Why didn't you tell us that Jiro could cook like this? If I'd known he could motivate the guys like this, I'd have put him on cooking detail all week!"

Mimiko merely smiled. "I think that's what he was trying to avoid."

Kotaro was jumping up and down. "It smells so good! I can't wait!"

Jiro had placed the baked omelet onto the stove top and was removing his mitts. "You'll have to wait just a bit longer," he admonished. "The fruit isn't quite done." He looked into the pot the two boys were stirring. "It just needs to be thickened now," he commented to them and they quickly went to do so.

Karri came into the room, followed by Sara. "So, what's the plan for today?" She looked around the room. "I mean we did kind of leave these days open, right?"

Sarah glanced over at James and smiled. "I believe today was set aside for sight seeing, right?"

James smiled at her. "You bet." Turning to Jiro, he looked a little chagrined. "I think we'd better wait for your plan until tomorrow, more exciting that way."

"Peaches are done!" Damien announced as he moved the hot pan into the counter and James moved a loaded plate of waffles next to it.

"Awesome!" Kotaro jumped up at the chance for food and was the first to get any on his plate.

About an hour later, everyone was loading back into the large van they'd borrowed a few days before. Jiro glanced back wistfully at the apartment, his umbrella shading him from the sun. Zelman smirked as he took a seat in the middle.

This time, they headed north, going towards the Interstate. Driving through desert landscape, they gradually began to climb in altitude, making Mimiko's ears pop. "Where exactly are we going," she asked.

Lucienne looked over at her friend and smiled. "Just wait. It's something like where we camped out, only a lot more awesome."

Kotaro pressed his face against the window at that comment. "Where! Where is it? I wanna see!"

Karri laughed. "You won't see it for a bit yet," she chided gently. "We have at least an hour's drive before we get close."

Kotaro pouted. "Oh. Well that's no fun."

Jiro glanced at his brother with a sigh. "Kotaro," he said in a slightly admonishing tone.

The boy folded his arms and settled back against his seat. "Fine."

Zelman smirked from his seat in the back. He hadn't minded being pushed to the furthest seat from the compromiser either. After all, he wasn't really after her, but it was fun to make Jiro mad.

An hour later found James driving the van up a rather windy mountain road after they'd stopped briefly in a somewhat smaller town at the foot of the mountain.

Scott looked out through the window. "Looks like some clouds heading in," he commented. "Good news for you, right?" He grinned at Jiro.

Jiro chose to take the jibe as more of a friendly banter and smiled in return. "Of course, though one can never be sure of the weather, which is why I will continue to carry my umbrella. I doubt you would like to see the result if I were to be without it in the sun."

The boys protested, very interested in seeing something like that until Mimiko intervened. "I think it's probably better that you don't. And especially not on a really hot day, though it is rather amusing to see him steam, the end result isn't exactly pretty."

Sara blinked at the comment but it was Lucienne who responded. "I take it you saw what happens yourself or you wouldn't say that. Am I right?"

Mimiko smiled with a tighter lip than usual and Zelman laughed.

"I'm sure it was quite a sight, eh Silver Blade?" He chuckled at Jiro's discomfort, as he knew it would cause some reaction.

Jiro sighed. "It is an experience I am not ready to repeat any time soon," he admitted. "Nor, I am sure, would Mimiko."

The conversation would probably have continued if they hadn't come to their destination. The van was parked and everyone got out to see a lot of trees and a small building made from logs and painted a dark brown color with a green roof. But, just as Scott had observed, the sky was clouding over, soon shrouding out the sun.

Kotaro looked around with large eyes. He'd not seen this many trees since he'd been in the Sanctuary with the Dark Princess, and those trees weren't like these. These were more scraggly looking, older, perhaps, though he couldn't be sure about that. "Wow! This is amazing!" He tugged on Mimiko's hand. "Hey, Mimi! Look at those trees!"

Mimiko smiled at his exuberance. "I see them, Kotaro," she said looking around. She wasn't sure if she felt a bit disappointed, though, by the trees and lack of the promised vista. "But where's the canyons?"

Kari and Lucienne exchanged knowing looks. "Don't worry," Kari intoned. "You'll see them soon enough. But first, we have to take a little hike."

Zelman had his hands in his pockets, as usual, as he looked around. It was quite a nice forest, he had to admit, older than most, not as old as some, but giving a sense of age and tranquility that he could appreciate, but also a hint of malice for the unwary. He wondered about wild animals aside from the birds and small creatures he saw.

Despite the clouds, Jiro had his umbrella out and open over his head. He would rather be safe than sorry. "A hike, you say?" He looked around for an opening in the trees or any kind of path, finding several by the log structure. They went in several directions. "Would we be taking one of these paths?" He indicated the paths by the building.

James looked that way and shook his head. "No. There's another one, not quite as well known, but well worth the hike. It follows the rim so I hope no one here minds heights too much."

Mimiko cringed slightly at the idea of heights. It wasn't that she was afraid of them, but she wasn't as comfortable around them as others were, especially great heights where she might fall and be dashed to an untimely end.

Jiro noticed her momentary misgivings. "Don't worry. No one will fall," he assured her. He'd keep an especially close eye just to be safe, though he somehow thought it would be less necessary with their American friends than with his compromiser companion.

Zelman smiled in amusement. This should be interesting, he decided. "Well then, shouldn't we get going? I assume you want to reach our destination before it gets too late in the afternoon."

Matt nodded. "You're right. This way." He started towards the far side of the parking lot where a small meadow reached out from the trees, everyone following.

After walking a while, they began to notice a dirt path in the flowers, not as well maintained as the paths by the lodge, but still quite discernable. It led towards the trees on that far side.

Birds chirps as they walked through the trees. Squirrels ran up and down the branches. The occasional unseen creature rustles in the undergrowth. The companions walked without little comment as they admired the scenery.

Before too long, the trees began to thin a little, the ground to get more rugged, with boulders standing out every now and again. And a few more yards brought them all up short as the ground gave way in front of them to a drop off into a sandstone canyon. The path veered off, turning sharply to run along the rim.

Mimiko stopped and backed up a few steps. "Whoa." Even being a few feet from the edge, she could see that it was quite a fall, and that she would be dashed against all kinds of rock formations of various colors, red, orange, yellow, white, and the variations between, layered down to the last hundred feet where trees grew again.

Kari stood by her side. "They call it Chessman's Canyon. Probably because the various formations look like a chessboard with its chessman set up ready to play a game."

"I wanna see!" Kotaro bounced forward and was saved from going over the cliff by Jiro pulling him back by the collar. Mimiko gasped.

He looked down at the young vampire with a slightly stern expression. "Don't be in such a hurry. We've plenty of time to look. Now apologize to everyone for the fright."

Kotaro blinked up at him but nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Now don't do anything so reckless again," Jiro admonished with a bit of a sigh. His brother was such a trial sometimes.

Kotaro beamed. "Kay! I won't! Promise!"

Zelman chuckled at the whole spectacle. He found it highly amusing but refrained from commenting; knowing that would likely make the other Black Blood mad, and they didn't need that. "Shall we continue?" he asked instead, all amusement.

Everyone agreed to that idea and continued on the path, admiring the changing view of the Chessman's Canyon. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting rays of brilliant light on the various "pieces" down below, causing interesting effects that heightened the colors. But, before too long, they plunged back into the trees and away from the canyon's edge, much to Mimiko's relief. It was pretty, to be sure, but she was glad to not have the fear of falling off the edge anymore.

"So, where exactly does this path lead," she finally inquired after they'd been walking for about an hour and still hadn't reached their destination. They'd stopped to rest and she enjoyed leaning back against a very large tree trunk.

The boys exchanged glances. This had been one of Scott's ideas so he was pushed forward to answer. "We like to call it the Greensward, though I don't think any of us really know if it has an official name, but when you see it, I'm sure you won't mind the hike."

Zelman chuckled as the compromiser complained. Red Bloods were so amusing sometimes. Though he supposed he couldn't entirely blame her. After all, they didn't exactly have a lot of this kind of land in the Special Zone and she wasn't used to hiking, he was sure.

Kotaro was happily munching on some trail mix Sarah had given him, his legs dangling from the log he was sitting on. He was all smiles as he looked around. "This is so awesome!"

Jiro glanced at his brother. As usual, his expression was unreadable. Mimiko's friends' idea of vacation was certainly not the same as others he knew, but Mimiko was bearing up with it, and no one had come to any harm yet. Although this hike might completely do the compromiser in, he mused.

Mimiko took in a deep breath. "Okay, ready to go again," she said and pushed away from her tree.

Matt smiled. "That's the spirit! Not too much further now."

Another half hour brought them to their destination. Mimiko had to blink several times to make sure she hadn't stepped into a dream. She half expected little fairy creatures to dance out onto the pristine open water before her. And it stretched for a good distance, half a kilometer or more, she was sure.

The trees were covered in soft moss and rich green algae waved gently under the water. Fish could easily be seen swimming under the surface, with rich browns and reds of the lake's bottom shining up through the filtered sunlight like something out of a dream. Even Jiro was surprised.

Zelman whistled. "Quite the sight. Not something you see every day," he commented as he stared out over the elfin landscape. It could easily make anyone believe in the existence of woodland creatures that were otherworldly, like gnomes and elves.

Kotaro rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't seeing things. "This is amazing!" he declared. "Brother! Look at that! There's even ducks out on the water!"

Jiro looked in the direction his brother pointed and saw a mother duck with her ducklings swimming lazily towards a small hillock of land out on the water. "It surprises me a bit," he admitted, "that more people don't know about this place." He had not missed that they were the only ones there, nor could he catch the scent of many other Red Bloods in the area. And those scents that didn't belong to their party were quite old.

Matt smiled as he watched everyone's reactions. "I used to work as a forest ranger during the summer," he admitted. "There are some trails that are kept secret more than others. They didn't exactly want this area to become over crowded and ruined by too many people."

"I can see why," Mimiko said in awe as she stared around her. "It's incredible, like something out of a movie." She carefully moved forward, brushing by a strand of wild columbine flowers that were brilliantly white against their vibrant green leaves.

The tall trees shaded them perfectly from above, even though the sun had peeked out from behind the clouds, allowing a brief look at the blue sky beyond the clouds.

Scott went off with Damian to explore while the others found convenient stumps to sit on and admire the scenery. Zelman, after standing around a little, decided to join them in their explorations.

Mimiko let out a soft sigh. "One more day," she said quietly to herself.

Jiro glanced at her curiously. He wasn't entirely sure how to take her comment. Was she sad that things were ending or glad? Her tone had certainly hinted that it could be either emotion. But she did look tired today, even if it was a peaceful tired. Vacations, he'd heard, could be just as stressful as every day life, though he hoped that had not been the case, even if they had practically run from one adventure to another.

Kotaro stared at them for a little bit, dangling his legs from his stump, swinging them. He suddenly jumped up from his perch. "I'm going to go off with the others," he said and Jiro barely acknowledged him, so deep in thought he was about his companion, but the boy didn't notice that and ran after Zelman and the others. Matt went with him.

Karri stared out over the green tinted water, then glanced briefly at her foreign friend. "It's been so nice having you here," she commented. "We should do this more often."

Mimiko smiled. "Maybe, next time, we can just slip away with only the girls." She was only half joking, but having the guys around did make things a lot more interesting and she'd really wanted to just relax. She leaned back against the tree nearest her and closed her eyes to soak up what little sun was left from the cloudy sky above. "But it's been nice."

Above them, the sky darkened as the clouds rolled towards them. Lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, slicing the heavens. No more than five seconds later, thunder rolled through the canyon, causing Mimiko to jump.

Jiro looked up at the sky. "Something tells me it might be a good idea to return to the car," he said. The clear space had covered over with dark gray clouds.

Lucienne looked in the direction everyone else had disappeared. "I don't' know how far they went," she confessed.

Sara, who had remained pretty quiet, stood up with James. "We'll go find them," she said and the two went off to locate them.

The remaining four waited for them to return as the wind began to pick up, making the trees dance. Jiro held his umbrella high to try and shield them. "I think it's going to rain," he commented, not really thrilled with the idea. They had a bit of a hike back to the car, and though the trees would supply some semblance of shelter from any precipitation, it would not be a complete one.

Karri looked around, and then pointed. "I see them! They're on the other side!"

Across from them, on the other side of the now troubled lake, the others could be clearly seen. Matt waved at them and put his hands to his mouth, trying to shout something at them but it was lost as the breeze picked up.

Mimiko glanced up at Jiro. "Can you tell what he's saying?"

Jiro leaned forward, trying to hear above the wind and rippling water, but it was useless. "No. We'll have to wait," he decided.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Zelman appeared, some leaves in his red hair. "They say it looks like a real storm's coming," he grinned. "Apparently we need to leave the area quickly. They'll take an alternate route back and meet us up at the top. Our guide also says to watch out for potential flash floods as they aren't uncommon."

Mimiko groaned. "Great. That's the last thing we need." She glanced over at Jiro. "Will you be okay, if it rains, I mean?"

Jiro's lips formed a thin line. "I'd rather not find out," he admitted. "We'd better hurry."

Lucienne took the lead, since she was more sure of it than everyone else, though either of the vampires could have easily done so and followed their scent trail, but Jiro didn't because he wanted to keep an eye on Mimiko, and Zelman didn't because he frankly didn't care.

Kari went after Jiro and Mimiko, leaving her in front of Zelman who had chosen to take up the rear. "It's a good thing we're in the trees now," she commented. "I'm willing to bet that it's windy enough to throw someone off the mountain higher up."

Jiro glanced back at her. "Then we'll have to be all the more careful when we reach the top." He paused long enough to help Mimiko over a log, then continued, keeping an ear out behind him, and above, for the sound of rain.

Kotaro scrambled through the underbrush, right behind Matt and Damian. "Hey, um, are you sure it's okay not to go back with Mimi and the others?"

Matt looked back. " It should be okay. They've got Kari and Lucienne. Besides, aren't there vampires there? They should be able to find their way back without any trouble."

Kotaro pouted. "True, but that's not what I'm worried about." He continued after them, listening to the wind in the treetops as they started striking more uphill. After all, Mimi was fragile, and so were the other two humans, and his brother didn't like the rain.

James came up behind him with Sara and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be fine. The girls can take care of themselves, and I'm pretty sure your friends can too. We'll meet them at the top without any problem. You'll see."

The wind had definitely picked up more, Mimiko noted as they continued to trudge on. Her feet were starting to throb with the unaccustomed exercise. They were trying to make a quick pace of things. The dark clouds that they occasionally caught glimpses of through the trees were growing quite dark. And if that wasn't indication enough of what was to come, the light had decreased significantly.

Zelman raised one hand to his eyes and peered upwards. "It looks like it will be quite the storm," he commented, a hint of delight in his eyes. He then looked at Jiro, who had stopped so that Mimiko and Kari could catch up. "You sure you'll be okay in that?"

Jiro gave Kari a hand up the steep incline, then Mimiko. "I'm not going to worry about that just yet," he replied. "Regardless of what happens, it should be our priority to get these Red Bloods to safety before the storm breaks, or as close to it as possible."

Zelman shrugged. "Guess you're right. Well, break's over. Let's move!"

Kotaro felt the first drop of rain hit his hand as he reached for a steadying branch. He looked up and another couple splattered across his face. "Uh oh," he said. "Maybe we'd better hurry."

Matt looked around, checking for signs of potential problems. " You're right," he replied. "Come on guys, let's get a move on before this storm really breaks."

The larger group picked up their pace, James continually assisting Sara as they went around boulders, trees, and other obstacles. Their route was possibly the more difficult, but it would also be the most sheltered when it came to the ridge.

Mimiko was sure she'd worn a blister into the balls of both her feet, but with rain starting to fall, she wasn't about to complain. At least, for the moment, the rain wasn't heavy, and was mostly deflected by the leaves above, but she thought she recognized the scenery, and if she remembered correctly, they would soon be leaving the safety of the trees and be out on the ridge where they'd viewed down into the Chessman's area. That also meant they weren't too far from the car, but that was open ground.

Lightning flashed across the sky in a jagged bolt of blue energy. The wind blew more strongly through the sparse trees, causing even Jiro and Zelman to have some difficulty standing up right. Jiro had the extra disadvantage of trying to keep his umbrella under hand. He'd closed it to try and keep the wind from grabbing it, even though that would leave him more exposed to the falling moisture.

"Almost there!" Matt called back to the group as the wind blew at them down the narrow canyon they were forced to climb. "Cross your fingers that we don't catch a flood!"

The rain pelted down on them, lashing at them like it wanted to leave bruises from its passage. Their route had taken them around to the other side, and though it didn't skirt the ridge as closely, the small canyons they went through made it more dangerous because of flooding problems, not to mention that the rocks were getting slick from the rain.

Kotaro placed a foot on a natural stair and slipped. Damien caught him from behind before he could really get moving though. "Thanks," he piped gratefully to the older boy.

Damien made sure he was set firmly on the rocks again before moving on. "Just keep your eyes on what's ahead, okay?"

Matt pushed against the wind at a slight bend of the canyon. "Only a few more meters," he called back to everyone behind. "Then we'll be free of this and back on top! Watch your step now!"

A couple more minutes found them free of the little canyon stretch and out on more flat terrain, the top of the path. They would be heading a bit downhill from there on. Below them, a rumbling sound filled the air. Kotaro's eyes got large as he listened. "What's that?"

James glanced briefly down the canyon. "Sounds like a flash flood," he said casually. "Come on, before the wind tried to push us towards the cliffs." He trudged forward, the others following, now almost soaked.

Jiro grit his teeth as the rain lashed at him, steam coming off his exposed skin, though it was almost as quickly blown away by the wind, but once they had come out into the open, the rain continued pelting down and he was soon soaked.

Lucienne paused for breath, and to give everyone a chance to regroup before they followed the path close to the ridge. "You weren't kidding about the steam, were you," she commented to Mimiko as she stared at the steaming vampire.

Mimiko pushed her hair from her face, only to have it whipped back by the wind. "No, I wasn't. And trust me, it's not a good thing to have happen. He'll probably be really tired tonight." She wondered if he'd need blood but decided not to mention anything about it.

"Everyone here," Zelman inquired, though he already knew the answer. The rain didn't really bother him, but the wind wasn't helping at all. He was glad his beanie wasn't the type that could easily get away. "Silver Blade, I hope you brought a change of clothes," he joked.

Jiro rolled his eyes. "Not amused," he replied. The wind tried to whip away his hat but he quickly caught it before it could go more than a foot away. "We'd best get back before this storm gets any worse," he commented, noting that the clouds were far from done with their activities.

Another streak of lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rolled across the canyon like a bass drum. Mimiko's teeth chattered. "I agree." She hadn't brought a jacket, thinking the weather wouldn't be a problem.

Lucienne pushed forward. "Stay as low as possible so that you don't get blown over," she advised. "And lean towards the inside of the ridge!"

Kari moved ahead to hike next to Lucienne and the two pushed forward against the wind, staying low and towards the inside. It was a dangerous fifty meters to cross with the weather conditions as they were, but they were accustomed to such and trudged steadily onward.

Jiro moved forward, trying to shelter Mimiko from the wind, one hand on his hat, while Zelman sauntered behind. A trail of steam followed them, blown away by the wind. The sky was vastly dark now and each lightning strike lit up the landscape almost eerily.

"It's amazing how quickly the weather changes, isn't it," Zelman commented as he leaned against the wind.

Mimiko felt her feet sliding, but before she could do anything more than let out an exclamation of surprise, Zelman was behind her, holding her firmly down and away from the edge. "Do be careful, compromiser," he laughed. "I'd hate to think what our Silver Blade would do if you were to fall off."

Mimiko shakily nodded her thanks and moved on, as glad as everyone else to make it to the meadow section of the path.

Jiro, despite being in pain from the weather, turned to her. "Are you all right?"

Mimiko nodded. "But we need to get you out of this." She glanced over to where the lodge was, biting her lip. There were probably other humans inside, humans who would probably freak out if they saw Jiro like this. "Guess we'll have to settle for the van for now," she sighed.

Zelman nodded his agreement. "While it is likely someone would notice your uh… current condition," he grinned, "it's less likely they'd notice it from the windows of the car. The rest of us can go inside while we wait out the storm."

Jiro gave the older Black Blood a disproving look at his tone.

Mimiko stopped walking to plant her hands on her hips and glare at the red-eyed vampire. "If he's going to be stuck in the van, so am I!"

Jiro sighed. "No, Mimiko. He's probably right. Besides, until my clothes dry out, there will be a lot of steam and I'd rather you weren't subjected to that." Already, his skin was disintegrating, and though she'd seen him as a skeleton before, he didn't want to put her through that again.

Mimiko looked at him through the rain. Right now, it wasn't as noticeable, but… She sighed. "Fine."

Kotaro shielded his face from the lashing rain, leaning over as far as he could do so safely.

Matt let out a cheerful bout of encouragement. "Look! See those trees ahead? The lodge is just on the other side! We should be there in a matter of minutes! Let's go!"

Damien and James moved around Kotaro, Damien picking up the boy. "Up you go!" They trudged on towards the area Matt had indicated, pushing against the wind. They broke through the trees on the back part of the lodge, points of light shining out from the windows. Sara walked beside James.

"In we go!" Damien said as they walked around to where the doors were. He was about to push them open when he paused, looking to one side. "Hey! Look who made it!" He waved to the other group of hikers, Kotaro still in his arms.

Lucienne and Kari quickly moved forward. "Hi! Glad you made it!"

Kotaro blinked. "Where's brother?"

Mimiko moved forward. "It's okay, Kotaro. He's waiting in the van. We all decided it would be better that way."

Zelman winked at the young boy as he shouldered past and into the lodge, the others followed, water dripping from everyone.

The forest ranger in charge of the station looked up in surprise as they entered. "What are you guys doing here in a storm like that?"

Matt moved forward. "Hey Dave! We got caught out at the lake and just made it back up."

Dave looked at them like they were crazy. "You were down there?" He shook his head at the thought. "You should know better!"

Matt shrugged. "Hey, the weather man said it'd be perfect today. Who were we to argue?"

Dave sighed. "All right, though you, of all people, should know how unpredictable the weather is in the mountains!" He turned back to his radio, which he'd been fiddling with when they'd arrived. "Report is the storm should blow over in about another hour. I wouldn't even try going back down the mountain until then."

Matt smiled. "We wouldn't dream of it."