Making Our Way



Sam awoke to early morning light seeping into the cave. Her muscles were aching from having slept on the hard ground. At least she had slept. She felt much more refreshed than she had the day before. Sam looked over to Josef, who sat with his back against the cave wall, looking out into the valley. She made her way over to him and sat down.

"Anything happening out there?" she asked quietly. She wanted to give the other children a few more minutes of sleep: it was bound to be another long day for them.

"No Major Sam, everything has been quiet," responded Josef. The older boy had dark circles under his eyes. He wasn't used to staying up half the night, but had been happy to take watch so Major Sam could sleep.

"You did a great job Josef. I really appreciated being able to get some sleep."

Josef smiled at her then looked toward the ridge they were to climb today. "The climb will be steep Major Sam. The littler ones are going to need some help getting up, but I don't think we can carry them on our backs like we did yesterday."

Sam eyed the incline as well and thought for a few minutes. "I think I have an idea. I have a long piece of rope in my bag. We'll tie seven knots in it and have everyone hang on just above a knot. That way, if anyone slips, we can stop and the nearest person can help. I'll take the lead and can pull to help the rest of you get up the hill. I'd better have Anya behind me so I can grab her hand if necessary. I think you had better take the rear so you can catch anyone who might slip and let go of the rope."

"But what about your arm? You won't be able to pull on the rope with your sore arm," replied Josef.

"I'll use my right arm. Don't worry Josef, the arm is feeling pretty good." She didn't add that the arm still throbbed every now and again. Josef didn't need to worry about her when she was placing so much responsibility on his shoulders already. Besides, she would take some Tylenol before they headed out.

Getting to her feet and pulling Josef after her, they made their way to the sleeping children to get them up and ready to go. They needed to get started if they were going to traverse the forest in one day.

After eating a quick breakfast, they broke camp and headed to the steep hill that would lead them out of the valley and into the forest. Sam had told the children of her plan as they ate. The rope was ready with seven knots for the children to hold onto. Sam had also made a large loop at the front of the rope for her to hold onto as she led the way up the hill.

The going was slow. Every now and again, one of the children would slip so the whole group would have to stop and wait for him/her to get to their feet. At the half way mark, Anya slipped and let go of the rope. Fortunately, Kiera was right behind her and was able to grab the little girl before she slid too far. Anya's eyes were full of tears as she made her way back to her place behind Sam. Sam grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly.

"Don't worry Anya, we're almost to the top. Why don't you hold my hand for a while instead of the rope OK?"

Anya clutched Sam's left hand as they continued the climb to the top. Sam could feel the climb start to even out as they neared the top. She looked back at the children and called out in an encouraging voice, "We're almost there. Just a few more steps."

Sam reached the top and pulled Anya up and over the hill to the flat grassy area at the edge of the forest. She then proceeded to give a hand to each of the children as they reached the crest of the hill. Once they were all safely to the top, Sam sat on the ground with the children, trying to catch her breath. She passed around the canteen and once again praised them for their hard work. Anya had a few scratches on her leg but otherwise, the children had come through unscathed.

After a 10 minute rest, Sam was anxious to get going. Josef wasn't sure from this point on how far they had to travel. Her goal was to get to the other Stargate by early tomorrow, if not sooner. She had no idea if the gate would even be operational, so might have to put in some extra time to get it to work. She would also need to find water sources along the way. There would most likely not be a convenient stream along their path.

Sam packed away the rope and got the children up and ready to continue on. Josef pointed to a faint path that led into the forest. He reminded her that they would need to continue south, as that was where the four great ridges met. Sam pulled out her compass just to make sure they were headed in the correct direction, then led them into the forest.

It was much cooler amidst the tall trees of the forest. The floor of the forest was soft with fallen leaves and moss. The trek didn't seem as arduous and the children talked quietly among themselves as they went. Josef walked with Sam, pointing out some of the native plants and telling her of some of their purposes. His grandmother had been a healer in the village and so Josef and Kiera had learned many uses of various plants in the region. Kiera was well versed in which plants were actually edible, so Sam asked her to collect some as they walked along.

When the sun had reached its zenith in the sky, Sam decided they had better stop and eat soon. She really wanted to find a source of water first, but wouldn't take the children too much farther: she didn't want to wear them out already. Through the trees up ahead, Kellan noticed an area of brightness that seemed to sparkle in the noon light.

"Major Sam, I think there is some water up ahead." He pointed to where he was looking, ahead and to the left of the trail.

Sure enough, there was a clearing and a small pond. Sam smiled happily and led the children over to the pond. Kellan spread out the mats and they all plopped down with loud sighs as they rested their weary legs.

Sam pulled four energy bars out of her pack and broke them in half. These, along with some berries and the plants that Kiera had collected made up their lunch. They ate in quiet, enjoying the coolness by the pond and the chirping of the birds in the trees. They finished the water in the canteen and Sam went to refill it by the pond.

When she returned Bryson asked if they were going to take naps again today. Secretly, he rather hoped they were: he was feeling tired again but didn't want to admit to it out loud. The seven year old didn't want his brother to think he was a baby!

Sam looked around at the children. Some of them looked a bit tired, but not as bad as on the previous day. "I would really like to keep going if we can Bryson. We have a long journey through the forest today. Josef and I aren't sure just how far we have to go. Do you think you can continue on?"

"I can!" Teegan said importantly. He was after all nine years old, he didn't need a nap!

The others nodded in agreement, even Anya. "OK then, we'll continue," said Sam. "But we'll stop often to rest and if Anya or Bryson need a lift, they can have another piggy back ride. How does that sound?"

"Great!" yelled Bryson. He had really enjoyed his ride yesterday!

Sam smiled at the toothless grin of the young boy. He sure was adorable! She gathered the supplies and children together and they headed back into the forest, careful to remain together and on the faint path.

They continued on, much like they had the previous afternoon. Sam stopped every hour or so to let the children rest and have drinks of water. They found another small pond along the way so she was able to refill the canteen again. She wasn't quite as worried about the water anymore. If there was this much green vegetation, there had to be ample water sources around.

Just about the time she was ready to stop for another meal, the trees opened up to show another clearing. This time, there was no pond surrounded by lush grass; the forest gave way to a rocky outcropping which dropped abruptly to a deep ravine below. On the other side of the ravine, she could see the path being swallowed once again by the large trees of the forest. What she couldn't see was a way to get over the ravine. She looked at Josef and he returned her gaze. His father had failed to mention a ravine along the way to the second stone circle. What were they to do next?

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TBC – Another cliff hanger! Next chapter is already in the works! Thanks again for the continued reviews.