Chapter VI: The Ravine

Raven's eyes slowly fluttered open; the skies overhead had turned to a pale blue as the dawn began to break over the desert. She could hear isolated birds singing in the cool morning air. Terra slept cuddled closely to Raven. Her warm breaths gently washed over the back of Raven's neck and she felt Terra's soft hand across her belly.

Raven's heart raced as she began to remember where she was and what had happened. She did not move but lay on her side and stared out into the beautiful desert morning feeling unusually comfortable. Terra slowly roused from her sleep as she rolled onto her back and gently removed her hand from Raven's stomach.

She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Raven, you awake?"

"Yea."

"Come on let's get going. We've got to get to our next stop before it gets too hot."

Raven sat up stiffly and unzipped the sleeping bag. She watched as Terra stood up, stretched her arms to the sky then rubbed her head and tried to rearrange her long blonde hair.

"Breakfast?"

Raven continued to sit and rub her sore legs trying to get the circulation flowing again. "Sounds good. What do we have?"

Terra stumbled over to her backpack and pulled out some granola bars and a couple of bottles of water. "Granola and water, the breakfast of champions; catch."

Terra tossed Raven a granola bar then the bottle of water. Both girls quickly devoured their breakfast as they silently scanned the scenery. The desert seemed to come to life in the chilly morning air. Raven slowly rose and picked up her cape.

"Shake it out before you put it on," Terra instructed. "You never know who could have found a new home while you were asleep. Do the same with your boots."

Raven paused, shook out her cape then put it on. She picked up her boots and turned them upside down and shook them until she was satisfied that nothing was in them then slipped them on her feet.

Terra rolled up their sleeping bag then picked up their trash and packed everything back up onto her backpack. From one of the side compartments she pulled out a toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste. She wet the toothbrush with water from her bottle and squeezed the toothpaste onto the toothbrush and began brushing her teeth. Raven watched as she finished up.

"You don't happen to have an extra one of those do you?" she asked hopefully.

Terra went back to her backpack and pulled out another toothbrush. "As luck would have it I have a spare. Here you go."

Raven caught the brush, toothpaste and the bottle of water as Terra tossed them to her. "Thank God for small miracles." She was thankful for the simple pleasure of having clean teeth.

Terra waited for Raven to finish then took her items and repacked them. She shook out her boots and put them on then slung her backpack onto her shoulders and readjusted it as she waited for Raven to get hers. When Raven looked ready she turned and started down the path away from the road.

The first part of their trek was easy. The terrain was flat and the path was relatively narrow, about wide enough for an ATV. Scrub brush and cacti grew thick on either side of the path preventing any real view of the surrounding area. Raven spied several animals and birds moving among the desert vegetation.

As the sun began to climb in the clear desert sky so did the temperature. Raven became more uncomfortable with Terra's torrid pace. She wasn't sweating much but she didn't realize the low desert humidity masked the effects of dehydration.

Terra halted them around mid morning. She put down her backpack and pulled out a couple of bottles of water and a large bag of grapes. Raven was about ready to melt; her shoulders were stooped under the weight of her backpack and cape.

"You look like crap," Terra said slightly concerned. "Why didn't you tell me you needed a break?" She quickly opened a water bottle and passed it to her suffering companion.

Raven grabbed the bottle and took several large gulps then splashed the rest on her face. She instantly felt relief from her suffering. "Well I didn't think I was going to be on some type of death march."

"Have some grapes," Terra offer Raven a bunch.

Raven dropped her backpack and took Terra's offering. Both girls pulled handfuls of grapes off and stuffed them into their mouths as they silently surveyed the area. They both dropped their grape stems and finished their bottles of water. Terra took the empty bottles and repacked them. She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a tube of sun block.

Raven watched as Terra slathered herself with the white paste. Terra then walked over to her, squirted some in her hands then reached up and wiped some on Raven's cheeks.

"Close your eyes," Raven complied as Terra finished applying sun block to her face then dabbed some on her ears. Raven turned around and Terra got the back of her neck then both switched positions and Raven got the back of Terra's neck. When they were done Terra took the sun block and returned it to her pack. She then pulled out two wide-brimmed canvas hats and tossed one to Raven.

"These will help keep the sun off your face and neck. They're not stylish but they're functional." Both girls donned their new head wear and gathered up their backpacks and continued to follow the path.

Raven fell in behind Terra as she resumed her torrid pace once again. She felt slightly better after their break but soon the relentless sun began to take its toll on her. Her choice of dark clothing was coming back to haunt her. If she knew this would happen she would have changed back in Terra's dorm room. How could Terra keep up this pace with a fully laden backpack? She began to develop a new respect for her. Raven became determined to keep up with Terra gathering inspiration from her unbowed traveling companion.

Terra approached a small rise in their path. She grunted and pushed herself to the top and halted. Raven clenched her teeth and willed her legs to climb up the small hill and stood next to Terra; before them stood a large wash or dry river bed.

"This is it. We'll stop near here for the afternoon and rest. When the sun gets lower we can start again." Terra explained.

Raven sighed. "How much further," she said in a weary voice.

"We'll be where we need to go by sundown."

Terra led them cautiously down into the side of the wash then turned and made her way along the dry riverbed. Raven followed closely slipping in a couple of places but quickly recovering her footing before she fell down. Her legs were shaking under the stain; she was unsure how much more of this she could endure.

Raven spied a small break along one of the steep sides of the wash. Terra was headed in that direction. As they approached Raven could make out steep canyon walls of orange and tan. The pair entered the sheltered confines of the narrow ravine; the space was no more than ten feet wide and the walls must have reached thirty feet or so above them. It was much cooler in this narrow space since it was sheltered from the relentless desert sun. When Raven looked down she noticed a slight trickle of water on the hard canyon floor.

Terra paused then broke out into a relieved smile. "Hear that?"

The two stood silently; Raven could hear a faint patter of water echo down the ravine. "What is it?" she asked her companion.

"Salvation," Terra replied with a broad grin. "I call first dibs on the shower!" She broke into a fast walk up into the ravine. Raven followed behind her too worn out to understand what Terra was claiming.

Terra disappeared around a bend in the canyon wall. When Raven caught up she could see the ravine had opened out into a small room with walls stretching up on all sides. A small trickle of water emerged along one of the canyon walls creating a waterfall that emptied into a shallow pool that in turn emptied into a small trickle of a steam that quickly disappeared into the desert sands. Small patches of green plants grew near the stream's terminus forming a small oasis in the desert.

Raven slowly walked towards the waterfall. Terra quickly shed her pack then began removing all of her cloths. Raven watched her carefully pick her way across the rocky floor and slowly wade through the pool towards the waterfall. A funny feeling started in the pit of her stomach as she watched Terra immerse her naked body in the falling waters. Terra reached up and pulled her matted hair from her eyes then pushed it back onto her shoulders. Terra turned around and faced Raven blowing water from her mouth and smiling at her.

"I'm sorry, did you want to get in first?" she asked as she wiped excess water from her face.

Raven continued to stare at her. "No, that's OK." Her stomach fluttered as she looked at her naked companion.

"I forgot the soap," she apologized as she stood under the falling waters. "It's not too cold once you get used to it." Terra began to rub the water all over her body. Raven noticed her nipples were erect and she had faint tan lines on her shimmering skin. Her body had few curves to it; a more athletic build than hers.

"Take a picture it lasts longer," Terra said in an annoyed voice as she glared at her companion. She had become uncomfortable with Raven staring at her.

Raven quickly looked down; she was unfamiliar with locker room etiquette. Terra quickly finished and wadded out of the pool and carefully made her way back across the canyon floor towards her backpack. She pulled out a towel and wrapped it around her dripping body. She dried herself off then pulled out new cloths from her pack and got dressed.

"You can get in, I'm done," Terra said to her. She pulled out her sleeping bag, unzipped it and opened it onto the canyon floor. "You'll have to use my towel when you're done; I only brought one. I'm going to take a nap. I'll wake you up when its time to go." Terra lay down on the open sleeping bag and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Raven sat down on a nearby rock staring at the cascading water. It was beckoning her. She felt uncomfortable undressing out in the open. After awhile she could no longer resist the cool waters falling in front of her. She slowly undressed feeling the open air hitting her naked skin in places she hadn't felt before; it was slightly erotic.

She dipped her foot into the pool and quickly took it out. Her foot stung harshly. Raven looked down and noticed her feet were covered in blisters. She knelt down and pressed her hands to her feet and quickly healed her wounds. Raven stood up then carefully waded across the pool towards the falling waters. She took a deep breath and immersed herself in the chilly waters. She shivered briefly then closed her eyes and allowed the water to wash over her weary body. The water felt refreshing after her long trek.

When Raven was finished she waded across the pool and picked up Terra's towel and slowly dried herself off. She cautiously stepped along the hard canyon floor towards the pile of her old cloths that she left near her backpack. After a moment Raven decided against putting them back on. She unzipped her backpack and pulled out Terra's hammer and put it to the side then removed the cloths Terra had packed for her. The shirt fit OK but the shorts Terra had chosen for her were a bit tight around the waist though the elastic bands allowed them to fit even if they were a bit snug. The panties were another story. She would put up with them rather than putting on the old ones she had taken off earlier.

Raven cautiously made her way towards the sleeping bag trying not to make too much noise that would wake up her sleeping companion. She watched as Terra slept contently. Raven lowered herself next to her. She lay on her back looking up into the blue sky framed between the canyon walls above her and quickly drifted off to sleep as the cascading waters slapped loudly into the pool beside them.