The Call
~ Kitty
Chapter 3: Le Sainte-Terrer
…
"The walking of which I speak has nothing in it akin to taking exercise, as it is called, as the sick take medicine at stated hours …but it is itself the enterprise and adventure of the day."
― Henry David Thoreau, Walking
The terrain had a way of getting to you. The scattering of swampy, slimy stretches in between thickets of dense, impenetrable alders. It chipped away at you. In the way it clung to your feet, clawed at your arms, stubbornly resisting your movements. They'd fallen silent as they walked, a heavy, panting silence. Even though now their feet weren't being sucked to the center of the earth by the marsh mud, it was still an exercise of endurance to make progress. The sun beat down relentlessly and the four slowly moving figures periodically mopped at their faces to keep their sweat from dripping into their eyes. Kagome paused, sighing as she tilted her head from side to side to relieve some of the tightness building up from under her pack straps. She tried to breathe in as deeply as she could, despite the cinched belt strap on which her heavy backpack rested, digging into her hip bones. She'd paused frequently during the hour or so of hiking, afraid that her concentration on where she placed her feet would cause the scenery to flash by without having a chance to savor it. For all its hostility to their trespass, it was beautiful scenery, the green, green meadow below them, the rocky cliffs above. But then the little caravan of hikers would begin to grow smaller in the distance and Kagome would have to resume her grueling trek, staring down at her feet to avoid a stumble. She was grateful to the hiking pole Inuyasha had lent her and marveled at how fast he could move. It was difficult, mentally, to be in the rear and she huffed to herself, setting her lips in a determined line before pressing on.
"You alright, Kagome?"
Kagome glanced up to see Sango looking back at her, sweaty and panting as heavily as she was. Not for the last time, Kagome enviously wondered how much faster she could move with a longer set of legs like her tall friend.
"I'm good!" She called back, injecting her voice with as much chipper enthusiasm as she could muster. "Could use a break to top up on water though!"
Her throat was parched and she contemplated bringing out her water bottle, perhaps just enough to wet her mouth. She'd quickly gone through her stash and was baffled by how the rest hadn't seemed run out yet.
Ahead of her, she listened to Miroku call out to Inuyasha.
"Hey roomie!" He shouted.
No response.
"Roomie!"
Only the rustling wind through the twisted alders.
"ROOMIE!"
If she listened carefully, she swore she heard a grunt in the distance.
"ROOMAROOOOOO!"
"Stop fucking calling me that!"
"Let's drop back down to the river!"
"You wanna get eaten up by the alders again?" Inuyasha's cranky voice was faint in the distance. The past hour had taught her a lot about the dynamics this trip would take on. Miroku was a naturalist at heart and enjoyed regaling them all with his near encyclopedic knowledge of the region. Kagome was decidedly more educated now on wild blueberries, bear berries, the acidity of muskeg soil, and some other berry she couldn't quite recall the name of. And Inuyasha, despite being the hermit actually living on the Alaskan taiga, had no desire to listen, hence why his little figure was just a speck in the distance. That didn't stop Miroku and for the first half hour, he'd maintained a continuous, educational monologue about the ecosystem around them, making Kagome feel as though they were in a nature documentary. Eventually, Inuyasha threatened Miroku with bodily harm, waving his revolver in the air in order to get the talkative young man to finally shut up.
"We need to pump water!" Miroku answered Inuyasha's protest. If Kagome squinted really hard, she swore she could see the distant figure drop his head to his palm.
"You can't be out already!"
For the beautiful day. For the adventure they were only just embarking on. For the cheerful, wobbly cottongrass flowers waving at her as she panted to catch her breath, Kagome could forgive their grouchy guide. But she definitely still needed to get back down to the river.
"I am!" she shouted, waving her bottle in the air as if to prove it. They'd all started half empty anyway, so it really wasn't that unrealistic to be at the end of their reservoirs. Inuyasha appeared to sigh in reluctant defeat, spinning on his heel and marching down the gradient toward the thick, brambly bear berry bushes and alder thickets. Kagome heaved a sigh of relief and began to bumble her way down the slope. The bushes and small trees guarding the stream had grown thicker as they'd progressed away from their drop point and Inuyasha's hiking pole became more of a hindrance than an aide, tangling and snagging in the branches. She tried her best to keep up, but it was difficult to keep an eye on where everyone else was while she was struggling to fight her way through the thick, dense bushes and there was a teetering moment when she thought to shout out for help.
"...Never again in my fucking life am I ever gonna…," his voice reached her long before the racket of rustling foliage and stomping feet. She looked up gratefully to see his sharp-angled face appear from the collage of densely growing leaves. The scowl was deep and cut viciously across his forehead as he thrashed through the bushes. There was a brief moment, her noticing the dripping sweat running down his face, where she fleetingly suspended her feelings of self-doubt over her abilities. If even he was breaking a sweat out here, at least she didn't feel so bad about herself.
"Are you the helicopter?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she took in his peeved, and thoroughly disgruntled expression.
"Just fucking get a move on!" He snarled at her. He reached out abruptly to grab hold of her wrist. His grip was rough and firm and little bells of alarm rang out inside her head as he jerked her arm towards himself.
She fell against him heavily, with a yelp and a grunt. His breath was hot on her ear where she landed against his chest.
"Jeez!" Kagome exclaimed, pushing herself up, "You trying to rip my arm off?"
"Just get moving."
Kagome blinked, surprised by his sour temper. She eyed him for a moment, pushing away and stepping back, immediately losing her balance and once again relying on his steadying hands to hold her upright.
"Can you start walking now?" He demanded, clearly annoyed.
"What crawled up your butt this time?" She asked back, shrugging to release his hands from her arms. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, pausing, before glancing skyward and taking a harrowed breath.
"We're making bad time," he said, turning and continuing on. Kagome frowned, upset at the insinuation that she was the slow one, yet also concerned that she would be the burden at the back of their caravan. As she watched his heavily laden pack disappearing between the alders, she pursed her lips, realizing there wasn't much else she could do but to continue trudging ahead. Resolving to take less time to enjoy her wild surroundings, she followed, pressing onward with more urgency until the branches ended and a clear, happy stream tumbled and bumbled its way through a lush green channel. Miroku and Sango were already at the brook's edge, industriously pumping water into their plastic bladders.
"Hey Kagome!" Sango called out cheerfully, "Another alder try to eat you?"
Kagome returned a half smile. "Yeah… sorry…"
Sango frowned, sensing the disheartenment in her voice. "Don't be," she said, "Miroku and I have more experience in the bushwhacking department. You'll get the hang of it."
Kagome sighed with a lopsided smile, gratefully dropping her pack and coming over to crouch beside her friend and take in the view. They were cloistered together on a narrow sandy bank and the stream carved a windy path past them, through a copse of tall, skinny pine trees, disappearing around the corner. Kagome found her eyes were drawn to the beautiful deep green of the bushes. She couldn't have composed a better framed picture. Looking down to dig up her phone, she spotted an imprint in the sand beside her and let out a surprised squeal.
"Bear!"
"Where?!"
Inuyasha was up for action immediately, a hand on the holster strapped to his leg. His brows were furrowed as he sniffed the air and scanned the brambles surrounding them, coming up empty. Miroku and Sango nearly dropped their water pump, spinning around frantically, eyes wide open.
Kagome was pointing at the ground, nearly bouncing with excitement.
"Sorry, sorry!" she was saying, "It's a bear print! Wow, it's huge!"
She crouched down beside it while Miroku and Sango both came over eagerly to take a look. Kagome extended a hand down to the moist, compressed earth, marveling at how dwarfed her little palm looked alongside the massive pawprint, trying to envision the animal that left it behind.
"Jesus fucking christ," Inuyasha grumbled above them. Kagome looked up apologetically, but Inuyasha continued his rant, preventing her from apologizing again.
"Just hurry the fuck up and pump your damn water," he said, stepping over the print.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Miroku exclaimed, "Let me get a picture first!"
"Kagome already took a damned picture."
Inuyasha was completely ignored, with the rest of the party gathered around comparing the size of their hands to the large, wide print. The tracks were fresh, with perfectly outlined toes, each tipped with long, pointed claws. It was humbling, to see the evidence of such a large, majestic, and dangerous creature pressed heavily into the same earth they currently stood on. Inuyasha rolled his eyes over their enthusiasm, stomping a short distance away to sit down on a convenient rock. Kagome didn't let him mope for very long.
"Have you ever seen a bear in real life? Have you ever gotten close to one?"
Glancing up into her beaming face was a mistake, he realized, as he struggled to cling to his sulky mood. There was something bafflingly contagious about her excitement and he had a very visceral reaction to it, like her smile could reach inside him and draw him out. He tried to keep his face straight, despite the muted spark of humor lighting his eyes when he answered her.
"Yeah," he said, "And it wasn't anything to get all excited about."
"Was it scary?"
Grunt.
"Did you get close?"
Grunt.
Kagome threw her hands up in the air.
"You're impossible!"
Returning to her more amiable companions, she took up the discarded pump and began refilling their empty bottles from the clear, sparkling mountain water. Sango wandered over, her interest in the bear print satisfied. She dug out a bag of candied peanuts and held it up to Kagome.
"No thanks," Kagome said, shaking her head. They all rested in silence, the trickling cheerful music of the mountain stream matched with the faint squeak of the water filter, chirping with each pump Kagome made. Miroku finally looked up from the print, at the surrounding bushes that leaned in heavily around them and glanced at Inuyasha.
"Hey, why don't we walk in the stream for a while? It'll be way easier than fighting our way back up the bank."
All eyes shifted to their guide, slouched grumpily on his rock. There was a tenuous pause before Inuyasha glanced downstream and shrugged, and grunted.
"Why yes, Miroku, that's a fantastic idea!" Despite her best attempts, Kagome couldn't quite bring her pitch down to his level which resulted in a comical impression of the grumpy mountain hermit.
Snort.
Sango giggled and Miroku winked at Kagome.
"Why thank you, Inuyasha," he said to Kagome, "How very nice of you to say."
"You're welcome, Miroku!" Kagome answered, her voice cracking briefly as she tried to sustain her lower register, "You know I love you, man!"
Sango snorted on a peanut, chortling into her hand. Inuyasha tried to give Kagome a stink eye, caught off guard when she flashed a smile at him despite the ugly look he was giving her.
Miroku managed to hold his composure for a bit longer. "Aw gee," he said, "Thanks roomie!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, groaning into his hand. Kagome broke out into giggles and under the guise of bemoaning his ill-fated luck to be stuck with a bunch of morons, Inuyasha allowed the brightness of her laughter to bring a quirk of a smile to his lips. They eventually packed up the water pumps and hauled their packs back up onto their shoulders.
"Ugh!" Kagome exclaimed, "That feels so icky!"
Sango was likewise, squirming in her straps. The cold feel of sweat returning to cling to their shoulders and backs as their backpacks pressed their sweat drenched clothing against their skin was a discomfort that had them all grimacing to each other.
"Get a move on," Inuyasha ordered, fed up with their chatter.
Miroku and Sango each made faces as they stepped into the snowmelt stream but there was no power on earth that could have suppressed Kagome's squeal as she found just how cold freezing could feel.
"Holy FUCK!"
Inuyasha stared at her wide eyed while Sango and Miroku burst out laughing.
"Haven't heard you swear like that in a while," Sango said in between her chuckles.
"It's fucking cold!" Kagome yelled, gasping as she tried to convince her feet to move forward, or backward, and at least do something.
"Will you believe me if I said you'll get used to it?"
"I'd rather get eaten by a tree!"
Kagome's knuckles were white as she clung to the hiking pole with both hands. It took a several frozen seconds for her to get control of her breathing and for her nerves to regain control of her feet. She glanced behind her and took a moment to glare at the broad, toothy, if a little astonished, smile on Inuyasha's face. It was a moment that only spanned the briefest of seconds before he seemed to realize uncharacteristic open grin and tried to reel it in. He couldn't extinguish the obvious amusement in his eyes, however, and for once, it was her turn to glower at him.
"Stuff it!" She grumbled before turning to catch up with Sango and Miroku.
Inuyasha snorted, intending for it to sound derisive and mocking, but Kagome's eyes had picked out more of his internal state in the quick glare than he realized. There was a sparkle of laughter in his deep, hazel eyes and the smile softened his angles. Internally, she felt a flush as her mind recalled the visage. 'Wow…,' was all she could think, feeling her heart flutter giddily, exceedingly happy with her luck to be out in the lonely remoteness with the handsome mountain man.
And then she looked up to fully appreciate the magical pathway the narrow mountain stream created as it cut its way through the dense foliage said 'wow' again, this time aloud for all to hear. The wild beauty of her surroundings was enough to wash her mind clean of any other thought than to appreciate the simple, perfect, miraculous scene around her.
"Yeah," Sango called over her shoulder, "We should have dropped to the river earlier! This is breathtaking."
It sure was. So much so that Kagome forgot the painfully frigid waters and her senses were awash with awe and wonder. The sun cast its rays over the rippling, tumbling water and the shadows from the trees overhead created a dappled, ever changing mosaic of light. In a kaleidoscope of color, with reds and blues and greys, the rocks beneath the water winked and shifted in the refracting light. And the sunlight that filtered through the trees and bushes was a warm golden hue punctuated by the green of the trees. It was a gateway to paradise and Kagome's eyes were round as she struggled to commit it to memory.
She hadn't even noticed she'd stopped moving until Inuyasha stepped into her peripheral vision. Jumping, she smiled an apology, too startled to see the quick play of emotions cross his face.
"Sorry!" She said, "Guess I'm really slowing us down."
Inuyasha hadn't been thinking of their pace. For a tiny fraction of a second, her smooth, wonderstruck expression brought to mind the ghost of Kikyou to his thoughts and it was several blinks before he was again able to look at her and see Kagome. Just Kagome. Her wide eyed wonder as she took in the view, her slack jaw open ajar with a hint of a smile. And then, he found it difficult to recall just what was it that reminded him of the phantom from his past. There was so much more expression on her face than ever was on Kikyou's. She was positively beaming and it rekindled something deep down inside him. He was beginning to remember why he'd run away to this beautiful land.
"Keh," he said, close to a mutter, "We're not really that behind."
She frowned suspiciously at his inconsistency, as though she could see through his facade but said nothing, and turned to continue onward downstream. He kept pace with her, watching her learn the art of river walking, each step a learning experience as her feet sought a firm purchase on the smooth, slippery rocks. It was far easier though, as the shallow, little river encouraged them onward with its current. A shadow had passed over his thoughts when Kikyou reared up temporarily in his mind but it was a cloud that passed over him quickly, led away to happier, simpler things by a presence beside him that radiated a strange kind of infectious joy. The day was warm and, as they moved, the cool river was a relief. And every so often, Inuyasha would pause and glance around, taking in the green archway of branches overhead, or spying the twinkle of rusty red below, with Kagome's gaze guiding his. Ahead, Miroku was educating Sango about this or that, he didn't particularly care. Instead, he followed Kagome's pace, living in the moment and finding something new to observe at each time she paused to look around. He felt himself discovering this land all over again.
…
The stream joined with other streams and what was once a little ankle deep creek was now up to their thighs. The water laughed and giggled merrily as it tumbled past them, eager on its journey to the sea. The foliage was beginning to open up, creating less of a magical protected trail and providing glimpses of the sweeping views up the bold mountain slopes. But now the sun was dipping low and a grumble from below reminded Kagome that it was well past dinner time. Ahead of her, Miroku called out to the group.
"Want to stop at the next gravel bar? I think it's time to eat."
"Yes, please!" Sango said enthusiastically, picking up her pace at the promise of food. Kagome's eyes lit up and she, too, eagerly sloshed forward. They didn't need to trek very far. Every bend in the river piled up a collection of smoothed rocks and driftwood. Inuyasha began to press towards the front, stepping up onto the next gravel bar and dropping his pack. The rest followed in short order, grunting and groaning as they gratefully shed the heavy backpacks with a clatter onto the rocks. While they stretched their tired backs, Inuyasha kept busy. He already had his stove out, and was pumping the pressurized fuel bottle before lighting it. With practiced ease, he had the stove operating in seconds, and then reached absently for his pack to pull out his pot. Very soon, he had his water coming up to temperature and glanced at the rest to see how they'd progressed.
Very little, it turned out.
"I never get this working on the first try…," Miroku grumbled to himself. Sango and Kagome were rummaging around in their packs while Miroku fumbled with the metal feet and coils of the little camping stove. Eventually, he glanced up hopefully at Inuyasha's skeptical face.
"Hey roomie," Miroku said, "Ol'buddy, ol'pal…"
"Figure it out yourself!"
With a pout, Miroku spent several more minutes with the little contraption while Inuyasha watched, the only expression on his face was just the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. The lid on Inuyasha's pot wobbled and he glanced down to see the steady gush of steam emerging from its edges. Carefully, with a small set of folding pliers, he lifted the metal lid to find the water at a rolling boil. Without spilling a drop, Inuyasha tipped the heated water into his foil-lined pouch and sealed the dehydrated meal to cook. By now, both girls had their three dinner pouches ready and were growing visibly impatient while Miroku struggled with the stove. Wordlessly, Inuyasha smirked to himself and poured more water into his pot and pumped the fuel bottle to raise the flame of his stove. Looking up, he caught Sango watching him and now she stood, wordlessly handing over hers and Miroku's pouches, before snagging Inuyasha's now empty water bottle.
"I'll go pump more water," she said to no one in particular.
Meanwhile, Kagome crouched down beside Miroku, peering over his shoulder with the stance of a young, curious child. She watched him for several minutes, eyeing him flip the contraption over in frustration, and glancing over at Inuyasha's functioning one. Eventually, she felt she had enough of an idea to have a go herself.
"Can I try?"
"Yes!" Miroku eagerly relieved his task onto her, holding out his now soot covered hands with a grimace. "This stuff stays on forever!" he complained.
Miroku made his way to Sango at the edge of the gravel bar to scrub off the fine black dust that settled into the lines and wrinkles in his hands while Kagome flipped around the little stove. She turned it over once to orient herself, carefully noting how the legs were stored bunched together.
"Doesn't look too complicated…," she muttered to herself. Inuyasha observed her with interest, her concentrated look was endearing, her teeth biting a corner of her lower lip. The stove squeaked as she moved its parts until eventually, the three little legs were in place and now she moved on the fuel bottle. It took a couple tries and a little bit of spilled kerosene before she had the brass supply tube correctly locked into place. By the time Miroku returned with somewhat cleaner hands, Kagome was ready to light.
"How'd you figure it out so fast?" Miroku asked her with just a hint of exasperated annoyance.
"She's not an idiot like you," Inuyasha said. Kagome glanced up and met his eyes, a smile lighting up her face and she winked, before turning to Miroku and shrugging.
"I just like puzzles," she said, nonchalantly, "Now, how do I get this thing going?"
"Pump the bottle a bit, then let some fuel into that cup in the bottom." Inuyasha moved beside her to point out the little priming cup. Sango was coming back with full bottles and she and Miroku eyed each other, each suppressing an amused smirk over the grouchy Inuyasha patiently explaining the stove while Kagome frowned in concentration.
"Isn't it supposed to burn from up here?" She asked, pointing to the burner head a little higher up.
"You gotta heat up the coils first," Inuyasha explained, handing her his lighter, "That's how it turns into gas."
Kagome raised a confused eyebrow, trying to follow his explanation, but obediently allowed some fuel to pool up in the little dish at the bottom of the stove. Lighting it, she yelped when a burst a yellow flame rose up to lick at her fingers.
He placed an unconscious hand on her shoulder, bracing it while the fuel warmed up into gas. Now he urged her to light the top and with a pop, they had a flame they could cook on.
"Huh," she said, "Can't decide it that's overly complicated or really clever."
"Best lightweight stove," Inuyasha said, "easy to fix, too."
Kagome smiled at him and they held gazes for a moment, before her eyes flicked toward the other pair in their party and then her expression turned quizzical.
"What?" She asked. Inuyasha turned as well, his open expression instantly souring to see the bright eyed amusement in Miroku's face. Miroku instantly schooled his expression to one of innocence.
"Nothing, nothing," he said, "Just glad to know we won't starve tonight."
Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah," he said, "In spite of your dumbass."
With two stoves, enough water was soon boiling to prepare their dinner with some extra for tea. Soon all four pouches were rehydrating and Miroku, Sango, and Kagome were all eagerly salivating, waiting for dinner. Inuyasha was not idle, rummaging around the gravel bar, selecting twigs and branches from the washed up dead trees. When he snapped a sizable limb loudly enough to make Kagome jump, she turned to him with a quizzical expression.
"What are you doing? Are we having a fire here?"
"Yah," he said, like it was obvious, "Gotta burn the trash."
"Oh…," she glanced around, "Should I help?"
Grunt.
"Dude!" Kagome exclaimed, "Use your words! I know you have them!"
Despite the pure exasperation in her tone, she stood to help scrounge for firewood, taking a hint from his actions and selecting the dried, smooth branches that had been worn down by the current. Inuyasha snorted at her outburst and to all appearances proceeded to ignore her whilst he continued his hunt. But he was watching her, glancing from the corner of his eye. He found there was something catching about her movement, as she shuffled around testing this branch or tugging that one. She moved like a bear cub experiencing her first arctic summer, merrily throwing her weight onto a particularly strong branch until it broke with a sharp snap, dry leaves and bark spraying into the air. Kagome yelped and giggled and then moved on to seek out the next branch. There was a sort of serenity that came over her face as she worked. He'd noticed the relaxed, yet intent expression while they were hiking, and again while she puzzled over Miroku's stove. And here again, as she cast her brown eyes around, searching for one last branch to pile into her loaded arms. She possessed a focus that was enthralling, and he had to remind himself to look disinterested.
"That's enough," he said, tossing down his own bundle beside Miroku, clattering against each other and bits of dust and bark flew up and made his so-called friend sneeze.
"Thanks, Inuyasha," Miroku said, his voice stuffy and peeved, "Real nice."
Grunt.
"Aw, I'm sorry man," Kagome's voice cut through the quiet, mocking in her mimicry of his tone and timber, "I can be a real idiot sometimes."
If it were possible to express annoyance in a grunt, Inuyasha achieved it. Sango giggled, scooting over to snap and break off the tiniest twigs from their collection of firewood and arranging them together before snagging Inuyasha's lighter and setting them aflame. With some careful tending, Sango soon had the fire burning and Kagome sank down to sit beside it with a long, sedate sigh.
"Nothing like a fire," she said, her eyes half closed as she stared at the dancing, yellow light. They distributed the cooked pouches and for several minutes, there was only the trickling sounds of the nearby stream and whisper of the wind in the trees. The fire crackled and popped and cast its orange light across their faces, radiating and warm and Kagome leaned in close. The flit and flicker of the flames reflected in all their eyes disorienting and embracing all at the same time. There was something special about a flame, the flickering, hungry light that shrank and stretched from its source in a haphazard, mesmerizing dance. Deep inside every primitive brain, there exists a pull toward the light. The first, crude sense that allowed a creature to position itself in its habitat. The combined effects of the hot, dry warmth and the hypnotizing movements of the fire, Kagome had to blink several times to refocus her eyes. With the sunlight slanting in the early evening, insect life began to rise. Sango flinched, spotting a looming mosquito dip in low near her face and she immediately turned to her pack, rummaging for the deet she kept readily accessible.
"Oh no you don't, oh no you dont!" she muttered to herself while Kagome grinned at her, heartily amused. They always joked that Sango had sweeter blood and Kagome was grateful to be less of an attractant to the blood sucking insects. That didn't make her immune though, and she resolved to be vigilant of the hovering black spots, grateful the smoke and heat of their fire helped combat the mosquitoes.
"Did you know," Miroku said while pulling out his own bottle of repellent, "That a caribou can lose over four pounds of blood to mosquitoes in a year?"
"Yech!" Kagome and Sango both grimaced, squirming at the thought. Sango sprayed several more fragrant squirts of repellent onto her legs and arms for good measure.
"I guess I would expect no less from Alaska's state bird…," Kagome said, trying to joke despite the horrified expression still adorning her face. Miroku laughed obligingly.
"Let's hope we stay lucky," he said, "Looks like they're not all that bad here."
"It'll only get worse," a decidedly pessimistic voice spoke up from beside her. Heads turned to Inuyasha, who was scraping the last bits of rice from inside his pouch.
"On the lower river," he continued bluntly, "Clouds of them."
"So he does speak!" Kagome joked, cynical amazement reflected in the tone of her voice. Inuyasha shrugged, crumbling the foiled lined plastic. Miroku, meanwhile, gave Inuyasha shove.
"Only to be the harbinger of bad news," he said, tone mocking. Inuyasha glared at Miroku before tossing his completed pouch into the fire. The flames glowed green and purple as it ate up the plastic and the last few traces of the freeze-dried meal sizzled and popped in the heat. Sango clearly did not react well to Inuyasha's statement and groaned.
"I'm going to be eaten alive…" she grumbled to herself, returning to her meal. Miroku chuckled and patted her thigh, reminding her of the several repellent options they'd packed. She only sighed, waving a paranoid hand around her face. They all soon emptied their little pouches and began to prepare to trek again. The sun was low and toyed with the horizon and they were sluggish with their full bellies. The river felt especially frigid after dousing their hot little fire and Kagome bit her lip to keep from verbally complaining.
They hadn't hiked for very long before Inuyasha's voice sounded from up ahead.
"We're campin' here."
Kagome looked up and glanced around the open space. Keeping her eyes on her feet had lead her to forfeit view of the changing landscape and she took a moment to take in the wide, gradual valley they had sauntered onto. A few lazy clouds were floating lethargically overhead and caught the slanted sun rays to dazzle them with pink and purple highlights. Inuyasha was climbing onto a wide gravel bar and trudging beyond, onto the soft, grassy land behind and Kagome inhaled deeply, giving herself a moment to enjoy the wet green smell of the lush valley, before urging her legs forward to catch up. Sango beside her took a breath and let her head fall back.
"Ugh," she groaned, "Finally."
It had been a full day of flying and walking. Yet, surprisingly, Kagome didn't feel tired. She glanced at her watch, astonished to find that it was already nearly midnight, and frowned up at the bright golden sun teasing the mountain ridge. Without direct sunlight, the cold mountain air fell upon them and created goosebumps across their skin. Kagome eagerly trudged up the bank to join Inuyasha on the little clearing. He'd dumped his pack and was rummaging into its depths, pulling out all manners of pouches and containers.
"We'll put the bear bins over there," he said pointing, hoisting his blue plastic can under an arm. Kagome mimicked his actions, gratefully pulling out her own stuffed bin. With very little ceremony, Inuyasha reach out to her and pulled her bear can under his other arm and began sauntering away in the direction he'd pointed out. Kagome stared after him, initially surprised by the unrequested help but her gaze swiftly focused on the smooth gate as he moved away and her expression turned appreciative. A presence startled her from behind and she turned to see Miroku bearing two plastic bins of his own. Kagome ducked her head, embarrassed to be caught ogling but Miroku only winked at her.
As Miroku joined Inuyasha with the bins, Kagome turned to Sango, copying her more experienced friend and soon had her tent fabric laid out and ready to assemble. The clickety clack of the thin aluminum poles and the ever present tumble of creekwater was their background soundtrack.
"So what do you think of your first day in the backcountry?" Sango asked Kagome. In the distance, Inuyasha subtly angled his head to point an ear in the girls' direction.
"Surprisingly peaceful," Kagome said thoughtfully, straightening as she mentally reviewed the day. "It feels bizarrely ordinary, like the fact we're hundreds of miles from civilization hasn't really hit me yet."
Sango smiled. "Yeah," she responded, "You can almost forget that you're in one of the most remote places you can possibly be."
Kagome made a sound of agreement, then said with a smile, "I could definitely do with a little less bushwhacking though."
Sango laughed at this. "I do miss real trails with cleared bushes!"
The girls giggled together, continuing the task of setting up their tents while the boys trudged back. Miroku was again teasing Inuyasha.
"So, I couldn't help but notice you helping Kagome out," he started leadingly.
Silence.
"Sango says she's single right now…"
Inuyasha tilted his head toward Miroku, trying to cover the genuine interest in his eyes with a death glare.
"I'm impressed, by the way," Miroku said, keeping his voice low as they came closer to the campsite, "You guys already holding hands on the plane! I didn't think you'd move so fast!"
Inuyasha tried to suppress his annoyed groan, settling instead of picking up his speed.
"It's such a relief, you know," Miroku continued, this time allowing his voice to get louder, "I was afraid you'd be resorting to moose and caribou out here in the middle of nowhe- oof!"
"You haven't changed one fucking bit, have you!" Inuyasha growled, his hand still fisted as he stomped back to the girls. Miroku was chuckling despite rubbing his sore side where Inuyasha had made his annoyance known. He still couldn't resist one final jibe as they returned to their campsite.
"Or maybe you're more into bears? Like Tormund?"
"Who the fuck is Tormund?"
Sango gave Miroku a look before rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
"Let's have another fire?" she asked.
By now, the girls had both tents erected and so the trio set off to hunt for wood. Their voices began to dissipate into the distance and Inuyasha heaved a relieved sigh before slinging his pack back up onto his shoulders. Aside from Miroku's inanely aggravating teasing, it had been a surprisingly pleasant day, but the human company was still wearing on him and he trudged a small distance away from the pair of tents before selecting a small, flat, dry patch of earth for his own sleeping area. It wasn't the solitude he was used to, but it was something, and the rest of the group seemed to have the sense to understand his deliberate choice to refrain from joining their circle around the fire. His sleeping necessities were simple, nothing more than a small tarp staked down over his hiking poles. The mossy, untrampled grasses were a soft enough mattress and the fresh, living scent of the earth was like an embrace and he found himself drifting to the sound of her laughter as it crossed the distance between them.
All in all, not bad.
A/N: So… the gang are gonna all be out of character in this story i think… sorry...
Also…. not sure if there are any hardcore hikers in the fandom reading this… but I'm definitely not one. I'm drawing from my own experience here though, so sorry if I have the characters using equipment that a true extreme backpacker would never use. If anyone's curious, the gang is using a Whisperlite Stove by MSR. We use it a lot on our longer trips when we're trying to be as light as possible since it's teeny tiny. I know a lot of the more extreme ultralight folks will use little converted beercan stoves with denatured alcohol but since I don't have any experience with it, I gave them something I've actually used. It's not that hard to use, i just have a bad habit of making Miroku the butt of all my jokes…