A/N: So I got the inspiration to do an Ice Climbers oneshot a while back but I ran out of ideas halfway so it got put on the backburner for a while. It was just sitting there... MENACINGLY! So I decided to go finish it. I hope it turned out well!
Popo sighed and shifted the basket of vegetables on his back. They had been following the river down Icicle Mountain back to where they'd left the dog sled earlier in the day by the coast. What a day it had been chasing that stupid condor.
Popo shaded his eyes with one hand as he and Nana marched down the mountainside, and through the trees. Popo glanced to the position of the sun, eyeing the gathering dusk with a less than favorable eye. The temperature was going to plummet after sundown, and he wanted to be home with Nana, and the vegetables, and with all fingers and toes intact.
Speaking of his unexpected ally, Popo turned his head to check on Nana. She had been stone silent for most of the hike back so far. She probably was tired. Not that he blamed her, he also was feeling drained. They'd only climbed to the top of the tallest mountain in the region and then climbed back down carrying the extra weight of dozens of vegetables.
This morning, he'd planned on sleeping in late. That had been shattered when it was discovered that a group of tourists hadn't returned the night before after going to hike on Glacier Mountain, and most of the tribe had turned out to look for them. Which was how he'd ended up being the oldest able-bodied person still home when that condor had swooped in and stolen all their vegetables after everybody had left.
He'd been hitching the dogs to the sled when Nana had turned up, hammer in hand.
Nothing he'd said could dissuade her from coming along, so she'd clambered onto the sled behind him and off they'd went. It had been a good thing that she'd come along. The slopes of Icicle Mountain were known for being treacherous and steep, and while Popo had been trained in mountain climbing by his father, a ranger and mountaineer, even he had lost his footing a few times. It was his belay attached to Nana that had saved him from a painful tumble down a few cliff faces.
Nana was good. Almost as good as he was. So good that if you really wanted to, you might think that she was better. But of course, Popo was better than everybody else his age. Her father was a ranger as well, so she'd probably learned from him.
To be fair, they'd saved each other more than once. Which had all resulted in landing a satisfying thwack to the condor's noggin at the end of the climb. And a long, precarious trek down the mountainside following the recovery of the vegetables.
Popo sighed as his feet and legs burned. They had to be almost there, right?
"What's the matter? Are you tiring out?" asked Nana.
"I'm fine," grunted Popo.
"It's ok, I'm tired too," said Nana. "I can't believe that we made it up and down Icicle Mountain in a single day."
"I can't either. I even brought my sleeping bag because I thought we might have to hunker down on the mountain overnight," said Popo.
"I'm glad that it won't come to that," said Nana. "I'd much rather sleep in my own bed tonight!"
"Yeah, me too," said Popo.
Suddenly, Popo paused. "You hear that?"
The two paused and listened.
"Those are the sled dogs barking, aren't they?" asked Nana.
"Sounds like it to me!" said Popo. "That way!"
The two trudged alongside the frozen river that they'd followed up to Icicle Mountain earlier, the noise of dogs barking became louder and louder.
Popo managed a smile but groaned internally. He was exhausted from all the climbing. He'd need a break before driving the sled home.
"Hey, I'm gonna go rest my legs before we go back. Is that all right?" asked Popo, as they came into view of the dogs.
"Yeah, sure, go for it!" said Nana.
Popo shuffled over to a large snow drift overlooking the bay that the river fed into, some distance away from the dogs and sat down, slamming his basket of vegetables into the snow next to him. What an exhausting day it had been. And it wasn't even over.
From here, they'd follow the coastline on the ocean ice all the way back to their village. Thankfully, he'd been able to find a place to park the sled and secure the dogs just off of the ocean ice. Judging by the sun's position, they'd have about an hour and a half to get back. Which was doable, they'd probably be back just after dark. Thankfully they weren't going to have to spend the night out here.
Suddenly, there was a thud in the snow next to him. It was Nana.
"Figured you could use some company," she said.
Popo nodded. "I appreciate it."
There was a pause.
"You want me to drive home?" asked Nana.
"I'll be fine," said Popo. "We just passed Seal Hill on the way in, so we should be about an hour and a half from home. Though, in case something happens, you have your oil lamp, right?"
"Of course! We're not going cold if we get stuck out here tonight."
Popo nodded. Of course, he had his own oil lamp as well, but even the two lamps together would only generate so much heat. He was glad that they were on the last leg of their journey home.
Popo stared out over the nearby bay. Past the trees, the ground was white as far as the eye could see, the ice covered with snow. The snowy ice was an unbroken flat sheet of white, with only one lone track of dog prints and sled skis along the left side of the plain to divide the expanse from their journey earlier in the day. Hills covered with trees encircled the bay, breaking the wind somewhat as it came in from the ocean. The sky was growing dark to the east, a shade of blue darker than Popo's parka, dotted with a few twinkling stars. A few mountains and hills stood behind the hills surrounding the bay, their shapes cast in a red glow by the setting sun. Popo turned his head to the way that they had just come from, and beheld the mighty Icicle Mountain, which stood proud and tall off in the distance, bathed in the growing twilight.
"Nice view, isn't it?" asked Nana.
"Yeah. Definitely is," said Popo.
"I can't believe we actually climbed to the top of Icicle Mountain. It almost doesn't feel real," said Nana.
"Even if that condor escaped," said Popo. "At least we got some good hits on him before he ran away."
"Yup!" said Nana cheerily. "We showed that thing a thing or two about how hammers work!"
"Hopefully they've kept some dinner out for us when we get back," said Popo. "I'm starving after all that climbing."
"They'd better! I'm looking forward to it. Its gonna taste like victory!" said Nana. "And anyway, isn't victory sweet?"
"I mean, if you're eating ice cream or something," said Popo.
"And who's to say we won't have ice cream for dinner?" asked Nana.
"Me, because I'm hungry and I want actual food," said Popo.
"Ugh fine, we'll have ice cream after," said Nana. "It WILL be sweet, dangit!"
The two lapsed into silence for a moment.
"Say Nana?"
"Yeah?"
"We did pretty good out there. As climbing partners."
"We did."
There was another pause.
"We should do that more often," said Popo.
"Absolutely not! People are gonna give us some sort of cheesy name!" joked Nana.
Popo just grinned. "You're right! They'll give us something crummy like the Ice Climbers or something."
"That would be terrible!" said Nana. "We could be… I dunno, the Frost Mountaineers! Or the Mountain Ascenders…. Dangit, Ice Climbers does have a ring to it."
Popo sighed. "Ah, you know what, I'll take it. We could probably get something worse, after all."
"Oh, I bet there's some newspaper with some crusty old guy in charge whose gonna give us something even more stale and canned." said Nana. "Oh, well, I don't care because I don't have to read it!"
"That's a fair point," said Popo. "Who knows if any of it will make it back out here."
"Maybe it will, maybe it won't. What, is it going to make a giant hand or something come out of the sky and invite us to an eating contest or something?"
"I mean, we took on some polar bears and the condor pretty handily. I bet we could go to a fighting tournament or something," said Popo. "It would be cooler than an eating contest."
"YES! Aw man, we'd be amazing! The Ice Climbers, harbingers of doom!" cackled Nana.
Popo just chuckled.
The two sat in silence for a while with only the barking and noise of the dogs filling the air as they watched the setting sun in silence.
"But back to what I was saying. We made a good team," said Popo.
"And?" asked Nana curiously.
"We should do this more often," finished Popo. "As partners."
"Partners? You make it sound like a commitment!" said Nana.
"I mean…" said Popo, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "It doesn't have to be. I just think that…. uh…. We work really well together! We should do it more."
Nana raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you want to be around me more often? I'm flattered!"
"Listen, ok…. Maybe we can do it on a more… permanent basis? I don't know. Let's just work together, ok? We could be the ultimate duo!"
"I like the sound of that," said Nana.
"Me too. So uh…. partners?" asked Popo, holding up his hand for a high five.
"Partners!" said Nana, giving Popo a high five.
And with that, she rested her head on Popo's shoulder.
Popo stiffened for a second, and then relaxed.
"What, you nervous?"
"Not nervous! I just wasn't expecting it, that's all!"
"Uh huh," said Nana.
The two sat in silence, for some time watching the sun set over the glittering, white expanse in front of them as the wind nipped at their faces and ruffled the fur of their parkas.
Popo relaxed a little as they sat there, getting more used to the weight of Nana's head on his shoulder. Maybe… just maybe…. he could get used to it.
Partners. He liked the sound of that.
