Lotus's Adventure on Mt Tinder Part 2

‘So, there’s two ways to travel, huh?’ Lotus thought as she thanked the old guide that resided at the base of the volcano for the information. The old guide had given a bit of information towards each path, trying to help gorgis to make the most educated decision in their path choosing. Lotus had gratefully listened to every tidbit of advice before walking off and towards the aforementioned split.

As she walked towards the fork in the path, she weighed the pros and cons of each path in her mind. The old gorgi guide had mentioned that the dry terrain would be harsher on her feet, but the wet area always had the risk of being slippery. There was also the risk of falling rocks and broken pathways that she had to think about. While Mt. Tinder was generally a safe excursion, accidents could always happen, the guide had reminded her. She’d have to pick based on her skillset, and where she thought she’d be able to perform most adequately.

Having grown up in a more marshy area, Lotus decided to take the east route. Despite the bits of erosion she was bound to find on the path, she felt more comfortable with a bit of moisture beneath her feet than the pain of harsh gravel and stone beneath her paws. While there were still bound to be dry patches, the water would give her that bit of respite to her paw pads. Sure, they were calloused just like any other gorgi, but there was still only so much that they could take. Hot walkways were not one of those things.

As she headed east, she scrabbled in her bag for her water bottle. Despite only just beginning her climb, she wanted to make sure she stayed hydrated. It was already so hot, being that it was not only summer, but a volcano that she was climbing, and she knew it would only get worse. Not only did heat rise, but the further she climbed, the closer she would be to actual lava. Taking a long, cool sip of water, she couldn’t help but let out a refreshed sigh. She hadn’t realized how tired she was from rowing the boat over until she took that sip. But she couldn’t stop now, she had only just begun!

Depositing the bottle back into her satchel, she rounded the corner of the volcano on the east side, finally able to see what was in store for her. The path looked mostly whole with a few cracks and places where stone had clearly fallen in the past. Some places had stone railings in place - clearly the spots where more erosion had taken place than others. That reassured her that the place had been inspected at least - hopefully they added railings to all the unsafe places, but she didn’t expect to be so lucky.

Oh, but she could smell the water so well from here. And that ocean breeze? It was pristine. She could taste the salt water on her tongue as she took in a big breath, feeling her tail beginning to wag. She could feel herself getting a little bounce in her step as she began the climb. The ocean was rejuvenating her in a way that surprised her, despite having made this climb for many years now.

As a wave crested and splashed against the side of the island, drops of water splashed up onto Lotus’ hind paws, some falling onto the path before her. It was clear to see why the erosion occurred, water constantly lapping up the sides of the volcano. And this was low tide - she imagined the water would be about up to where she was standing if it had been high tide. Fortunate for her that it was low tide, then, as she may love the water but didn’t feel like taking a swim at quite this moment.

Careful to avoid slipping on the now wet surface, Lotus took slow steps to continue up the path. The view was already astounding, and she had barely climbed up. The ocean sparkled and glistened, birds flew overhead, squawking and screaming for all to hear. She chuckled a bit, wondering what they were discussing. Probably a plan to steal the food from an innocent gorgi on the shore.

She could remember her first time up the mountain. She was pretty sure she’d taken this route then, too. The routes changed up every year, depending on which were the safest at the time, but if it wasn’t this route, it was a similar one. Definitely on the east side in some capacity, as it had the better view of the ocean. She had been so scared to go in place of her father, but so ready to make him proud. She had slipped a few times in her excitement to get up the mountain, fortunately never tumbling over the edge. She’d fortunately learned her lesson without the need to be horrifically injured.

Smiling at the memory, she made sure to not get too lost in thought. That would be dangerous as well - she had to be sure to look where she was going, and pay attention to her surroundings. The last thing she needed was a falling rock to come out of nowhere and knock her off course. She’d yet to get more than a few scrapes and bruises on this climb in the past, and she wasn’t about to start now.

The more she climbed, the better her view got. The sun grew higher in the sky, causing the water to shine even more beautifully, the peaks of waves glistening when they weren’t cresting over. She wished she could dive off the edge of the volcano and just go for a swim. Maybe if she didn’t have to bring her rock home at the end, that’d be her way back down, she joked to herself with a small chuckle. No, she wasn’t that brave - or stupid, she supposed, depending on how you looked at it.

The further she climbed, the more she realized how quiet it was growing. Before, she’d still been able to hear the gorgis at the base of the volcano chatting and laughing, families wishing their head of household good luck as they made the climb up Mt. Tinder. Now though, all she heard was the sound of the waves smacking against the mountain, and the sound of her own footfall on the slippery stone. And slippery it was, but fortunately her paws were used to this terrain. Her calloused pads were able to get traction on the stone, and hold her in place.

She was glad to have developed this sure-footing over the years, in comparison to her first year of slipping on the wet stones. Even the next year when she’d taken a drier path, she’d suffered from paw pain that had lasted over a week once she got home! Taking care of her plants with Aolani was a pain for that week, the other gorgi needing to do most of the legwork and lifting. She wondered what her friend was doing right now - Aolani hadn’t planned on coming to the island, but had said that maybe she’d try and make it by the time she descended back down. Lotus hoped that she would, it would be fun to see her friend after such an exhausting journey.

Thinking of her friend made her think of the lunch that she had oh so graciously packed for her for the first day. Aolani had given it to her the day before while they’d been working in the greenhouse, insisting it was just a simple sandwich but that she’d wanted to do something for her best friend. She blushed a bit as she remembered Aolani stammering as she’d handed it over, before running away to work with the monstera plants.

Maybe when she came back down, she’d finally talk to her about how she felt?

Nope, nope, on a dangerous mountain is not the place to think about confessing to your crush, thank you very much. That could wait for times where she wouldn’t be in mortal peril should she freak out at her brain’s own made up scenarios. No, now wasn’t the time. Perhaps never was the time. Yup, that sounded good.

Finding an area on the mountain that was flat enough for her to sit without blocking the path for any other gorgis, she plopped herself down and carefully pulled the sandwich out of the bag. It was wrapped in a cute little red and white plaid napkin with a note stuck to it that she’d failed to notice the day before.

“To my best friend. Be careful on Mt. Tinder and don’t worry about the plants, I’ll take extra care of them to make up for your absence! But hurry home, it’s much more fun to work when you’re around! I hope you enjoy, and I’ll see you soon! <3”

Once more, Lotus found herself blushing at the thought of her friend. She was just too cute and sweet. Precious, even. It was more fun to work when the both of them were there to Lotus, too. Oh, she wished Aolani was here now so that she could give the other a hug.

Unwrapping the sandwich, Lotus was pleasantly surprised to see a homemade pastrami sandwich, with just the right amount of mustard to not get the bread moist. She didn’t know that Aolani had noticed what kind of sandwiches she liked. Ugh, she was just too perfect, it wasn’t fair.

Taking a bite, Lotus moaned in satisfaction at the taste. It was definitely one of the best sandwiches she’d ever had, and she couldn’t help but take a second bite before even swallowing her first. She hadn’t realized what an appetite she’d worked up with the rowing and bit of walking she’d done until she’d taken that first bite.

Sadly reaching the last bite of the delicious sandwich, she washed it down with a few large gulps of water and appreciated the scenery for a few moments. She took a few deep breaths before finally resigning herself to continue on the path.

Not that she didn’t think she’d enjoy the rest of the journey, but she could already feel herself growing tired and sweaty. Walking around her and Aolani’s greenhouse wasn’t nearly the same as climbing a freaking volcano, after all, and her work tended to be her main source of exercise. She really should have done some form of training for this.

It was too late for those thoughts now, though. She had to persevere! And once she got to the top of the volcano, she’d be able to exchange her rock for a nice Mt. Tinder rock, and then have the much easier journey home. Thank the Gods that going downhill was easier than going uphill, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it otherwise. And to think, she’d thought herself in shape before this. She tried to recall - was it always this hard? She realized that yes, yes it was. Every year she tells herself - repeatedly - that she should train before the next year, and every year, she completely forgets and forgos. She had no one to blame but herself for these shortcomings. Next year, she’d at least do five mile walks every day before work for a week before the climb. No, no, a month! Yes, surely that would help. She smiled at herself and nodded her head, promising herself that she wouldn’t forget again. Hopefully.

Not wanting to focus on her ever growing weariness, Lotus allowed herself a few moments to stop and look at the view once more. She could do this. Tasting the salty air again, she felt herself grow slightly rejuvenated as her tail began to wag once more. She could do this. She missed home, but she’d be back soon enough. She could do this.

If anyone could do this, it surely must be Lotus.