A scout in the woods - Kaela's story


They had set off with minimal supplies; A bow and quiver of arrows each, a
flint knife, and the clothes on their backs. Janus, instinctively, took
along his leather pouch and tied it around his waist. His fingers gently
caressed the soft material. It had been so long..

Janus reflected.. He had made this pouch before they had left the Sun Keep..
It had been only the spring, yet it seemed like it was a full lifetime ago.
So much had happened..

They had drifted on that raft.. he didn't know how long.. The sunrises and
sunsets just wound past in an unending blur. Suddenly, one day, the mists
of distance dissapeared and they found themselves close to shore. Schala,
in her excitement, nearly fell off the side of the raft, and Janus had to
make a hasty dash across the small wodden planking to hang onto her. They
drifted for another day, and finally touched land. Eager to be on solid
ground again, they immediately dashed onto the sand, and laid down in the
shade.

After they had spent several days on the beach, getting accustomed to being
on dry land again, they prepared some food, and set off into the dense
forest that ringed the edge of the shore. Taking their bearings off of two
mountains, they set off towards distant smoke, a sure sign of human life.

After many days of travelling, again, Janus had lost count, as one path
seemed to blend into the next, they reached a clearing on the edge of a
hill. Down the hill, of course, was a continuation of the dense foliage
they had fought through for an indefinate period, but what was the most
interesting was what they saw in the distance.

It was what they had been following for weeks: The smoke. Off in the
distance, in the valley, was a small village. From their vantage point, it
was but a raindrop lost in a cloud of green, but it was human civilization
all the same.

Excitedly, they hurried down the path back into the forest, with renewed
vigor, that the end was in sight. As they came around the bend, Janus came
to a screeching halt, Schala bumping into him, as a flurry of leather landed
in front of them, a bow drawn with an arrow strung. To Janus's surprise and
shock, the hair parted to reveal a young girl's face. She couldn't have been
much older then twelve or thirteen. The girl's eyes flashed as she raised
her weapon, unsure of the situation.

They stood there for many tense moments, all afraid to make any effort to
move or speak. The girl's arm relaxed a bit as she let off a bit of tension
on the arrow, but the aim remained centered on Janus's chest.

Schala finally broke free of her stasis, and made an attempt to communicate.

"We mean you no harm..", she said slowly, in hopes her tongue would be
understood by this girl.

The girl's head shook a bit, as she digested this information, so it
seemed, and she spoke:

"Who.. are you?", she said slowly, trying to formulate her words to match
Schala's speech patterns. It was obvious she spoke a different dialect,
though it was similar.

"My name is Schala.. This is my brother, Janus..", Schala said slowly, again
to ensure comprehension.

"Schala.. Janus..", the girl mumbled, as if thinking out loud. Her arm
relaxed further on the bow, and the tension on the arrow was almost none at
all. She lowered the point from Janus's body, and let it rest against her
leg, pointed towards the ground.

"What's.. what's your name?", Janus asked, hesitantly. He was very nervous.
This was the first contact they'd had made in a long time, and they didn't
want to die from being too forward or make any stupid mistakes. This girl
with the long black hair had relaxed her weapon but she obviously wasn't
afraid to use it.

"M..my name..", the girl stuttered, as if in conflict. "My name is.."
She took a deep breath. Janus took an involuntary step back, Schala's arm
around his shoulder protectively.

"..Kaela.."
--------------------

Janus sighed. The rest was a long story, but he had eventually made peace
with Kaela and they'd been allowed to come to her village. There, they spent
the summer, and fall had just begun to make its mark on nature. There, in
confidence, Janus had learned about a particular quirk about Kaela.

Although she was only thirteen summers of age, for some unexplained reason,
she lived by herself. She was on a solitary hunting trip, Janus had learned,
when they had come by her. She had another interesting facet, too. Every
year, she made a solitary pilgrimage to a lonely cliff on the south mountain.
The exact whereabouts of this rock face was unknown to all except Kaela, and
no one dared ask her.

Right from the start, Janus noticed Kaela was different. She was always busy
doing something that the adults would occupy themselves in, instead of
playing at the river or in the village square, like the other children her
age. Janus, himself, had no interest in such games, as the children of the
village still regarded him as an outsider, despite the seemily excellent
relations he and Schala had forged with the village elders. Thus, Janus
found he could occupy himself by helping Kaela in whatever task she was
busying herself with.

Often, she would try and do something that was quite difficult to do alone,
and nearly hurt herself several times, were it not for Janus's help. Out of
this, a strong friendship was born, despite its rocky moments, such as
before Kaela's acceptance that she couldn't accomplish everything herself.

It was from this, that Kaela did something never heard of in the village;
She asked Janus to accompany her on her lonely journey to the mountain.
Janus couldn't refuse, for fear of losing Kaela's friendship plus the good
standing he and Schala occupied with the villagers.

That was a full mooncycle ago, and now, they had begun the pilgrimage.

Janus broke out of his reverie and surveyed his surroundings, as he
remembered where he was. They were sitting around a campfire, on the shores
of a crystal clear lake. A gentle breeze rippled its surface, and blew
sparks into the air, tiny dancing points of light against the celestial
backdrop of many stars in the heavens. Kaela, lost in her own thoughts,
apparenty, was simply staring into the vibrant flame of their fire, her
expression blank.

After the fire had died down, they decided to turn in. Janus tucked his arms
inside his tunic, which was the velvet blue one he'd kept from Zeal, and it
was really warm. Kaela took off her leather tunic, and wrapped it around
herself like a sleeping bag. As the fire died down completely, the stars
began blinking.

--

She was rushing through the bushes. Branches flew in her face, and she
brushed them away with her free hand, her other hand clutching her bow.
Kaela was sprinting down the path, leaping over upraised roots and ducking
low overhangs. Then, she heard the howl. Long and wailing, deep-throated but
high-pitched.

She froze in her tracks. Her mother, fearful for Kaela's father, dashed past
her around the bend and out of sight. Kaela took an arrow from the quiver on
her back and fletched it on the bow. She drew the string taut and ran
forward, bow at the ready.

It was all there. Her parents. The bushes. She felt herself surge forward.
And then, the root. She felt the arrow fly, her body hit the ground. The
inarticulate scream.

And suddenly, she was in the dark. Janus was shaking her gently, worry
clouding his eyes. She immediately raised herself onto her knees and wrapped
her hands around Janus's neck, and put her head down on his shoulder, tears
flowing.

Janus felt a sense of tenderness, aware that someone had the trust in him to
cry on his shoulder with no hesitation, and he felt a strong pull in his
heart.
Could it be.. Love?

Janus held her close to his body, and stroked her gentle black hair. Her
tears were flowing down his shoulder, and she showed no signs of stopping
anytime soon. Janus reached over, and grabbed her tunic from where she had
been sleeping. To keep the night chill away, he wrapped it around her bare
body, and they stayed like that for a long time.

Eventually, Kaela fell silent. Janus thought to himself. "She's cried
herself to sleep." Sighing, he gently re-arranged Kaela's tunic so that it
covered her whole body, and he lied down, placing her to rest right beside
him on the ground. As a final gesture of reassurance, he held her hands in
his, and he soon fell into a deep and restful sleep.

---------------

Janus awoke. Something inside him told him it was morning, and he was
suddenly aware of the warm sun on his body. Opening his eyes, and blinking
to adjust to the bright sunlight, he surveyed his surrounding as he
remembered where he was. He looked beside himself, with a bit of a start,
and saw Kaela resting peacefully. There was a sort of smile that played
across her lips that Janus knew to be a sign of a restful sleep. During the
night, their hands had come together in a hold, in which neither had both
hands around the other's. Janus now noticed this, and that their hands were
clasped against Kaela's chest.

Janus slipped one hand out of this gentle lock and caressed Kaela's cheek,
brushing her raven-black hair out of her eyes. As if in a pleasent dream,
she smiled, and murmurred something. Janus strained to hear what it was.

"scout.."

Janus got his other hand loose, and sat up, looking with wonder at the
innocent beauty on Kaela's face. Her hair rustled in the breeze, brushing
against her eyelids, making her blink slightly in her sleep. Janus sighed.
There were several tasks to be done this morning.

He rose, and grabbed a few of the branches they had piled near the fire
stones. He put them into the firepit and lit them, using a flint Kaela had
found nearby. Making a small blaze, he assured that there was no flammable
material that could catch and spread the flames, he stood up, and took his
pouch from beside his bed. Tying it around his waist, he took off, in search
of the berries Kaela had described the afternoon previous.

After finding several very abundant bushes, from which he completely filled
his leather bag and then some, Janus walked back to their campsite. When he
returned, Kaela was still asleep. He threw another few branches on the fire,
then knelt beside her. He took her hand, and held it against his cheek. Then
he bent down, and whispered her name softly in her ear. She opened her eyes,
and, noticing Janus she looked into his eyes urgently. Desperation and
embarassement flashed rapidly through her eyes. Her gaze was met only by
warm reassurance. Janus knelt beside her, and bent over to hug her. She
hugged him back, tightly, pulling herself to a kneeling position, while
pulling her tunic with her to cover herself.

"J..Janus..", Kaela started, in a shaky voice, her lower lip quivering. She
was afraid. How would Janus react? She had been so emotional last night, she
didn't even fully know what happened. How would he take this? She really
liked him, but would he like her anymore after what had happened?

"It's okay, Kaela.. It's okay..", Janus whispered, brushing her hair
reasurringly. His heart tugged again, as he noticed her arms tighten around
him, and he felt the warmth of her body next to his.

"J.. Janus..", Kaela stuttered, confused by the emotions running through her
body. "This.. this is a new feeling to.. me.."

"I.. I know, Kaela.. I know..", Janus whispered, almost overwhelmed by the
growing compassion and love flowing through his heart. "It's.. new to me,
too.."

Kaela lifted her head and leaned back, to sit on her heels. Her hands traced
Janus's arms until they reached his hands, which she held. "Janus, I..", she
began, but fell silent.

Janus raised his eyes to focus on Kaela's gentle face. "I love you, too,
Kaela.", he said softly, tears welling in his eyes. "And..", he tried to
say, as the words caught in his throat.

"W..what is it, Janus?", Kaela asked, concerned. This was a side of Janus
she had never seen before. Surely he wasn't.. crying? "Janus..?"

Janus shook his head, and brushed away his tears. Reaching down to his
waist, and untying his pouch, he placed it in Kaela's open hands. "Here..
eat these."

Kaela unstrung the pouch and gingerly started eating the sweet berries
inside, totally at a loss of what to say, and concerned about Janus. Why was
he acting so? Did he love her that much? She looked at him again. He was
sitting, facing towards her, with his eyes shut tight, biting his lower lip
with what appeared to be some force.

In her carelessness and worry for Janus, she payed no attention to trying to
get the berries into her mouth and for them to stay there, so as a result
she made a small mess of herself with them. When she had finished, she
realized that she was a mess, and she broke the silence that had engulfed
them, a sphere of stillness.

"Janus.. I need to wash off. Do you want to take a swim, too?", Kaela asked,
with a definate tone of concern in her voice, uncertain of how Janus would
react. He was so.. unpredictable.

Janus opened his eyes, and let off the pressure on his poor lip. He quietly
nodded assent, as he felt he needed a bath, too. Why she would ask him if he
wanted to come wash off with her was strange in his mind, but his heart made
a possible suggestion, in the form of a warm feeling that flooded through
his body, from head to toe, making him shiver.

Kaela rose, and waited for Janus to stand up, himself. Then, they started
walking towards the shore of the lake, in even pace. As if under their own
control, their hands joined, and they looked at each other. Kaela smiled,
and they looked forwards again.

At the shore, they stopped. Janus bent down and tested the temperature of
the lake. It was a bit cold, but much warmer then usual for the season. He
passed this judgement along to Kaela, and they stared across the surface
of the lake, unbroken and unrippled.

As one, they turned back to each other, and mischievious smiles played
across their faces. On an unspoken signal, they both ran and splashed into
the lake, until they were completely soaked and up to their shoulders in
water. Kaela washed off her face and chin, with sand that Janus had dragged
off the bottom. Kaela dunked her head under, to get her hair wet so she
could rinse it and wring it out.

When she surfaced, Janus was nowhere to be seen. Anxious, she scanned the
surface of the entire lake. There was not a ripple around, except from her
body movements as she turned around in her search. Suddenly, a bubble burst
just in front of her.

She looked down to where it was, and suddenly Janus sprang up, right in
front of her, with a great gasp. At first she jumped from surprise, but
Janus's grinning face was too much to stay mad at him for long.

Giggling, they joined hands once again, and moved closer. Janus's deep blue
eyes were sparkling with merriment and laughter, a rarity in his life. Kaela
suddenly got an idea.

"Janus.. close your eyes for a second..", she giggled, with a tone of
mystery in her voice. She was taking a gamble, and if she guessed wrong,
this could have dangerous results.

Janus looked at her quizically, but complied, shutting his eyes and just
grinning for the sake of it. Trying to guess what Kaela was up to, Janus
tried to sense her physical prescence and motion. He felt her slowly
coming closer, then suddenly, surprising Janus completely so that he almost
cried out, he felt the warmth of her body pressed against his and a sudden
pressure on his lips. Now fully aware of Kaela's "surprise", Janus wrapped
his arms around her body, and they remained, set in this loving embrace for
what seemed to be an eternity.

Janus couldn't believe what was happening. He had never felt any of these
emotions before in his life. He knew he loved Kaela, having said so from his
heart and believing every word of it with his body and his soul. He also
knew that Kaela loved him. Why else would she have trusted him so implicitly?
But, this.. this was so.. special.. He had never felt these feelings before,
even this morning..

He felt Kaela's soft breath, brushing against his cheek. Her black hair was
soft and silken in his hands, and he gently brushed it. Gently, Kaela's
strong arms pulled them closer, and Janus noticed for the first time that
they were draped around his neck.

Kaela was stunned. Never before had she felt such a universal feeling of
warmth run through her body, after feeling Janus's wet tunic and body
against her. From the moment her lips had touched his, something had
clicked in the world. The bond between then was so strong that their
hearts had joined, in some middle ground, and she knew there was no going
back.

(GAPGAPGAPGAPGAPGAPGAPGAPGAP)
(But it'll end up somewhere along these lines in the end, at any rate)

"Well, we must be going. The mountain is still at least a half day's walk."

Janus doused the fire, and Kaela shook out her cloak and put it back on.

As the sun was rising high into the sky, they left their camp. Kaela
leading, and set off towards the green mountain, which dominated the pale
blue horizon.

----------

They arrived at the edge of the path. The small clearing that they stepped
into ended abruptly on a sharp cliff. Kaela stepped forward. Janus watched
her approach the edge, but made no effort to stop her. Whatever reason she
had for coming here, to this small patch of green on the edge of a steep
cliff looking out over the vast sparkling waters that extended to the
horizon, this was very important to her. Kaela stooped down on one knee, and
picked up a small stone spearhead, lost in the grass. Janus slowly
approached her, trying not to disturb her as he knelt beside her.

"Janus..", Kaela mumbled. This spearhead brought back so many memories. She
finally had a full picture of that moment. And she was with Janus. He should
know. Sighing, she turned away from the cliff and motioned for Janus to sit
facing her.

"Janus.. I suppose you're wondering..", Kaela said slowly, her hand clasped
around the spearhead. Janus just nodded solemly. "Let me tell you.. a
story.", she began.

"It was when I was eight summers old.."

"I was on a hunting trip with my parents.. We were along the path.. behind
us.."

"I was crouched in some bushes, my bow on my back..", she said, as her hand
went slowly to the polished wood slung around her back.

"My father was ahead, with a spear.. And my mother.. Ah, she was always so
worried about me.. She was right behind me."

Janus nodded. His mind flashed back to his own mother. After Janus's father
had died, she had barely paid attention to him. Only Schala and Alfador had
cared about him. Also, no one else understood him, so they didn't even
bother to try to understand his feelings. At times, Janus even overheard
remarks from them about him that he didn't care to repeat. Janus paused to
reflect for a moment. Was it true? He had overheard from someone that he
had grown up too fast. He wondered. He hadn't had any companions, as it was
lonely in the Palace. All he had was Schala, and she taught him to be
mature. He never really had anything to compare to, so he never thought
about it. Now, listening to Kaela's story, this thought had resurfaced, and
he grew concerned. Not only for himself, were it true, but for Kaela..

But now was not the time. He was listening to Kaela, and she needed him.

"Then, a big animal jumped onto the path. I don't know.. what.. it was.. My
father left his hiding place and ran after it."

"Of course, being the adventurous little one that I was, I immediately
followed without even taking the bow off my back."

Her hand left the stringed weapon, to rest on her knee.

"My mother was behind me. The path went for a short time. I was brushing
branches out of my face, as I had never been in this area of the mountain
before. Then, I reached that big bend over the rock.."

Janus nodded. That big bend looped up a small grassy hill on top of a rock,
then sloped at a great angle down around the other side.

"And, suddenly.. I heard the most unearthly howl. It made me shiver through
my body and soul.", she said, as she gave a convulsive shiver.

"My mother immediately ran around the bend, no longer paying heed to me. I
unslung my bow off my back, fletched an arrow in the string, and drew it
back as hard as I could. Then I ran around the bend and down the other side
of the hill."

Kaela paused in her story.. Her memory was less clear here, and she didn't
know if she could continue without breaking down. She looked into Janus's
eyes, appealingly, vulnerably. Janus took her hands, folded them around the
spearhead, and held her hands in his. Kaela smiled bravely and continued.

"I came into this clearing, and stopped. My father was standing.. right
here..", she gestured to the ground below her body. "He was covered in blood.
My mother was holding him up. I could see the genuine shock in his eyes, and
my mother's worried look. He was holding his spear. It took me several
moments before I noticed the tip was splintered and the spearhead missing."

"I ran forward, my bow still in my hands and the arrow still drawn."

"Out of the corner of my eye, I saw bushes rustle. Suddenly, before I could
react, an animal leapt out of the bushes at my parents!"

"All I remember then, was my foot hitting a root. My hand slipped, and the
arrow rocketed from my bow."

"I laid there for... I don't know how long..", Kaela faltered. She dropped
her head, and a tear fell, staining her leather tunic.

Janus crawled on his knees to Kaela's side, and embraced her. Resting her
face on his shoulder, she wept a few years of mourning.

Janus looked up at the sky. It was darkening noticeably, and would soon be
totally pitch black. In his involvement in listening to Kaela's story, Janus
didn't even notice the sun go down.

"When I finally got up, I approached the edge of the cliff..", she said,  
tearfully. "I didn't look over the edge. I didn't want to. All I found was.."

"This.. spearhead..", and she fell silent once more, overwhelmed.

Janus blinked in the coming darkness, trying to adjust to the dim sky, as he
tried to grasp all this. He was completely awestruck. This poor girl had
spent the last few years of her life, some of the most important ones to the
development of a healthy mind and body,.. alone..

The feeling that Janus had had in his heart the night previous returned. A
warm wave of compassion flooded through him, giving him a tingling sensation
all along his spine. He sighed. This was all so new to him. He wasn't sure
if he could even speak, for fear of his emotions overwhelming him.

Janus looked down at her sad face, and silently made a promise to her. He
couldn't let anything more happen to this poor girl. She had been hurt
enough already in her life.

"Kaela..", Janus said very softly.

"Uh..?", Kaela mumbled, lifting her tear-streaked face from Janus's shoulder
to meet his eyes with hers, red and dry.

"Kaela.. I won't let anyone.. ANYONE..", Janus said gravely, his expression
serious and worried, ".. hurt you.. ever!"

Kaela was speechless. This was.. unexpected, even for Janus!
She suddenly felt a warm tug in her heart, as the sensations of
the previous night befell her once more. Aside from last night, she
had never felt anything like this since.. she was nine. She
tightened her grip on Janus's  shoulder, unready for any nasty surprises.
Now was not the time to be cruel, Janus!

"I promise you, Kaela.. I promise..", Janus whispered. His hand slowly came
to her cheek, to caress it gently, in the growing darkness. Kaela looked at
him silently. A trickle of warmth touched Janus's finger.

Kaela bent forward once again, and embraced Janus tightly.

"Don't.."

"Don't you ever leave me!!", she cried, desperate and vulnerable, tears once
again beading in her eyes.

"I won't.. I won't..", Janus whispered,stroking her jet black hair, almost
invisible against the darkness that was setting down in the wilderness
around them. He could hear and feel her breathing slowly return to normal,
and he let her calm down. Another wave of compassion swept through his body,
and he shivered as it spread to his extremities.

Just as the last light died from the horizon, Janus spoke, a voice in the
increasing volume of the night..

"Kaela.. we should get some sleep.."

He felt her nod, and as one they gently settled down on the ground, Kaela
not even bothering to use her tunic as a blanket. They fell asleep, curled
together, sharing body heat as well as the warmth of their hearts.

---------

Kaela awoke first. She opened her eyes, and blinked in the bright sunlight.
How different the ledge was, now that it wasn't dark. She remembered last
night, and looked at Janus. He was still asleep, and she took a moment to
contemplate his features, while he was still captured in the innocence of
rest. His eyes were lightly set into his head, and she knew his eyes to be
full of life and laughter. What a great feeling it had been to see his eyes
sparkle like that.

She lifted Janus's long blue bangs out of his face, and his eyelashes
flickered, trying to hide his eyes from the sunlight. Kaela let Janus's
bangs down gently, and rose to her feet. Turning away from the gentle
tableau presented by Janus's sleeping form, she faced the cliff. The cliff
that had been an instrument in her parents' deaths so long ago.

Kaela paused to reflect. It felt like a long time, though it had only been
four years.. Four years.. Wow. How she had changed. It felt like an entire
lifetime had passed. In a sense, it had. She was an entirely different
person now, then who she was when her parents were still alive. She had
been carefree and innocent, a happy child in the game called life. But, on
that fateful day, it all changed. She could remember her friends' shock when
she had come running, tears streaming down her cheeks, to the outskirts of
the village, and right past them as they rushed out to her. She somehow
could remember the look on their faces as she passed them without regard,
even though, by logic, she was blinded by her tears and sorrow...

Something was not right. She could feel the tension and danger in the air.
Something was calling, enticing her, daring her to come to the edge. The
wind began blowing, a strong harsh breeze towards the open air on the other
side of the rock face.

Kaela bent down and shook Janus's shoulder. "Janus! Wake up!"

"Uh..? What's going on, Kaela?", Janus said sleepily, rubbing his eyes and
sitting up.

"Janus, there's something very wrong here. I can feel it.", Kaela said,
anxiously.

It became stronger. Kaela was being called, urgently. Unseen forces were
trying to draw her away from Janus and out onto the ledge. Janus stood up,
and took Kaela's hand. She squeezed it tightly.


"What do you feel?", Janus asked, worried. This was really serious. Kaela
said nothing. Instead, she kept her grip on Janus's hand and slowly
approached the ledge. Janus followed her carefully. Kaela walked up to the
edge, hand in hand with Janus. She bent over and picked up the stone
spearhead that remained resting there. She let go of Janus's hand and turned
around.

She opened her mouth to speak, about to express her concern for the forces
she was feeling..

Janus felt movement under his foot. Big movement.

"Kaela! Look out! the cliff!!", Janus shouted, grabbing Kaela's hand and
trying to pull her away from the edge.

The cliff under Kaela's feet gave way and disintegrated, and she plunged
downwards with a scream. Janus was yanked to the ground onto his belly from
the weight of Kaela's body falling. Janus was half over the cliff, only
feeling solid ground from his waist and below. One hand was gripping the
cliff edge, the other was tightly holding onto Kaela's wrist. With great
effort, he began backing his way up onto the cliff.

"Janus!!"

"I.. promised.. I.. wouldn't.. leave you, .. didn't.. I..?", Janus said,
spacing his words out because of the effort to not let go.

Kaela was shocked. Janus had risked his life for hers. She had discredited those events
last night as being emotionally-triggered, and had disregarded them so. She knew now that
Janus had been quite serious, and he was proving it. She saw the beads of sweat start to
accumulate on his forehead from the strain, which was also evidenced by the white-
knuckled grip he had on her forearm and his clenched jaw.

Janus finally managed to get a majority of his body above the cliff, and he
was able to use his other arm to pull Kaela up even harder. He got a grip on
her elbow, and despite the pain, she didn't move, for fear of complicating
Janus's hold and possibly making him lose his grip.

Janus finally had gotten Kaela high enough so that she could reach the cliff
with her hand. She grabbed the edge, testing it a few times, and he slowly
let go with one arm, and took Kaela's other hand, which was still grasping
the spearhead.

"Kaela.. Hand me.. the spearhead..", Janus said, his face red from hanging
onto her for so long, in such an upside-down position.

She slipped her hand into his and let go of the spearhead. Janus put it on
the ledge and guided her arm to hang onto the edge of the cliff. He then
hooked his arms under her shoulders and pulled. For the first time in what
seemed an eternity, Kaela's head rose above cliff level.

Kaela grasped onto the grass on the ledge, and Janus made sure she had a
stable grip. He then reached down and pulled her leg up sideways, onto the
ledge. With great effort, he got the other leg up, and she rolled onto the
ledge, once again back on terra firma.

Janus was kneeling, and Kaela crawled into his arms, exhausted. Janus felt
considerably worse, having been a midpoint for her weight and taking the
shock of stopping her in free-fall. Gasping for air, they sat like that for
a long time; Kaela from the shock she had just endured, Janus from the
exertion of lifting Kaela back up.

When Kaela had her composure back, she looked up and wiped Janus's brow of
the sweat, and lifted his bangs from his brow. Janus's hair was wet and
sticky in her hand. She looked into his eyes.

Through the exhaustion and pain, a flash of recognition and intense joy
passed through Janus's face, and he bent down and kissed her forehead.
Giggling, she lifted her face and met his eyes with hers. The silence was
almost overwhelming. Kaela raised herself to her knees, taller then Janus
now, as he was bent over, and hugged him to her breast, tightly.

Janus slowly caught his breath, and his heartbeat returned to normal as the
adrenaline filtered out of his system.

"JANUS!! KAELA!!"

Janus and Kaela looked up, and saw Schala bolting down the path towards
them, Alfador in hot pursuit. Unwillingly, they slowly broke their embrace,
and turned to face Schala, as she stopped before them, out of breath.

"Are you okay? We heard a landslide and screams!"

Janus replied quietly, his gaze only half on Schala, "We're okay, Schala..
We're okay.."

Schala sat down, and took Alfador in her arms. Kaela and Janus crawled
beside her. Behind Schala's back, their hands joined.

"You two don't know how much you had me worried! You were supposed to be
back yesterday!", Schala scolded them, her temper dissapating from the
fright she had gotten from the landslide.

Janus and Kaela simply smiled softly, and their eyes met.

Schala paused in her dialogue, aware that something was different. These two
were acting strangely. When they left, they were happy and boisterous. Now
they were quiet and just smiling. What could have changed them? Schala felt
a gentle bump against her back, and she looked over to Kaela, who was
giggling.

Kaela simply brushed her long hair from her face, a mischeivious glint in
the corner of her eye catching Schala's attention.

"Schala, let us tell you what's happened since we left..", Janus began, a
wide grin on his face...


			Finis