Lavender & Ice

18. Exploration

Silence.

"Is that why you've come home injured twice in the same week?"

"That was due to the trials."

"Trials?"

"Yes."

"Excuse me, Kietnan. Alien, here." She chuckled as she pointed to herself. "What trials? Like a competition? Are you an athlete?"

"Ashima." He groaned.

"Right. I promised one question at a time, sorry. What are the trials?"

"The trials are held once every generation. They are an ancient tradition among my people."   

"Ah." That doesn't explain much. "On earth we have competitions called the Olympics that are held every four years. Where the best athletes from all over the world gather to compete. Things like endurance races, sprint or speed races, distance jumping, high jumping, and many more categories. Is this something like that? A competition for athletes?"

"This does require great physical strength, endurance, and speed, and even mental ability, but no it is not simple leisure athletic competitions."

"Ok... So what is it about then?"

"The trials are a series of tests to prove our abilities and our worthiness. Each day's trial is more difficult than the last. If you fail you are eliminated from the competition and it is a great shame."

Ashima thought back to how he had come home in the middle of the night very sick and hadn't left here since. "And were you... eliminated?" She asked timidly.

"No." Was all he supplied.

"Then why haven't you gone for three days? And what happened to you the other night?"

"Ashima."

"Just answer the questions, Kietnan."

"After six days we are given three days of rest. I will return to the next trial tomorrow morning."

"Oh." And I'll be all alone in the tent. Again. She thought.

"And are these trials dangerous? Could you have died?"

"Yes."

"The lack of information in your answers is becoming frustrating, Kietnan."

"I am answering the questions you are asking, am I not?"

She let out a low grunt and opened her mouth to argue when he cut her off.

"We are here."

She looked around at her surroundings. The terrain had become somewhat rocky and it was not as flat as anything they'd traveled so far. But other than that, it looked the same as anywhere else. She just saw trees and could hear a stream nearby.

He led her down a slope and then reached for her hand to help her down a particularly steep section of rock. Once at the bottom, he quickly released her hand and followed the wall of tall rocks around until a path was cutting through one of them. "Here."

"We're going in there?" She said sheepishly.

"Don't be scared. Trust me." He said, as he stepped into the narrow pathway in the middle of the rock formations. She followed closely behind him as he made his way through, and down the path. Eventually, they were faced with a dark opening.

"We're going into a cave?!"

He nodded as he continued walking. She took a deep breath and followed him in. "I'm pretty sure trusting you is all I have been doing since I landed here. Might as well not stop now." She chuckled, not bothering to tell him she was excited, not nervous.