Up the Mountains

            “What is it, El-Stev? Do you see something?” I asked.

            “No, however, the mountains are dangerous and we can’t let our guard down.” Once he was satisfied that we had found a safe place to rest, he also sat down.

            El-Kahn had removed some greens from his bag and was passing them around. “Here, we need to keep up our energy.”

            We had sat on the rock and rested for only a few minutes before El-Stev insisted that we continue on. He was mumbling something about a bad feeling and he didn’t want to be waiting here like sitting ducks. So we packed up our things again and continued upward. The mountain path only lasted a little while longer before it disappeared completely and we had to actually climb up the mountain. It was so much harder than the mountain climbers you see on TV make it seem. Carefully I placed my feet on small rocks jutting out of the mountain and pulled myself up. Slowly we climbed higher and higher. Our bags made the progression up the mountain slower—for all but El-Stev, that is. Just like before, he was a natural at climbing rocks. He was at least ten feet above us, sitting on a small rock and waiting for us to catch up.

            “Come on, El-Kahn, you slowpoke,” he yelled down to his friend.

            I risked looking down to see El-Kahn. He seemed to be having even a more difficult time than I was.

            “Why don’t you come down here and help,” gasped El-Kahn.

            El-Stev looked like he was thinking it over before he slid off the rock he was sitting on and went back to the side of the mountain. He slid his bag off his back and placed it where he had been sitting. El-Stev paused for a moment, as if he was getting up the courage to climb back down, before he began moving downward toward his friend. He was amazing to watch. El-Stev didn’t even test to see if a rock would hold his weight. It was as if he had complete trust in the mountain that he would not fall. In a matter of minutes he had moved past where I was stuck to the rock, watching in awe, and reached El-Kahn. They talked for a moment with El-Stev smiling more than I had seen him smile this whole trip before he took El-Kahn’s bag and began to help his friend climb up the mountain.

            At least someone is enjoying himself, I thought as I resumed my climb. There was a loud scream above me. I looked up to see John hanging onto a small rock with one hand. The rock that his foot had been on had given way. I have to do something, I thought, but I was so far away. John was struggling to hold on and I was just clinging to the rock wall, helpless. I could hear his groans as his fingers began slipping off the rock.

            “Hold on, John,” I yelled and tried to move as quickly as I could. But our rock monkey, El-Stev, was already on his way to John. He reached him just as his fingers slid from the rock and he began to fall. El-Stev grabbed John by the wrist and John’s weight almost pulled him off the rock as well, but El-Stev held on tightly to both the rock and John’s hand. He pulled my friend toward the mountain so that he could grab onto another rock. After a moment to catch his breath, John began moving upward again. Finally, we reached the top of the mountain, which was flat enough for us all to take another break. Everyone but El-Stev collapsed onto the rock out of breath. “Are you okay?” I gasped at John as I crawled over to him and gave him a big hug. “I thought I had lost you.”

            “Nah, it will take more than a mountain to get rid of me,” he joked, but I could tell that he had been really scared and was still shaken up from his near fall. We only had a moment’s rest when there was a shriek from above.

            “A Kavee!” shouted El-Stev as he drew his sword from its scabbard. He began swinging it toward the flying monster in hopes of making contact. Every once in a while he would jump off a rock and soar through the air to try to get the beast. I dropped to the ground as it made several attempts to swoop down to get us. The Kavee, as El-Stev had called it, was huge and black. It had four blood-red eyes, two on each side of its face, and six wings that increased its flying speed. Its talons looked sharp enough to easily tear us to shreds. This was confirmed when one of the talons struck El-Stev’s shoulder and he screamed out in pain and dropped his sword. Blood flowed down his arm from the wound, soaking his entire sleeve in a matter of minutes. I was not a brave person, but I knew that I had to help in some way. Crawling over to where El-Stev’s sword lay, I picked it up. It was heavy. I had never held a sword before. It took all my might to begin swinging it over my head.

            “Elena, get out of there,” yelled El-Kahn.

            “No, I want to help,” I screamed, still swinging the sword. The blade was stopped in midair as I connected with one of the Kavee’s legs. The loud shriek was deafening. I nearly dropped the sword to cover my ears. My strike didn’t do much damage, just a small cut to the beast. I mostly succeeded in making it angry. My arms were aching from swinging the heavy blade above my head. The beast could tell I was getting tired and was slowing stretching out its talons toward me. It was only a few feet away now. I closed my eyes, mustering up all my strength to continue swinging the sword, but I knew pain was coming soon. The Kavee let out a loud shriek. My eyes flew open and I could barely make out a small object sticking out of the Kavee’s back, but there was a lot of blood dripping on the ground from the giant bird above. Now is my chance, I thought. While the Kavee was facing the unknown attacker, I could attack it from behind. I had just begun to move in on the beast when El-Stev came up behind me with his torn shirt over his wound.

                "Thank you, Elena, I will take over from here."  He said my name and "thank you" in the same sentence. I was smiling as I handed over his sword and took a step back so that El-Stev could take over fighting.  He continued my attack, sneaking up on the bease from behind.  Just as he swung, the giand bird ascended so all El-Stev struck was air.  The giant bird rested in the air for a moment before it came in for another strike.  I just barely saw it out of the corner of my eye but I felt the huge black wing strike me in the side, and soon I was falling.  Just as before, El-Kahn stopped me in midair.  I looked over my right shoulder and I could see over the edge of the mountain the ground a good fifty feet below me.  In fromt of me El-Stev continued to fight the Kavee.  El-Kahn was running in my direction.  The Kavee was flapping its large black wings.  One of them hit El-Kahn.  He was sent stumbling backward.  At that moment I felt the wind on my back.  Looking back over my shoulder, the ground was now getting closer and closer.  The Kavee had succeeded in knocking me off the mountain.

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