Kya stepped out of the car,tan hiking boots crunching against the crackling dry granite gravel created by Eons of eroding mountain rock. Kya was about twenty and had long tan legs about 5' 8" and shoulder length dark hair falling around her face choppily pulled halfway back,large magenta sunglasses decorating the bridge of her nose which despite her tan was collaged with freckles.
Her eyes were a strikingly sharp green which she almost always outlined in thick black eyeliner to make them look almost lethal,the only makeup she wore. Today she sported tan hiking boots,blue hiking shorts so short they almost showed her butt and a tan t-shirt that had a dream catcher in it and said something about Alaska from where she had hiked before. Kya was dyslexic and didn't even try to read the cursive phrase associated with the Alaskan t-shirt.
She was strong but her muscles were lean in an almost swimmer sort of way. Though her eyes were fierce and her cheekbones were sharp her small nose was sharp and turned up in a cute way.
Kya loved nature more than her own mother...well,if she had known her mother. She was constantly camping and even worked at a camp as a camp ranger for a part of the summer,in the winter was a counselor at a kids winter camp. She just didn't feel right without the mountains. Kya was from Montana originally but found herself in all kinds of places across the country nature calling to her constantly for something new.
That is what brought her to this hike today. A trail in the beautiful mountains of Idaho she couldn't remember what it was called,having ignored the task of focusing on reading the signs. Never go alone. People had always told her and she usually took a group with her but often liked to adventure alone,getting away from people. She was always better with nature than people,and maybe she thought a part of her feared that if she stayed around people more she'd fall in love and settle down. Kya Ash didn't settle.
She had started the trail excited,camel's back backpack strapped snugly around her fit figure,all sorts of gadgets clipped and hanging from its loops dangling and clinking about as she walked. She had probably only been hiking for about an hour when the moment happened that would change her life seemingly forever.
She had run out of water in her pack and crouched next to a stream,filling her filter bottle with clear and cold fresh water,run-off from melting snow;winters leftovers. To her left was a steep cliff like decline spotted with sideways growing trees and warrior bushes with berries she was pretty sure were harmful upon consumption.
A mosquito ventured out for a feast on her leg and she slapped at it hating the thought of the insect sucking at her blood with a proboscis like needle. The buzz and swat sound was disrupted back a sudden crack and grind of loosened rocks,tumbling on the cliff side below her.
Kya glanced up to make sure none of the loose rocks had tumbled her way but was safe,remaining boulders tumbling in the way of gravity over the edge of the steeper side. After the tumbling stopped it was silent until she thought she heard a much softer sound a quiet grunt. An almost human like sound.
She stood from her crouch at the river side and brushed pine needles from her knees,walking cautiously over to the cliff edge,in a constant stare towards the rocks at towards the top of the cliff from which the loose rocks fell. Again,she heard a grunt this time louder and closer to her.
Tearing her eyes from the boulders for just a moment she gasped in surprise and a small sense of fear flashed through her before the adrenaline rushes in to rescue her action.
A man by the looks of it her age or a bit younger clung to the steep side of the cliff,arms shaking at the effort of supporting his full weight on them only whilst attempting to climb back up the impossible incline to safety.
"Hey!" She called not wanting to startle him but wanting to let him know she was there to help. He looked up and his mouth opened a little like he wanted to say something but didn't want to waste any energy. "Don't worry I have some rope in my bag just hold on." She advised tearing off her pack and shifting through the contents hastily.
Kya found the bundle and fastened a knot with a harness that looked big enough to fit his proportions. It dropped just above him and he closed his eyes in focus for a bit then opened them,blue eyes focusing intensely. He let go of the rocks with one hand and grabbed for the rope,pulling it over his head and dropping the other hand to his waist,fastening the makeshift harness,body against the rocks,arms shaking from the shock load they had just been asked to bear.
She quickly wrapped the rope around a tree and used it to help as a pulley to lift the man over the steep edge,boots sliding across the dirt towards the edge. Just when she thought she'd slid over as well his hand made it over the edge and he used the last bit of his strength to lift himself over the edge,where he laying breathing and shaking uncontrollably on the mountain floor.
Up close she could see him better. He was also very tan and had tan hair bleached so bad by the sun and long days spent in the sun that it was more of a golden blonde. He had kahki shorts on and a light blue t-shirt that if she could have seen his eyes,would have made the blue piercing. He was still shaking when she crouched below him already lifting his head up,water bottle ready to be forced through his lips if needed.
"Hey you okay?" She asked and he gasped for air nodding slowly,fuffly golden bouncing ruffled by the adventure. With his head lifted she gasped,a cut just above his eyebrow was open and gushing down the right side of his face,deep enough she knew he'd surely receive stitches.
"Th-an--k yo--u." He gasped breathing finally slowing shaking subsiding as well though his arms still felt like jelly.
"Yea yeah just,here."She responded quickly handing him the water. He took it gratefully and brought the rim to his lips,shaking so bad still he couldn't even get water through his pink chapped lips. She rested her hand on the bottom guiding his hand,steadying it mostly.
After his breathing had calmed and shaking had stopped to almost nonexistence he looked at her with his large earth blue eyes,one crusted around the edge from blood from his forehead.
"I'm Kayden." He said simply as if he had not just been in a life or death predicament only minutes ago.
"Kya." She returned a little taken aback by his upbeat attitude. "That cut on your head looks pretty bad. I've got a first aid kit in my pack. I can Patch it up here but it's going to need stitches." She advised shuffling through the pack.
"How can you tell?" He asked.
"I can. If you could see yourself you would too!" As if her words were a command he pulled out his iPhone and frowned.
"Screen's cracked." And shrugged looking at his head through the camera. "Gnarly." Kya looked at him as if he were the most absurd thing she had ever seen. He had almost just tumbled off a mountain side and he was worried about his phone being cracked?! He reminded her of a teenage boy though he didn't look the part,save the childish eyes.
"Hold still." She pulled out some gauze and held it to the open wound adding more and more as well as pressure until the bleeding slowed and wrapped his entire head in wrap to secure it as well as contain continuous pressure. He laughed and made some stupid comment about a mummy.
"What are you doing hiking out here all alone? It's dangerous." He wondered and she almost grimaced at the question.
"I was about to ask you the same thing." He shrugged.
"I like to be alone."
"Me too." She returned. "What happened?" Kya quizzed referring to the recent accident. Kayden shrugged and winced a little as he shifted his position on the ground.
"Well I was just hiking and taking pictures,I'm a photographer ya know? And I thought that if I could just stand on those rocks I could get a better shot of the river going down the side and I have a bum knee." He explained rubbing his left knee in thought,a black brace wrapped around it in support. "Snowboarding accident last week blew the kneecap right up,had to get surgery and all anyway, I was balancing and my knee gave out,like it does and I slipped. When I slipped I hit a rock and they all started to fall and I fell over the edge with them,one must've hit my head."
After his tale was over I just frowned.
"Really?"
"What?"
"You were hiking a week after surgery?!" She practically screamed.
"Yeah."as if anyone and everyone Would.
"You probably aren't even supposed to be off crutches yet." He shrugged at her assessment and rubbed the knee wincing as he went. "God bless your mothers pour soul." She muttered in disbelief.
"Don't have one,but I guess we could bless her anyway." Kayden answered and a light inside her clicked on;he didn't have a mother either.
"Me either." She responded and he grinned boyishly showing two perfect sets of strait white teeth.
"Well nice to meet you,thanks for saving my life and all." He said casually shifting his weight in the rocks and standing awakrdly weight completely off his knee.
"What do you think you're doing?" Kyla demanded her inner mamma bear park ranger lady kicking in.
"I've got a hike to finish." He responded limping forward. Kya watched him for about a second before scowling and staring after him,grabbing his well built arm.
"I don't think so."
"I've still got to take some more pictures." He explained shaking his camera.
"Not with that head,buddy you'll bleed out by the time we reach the top you need to come down. Besides we need to have your knee looked at you could have hurt it more in the fall."
"Money doesn't grow on trees. Taking pictures is my job."
"We can take some on the way down,I'm a park ranger trust me,I know where to find re prettiest sights even on the decline." She offered and he thought for a moment nodding.
"Cool,okay. Guess I'll just come back next week." She gave him a glare after the last comment as he pivoted on his good leg starting back the way she had come. He had a heavy limp and moved a bit slower than she normally would but refused any help. For some reason she felt very protective over him.
For the next half hour they just talked,about them and their lives and Kya found they had a lot in common. Kayden was an adventurist from Colorado who had traveled not only the country but the world,taking pictures that were so breath taking she couldn't even imagine being in the places so vibrant. Tropical places with beautiful women and icy places with snowy crests of monumental glory. He was only twenty four but he had seen it all it seemed.
In fact,Kayden could speak four different languages and although he acts like a five year old had knowledge way beyond his years. He liked to surf and do just about anything outside like kya,though she'd much prefer the mountains to any beach getaway.
They were so into talking about their adventures Kya let her guard down and when they were just barely past the halfway point, Kayden's knee gave out again on a steeper portion of the decline and he fumbled forward down the strep sort of rocks rolling until he hit the base of a tree stopping the tumble.
The young dark headed woman yelped and ran towards him as fast as she could without falling herself towards him. When she approached him she knelt sitting him up. He had a stupid grin on his face,head leaning against the tree.
"Well that's one way to make good time on the way down."
"Kayden!" She scolded looking him over. "This is very serious,you could have died!" He was staring to bleed through the gauze to make things even worse. He shrugged.
"Nah."
"Well at least let me help you down the rest of the way,can you walk?"
"Yeah I'll be fine." He grinned already starting to stand. She rested her hand beneath his bicep to help him up and could feel him flex at her touch. What a boy Kya thought annoyed.
When he was standing She could feel him wince a little almost falling back down the Mountian side though her weight was supporting his.
"You sure?" She confirmed and he chuckled.
"Yes mom." But behind their boyish earth blue eyes was pain;he needed to get down that mountain. After the fall the progress was even slower and though he insisted on supporting his own weight she practically dragged him down the rest of the way with two rest stops.
Upon the arrival of the bottom of the trail,she helped him into the passenger side of her jeep and made the hour trip back to the hospital,blood had already soaked through his gauze the dark red rose blooming on the pure white pad like patch.
She helped him into the emergency room where he was taken into and apparently he was a frequent,many of the nurses knew him by name. They re-imprisoned him with the crutches and restitched the open sutures in his knee and added new ones to his head. He also had a minor concussion and bruised ribs. Regardless he acted of course as if nothing happened.
He hopped off the table in attempt to leave when She gave him the dirtiest glare she could, handing him the crutches sassily. He smiled sarcastically and snatched the crutches using them to the Rest of the way to her car.
"So now we go back and get my truck."
"Yeah." Kya responded almost a little sad to be leaving him already.
"Sweetness. Let's stop for burgers and shakes on the way yes?" He smirked and she looked over at him with a playfully offended look. "My treat." He pulled out his wallet. She smiled