By the time the sky turned grey again with early light, the trench was quiet
— save for the soft thud of stone against mud.
Ju Xian gritted her teeth as she wedged another flat rock into their
makeshift ladder. The trench wall was slippery, but their persistence had
carved a narrow path up the incline.
Taotao leaned against the side, pale and sweat-slicked, but more alert now.
His ankle throbbed with every move, but he didn't complain.
> "This is either going to work," he muttered, "or we both break something
new."
Ju Xian gave him a flat look. "If we die after surviving a snake and a trench,
I'll haunt you."
> "Fair enough."
She tested the first two footholds with her weight. They held. Carefully, she
climbed to the third, then the fourth, her hands gripping thorny vines as she
rose.
> "You're almost there!" Taotao called.
With one final push, she reached the edge and hauled herself onto solid
ground. She didn't waste a breath before turning around, her hand reaching
back down.
> "Your turn. Try not to fall. I'm not climbing in there again."
Taotao smirked, then limped toward the stacked stones. With Ju Xian's help,
and no shortage of grunts and curses, he managed to clamber halfway up.
His injured foot slipped once, but her grip held fast.
> "You better not let go," he growled through clenched teeth.
> "Then climb faster, you dead weight!"
Finally, with a groan and a scramble, he rolled over the edge beside her,
collapsing into the wet grass.
They lay side by side for a moment, breathing hard, faces tilted toward the
dull morning sky.
Ju Xian turned her head toward him.
> "You're heavier than you look."
> "You're stronger than you act."
They stared at each other for a beat—then looked away, both too proud to
smile.
The forest around them rustled with soft wind. The trench lay behind,
hidden again beneath the brush.
Ahead, only trees and the unknown.
Ju Xian stood, brushing dirt from her sleeves.
> "Let's move. They'll still be looking for us."
Taotao rose unsteadily, but with a new steadiness in his eyes. He glanced
back once at the trench—then followed her into the woods.
Together.