“So, how are we doing this?” Amanda asked. She eyed Cat carefully, checking that her friend was still alright.

Cat was obviously sweating. She was watching for Kass to return and didn’t even look at Amanda when she asked her question. Amanda tried to see if her wound looked like it was bleeding but it was hard to tell given Cat’s dark clothing.

“How’s your wound?” Amanda finally asked.

Cat looked down at Amanda then with tired eyes. She shifted to look at the wound in her side and made an attempt to peel away the clothing. She stopped before getting very far, as the clothing was obviously starting to stick to her skin.

“Well I think it’s starting to clot at least. The blood seems to be drying.”

“That’s good,” Amanda replied. She turned to study the wall. “I think I can get up this bit with three good limbs.”

Cat turned to look at her, eyes narrowed, trying to see if Amanda was being serious or not.

Amanda met her eyes.

Cat turned to look back up at the wall and then back at Amanda again, still not sure. But she was also not sure how best to get Amanda up there otherwise. She frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Seeing the rope come tumbling down from the top again Amanda decided it was better now than later and pulled herself to her feet, putting no weight on her bad leg. It throbbed heavily and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to climb for long before she risked passing out. Best to move fast.

Cat seeing Amanda getting to her feet quickly got to her own two feet and offered a shoulder. Being a lot taller than Amanda, she had to bend over somewhat in order to do this.

Amanda took it happily and together they hobbled over to the wall.

“Are you sure about this?” Cat asked.

Amanda nodded. “We’ll do what you and Indi did.” She smiled and then as an afterthought added, “well maybe not exactly what you guys did.”

Cat didn’t even crack a smile.

Amanda didn’t waste any time. She got a good hold on the rock with both hands and pulled herself up. Truth be told, once she’d put the weight on her arms she knew she wasn’t going to be able to do it. But Cat got under her and helped her for that bit. Then she was standing on a ledge three feet up the wall. The boost changed her mind again and she reached up for the next hold with a smile.

But as she started to pull she knew she needed to get her good foot up higher first. She thought she could, and just for a second, just to help, she put weight on her bad leg so she could move her good leg over. But the moment she did, a sharp pain shot all the way up her limb and it took everything she had to not cry out.

In a burst of anger at herself she jumped with her good foot for a higher hold that would help. She missed.

With a gasp she slipped and fell all the way down.

Cat was there, ready to catch her and she did so, pulling Amanda over towards her good side. The force of her fall knocked them both backwards however, and Cat had to twist them both sideways lest she fall on her tailbone.

They lay there for a moment both panting, neither one more injured than they had been before. But both with hearts beating fast.

“Sorry,” Amanda gasped.

“Maybe we need to rethink this plan.” Cat replied catching sight of Kass’s worried expression watching from above.

“Maybe you need to come back with a longer rope,” Amanda replied.

Cat was silent for a moment and Amanda wondered if she was thinking the idea over.

But then Cat stood up and climbed around to the front of Amanda. She took off the backpack and then knelt down with her back to Amanda. “Get on,” she commanded.

When Amanda hesitated Cat turned to her and asked in a serious voice, “Do you think you can hold on long enough for us to get up to the rope?”

Once again Amanda didn’t immediately answer. Cat frowned and looked up toward the top of the wall, as if trying to think of another solution.

“I can,” Amanda decided finally.

Cat turned back to her, eyes studying her. Cat had never been able to pick if Amanda was lying or not though so the exercise was useless.

“That was a serious question,” Cat emphasized, asking for one final confirmation and reminding Amanda that the consequences wouldn’t be pleasant if she did happen to pass out or let go part way up.

Amanda nodded. “You gonna be fine?” she asked in return with a glance at Cat’s wounded side.

Cat looked up at the wall again, perhaps an attempt to avoid Amanda being able to read her own expression or perhaps to judge once more the journey she had ahead of her. “Easy peasy,” she replied with a slight smirk. Then she gave Amanda an expectant look.

Amanda took a breath and wrapped her arms around Cat’s neck. She managed to avoid putting any weight on her bad leg while Cat got to her feet, helping Amanda to get into a piggy back position.

“If it’s too much we can always think of another way okay,” Amanda told her.

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Cat didn’t answer, too focused on the task as hand now. She picked up the bag in one hand, thought things over for a moment and then put it back down again deciding it would be easier to come back for it later. She made her way over to the wall, shifted Amanda’s weight on her back then glanced back and asked, “Holding on?”

“Ready,” Amanda replied with a nod.

Cat started to climb.

She didn’t race but the pace was consistent and quick. She decided the less time she spent hanging around the less likely she was to get tired. Even with Amanda on her back her motions were fluid.

Amanda on the other hand was finding just holding on was starting to tire her out fast. Seeing they still had over half way to go to the rope and she was already starting to see spots at the edge of her vision she closed her eyes and tried to lock her arms in such a way that at least if she passed out it would take a few seconds for her to slip from Cat’s back. Not that there was much Cat could likely do about it if she did. She focused on how Cat felt beneath her, the texture of her clothes, the movement of her shoulder muscles, the pace of her own breathing, anything that would ground her senses and keep her with it.

Cat must have noticed because she asked, “you good?” in a concerned voice without even taking a break in her climbing. If anything she seemed to speed up slightly.

“Just climb,” Amanda whispered knowing her voice sounded strained.

Cat did just that.

Amanda kept her eyes closed the whole way.

When Cat got level with the end of the rope she paused, having not planned this bit out. She wasn’t really one for planning, preferring to trust her gut instincts in the moment. Whenever she planned things out somehow events always turned out differently anyway. Now she was temporarily rethinking that method.

“Can you get yourself on the wall?” Cat asked Amanda. “If I lean sideways.”

Amanda opened her eyes and found her vision had improved. “Yup,” was all she had the energy for and she put enough effort into it that Cat wouldn’t question her certainty.

Cat twisted so Amanda was closer to the wall.

There wasn’t much in the way of feet, just enough for balance. Most of her weight would be on her arms, but Amanda knew she wouldn’t have to hold on long and with her life depending on it she knew she could manage just that, as long as she didn’t pass out. On the other hand the rope was there right in front of her. Grabbing it was out of the question, holding on to the rock here would be easier but perhaps if she did the knot. She was faster at that than Cat. It would require Cat to hold her on her back a little longer though and Amanda knew she must be tired. Knowing time was of the essence Amanda performed this evaluation of options in a matter of milliseconds. Cat had only just turned her side to the wall when Amanda, while already reaching for the rope with one hand asked, “can you hold on a little longer if try a knot first?”

“Go for it,” Cat replied quickly giving Amanda the impression that either option was fine as long as it was fast.

It took Amanda only a few seconds to single-handedly tie a variation on a bowline, forming two loops, one for her legs and one for around her chest. Getting into it was a little more difficult.

“Can you go up a little?” Amanda asked.

Cat gave a snort but did as she was asked.

Moments later Amanda was seated in the completely uncomfortable makeshift harness, leaning tiredly against the wall with her good side. “Now what?” she asked,.

“Now I go up and pull,” Cat replied looking up the rest of the face. She had been in close to the wall with all her weight resting on her feet. Now she reached up, grabbed a new hold, leaned back and pulled herself up.

If Amanda had had any energy left at all that wasn’t being used to hold herself upright, she would have chided Cat for relying on her arms too much and not saving energy by using her legs more. It was a mistake often made by male climbers and anyone who, like Cat, actually had a decent amount of upper body strength.

Amanda was too tired to even be relieved when she saw Cat finally scramble over the upper edge. She had expected Cat to rest when she got to the top but almost immediately and without warning the rope she was sitting in started moving upward.

With one leg it was difficult to keep balanced and all Amanda could really do was try to avoid catching on anything as she was pulled up. She knew she’d have a few scratches from the rocks in the morning. That didn’t bother her though. The bigger issue was avoiding the occasional patch of blue mushrooms. She narrowly missed one group but luckily they weren’t spread out and mostly grew in sporadic but compact clusters out of narrow cracks.

She was almost at the steep edge and she winced and the prospect of being dragged over what looked like a hard to avoid sharp edge when Cat’s face appeared and reached down to pull her up the rest of the way. Amanda wondered who was holding the rope. She didn’t think Kass would have been able to manage it but as Cat pulled her over the edge she realised that Kass was using her powers, not to pull the rope, which would have been harder for her given the amount of control needed, but to simply hold the rope down in place.

They all sat in silence in that cramped space at the top of the cliff for a few minutes, everyone breathless until eventually Indi yelled through from the tunnel. “Is everyone up yet? What’s happening?”

“Yeah, everyone’s up,” Cat yelled back. “Give us a minute.” but it was a reminder that they did need to keep moving.

There was just enough room for them all in the little alcove. Cat sat with her feet half down into the tunnel leading out. She got on to her hands and knees and crawled forward to look back down over the edge.

“I left your bag at the bottom,” Cat told Kass. “I can...”

She was about to say ‘go and get it,’ but Kass interrupted with, “don’t worry about it,” and a shake of her head.

“Except that’s got the sunscreen in it,” Amanda reminded them.

The other two groaned almost in unison.

Kass peered over the edge. “Hang on.” She held up a hand to stop Cat from starting a down climb.

There was a loud crash as the bag went careening into the ceiling.

“Well it’s good thing you didn’t bring any breakables,” Cat drawled dryly.

“What was that?” Indi called from through the tunnel in a worried voice.

“Don’t worry,” Amanda called back. “We’re just getting Kass’s bag. The call exhausted her, and she lay her head back against the rock. She had no energy to help right now.

“I think it might be easier if I climb down and get it,” Cat remarked after Kass’s third attempt. “How are you even going to pull it over here? You’d bash one of us in the face.”

Kass gave a frustrated sigh as Cat made her way out over the edge. She opened her mouth to object but Cat got in first again.

“And don’t even attempt that while I’m on the wall,” she told her. Cat then looked over in Amanda’s direction, who had briefly opened her eyes and was looking like she wanted to object as well.

“I’m fine. You look like shit,” Cat told her before Amanda could get a word out either. “When I get back up here, you’re gonna eat some more food. This climb is cinch without a broken leg.” Cat added and she climbed hand over hand down the rope while Kass kept it still.

Kass watched her go. It was a pretty easy climb. If Amanda had been in working condition she was sure she’d have had no problems with it. Even Indi had managed to get up the wall pretty easily once she’d had the mental security of a rope.

Cat gave a shout as she leapt off the wall nearer the bottom and nearly stumbled.

“It’s alright,” Kass said with a glance in Amanda’s direction after noting the tired and worried look. “She’s just a little over-eager. She’s on her way back up now.”

Cat returned with a triumphant look on her face only moments later. For a second there she looked like she was almost enjoying the workout but as she sat, Kass noticed a twinge of pain in her expression that was quickly covered up again almost as fast as it had appeared.