The Sharp Tooth River had flooded over from the recent downpours. White rapids whipped and rushed wildly. Jagged rocks peaked out the surface, forever being pounded by roaring currents. A big pappo tree had been washed away and lodged between the large rocks. The Ibex mo’huran stood on a patch of boulders overlooking the wide river, debating on how they should cross.

The Sharp Tooth was a daughter branch of its mother the Hungry River, which is said to be the widest, longest, and most dangerous of the river spirits. Looking now upon the tumultuous gushing force of the Sharp Tooth, Yuliko could hardly imagine what the Hungry River must be like.

The river ran from east to west. Pykor thought they would likely find better passage traveling upstream to the east. But Faydayo thought that might bring them too close to the Razor Boars. But the farther downstream they went the more chaotic the rapids got. And from their vantage point on the boulders they could see that the Sharp Tooth would eventually flow downward into a steep ravine that they wanted to avoid. Zana suggested that they build rafts to carry their belongings and they try to swim. But the narrowest point between the banks had still been too risky of a swim for any of their liking.

That pretty much left hopping across the rocks and walking across the stuck pappo log.

“How do we know that log can even support us?” Minty asked, staring at the roaring river wide-eyed.

“We don’t,” Faydayo said. “One of us shall have to risk the first crossing and test the log’s strength.”

Silence fell upon the group. They all knew that if the log was not secure, or the rocks too slippery, then the person crossing would be devoured by the Sharp Tooth.

Then Kardan pounded his fist to his chest. “I will make the first crossing,” he said.

“Kardan, no!” Yuliko yelped.

“One of us has too,” he said. “Might as well be me.”

Faydayo nodded. “Might as well.”

“Are we sure about this, guys?” Minty said.

“We’re on an adventure,” Faydayo said. “This is adventuring.”

Kardan slid his spear pole into his backframe to free up his hands. Then he climbed down from the boulders to an overhanging rock that he could use as a jumping point to the first jagged stone poking out the water. He would have to jump to one more boulder, then jump to the pappo log, and from the log he could jump to the opposite bank.

“If you fall in, swim like you are a baby bird pushed from the nest and must fly,” Pykor told him, fluttering his hands in imitation of bird wings.

Kardan took several deep breaths staring at his destination rock, analyzing the jump, swinging his body slightly in a sprinting stance. Then he dashed and lept, flew over the rapids and slapped into the jagged stepping stone, gripping onto its sides for dear life. After a moment he was able to scramble himself up to standing position. “I’m good!” he shouted.

He had one more stone to go, but it was an easier jump with a wider surface to land on. Kardan made the next leap, landing on his feet, but struggling for balance, waving his arms wildly. “Woah! Woah!” he shouted. Yuliko nearly choked on her heart heaving into her throat. But quickly enough Kardan steadied himself. “I’m good,” he shouted.

Following that, he lept and grabbed onto the branches of the lodged tree and pulled himself onto the trunk. With his arms outstretched he began walking across the log like it were a balancing beam on a yanni course. Very cautiously, he placed one foot in front of the other until he made his way across. Then he made a final leap and rolled onto the grassy shore on the other side of the river. Kardan stood and raised his hands in success, shouting something Yuliko couldn’t hear over the rush of the river.

Next, Zana volunteered. Having had the advantage of watching Kardan make the crossing first, she was able to leap her way over the rocks and walk across the beam like it was just practice for her. Then came Pykor, who also performed the crossing well.

Then it was Krissa’s turn. She lacked the athletic prowess of the others, so Faydayo said he would be right behind her if anything happens. Krissa had to be nudged out of her kneeling position, where she had been asking the river spirit to bless their crossing. She sized up the leap to the first stone, the hardest jump, and took a deep breath. Then she ran and lept, crashing hard, but managing to hold on. She made it to the next stone too, then Faydayo was behind her on the first rock. Krissa jumped and grabbed hold of the pappo branches then climbed up onto the log. Faydayo watched from the second stone.

Though, as Krissa made her way across the beam she slipped and slapped her body down on the pappo trunk, nearly sliding over the edge, but she gripped the bark and stopped herself from dropping into the water. She now lay face down, spread eagle, clung to the center of the trunk. “I . . . I can’t move!” she yelled.

“Yes, you can,” Faydayo told her. “You have to.”

“It’s too slippery!” Krissa shouted back.

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“Just crawl the rest of the way,” Faydayo said.

Krissa shook her head. “I can’t move!”

Yuliko and Minty, the last two still on the south bank, watched the shouting between the two of them, their voices muffled by rapids churning. Though Yuliko could imagine the rattling of Krissa’s beaded hair as her head shook.

“I’m coming to you!” Faydayo shouted.

Faydayo climbed up on top of the pappo log, and very cautiously he inched his way along, being mindful that the additional weight could upset the trunk’s lodging. He got behind Krissa and reached out to touch her. Yuliko could not hear what he said to her, but after a short while Krissa finally had the nerve to continue by crawling. Once she got to the edge of the trunk though, she had to stand up to make the final jump. But with encouragement from Faydayo right behind her she was able to successfully leap to the bank. And Faydayo joined the others on the north bank right after.

Now it was Minty’s turn. The girl was pale white and her eyes as wide as dinner bowls.

“Do you think Krissa got the appropriate blessings from the river spirit?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” Yuliko said. “Krissa made it across just fine. And so did all the others.”

“I don’t know if I can do this, Yuliko,” Minty said.

“Yes you can,” she assured her. “I’ll be right behind you, like Faydayo did for Krissa, okay?”

“But if I fall—”

“You won’t fall,” Yuliko said. “Get that out of your head. Only think about making those jumps, alright?”

Minty nodded, looking no more certain. “Is my medicine bag secure enough?” She turned around so Yuliko could check her backframe. The healer’s toadskin bag had been fastened in place firmly by several leather straps.

“Yes, your bag is good,” Yuliko said. “Remember, the first jump is the hardest. After that it will all be easy.”

Yuliko also made sure her own possessions were safely packed. Her feathered headband from her mother, and the heart token from Kardan were in her bag. Her antler pick from her father and her ritual blade were both sheathed in place on her belt. She also slid her spear into her backside.

Minty took her position on the bank facing the first jagged stone. She looked remarkably small with her medicine bag and spear attached to her backframe. Then, with more speed than it seemed she would have with all the weight on her back, Minty lept. In fact, she nearly had gone too far, but she caught the sides of the rock and managed to hold on.

“Hyah! You did it!” Yuliko shouted. “Just a couple more to go.”

Minty made it to the next rock as well, with better judgment of her leap, and Yuliko followed behind. Next Minty jumped to the branches of the fallen pappo and climbed to the top of the trunk.

However, once she stood up the big brown trunk rolled slightly, sending Minty landing hard on her bottom and nearly rolling into the water, but she latched onto a branch.

Thankfully, the pappo had only lurched, and was no longer moving. The extra weight from Faydayo and Krissa crossing together must have upset the balance of the log.

“Great Spirits!” Minty cried. “What do I do, Yuliko?”

“Crawl across. Go very slowly, or it could roll again,” she said.

“I’m so scared,” Minty said.

“It’s okay,” Yuliko told her. “Just think about your next inch forward. Don’t worry about the rest.”

Minty maneuvered into a crawling position, as she did so the log rolled slightly again, but once she was lying flat the log was still. Then, just as Yuliko said, she moved her way across inch by inch.

“You’re doing great!” Yuliko shouted to her friend.

Just over halfway across the trunk, Minty again felt the log shifting and rolling. “Oh, no! Oh, no!” she called. She suddenly shifted all her weight in the opposite direction of the log’s tilt, and she momentarily counter-acted the movement. However, she was stuck in a very precarious position. If she moved at all the log would roll. “This is bad! The spirits didn’t bless my crossing!”

“Yes they did! You’ll be fine,” Yuliko shouted from her rock, trying to mask her own terror. “Minty, listen, you’re going to have to stand up and move fast, then just leap for the bank. The others will catch you.”

“I can’t do that!” Minty yelled.

“You can. You’ll need to go quick before the log rolls, okay?”

“No, I can’t,” the petrified girl said, blue waves with white crests crashing beneath her.

Yuliko saw the others watching helplessly on the other end of the bank, shouting muffled encouragement to Minty.

“I’m right behind you,” Yuliko assured her.

“If the log dislodges then how will you get across?” Minty shouted.

“I’ll be fine. You just have to go first,” Yuliko said.

“Okay . . .” Minty said, then she slowly started moving herself up. When she had the flats of both feet on the trunk the log began to roll again.

“Go, Minty! Go!” Yuliko shouted.

The small girl bolted across the log as the water currents tilted the surface, trying to force the big log free. She reached the end and leaped, splashing into the waters by the bank, and thankfully Kardan and Zana were right there to pull her out.

But the movement from her jump had fully loosened the pappo trunk with Yuliko still standing on the stepping stone. Without a moment to spare, Yuliko jumped for the pappo branches and heaved herself up onto the trunk. An instant later the pappo became free of one of the rocks that held it in place, and began spinning long-wise in the water with Yuliko on top. All the others were shouting at her, but Yuliko could only hear water. Yuliko realized she’d only have a brief second as the trunk spun with the current to make her leap, otherwise she’d be carried off and crash into the ravine.

Crouched on the end of the log spinning round, Yuliko held her breath, and focused only on the jump in front of her. When the moment was right, just as her end of the log swung towards the bank, Yuliko jumped with all her might.

She landed in the cold water. Completely submerged. She was sure she was being dragged along by the current to her death. But then something caught her hand. And the next moment she was being jerked out of the water onto a grassy bed.

She gasped for breath. Faydayo lay next to her, also dripping wet. He smiled wide and patted her on the back.

“By Maw’Goro’s ashes, that was adventuring,” Faydayo said, then added, “Totem-Loser.”