The next morning everyone was greeted by the smell of the hearty breakfast Em'brel woke up extra early to prepare in anticipation of an early departure. When several workers started to clean the mess from the night before, she told them not to worry about it. "I'm going to have nothing to do other than listen to Angela's lectures for the next several days. Having a mess or two to clean up will be a welcome distraction. You worry about getting out there and doing what needs to be done. I'll take care of the house."

As everyone finished dressing for the cold, Em'brel came up and gave Jack a hug that might have left a new bruise or two. "You take care out there! Don't get yourself hurt being a hero. Let S'haar do her job and keep you safe. If it comes down to it, you can even hide behind Lon'thul! Do what you need to do to come back, and don't let your pride get in the way! I expect you to be around to give me human advice for many years to come!"

Lon'thul grinned, happy to hear Em'brel mention his name no matter the circumstance. "Don't worry about a thing! Jack'll be back safe and sound before you know it! I'll stake my honor as a hunter on it!"

Em'brel favored him with a smile before returning her attention to Jack, who was grinning as well. "I'll be careful. I think I've had enough of being the hero for two lifetimes already. Honestly, I'm hoping S'haar was right, and I'm dead weight this time around. With luck, it'll just be a nice peaceful walk with good company and beautiful scenery, followed by a relaxing stay at an inn where I sit back and relax while they do all the heavy lifting!"

A familiar AI voice cut into Jack's description. "Absolutely not! You are not to slack off in your physical therapy simply because you're not on the ship anymore! I expect you to be out there helping in whatever way you can, even if your contributions seem negligible compared to the rest. If you're not bone-tired at the end of every day, you weren't working hard enough!"

Jack backed up with his palms held up in surrender. "Ok, ok, no relaxing vacation for me! I promise to push myself as hard as I can!"

Angela's image followed her voice, her fists planted firmly into her hips as she stared down her younger brother. "You better! Or I'll tell S'haar about a particular event involving a girl, a date, and an unexpected revelation!"

Jack looked genuinely frightened this time. "I already promised I'd be good. No need to threaten me!"

Everyone present seemed interested in knowing more, but when neither party seemed forthcoming, Em'brel moved on to hug S'haar. "Keep an eye on our human idiot. You know he's going to find some way to get into trouble while he's out."

S'haar hugged the girl back and laughed. "He'll probably find several ways to get into trouble, but I'll do my best to keep him in one piece despite his best efforts. Even if I have to use Lon'thul as a living shield!"

Lon'thul was pulling at one of his head tendrils with a look of mild concern. Leaning over to Jack, he whispered, "I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't be worried about my own safety while we're out. They both seem rather intent in using me as a distraction if things go bad."

Jack leaned in and whispered back. He knew Lon'thul wouldn't understand his words but hoped he'd catch the commiserative tone. "At least they're talking about you like a person. At the moment, I feel like they see me as some kind of lost, helpless pet."

As the hug ended, S'haar looked over at the two men with a raised eye ridge. "What are you two whispering about over there?"

Lon'thul and Jack straightened up and spoke simultaneously. "Nothing!"

S'haar grinned as though she knew better. "Good, see to it that it remains 'nothing,' I've got enough to worry about on this trip without you two working together to make my job harder!"

The rest of the workers present shared a chuckle at the men's expense. The stress and worry of the trip seemed to fade slightly in the light of the farewell antics. If they were confident enough to joke around like this, maybe everything would be fine.

Eventually, everyone was prepped and ready to go. Em'brel stole one final hug from Jack before watching everyone leave. It was only after they had walked far enough out that they had become simple shapes moving in the distance of the cave that her smile faltered, and she turned and walked back into the ship.

She allowed herself a moment of melancholy as she leaned against the now-closed door with her eyes closed. A few minutes later, she took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and smiled a little as she looked at the mess everyone had left after breakfast.

With a half-hearted sigh, she stripped off the coat she'd put on for the chill of the cave and walked toward the mess. She intended to direct the frustrations of being left behind onto the dirty dishes' grease and grime.

-

The first leg of the journey was slow going. Once everyone hit the snow and put on the skis, it took a while for them to figure out how to get the traction needed for moving forward. With a bit of trial and error and several laughs at the expense of each other, they were finally on their way.

They traveled in silence, looking around at a world stilled by snow. Jack was quiet because this was the first time he'd seen the alien world so serene and peaceful. The argu'n were quiet because this was the first time they'd bothered to spare more than a glance at the snow-covered landscape. Usually, once it snowed, it was too cold for them to do more than spare the briefest of moments outside, and even then, their minds were usually somewhat sluggish due to the cold. But with coats, gloves, boots, and caps, the cold was held just far enough at bay that they could look around and appreciate the beauty of the winter landscape.

Jack was traveling beside S'haar. When she finally spoke, it was with a quietly subdued voice, as though she was afraid that speaking too loudly would shatter the atmosphere around them. "It's like we're in an entirely different land!"

Jack nodded, comfortable with the fact that no one but S'haar would understand him at the moment. "Yeah, this is almost what it's like to fly between worlds, seeing all the different paths life has taken on each of them."

Tilting his head to the side, Jack continued. "There was one world where plants never evolved, at least not like you and I understand the word. Instead, the closest analogies are a kind of plant/animal hybrid. The smaller ones hid at night, then walked out to warm themselves in the light of day. The larger ones just slowly migrated with the shifting weather of the planet. The whole planet is a bit like a bog, so deep roots weren't necessary for finding water. The entire ecosystem of the world is balanced around these walking plants. It's hard to keep a sense of direction with the whole landscape shifting from one day to the next."

S'haar looked at Jack, wondering if he was having some fun at her expense, but his expression remained earnest as he spoke. Finally, she decided he must be telling the truth, which just made the whole thing seem all the more strange to her. She'd known he'd been to places she could never dream of. Once, he and Angela had shown her what her own world looked like from up in the night sky. The world had seemed so small and lonely that her mind refused to accept what she'd seen. In some ways, this story of walking forests was easier to accept. In others, it just sounded a bit like the priests of her village talking about some land of the gods.

Jack took in the silence for a moment and grinned at S'haar. "You know, maybe one day I'll get to take you out there and show you a world or two!"

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He scratched at the back of his neck a little as he thought about that. "Though I suppose it'll be a while, what with needing to fix the ship and you being in charge of the camp now. Maybe after you retire from the position..."

With a lurch, that thought brought to mind the fact that Jack could very well be dead of old age before that became a reality. When he spoke up, Jack seemed to be thinking along those lines as well. "So ever since the other night, I've been wondering, how old are you anyway?"

S'haar laughed a little sadly but shook her head and answered as best she could. "Well, to be honest, I haven't kept an exact count over the years, but my best guess would place me somewhere around forty-five to fifty winters."

Jack looked at her with a bit of surprise evident on his face. "Huh, and here I always thought you were a bit younger than myself. Though I suppose taking our relative lifespans into account, I'm still kinda older than you... Honestly, it's all a bit confusing."

S'haar looked at him with a bit of a wicked glint in her eyes. "What's the matter? Would you prefer to share your bed with some innocent young thing instead of a woman with experience?"

Jack laughed loud enough that he shattered the winter forest's spell and startled the workers traveling with them. Catching his breath, he waved her attempt at baiting him away. "Oh please, you already know my opinion on that subject! But, for the sake of clarity, You're the only one I'm interested in. 'Some innocent young thing' could never be anywhere near as interesting a partner as yourself!"

S'haar weighed his words and nodded in approval. "Good, now that I don't have a 'climate-controlled' room, I'd hate to have to give up my bed warmer just to punish him for being an idiot."

The rest of the workers only had half the conversation near the end to go off, but based on Jack's renewed laughter, they'd missed out on something good.

-

As the sun neared the horizon, S'haar called a halt so they could set up a temporary camp and get warmed up. They weren't making as much progress as she'd hoped. The heavy loads they were hauling forced them to break often, and it was looking like they'd have to spend at least one night between the village and the mountain.

When Lonthul protested that they should keep moving, S'haar addressed him calmly but firmly. "What good will you do anyone if we get there a day earlier but have to spend several days being treated for illness or injury that could have been easily avoided? We'll spend the night drying our gear while getting warmed and fed, then we'll resume our journey.

Working together, it didn't take the argu'n long to set up one of the larger tents they'd brought. Meanwhile, Jack worked on his own project.

He jammed a sharp metal pole into the snow-covered ground. Frowning a little at how shallow he'd driven the rod before giving it another go, this time it stuck. Unfolding a small box, Jack flipped a few switches and waited while the device calibrated itself. After a moment, Jack's headset came to life, and Angela's familiar voice made itself heard. "Took you long enough! Were there any issues or complications so far? Have you put yourself in mortal danger yet? What's going on?"

Jack chuckled a little to himself before activating the headset and responding. "We're all fine, no complications worth speaking of. You know you don't have to ask, right? If there had been an issue, I'd have brought it up on my own."

Angela snorted. "Uh-huh. Like I'd buy that. We both know you've hidden important things from me in the past to 'keep me from worrying'! Luckily you can't lie to save your life, so I believe you...this time."

Jack shook his head. He thought about pointing out that not everyone can analyze someone's vocal patterns for even the tiniest abnormal inflections but decided to forgo the argument altogether. "Is Em'brel there? Can you put her on a moment?"

With a sigh indicating disappointment that her argument was over before it had begun, Angela relented. "Yeah, just a moment."

There were some scraping and staticky sounds as Em'brel put on her own headset. "Yes, Jack, are you there? Are you in trouble already?"

Jack shook his head again, this time holding a hand just over his eyes as he did so. "Why does everyone assume I'm going to get into trouble as soon as I set foot outside the cave? I'm fine! I was just calling to check in and see how you and Angela are getting along."

Em'brel's voice came back a little sheepish. "Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I'm fine...and Angela's fine too."

Jack raised an eyebrow even though he knew no one would see the gesture. "You paused there. Let me guess, she's been pacing ever since we left?"

Em'brel hesitated again. "Ummm...."

That was all the answer Jack needed. "See? I told you. She's going to need your help as much as you'll need hers."

Angela's voice cut in. "You know I can hear you both, right?"

Jack ignored her and continued as though she hadn't spoken. "Listen, do both of yourselves a favor. After you've finished your lessons for the day, ask Angela to show you something called a 'video game.' Trust me, it's just what both of you need to take your minds off of us for a bit."

Em'brel's voice sounded as if she was confused but didn't want to question Jack's wisdom. "O...ok..."

Jack sighed. "Listen, whether or not something does go wrong, worrying about it right now won't do any good. You worry about problems when planning to prevent them and again when dealing with them after they've arisen. But there's a point between planning and action when worrying only takes an unnecessary toll on you. We're at that point right now, so take this time to rest and recuperate so that if something does go wrong, you'll be fresh and ready to deal with it."

S'haar was standing nearby, waiting to make sure Jack got some food in him rather than spending the whole night talking. Listening to what he was saying, she cocked her head to one side. "Hmmm, that sounds suspiciously like something I told you a lifetime or two ago."

Jack shrugged. "So what? Good advice is worth sharing!"

S'haar walked over and leaned in so she could speak into Jack's mouthpiece. Resulting in her lips being tantalizingly close to Jack's. "Ladies, you're going to have to let Jack go, or he'll never eat his dinner. I'll keep an eye on him, and we'll call you back when we're settled in for the night."

Angela laughed. "Fair enough! Talk to you later!"

Em'brel spoke up not long after, her voice more of a question than a statement. "Ok...over...end of message? Did I say that right?" That last part seemed directed more at Angela than Jack.

Jack chuckled to himself and answered anyway. "Yes, you said it right. Over, end of message!"

As the line went dead, Jack removed his headset with a sad smile. He also lifted the signal booster and packed it back away. The time might come where they could place many of these around to extend Angela's range even further, but for now, the raw materials needed to make them were rare enough to limit them to just the one. So he had to bring it with him wherever he went.

S'haar seemed amused as they walked back to the tent to join the others. "So, how are our girls? Are they in a panic yet?"

Jack shook his head. "Nah, they'll be fine. I think they're both just what the other needed. In helping each other deal with their anxiety, they'll probably forget about their own problems."

S'haar arched her own eyebrow. "Oh, and what makes you such an expert with women?"

Jack laughed. "Not women, anxiety. You live with it long enough, and it becomes like a roommate, complete with personality quirks that make no sense. One of those quirks is that it's often easier to help someone else deal with their anxiety than to deal with your own."

S'haar placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, wondering if Jack was even aware he'd been doing just that during his call. "You don't say..."

As they approached the tent, Lon'thul's loud voice called out to them both. "Food's ready! You better get in here and get some of Em'brel's leftover stew while there's some left, or you'll be stuck with dried meat and grains for lunch!"

The moment broken, S'haar shouted back toward the tent. "Oh, there better be some stew left when we get in there, or else I know one hunter who's going to be cleaning the latrines and dishes for the whole expedition!"

Turns out, their fears were unfounded. Lon'thul was waiting for them with a mischievous grin and two extra-large bowls filled with steaming stew when they walked in. S'haar accepted her bowl with an exasperated sigh and a shake of her head. Jack took his with a laugh.