The rough stone on either side of the narrow mountain pass brushes against Mriha's shoulders as she leads her group downhill and south from ZAG-15's sheltering walls of metal and stone and glass. Behind her trail two tsabhua, their smaller frames fitting far more easily on the path.
Their goal today is simple; Mriha is to lead them into a nearby valley so that they can gather wildberries for examination and later to re-plant in the Colony's interior gardens. Jhenigi, though the salmon-coloured tsabhua cannot seem to stop fidgeting, had come along as one of the Colony's more experienced mountaineers. He was in possession of their navigation and comm equipment, strapped to a pale blue vest worn around his shoulders. Nestled into one of the pockets amongst the electronics is a small, furry white form; the huldah which the tsabhua had taken as a companion.
Behind Jhenigi, the native hunter Samoset twitches now and again at odd noises, ears constantly swivelling to track sounds around them—born and raised in Mireh, the mountains of Rekes must be as strange to him as they are to Mriha, who spent most of her life in the tark'ee's underground bunker. Mireh's skies were vast and open above rolling plains, but here in Rekes, the pale blue sky was intersected by jagged, rocky titans frosted with white snow as far as the eye can see. Not to mention the bits of broken stone and shards of crystalline bone which pepper the earth between thin grasses, making it that much harder to keep your footing.
He had come along as extra hands; Samoset was far more adept at identifying edible plants than either of them, even with Mriha's education. The lived experience of having to figure out what could be safely consumed and what would kill you, she admits to herself, is something of an advantage when it comes to the subject.
"How much further do we have to go?" She asks, once they're out of the cramped pass. She rolls her shoulders and inhales; they stand in the middle of a rekes tree forest, the air so thick with the scent of their needles and sap she can almost taste it. The heavy boughs of each tree are a deep, verdant green from the warmth of Geshem, and sway gently from side-to-side in a soft breeze.
Jhenigi startles a little, fumbles for the navigation device, and nearly drops it. "O-oh, um—let me see…" he presses a button and squints at the holographic display that appears, showing an aerial view of the surrounding area. Behind him, Samoset snorts, leaning in closer to take a look at it.
"Funny map," the native says, squinting. "I do not see the use. Where is the forest?"
The salmon-coloured tsabhua's fur fluffs up a little, clearly flustered by Samoset's proximity. "Um. Well. It's only the terrain, so the trees aren't marked here. But this is where we are now," Jhenigi points a finger at a glowing orange dot in the mostly blue projection, then scrolls up a ways along the line connecting it to their destination, "and that's where we're going. I'd say we've got about a kilometre left, Mriha."
Samoset settles back, though judging by the look on his face, she does not think the explanation has changed his opinion of it much.
They continue on, walking in a loose bunch through the forest, descending further as they go. As they drop in altitude, the trees around them grew taller and more lush, the undergrowth thicker, until they were passing through heavy brush that came up to the tsabhuas' shoulders.
"Almost there," Jhenigi calls…
…and then the tsabhua lets out an alarmed trumpet as rain-softened earth slides out from beneath his feet, sending him slipping and sliding downhill, the grass and ferns around them rustling loudly as he goes. Their navigation equipment goes flying into the bushes, followed by a brown-and-white blur as Samoset chases after it with the same determined gait as though he were running down a wild hojenst.
Mriha pauses, blinks, and then asks, "Samoset? Jhenigi? Everything alright?"
"'M fine," Jhenigi pops up from the grass a few meters away, his fur tangled with leaves and splattered with mud. The small white form of his huldah clings onto one of his ears, apparently having abandoned its comfortable pocket to grab onto the tsabhua's face during the fall. He struggles back to his feet and then, noticing where his pet is, gently reaches up and pulls the creature away from his ear. "It's alright, little guy," he coos, stroking the huldah's fur for a few minutes before returning it to his pocket.
It is then, as she almost begins to worry at the lack of a response, that Samoset returns. Their navigation equipment is grasped in his hands, though it does not take much more than a glance for Mriha to tell…
"Broken," the native grumbles, holding up the fractured shell of the device. "It hit a rock, I think."
"Oh, no, no, no," Jhenigi rushes over, expression stricken as he paws at his face. He takes it from Samoset and jabs at buttons frantically; nothing happens, though Mriha thinks she catches a flicker of light from a crack that might be something sparking inside. "It can't be broken. Oh, Miru is going to be furious with me."
"I'm certain that Miru will understand that accidents happen in the field," she says, stepping forward. "Do you think we can still make it the rest of the way? And find our way back?"
Jhenigi's ears flick backwards. "The rest of the way, yes. Back, umm…"
"I can handle back," Samoset says, gruffly. "I remember the way. I am not used to relying on—equipment." He waves his hand at the broken device the other tsabhua holds.
Jhenigi looks about ready to cry. Mriha clears her throat, "nothing to it but to keep going."
After a few seconds to reorient themselves, the group continues. Jhenigi clutches the shattered piece of equipment to his chest, looking forlorn, whilst Samoset seems unbothered, apparently having put the incident entirely out of his mind.
The trees thin as they finally reach their destination; a small valley between mountain peaks. An icy stream, the water a cold shade of blue, babbles between fallen boulders, framed by grassy meadow on either side. It doesn't take long for Mriha to spot what they're looking for: the vibrant hues of berries stand out strongly against the green, freckling the expanse in either direction.
"Here we are. Take a basket"—Mriha nods to the bundle of collapsible baskets tied around her shoulder—"and then we can get started."
Samoset and Jhenigi nod, then they begin a slow walk along the valley. Samoset and Mriha squint at each plant and, if given approval, the three of them collect samples. They take care not to overharvest any one plant: if they take too much, the plant will not return next year, and there are of course other xunari and animals in these hills.
By the time they prepare to turn back, their baskets are heavy with wild fruit. Mriha lets them stop by the river to wash a few to try, and then allows Samoset to lead the way back to the forest.
Jhenigi plays with the edge of the comm the whole while, asking now and again, "are you sure we shouldn't call for help? The Colony could send someone to lead us back."
Samoset only shakes his head. "No need. Look here: these are our footsteps. And I remember that tree."
The salmon-coloured tsabhua looks to Mriha, but she only shrugs. Who is she to doubt the native's skill as a tracker? She's never heard of him getting lost.
Leading them back seems to cure some of Samoset's nerves about the unfamiliar environment. He walks ahead, attentive, stride confident, and while he still remains observant, he isn't so twitchy. Perhaps he'll come to be comfortable in Rekes, after enough time. Though despite Mriha's confidence in his skills, she does begin to grow a little worried as the world darkens around them, the sky behind them turning red with the setting of the suns. Jhenigi flicks on a light machine in one of his pockets, and a beam of brightness cuts through the growing dark.
And then, in the distance, they can make out the shimmering glow of ZAG-15's lights on the night-blackened surface of a cliffside ahead of them. Jhenigi perks up at last, ears flicking forwards at this sight.
"Oh! Oh, look, there it is!" He says, and then grows suddenly sheepish, glancing at Samoset. "I suppose I should apologise. I was wrong to doubt you."
The native looks over his shoulder at him, a vaguely surprised expression on his face. After a moment of saying nothing, he simply shrugs. "'s fine."
The group makes the last leg of the journey home in a more companionable silence after that. Mriha leads the way inside, already thinking of how she'd like to lay out their future berry garden…
Jhenigi: 3 mentions
Mriha: 3 mentions
Jhenigi: 1 mentions
Mriha: 1 mentions
Jhenigi: 2 mentions
Mriha: 1 mentions
Jhenigi: 3 mentions
Mriha: 1 mentions
Jhenigi: 4 mentions
Mriha: 3 mentions
Jhenigi: 1 mentions
Mriha: 4 mentions
Jhenigi: 3 mentions
Mriha: 2 mentions
Jhenigi: 1 mentions
Mriha: 1 mentions

[Gatherer Ed. II] Mountain Foraging
Accompanied by Samoset and Jhenigi, Mriha visits a mountain valley to gather wildberries for ZAG-15's garden.
Education Stage: Full
Prompt Used: Forage the wilderness to find wildberries to plant
FOCUS Colonist/s Being Trained: Mriha 1454
Experience Breakdown:
Mriha 1454
+15 — 1505 words
+2 — Environment
+1 — Home Region (Rekes)
18 XP TOTAL
Jhenigi 1155
+15 — 1505 words
+2 — Environment
+1 — Home Region (Rekes)
+1 — Bonded Pet (Huldah)
19 XP TOTAL
Samoset MT02
+15 — 1505 words
+2 — Environment
+1 — Home Region (Rekes)
18 XP TOTAL
Research Points Breakdown:
+55 Base RP
+55 Research Plus
+2 Action Bonus
112 RP TOTAL
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