Rite of Fortitude for naranda1

Here, amid the gently sloping hills, even the otherwise grueling journey was almost peaceful. Though on either side of the path snow piled up, eventually joining the foothills as they reached for the mountains to their east and west, it was an easy walk. Towers of land formed a passageway, leaving the easiest path simply down the middle. The area inside of the valley was reminiscent the eye of the storm; while there was danger to anyone who might try to take a mountainous path, this peaceful way existed. There might be danger further on, yes, but that was true no matter what path they chose- that didn’t mean the tokota and rider pair couldn’t just enjoy a moment of peace. The snow was gentle under Ishida’s paws, as if he were walking on a layer of pillows. Fluffy flakes fell from the sky, sticking to his thick mane for a few moments before they eventually melted. Upon his back perched Sakari; considering how easy the journey was at this point, he imagined she was having a pretty comfortable ride. All-in-all, for what had been a difficult trek just yesterday, this valley path provided a nice break.

They were a day and a half into the journey; however, with the difficulty so far, it seemed as though it had been longer. Yesterday, the markers guiding them had led into a forest so thick, Ishida and Sakari often had trouble finding the next of the stone statues amid half-dead trees. The shadowy trees clawed at them with sharp branches as though encouraging them to turn back. Despite the cold, the air and canopy had felt as though it were pressing down upon them; stealing all the light away into the knobby boughs of the trees. The ground had been rough; simply avoiding the tree roots that poked haphazardly from the ground had been enough to slow Ishida’s pace significantly. Even with his caution he had tripped more than once, and was a bit sore because of it. By the time they finally emerged on the other side of the thick forest, it was late at night, and they were too tired to continue on. The pair had settled down to sleep in the shade of a great stone carving in the shape of a traveler, determined to rest away their weariness and ready themselves another difficult day.

The sun’s light was tinged pink when the pair woke up the next morning. While Sakari put her things away to break their make-shift camp, Ishida had found himself captivated by the statue. The face of the stone traveler showed weariness; a testament to the skill of the artist. And yet, the statue itself was out in this wilderness, so far away from recognition; merely a marker to be run past and forgotten about. Somehow, the fact that something meant to be so insignificant was in reality so beautiful shocked him. What would have driven the artist to place his work here, so far away from the nearest town, so desolate the place? It took Sakari calling his name twice to pull his attention away.

Immediately putting aside thoughts of the statue to focus on the task at hand, Ishida found himself sighing slightly. His saddle was already affixed, the straps cinched comfortably; before he knew it, Sakari was climbing onto his back with the familiar swing of her weight into the saddle. It was comforting to know she was there, though he would honestly have preferred to sleep a bit longer after such a difficult day precviously. However, no great spirit came to stop them, and so they were off.

Surprisingly, the path was difficult trek that tokota and rider had feared. Though from a distance, they could see the treacherous mountains between them and their goal, they kept up an easy pace. Their path crisscrossed with the tracks of many elk; in their migration they had torn up an entire field of snow. However, they couldn’t stop to hunt; Sakari had insisted that they get at least to the top of the mountain by nightfall. That prediction made it all the more surprising when, instead of taking them up the slope, the stone statues led them parallel to the foothills, then down into this peaceful valley. Ishida and Sakari could watch the mountains pass on either side of them, all the while enjoying the relative ease of this valley’s passage.

“Ishida- let’s take a break at the next statue.” Sakari’s voice sounded through the easy silence of the valley, reminding Ishida that she hadn't spoken in a while. He had kept up a strong pace for a while now, it was about time they rested for a few minutes; even he didn't have the stamina to keep going forever. A few moments later, Sakari spoke again. “I can’t believe how lucky we were to have found this place.” She began, perking Ishida’s interest. His rider wasn’t often needlessly conversational, though there was a layer of joy in her voice. It was a welcome break from the serious facade she often showed the world.

Just then, the next path marker came into view, though just barely- positioned at the base of a steeper slope poked out a small rock of an odd shape. It was smaller than any of the markers they had passed so far, at least that Ishida could remember. Perking his ears in curiosity, the yeti approached it with a slight caution.

While most of these ancient stone statues were tall and proud, standing as though they had guarded that very spot for centuries, this particular one was short. The features were worn down, as though it had endured the effects of weather a thousand times over. Ishida could just make out the subjects of the statue; a child hiding behind the leg of a ferocious looking tokota. Where there were supposed to be faces, there was little more than worn-down stone, marking where there were once carved features and giving the whole piece a somewhat creepy feel; only the tokota’s bared fangs and the child’s open mouth were still easily discerned. Unlike so many of the other statues this one seemed…sad, somehow. The snow from the hill behind it had covered half of the tokota’s form and caused the whole thing to tilt at an odd angle.

For a time, all Ishida could really do was stare at it, the sad remains of what must have once been beautiful. It was almost pitiful, the stone abused so by the weather around it. Sakari too must have felt the same; she approached the figures with reverence; Ishida watched as her eyes traced out the dulled stone expressions.

The break would have to wait. Ishida’s footsteps crunched through the snow as he approached the statue and planned the best place to begin the excavation. He couldn't help but notice that the carved tokota was about the same size as he was; from where he stood face-to-face with the carved maw the malice was replaced by something of desperation; the tokota seemed to be calling out for help; sadness replacing ferocity. Though it was a trick of the angle and nothing more, Ishida couldn't help but be shocked for a moment at the sudden change in the expression, despite it being carved in stone. Carefully, as to avoid damaging the cracked pieces, he began trying to push away the mass of snow that hide the tokota’s hindquarters in the hillside.

“What are you- oh.” He heard Sakari behind him as she realized what he was doing; he responded with a whine. They had a journey to take, but they had a duty to respect the traditions as well. These statues, often considered sacred in their ancient beauty, deserved to be seen and respected. They simply couldn’t leave this work to be inevitably buried, or broken further by the powers of time if they had a chance to stop such devestation. “Isha, we don’t really have time for this.” Sakari sounded conflicted, an emotion she didn't often reveal- normally she was so matter-of-fact, so driven that she rarely considered that the choice she made was wrong. It was a skill he respected immensely in her, and one that many others had come to rely on when times were tough. On one side, Ishida wanted to listen to her- these lands were easy to traverse, but the rest of the path wouldn't be so peaceful, and there was a time limit. Any time spent now might only make their later journey more difficult, more dangerous. And yet, that sense of duty was still there; they owed it to the ancient peoples who made statues to preserve them when they could. Instead of giving up, Ishida whined sadly, and his eyes met Sakari’s. He tried to project as much of that sense of duty to her as he could, using expression as he didn’t have the words to convince her. He could see in her the question of whether or not this was a good idea; and yet, with his pleading, she too began to join him in freeing the statue from it's icy tomb.

Time seemed to stand still, if only for a moment- there was only the job, and each other. Neither rider nor tokota cared to think about how far they could have gotten if they hadn't stopped, so they both simply let the minutes flow past them. And yet, they soon cleared away the snow, and did their best to clear the snow in a way that perhaps it wouldn't fall on the statue so easily. It was all they had time to do. Ishida stepped back to admire their work, see the true power of the statue was revealed- the thick muscles of the tokota as he stood protecting the cowering child behind his legs, the skill that must have gone into capturing such emotion so perfectly. He could almost imagine the story behind the scene, though the artist's true intentions were lost in time. Turning his attention to Sakari, he noted the tense expression she often wore had been replaced by joy at that which they had accomplished- joy in knowing that they had done a good deed, even if the deed would never be known to anyone other than them.

Ishida felt Sakari’s hands stroke his shaggy fur, scratching under his neck; the exact place he enjoyed the most. He couldn’t help but close his eyes for the bliss of it, and let out an easy breath. “Are you ready, Isha?” Sakari asked as she moved from petting him and instead to the saddle, looking to him as if asking permission. Without hesitation, he let out a quiet yip, and crouched slightly to help her get on. Leaving the statue behind them, the pair continued on their difficult journey, carrying the peace of the moment with them. Though the rest of the trek was difficult, perhaps the spirits were looking down on them; they avoided all injuries, and even were blessed enough to see the mythical lights dancing overhead as they arrived at their destination late at night.