Chapter 5 - Contact
* * *
I’d no idea of what to do from this point, other than heading towards the distant mountain I had seen previously. Everything else was just an endless expanse of snow.
‘Any ideas?’
Well, I never took the survival classes where I lived, however I believe going to the mountain may yield a better view of our current whereabouts.
‘I suppose.’
* * * * *
A few hours later we were in the shadow of the mountain. Exhaustion had set in, followed closely by hunger, and both took a hefty toll. At least the snow took care of my thirst. Other than my panting and my stomach’s constant complaints, the walk to the mountain was uneventful.
This is very boring. Entertain me.
‘Entertain yourself. I’m the one that’s been walking for hours on end.’ However, I chose to think about how one day in the lab, I walked in on Frank watching porn with his pants down. That gave him something to laugh about.
Ha! Ha-hahaha ha!! Pure gold! I love a good laugh. Thanks.
Time for business. I looked up at the mountain, and still didn’t see any other features of the snow plain environment I was currently in, aside from the gradual thirty degree slope before me. It seemed from the sun to be around nine or ten. I squinted and thought I caught a very faint scent of rosemary on the wind, but it must’ve been my imagination.
I started the ascent up the mountain side, but moving my hooves quickly felt like I was hauling lead ingots. My sides were sore, my head hurt from the constant chatter from Erlking, and I was shaking quite a bit, but it had little to do with the cold. My hunger had gotten so bad my vision was starting to fade, and I felt random pins and needles in my head, hooves, and other places. I felt lightheaded, but I tried to weather through it. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt compelled to reach the summit.
I was in the middle of another step when I started to hear scraping sounds. Before I could even ask Erlking what it was, fatigue overtook me. I felt myself go numb from hunger and exposure, and my vision succumbed to darkness.
* * *
I awoke, but it took a few minutes before I was aware of my surroundings. I detected the smell of stewed meat and herbs, maybe a bit of garlic. Beef stew? I tried to sit up, but my sides screamed at me in protest. I winced slightly at the pain, and when I did, I heard someone drawing breath, and realized I wasn’t alone.
“I wouldn’t recommend that.” I looked around the room for the source of the voice, and discovered it belonged to a zebra in the corner, or was he a pony? He had a black and white striped coat, blue eyes, and a deep, resolute voice.
“Who are you?” I managed to speak up, despite the pain in my sides. “Where is this place?” I looked around the room once again, but this time I paid heed to the details. Various dried herbs and plants hung from a clothesline strung along the walls. Several trophies adorned the Lincoln-Log styled cabin walls, including deformed pony heads, wolf heads, huge lizard heads, and large spider abdomens on wooden plaques.
“You’re awake, I see. My name is Shirotora, and you’re in my home. I was the one who saved you earlier, by the way. No offense, but how much do you weigh? Carrying you here was like carrying a load of bricks.”
“My name is Gin. Considering I owe you my life and everything...” I sighed, and decided to tell him... mostly everything... excluding the stone’s true nature, of course. I gave him the cliff notes, mostly outlining my career and last job in Antarctica. I was a little hazy on the details on how I got to this place, but I couldn’t fill him in; I didn’t even know.
He scrutinized me once or twice before speaking.
“I believe you’re not lying, Gin, but your story is most... intriguing. I had thought to let you into my abode. Now, though, I’m not sure... I know this world from top to bottom, and I have never heard of ‘Boston’ or ‘Antarctica.’ That aside, I can’t provide for another pony, as I can barely keep up myself because of this bad Winter season.”
“Can I take some survival supplies? Oh, and by the way, where do I go from here? All I saw was a vast snow plain completely devoid of anything. I’d appreciate knowing where to go, so as to avoid getting myself killed.” He looked away, towards one of the heads mounted on the wall, looked back to me, and gave a deep sigh.
“From the summit of this mountain, travel north, and you will come across a snowy forest. If you can make it out of there alive, well, after that you’re on your own. Should you ever need my help again, just give me a shout.”
“Thanks, Shiro. I will remember that you saved me, when I would've died out there. Hopefully, I can pay you back some day.” He chuckled.
“Don’t mention it. You might want to start heading out soon though. There are things you... don’t want to meet at night in these parts.”
I heeded his advice, and while being able to stand with little difficulty, my sides were the only hindrance to my movement. I slowly walked to the door, and braced myself for the cold.