It took around an hour for the four campers to walk through the lush forest towards their base. Throughout the walk they chatted between them good naturedly, enjoying the cool shade of the trees from the brilliant sunlight shining all around them.
They arrived at a large semi-circle which had obviously been used countless times. A small charcoal stained ring in the heart of it suggested where they could build a safe small fire. From here the path divided into three.
"That way will take us to the top of one of the smaller hills, though the views are still pretty amazing," explained Paul as they took off their backpacks and put down their gear. "The middle path will take us further on towards the Waterfalls Walk, and that last one goes right round the first peak and starts a two day trek to Peak Two."
"You know your way round here well," said Artie, impressed.
"Like the back of my hand," grinned Paul. "It was beaten into me on the first day."
"I did the beating," giggled Inga, making Liz blush slightly and Artie roll his eyes.
They began to set up their tents. Paul and Inga's was brand new, state-of-the-art equipment, easy to put up within half an hour. Artie and Liz's, being Liz's parents that had been used for decades, took a lot longer and was a tad more complicated. When their dull orange tent was fully and safely up next to the big new green one, it was like comparing the White House to a mud hut.
"I reckon we've got time for the short hill walk if we keep up the pace," suggested Paul as they were gulping down a much needed cup of coffee from a flask Liz had prepared earlier in the morning.
Both Artie and Liz were enthusiastic, but Inga looked slightly downbeat. "How steep is it going to be?" she asked. "And just how much of a pace do you intend on keeping up?"
Paul grinned and hugged her tightly. "As quick or as slow as you want, baby," he assured her in a way just innocent enough not to be taken as a double entendre. "And if your cute little feet get tired I'll carry you on my back."
"Yay!" replied Inga, kissing him on the lips.
Again a flash of guilt flooded through Liz's body. If she felt like this, how on earth must Inga be feeling? How could she be so normal around Paul when she was going to dump him a few days later?
They set off after stretching quickly. At first the walk was easy; the path was relatively flat, and the cool shade of the trees above them protected them from the harsh but appreciated sunshine that was beaming down on seemingly the whole world, let alone the forest.
But soon the climb began to get steeper sharply; there were fewer and fewer trees surrounding them, and the path was rockier and rockier. Within five minutes they were out of the forest and right into the heat of the afternoon sun, on a grey, tough route that seemingly had no end.
Liz and Artie took great steps, sometimes helping each other across the uneven stones and up the worn rocky steps that had been formed by so many pairs of feet before them. Paul kept up with them for a while, but he became more and more conscious of Inga lagging behind them. Finally his girlfriend stopped, bent over, resting her hands on her knees before looking back up at the retreating figures in front if her.
"You guys," she called breathlessly. "You guys...wait up. I think I've got...a mountain in my shoe or something..."
The other three stopped, secretly grateful for the chance to catch their own breaths too. Paul headed back towards her, resting a strong hand on her shoulder as they talked quietly. Liz watched this, her mind going into fantasies about what would happen when Inga eventually sat him down and said those dreaded four words: "We need to talk."
Artie was staring out into the open beyond them; there was a look of frustration on his face. He looked back at Paul and Inga and shook his head slowly.
"Artie? What's up?" Liz asked, putting her own hand on his hard shoulder.
"I knew she'd do something like this," he muttered. "Holding us up. At this rate we might not get back to the campsite by nightfall..."
"Of course we will. Do you have to be so hard on Inga all the time? I know you're not all that fond of her, but she's my best friend. Besides you and Paul she's also probably the only real friend I've got."
Artie looked at her, an eyebrow raised in good humour. "Oh, I'm your friend now, am I?"
Liz playfully slapped his arm. "You know what I mean. Just try to get on. For me?"
Artie sighed and gazed into her eyes. "I'd do anything for you, my darling," he said seriously. "Would you do anything for me?"
There was something about the way he asked her this question that made Liz do an inward double take. It wasn't your usual playful banter between a couple; it seemed more serious, more important.
Before she could answer, there was a loud, "Coming through!" from behind them and Paul, with Inga on his back, her slender legs wrapped round his stomach, her arms around his neck, made his way purposefully forward at a very fast pace. Inga waved, grinning from ear to ear as they passed the startled Seymours.
Liz laughed out loud, and even Artie couldn't help but grin at the comical sight.
"Come on," he said, grabbing his wife's hand. "Otherwise we'll never catch up with them."
Soon they were standing at the top of the hill. The climb had been so steep that all of them besides Paul were surprised at how low the top actually was compared to the first peak towering behind them in the distance. The view was still pretty astounding despite this, however. The forest stretched out beneath them like a green carpet. And somewhere to the right in the distance, silhouetted in the sun that was gradually starting to set, was the outline of the buildings of Sechs City.
Paul had removed a big thick pair of black binoculars from his bag and handed them to Inga, pointing down towards the trees.
"Look there," he said, the excitement obvious in his voice. "That nest has been there for a few weeks now."
"Where? I don't see it."
"There, sweets, can you see it now? It is a little hidden, but..."
"No, wait! Yeah, I see it!"
Paul beamed as he looked up at Liz and Artie. "These are really rare birds at work here," he explained. "Scarlet Eagles. We never thought we'd see them in this area again, but wouldn't you know it, suddenly they just turned up."
Suddenly Inga gasped. "I see one, I see one," she whispered hoarsely, afraid that if she made too much noise even from this distance she would scare it off. "Oh my god, oh my god, it's beautiful! Liz, Liz, come look at this!"
Liz stood beside her and Inga, the binoculars still round her neck, passed them over to her friend, doing her best not to let them wander from the sight. Liz breathed slowly as she saw the magnificent creature sitting just by the large nest; it's sharp beak, it's proud stature. It looked incredible.
Taking the binoculars completely from Inga, Liz passed them on to Artie, who whistled softly. "That is one gorgeous looking creature," he said.
Paul was placing his bag back over his shoulders. "We're going to have to make a move now," he told the others. "Especially if we want to get back with enough light to be able to get some firewood in. Guess I should have thought about that first; sorry."
Liz shook her head. "Stop it, it's fine. This was
