"We have to forge this thing."We have to forge this thing." "It's not that deep or that fast," Garth said. "At worst, you'll get your dick wet." "That water is praggin' cold," Pat growled. "It'll either shrivel up and disappear or freeze solid and break off." He grinned. "Oh, well, what's life without castration complex once in a while? Come on, let's do this as quickly as possible." He began running, splashing water left and right. As he made it half way across, the depth slowed him down. He was shoving water out of the way by brute force. It didn't quite reach the bottom of his pack, and Garth figured he could make it just as easily since he was actually taller than Pat. The water chilled him quickly. It was quite cold. "Bracing!" he said to Pat. "Freezing is more like it," the Felinzi said. Garth climbed out of the river quickly. "After the kind of heat we've been through today, I'm surprised you're not enjoying that dip." "I'd rather be warm," Pat replied. "Come on. I think we're close. Garth nodded. Pat wasn't wrong; less than half an hour later the imposing black wall of the Hall came into clear focus through the trees. "Hmm," Pat mused. "No brake." "Huh?" "No brake. Usually there's a grassy space between the trees and the Hall. This time, the trees come almost up to the edge of the Hall. No door, either." "Is that good or bad? I'd been told I might have to hunt for the door." "I'm not sure," Pat said. "It means something, at any rate. Let's start walking. I'm sure we'll find the door eventually." He paused for a moment, pulled a strip of ribbon out of a side pocket on his pack and tied it around a tree. "There. Now we'll know if we've gone all the way around. |