She slipped her boots on as he did, tilting her head at the spikes. After lacing them, securing her bags to her shoulders, and drinking her water, she stepped outside of the tent alongside him. The cold air hit her face as she stepped out, sending chills down her spine. The frigid wind whipped her hair around her face; she reached up, tucking it behind her ears the best she could. She turned to the tent as it folded down, her arms crossing over her chest. She looked up the mountain, squinting as the sunlight reflected off the snow. “We should make it soon, I’ve got a good idea of where they could be.”<br/><br/>She started up the mountain with him behind her, making sure her footing was correct. As they reached higher heights, she pulled her scarf up over her mouth as the wind began to dry her skin. There were a couple times she would hold his arm for balance, but other than that she had little issue navigating. They hadn’t reached a path yet, however, she spotted a set of rocks stacked one on the other with a flag attached to it. “We’re on our way.” She looked over her shoulder to him, nodding for him to follow. The flag had a raven printed across it, all she had to do was find the next.<br/><br/>Nothing quite eventful happened as they walked the mountain. It grew deadly cold, though their clothing kept them warm enough. The harsh wind whipped the ice into their eyes, her hair was white on the tips. But soon, they stumbled onto a very large, very tall staircase. The stone was black, and it led up the mountain. On either side of the staircase was two additional flash, both with the raven printed across them. Malia looked to Carson. “You don’t just need to stay behind me, you need to stay close.” She reaches over, giving his hand a squeeze before taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Her foot found the first stairs. Then the second, and so on. If they thought the climb up the mountain was long, the staircase was awful. The howling of wolves, or the mutations of which, could be heard in the distance as they climbed. It was quite the journey.<br/><br/>Eventually, they made it to the top. Malia breathed a sigh of relief, reaching behind her and finding Carson’s hand. “Here goes nothing.” She stepped forward, approaching what could be an old castle. It may as well have been. The giant double doors were just before them, however, a handful of runners dressed thickly in black clothing and leather blocked their path. In fact, they surrounded them, pressing them together by point their knives and long blades to the pair. Malia gave Carson’s hand a squeeze, telling him to remain calm. Without being asked, she spoke up. “I am Malia Gillian. I’m the Lead at Little Lake.”<br/><br/>One of the Runners reached over, pushing back her hair to reveal her Raven tattoo. “And who is he?” His eyes found Carson. They were icey blue, and cold. The knife that was currently pressed to Malia’s arm had drawn a bit of blood.<br/><br/>With the calmest voice she could muster, she spoke. “This is Carson...he’s with me. He’s a Strider.”<br/><br/>The Runners each began to protest, pushing their weapons harder against the coat that Carson wore, but a voice could be heard over the madness.<br/><br/>“Enough!” A man, maybe a few years older than Malia, stepped down. His hard eyes fell on the girl, his hands right behind his back, before he broke out into a smile. “Malia.”<br/><br/>Malia smiled, waiting for the runners to make a bit of room for her before she threw her arms around the man, who hugged her in return. “I see you’ve got quite the set up here.”<br/><br/>“Kinda, but that’s not important. What is important, is why you’ve brought a Strider here. To the council.”His voice wasn’t harsh, just steady.<br/><br/>Malia took a few steps away, going to stand by Carson’s side. “We have a reall, really big problem. And...you’re just going to have to trust me. Marcus, please.”<br/><br/>The man, named Marcus, just nodded. “I do trust you, Malia. But why would I trust him? Why not just kill him?”<br/><br/>“Because,” she looked down, taking Carson’s hand. “I trust him, and that should be enough.”<br/><br/>Marcus flickered his eyes to their hands, and then to Carson. He waited for a moment before relenting, motioning for the Runners to stand back. “Very well. We will be keeping an eye but...gosh, get inside. It’s freezing. Come on.”<br/><br/>Malia just smiled, giving Carson’s hand a squeeze as she leaned over. “Just gonna day if Marcus wasn’t here we’d probably he dead.” She cleared her throat, shrugging and tugging him along. It was a success, and they had things to take care of.