back before you know it. Maybe time will stop like it did in Kishkindha. Take care of yourself. And if for some reason we don’t come back, will you tell Ren—”
“You will come back, Miss Kelsey. Of that I am certain. Go off now, and I will see you soon.”
Kishan changed into a black tiger, and we started up the mountain. Half an hour later, I turned to see how far we’d come. The Tibetan plain swept out before us as far as the eye could see. I waved at Mr. Kadam’s small figure far below, then turned, climbed between two rocks, and set my feet on the path ahead.
17
Spirit Gate
I shivered and yanked my Gore-Tex gloves a little higher on my wrists. We’d hiked up the mountain most of the first day and set up camp near some rocks that blocked the wind. When we stopped, I gratefully shrugged off my backpack and stretched.
I searched the area for a while, gathering wood to start a fire. After a hot dinner, thanks to the Golden Fruit, I snuggled deep in my king-sized sleeping bag fully clothed.
Kishan nudged his head into the opening and crawled in after me. It was awkward at first, but after an hour I felt extremely grateful for the warm fur that stopped my shivering. I was so exhausted that, despite the noise of the wind, I was able to sleep.
The next morning, I used the Golden Fruit to wish up warm oatmeal with maple syrup and brown sugar and some steaming hot chocolate for breakfast. Kishan wanted to stay in tiger form to keep warm, so I gave him the option of a large platter full of rare venison steaks or a giant dish of the same oatmeal I ate and a large bowl of milk. He started with the meat but finished off the oatmeal and milk too, lapping it up quickly. I rolled up our belongings and stowed them in the bag before we set off on our journey again.
We settled into a routine for the next four days. Kishan led the way, I supplied meals via the Golden Fruit and built the fires, and then we slept snuggled together, tiger and human, in the large sleeping bag at night while the wind howled around us. The upward climb was challenging. If I hadn’t been working out with Kishan and Mr. Kadam, I wouldn’t have been prepared for it.
The ascent wasn’t bad enough that I would need climbing gear, but it was no stroll through the park either. Breathing was harder the higher we went because there was less oxygen, so we stopped frequently to drink and rested often.
We hit the snow line on the fifth day. Even in the summer, there was snow on Mount Everest. Kishan was easy to see now, even from a distance. A black animal on the white snow drifts did not go undetected. He was lucky he was probably one of the biggest animals out here. If he were smaller, we’d be hunted by predators.
I wonder if polar bears live here? No, polar bears live at the poles. Hmm, maybe there are other bears out here, or possibly mountain lions. Sasquatch? The Yeti? What was the snow monster in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer called? Ah, the Bumble. I giggled as I imagined a puppet-like Kishan attacking the Bumble and hummed the “Misfit” song from the movie.
I followed Kishan’s tiger tracks and started keeping an eye out for animal footprints. When I spied small animal tracks in the snow, I tried to figure out what they could be. Some were obviously birds, but others I thought might be rabbits or small rodents. Not seeing anything bigger and becoming bored with my game, I relaxed and let my mind drift as I followed Kishan.
The trees were becoming sparse and the terrain rocky. The snow drifts were deep, and it became increasingly difficult to breathe. I started to get nervous. I didn’t really think it would take us this long to find the spirit gate.
Day seven was when we ran into the bear.
Kishan had taken off about a half hour before to search for wood and a likely place for us to camp. I was to follow his tracks and he’d circle back and sniff me out. He was actually due back soon as he never left me for longer than thirty minutes at a time.
I was trudging slowly along, stepping in his tiger prints, when I heard a rumbling bellow