April 17, 5:30 AM, GMT

“It’s a family tradition!” Kuruk explained, gesturing vaguely in front of him to prove a point. “As my roommate, it’s your duty to come with me.”

“Kuruk…” Nyahitha sighed, trailing off as he searched for an excuse. “I don’t hike. Or even go to the mountains. I’m not some-” He gestured at Kuruk’s choice of outfit- an olive-blue rain jacket, jeans, and genuine hiking boots. “Outdoorsman like you are. I wasn’t raised by coyotes.”

“Pfft- that’s nonsense.” Kuruk laughed, pulling Nyahitha into a side hug. “There aren’t any coyotes in Quebec, anyways. I think.”

Nyahitha joined in the laugh and shrugged off the hug, continuing their walk down the hallway. “What even is the tradition, anyways? You’ve only said that we’re going hiking in the mountains. That means nothing.”

“I haven’t ‘just told you once,’ I’ve told you about a million times.” Kuruk deadpanned, his humor apparent by the fact that he simply didn’t talk like that. “Every few years, my parents would take my sister and me down to Colorado and we’d hike all the way to this one specific mountain- it’s called the lover’s leap.”

“Why did you guys go from Quebec to Colorado every year?” Nyahitha stifled a laugh, which Kuruk returned with a mock-glare before cracking a smile.

“I don’t actually know. Apparently, the peak holds some sort of significance to the family, but I’m not really sure how. Anyways, those trips made up most of my childhood summers. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“Are you sure?” Nyahitha smiled. “I’ve never gone hiking before. At all.” Most of Nyahitha’s own childhood summers had been spent the same way he spent his spare time as an adult- reading underneath a window, now with a cup of tea and an essay with a deadline.

“And that’s while you’ll love it!” Kuruk exclaimed. “It’s the perfect ‘first hiking experience’- most of it’s actually driving because we’re a ways away from it! There’s a reason my parents took Uki and I on it when we were, like, seven.” Nyahitha instantly knew his friend was bluffing- Kuruk was nine years older than his little sister.

“Are you sure it wasn’t because you and Uki were some sort of super-hiker children?” By now, they had reached the dorm building’s heavy doors that led out into the school’s parking lot. From what Nyahitha could tell, the sky was still a cool, slatish blue. Unlike his roommate, who took morning runs every day, Nyahitha had developed the habit of sleeping till ten ever since graduating high school. Kuruk had done everything but physically pick him up that morning, to assure that he would wake up on time to reach their destination. He had even pre-packed their bags.

Kuruk scoffed. “That’s- That’s nonsense. Anyways, you’ll love it. I promise. It’s the perfect Spring Break trip!” Before Nyahitha could respond, Kuruk leaned back on the doors and opened one of them for both of them, letting them out into the cool air of the morning.

It had been difficult for Nyahitha to wake up before, but the freshness of the air rejuvenated him. It had been a while since he had last seen the morning sky- or rather, the sky as it appeared just before morning. It was almost a bluish color, almost the same as Kuruk’s jacket.

“Dude.” Kuruk put his hand on Nyahitha’s shoulder. “We are standing in a parking lot. Now is not the time to be amazed.”

Nyahitha laughed and nodded, then scanned the parking lot. “We’re taking your car right?” He didn’t know why he had asked, he didn’t own a car.

“Yup!” Kuruk waved his keys in the sky as he wandered the parking lot. Only moments later, he found the vehicle he was looking for: a dark blue jeep covered in bumper stickers. Years ago, Kuruk had bought the vehicle from a used car lot and patched it up as best he could. The vehicle was rarely used, though, since their campus was small enough that he could walk anywhere he needed to be.

After Kuruk popped open the trunk and set his own bag next to the tent, Nyahitha handed over his own bag- under Kuruk’s advice, he had packed in a borrowed duffle bag.

“Man, this is kind of heavy.” Kuruk sent Nyahitha a smile as he tossed the bag into the back of the car. “How many textbooks did you pack?”

“Look,” Nyahitha said as he maneuvered around Kuruk’s car to the passenger side. Kuruk followed across the other side of the car. “I need to get some work done over the break!”

“It’s only a three-day trip!” Kuruk scoffed. “You’ll have the rest of the week off to be a nerd.”

“Three days there and three days back. That’s the whole break.” Nyahitha said as he opened the passenger door and climbed inside. “Honestly, I understand why you couldn’t rope Jianzhu or Kelsang into this.”

“Oh, I didn’t invite them.” Kuruk forced an awkward laugh and rested his hands over the steering wheel. “My, uh, car can’t fit more than two people and a tent, so. You know.”

“Oh, ok.” Nyahitha responded. He didn’t know what to think of the fact that Kuruk had asked him to come with him on the traditional family hiking trip. He had known Kelsang and Jianzhu longer, maybe they had just already gone.

The two of them stayed silent until Kuruk had exited the parking lot and even the school campus itself, enjoying the gentle whirr of the air conditioning until they reached the open road.

“I think we’re going to get breakfast in the next town up,” Kuruk said, glancing at a road sign. “I hope you like Burrito Gong.”

“It’s better than nothing.” Nyahitha shrugged. “Or your cooking.”

Kuruk burst into sudden laughter. “Excuse you, my cooking skills are great. You’re just jealous.”

“I live with you! I know how you cook!” Nyahitha smiled. “Does the word ‘measurements’ mean nothing to you?”

“Look, my mom always told me that recipes are suggestions and I should go with my heart.” Kuruk momentarily put his hand over his chest to emphasize his words.

“Yeah, but your heart tends to lie about how much cinnamon things need in them.”

“This is a lot coming from the guy that burnt rice.” Kuruk smiled.

“Ugh, don’t remind me of that.” Nyahitha put his hand over his forehead. “Please.”

“How do you burn rice?! It’s impossible!” Kuruk laughed. “Well, not impossible, because you’ve done it! Twice!”

“Things are usually more flammable than you expect them to be.” Nyahitha pointed out.

It took Kuruk a moment to respond. “You know, I’ll give you credit for that one. That one actually made sense.”

“I’ll take it.” Nyahitha let out the last of his energy and relaxed against the seat, counting the streetlamps they passed as Kuruk drove through the mountains. He didn’t know this road as well as he did the town, but Kuruk seemed to. In the early light of the morning, he could only barely make out the silhouettes of the mountains looming above them. When Nyahitha took off his glasses, the only distinguishable color was the golden glow of the streetlights and illuminated road signs.

“You tired?” There was an almost-mocking laugh in Kuruk’s voice.

Nyahitha laughed and readjusted his glasses. “I’m not tired.” He smiled, then paused. “Maybe I am. I haven’t woken up this early in years.”

“I don’t know how you’re a functional adult.” Kuruk laughed. “You can sleep if you want. I’ll be fine on the road without you.”

“Really?” Nyahitha asked, even though he was already taking off his glasses.

Kuruk nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine. I promise. I’d rather have you sleep now than deal with your grumpy ass later.”

Nyahitha let out a laugh that slowly turned into a yawn. He really wasn’t used to waking up this early. “Makes sense. Thanks.”

Kuruk didn’t say anything in response, letting him drift into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.

Nyahitha awoke to the warmth of the sun over his shoulders. At first, it was pleasant, like a blanket draped over him, but it soon grew to be less so when the sun threatened to open his eyes. When he did, he was confronted with the sight of mountain wilderness, illuminated in the mid-morning light. It took his breath away for long enough that he nearly forgot he was traveling with someone else.

“Pretty neat, yeah?” Kuruk said. There was a smile in his voice.

“Yeah.” Nyahitha nodded, then turned from the window to look at his friend. He glanced away when he met Kuruk’s gaze. “Sorry I was asleep for so long.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Kuruk shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. “I’m pretty used to driving by myself, so it’s fine. You missed the sunrise, though. It was great.”

“Oh.” Nyahitha let his gaze drift back to the horizon. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he imagined sharing the sunrise with Kuruk. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to wake you up early tomorrow so you can see it.” Kuruk laughed. “You also missed breakfast.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Nyahitha said, becoming increasingly aware of how hungry he was.

“I, uh. Didn’t want to wake you up, because we reached the restaurant fifteen minutes after you went to sleep. I did get you s0me hash browns, though. Sorry if they’re cold.” Kuruk gestured at the console, where a small, paper-wrapped parcel sat.

“Thanks.” Nyahitha took the wrapping and opened it, revealing the lukewarm hash browns inside. He was surprised that Kuruk had remembered what he liked. The potato was cold and unpleasant, but he ate it anyway. “So…”

“It’s about nine-thirty now.” Kuruk gestured to the radio’s clock, which displayed the time he had stated. “I would’ve woken you up earlier, but-”

“No, it’s fine.” Nyahitha cut Kuruk off with a motion of his hand. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. “It’s fine.”

Kuruk nodded, though his unease was clear in his posture. “Yeah. You looked like you needed the rest, anyways.”

Nyahitha nodded and looked out onto the landscape they were passing by. Only a few hours into their journey, they were already leaving urban civilization behind. The only sign of human life was the road they traveled on and the vibrant barns and structures adorning the slopes of other peaks. Nyahitha cleared his throat. “So… three days of driving?”

Kuruk shook his head. “Three days of driving would probably land us in California. It’s about half a day’s trip to get to the trail, then we hike the rest of the way.”

“Oh.” Nyahitha should’ve been expecting as such. Driving three days to get to such a closeby location really didn’t make sense. He guessed that was why Kuruk had taken him to buy hiking boots. “And the rest of the trip is-”

“Hiking, yeah.” Kuruk nodded. “And camping. I’m not going to make you walk through the night, because I wouldn’t do that myself. There’s only one route to the peak we’re going to, and it’s a pretty long trip.”

“And you said you did this when you were seven?” Nyahitha laughed. He was becoming more and more convinced that his friend was secretly a werewolf.

Kuruk laughed. “It’s an easy hike! Really smooth terrain, no climbing or anything. It’s just long.”

“Is it easy for you, someone who’s been hiking since before they could speak, or easy for me, who grew up in Los Angeles?”

Kuruk hesitated, filling his silence with a shrug and an awkward laugh. “You’ll be fine. I promise. And it’s worth it. There’s a view like no other. In fact-”

Nyahitha rolled his eyes.

“My mom always said that the journey’s part of the experience. It makes the payoff better.” It was exactly the cheesy anecdote Nyahitha had been expecting, but that didn’t stop the words from moving him. Kuruk’s mother had passed years ago, before Nyahitha had met him, but from what he could tell, he had a hard time moving on.

“Really?” He asked.

Kuruk nodded, and let out a sigh. “Yeah. She always said the journey mattered more than the destination. It’s kind of sweet, when you think about it.”

“Yeah.” Nyahitha nodded. He held his own hands uneasily.

“I think she would’ve liked you.” Kuruk sent Nyahitha a smile. “If she had the chance to meet you. She always tried to get me into history and books and that sort of thing. She’d probably say I should be more like you, actually.”

“Really?” Nyahitha asked. The thought of his own mother spurred in his mind. It had been years since he had held a genuine, heartfelt conversation with either of his parents and even longer since they had actually spoken.

“Mhm.” Kuruk nodded. “Yeah, she would’ve loved you. You’re just the type of nerd she would fawn over.”

Nyahitha stifled an awkward laugh, trying desperately to not be out-of-place. “Thanks, I guess.”

The car grew silent as Nyahitha returned his gaze to the horizon. He didn’t know what there was he could say. His breath seemed to stop in his throat.

“Actually-” Kuruk broke the silence with a forced cough. “Could you see how long it is to El Cruce? It’s the closest town to the trail, and we always stop there before the actual trip. There’s a pretty neat art museum to look at, since you’re into that sort of stuff.”

Nyahitha pulled his phone out from his pocket and imputed the town name into his maps app. “It says we’ll get there in… half an hour.” He swiped out of the map to view images of the town. Most were shot in the bright, noon sun to idealize the picturesque townscape. It was summer in the images. Nyahitha wondered how the town would look under the flourish of spring. “It’s a bit early for lunch, though.”

“Well, we can go to that museum, like I said.” Kuruk said. “It’s built in an old cathedral and has local art from the community. I think you’d like it, since... you know. You’re a nerd.”

“I’m not that nerdy about-” Nyahitha scoffed, but cut himself off when he realized he was proving himself wrong by pulling up images of the museum.

“Exactly.” Kuruk smiled.