Although Yuen-mong could have made it there and back again by nightfall, Atun had not yet achieved the stamina to run for extended periods, therefore the need to allow for two days. He had in fact asked whether it was a two-day trip at her or his pace. Staying overnight meant taking extra gear along since they would have to climb sufficiently high to get above the habitat range of the night scavengers, and it cooled down quite a bit at those elevations. The other aspect that worried her was that they would have to cross through the territory claimed by one of the clans of savages. Any confrontation could delay them or force them to make a detour. She was actually looking forward to getting into the mountains. It was a completely different world there, with different plant life and more variety, but also different birds and insects, and she loved the views over the forests with the blue sea at the horizon. They made good progress. Her ability to sense the presence of other living beings allowed them to avoid any encounters with savages.
