First, the walking.

The initial challenge the pair faced in trying to backtrack the waterfall was finding a way up the stone cliff the waterfall cascaded off of. This challenge didn’t take long to surmount, though, as they found a gradual, if somewhat steep, incline less than ten minutes walk from their cave entrance. From there, it was a simple matter to locate the river and start following it up.

“This island has unusual topography,” Johanna commented, “Mountains, cliffs, a river, sandy beaches, and thick jungle. I’ve done a lot of traveling, but this is a unique combination.”

When Johnny didn’t reply, Johanna turned her head to make sure he was still there. “Johnny?”

“Oh! Sorry, Johanna. What were you saying?”

“Nevermind that, Are you okay, Johnny?

The young man blinked a few times and shook his head, “Uh. I think so. I feel fine, but I’m finding it hard to stay focused.”

Johanna frowned. “If you need to rest, you can head back to the cave. Your wound may have visibly healed, but you still lost a lot of blood yesterday.”

“I’m fine, really,” Johnny insisted, “I think this whole situation is just a little mentally taxing, is all.”

“Well, we should be careful,” Johanna said, “Let me know if you notice anything unusual, and I’ll do the same.”

There wasn’t much conversation after that, just a lot of walking. The water flowed gently but steadily, and meandered around the unusually sculpted terrain. Fortunately, this meant getting back would be shorter than their trek upriver, but it was already early afternoon when they reached what seemed to be the apparent source of the river: a square stone building,

“This looks ancient,” Johnny observed, “But somebody built it.” The water flowed out of a wide, low opening on the south side of the building, but as the pair circled the structure, they found a more conventional entrance, as well.

“Well, Johnny.” Johanna said, bracing herself for whatever may lie within, “Let’s see what we have in store…”