On the Ropes

"There is a bridge."" Kensai filled his partner in with what he knew, "But without knowing exactly where we are along the chasm, It could be north or south of us quite a ways, I dont see it looking from here." Kensai informed mater-o-factly, letting his partner in on what he knew. "Well..." He unwound the rope that'd secured him in place to Kenji's back and looped it over his hand a few times and measured it out. They had ten meters of rope, more than enough to get across the chasm, and it was heavy duty enough to hold one person at a time.

Kensai thought or a moment picking up a stone from his position on the ground and chucking it at the far side of the chasm testing something, the rock however wouldn't make it to the far side, without the power of his hips behind it he wouldnt be able to get a makeshift grapple to the other side.

"So here's the plan." Kensai said putting all of his greymatter to work. "We make a grapple, and you throw it to the otherside, when I see its secure onto another tree or something we climb across one at a time. Then continue on our merry way." He wanted Kenji's input on the plan first, but it sounded pretty square to him.

"Um, alright, sure. I suppose that could work." Kenji wasn't exactly sure how safe a grapple was, but then nothing about this situation was safe. If a grapple was possible, he would trust his teammate. Anything to get home faster. "You're going to have to make the grapple, though. I can't see, so there's no way I can fashion one. And you'll have to direct me where to throw it."

"Well I'll need a branch or something to craft the grapple from." Considering they were among trees getting a branch that fit their qualifications was nothing, even with Kensai having to guide Kenji to one he could see.

Fashioning it wasn't anything, he'd turned the branch he'd had into a multiple hook grappling hook. He would use plant fiber to bind the hooks after carving a dovetail into each, that way they would each hold onto one another making the hook stronger, though it sounds complex yet it was very simple.

With a whistle he would toss the completed set-up grappling hook to Kenji. "Alright did my part, now it's all up to you."

Kenji waited quietly for Kensei to finish making the grapple, wondering to himself how he was supposed to hook it across a chasm he couldn't see. He supposed he would have to try his best and hope, with Kensai guiding him. If they worked together, surely they would be able to get across. So lost was he in his thoughts, coupled with the fact he was blind, that when Kensei tossed him the grapple, it promptly hit him in the face.

"Owww," he muttered, as he somehow managed to catch the grapple on the rebound before it hit the ground. "Can't see."

After rubbing his face a few times, he turned around to where the chasm was supposed to be and started swinging it in preparation to throw. "Alright, so, no idea what I'm aiming for. Let me know if I, you know, catch anything."

Kensai had been so into making the tool of their escape he'd not given much thought to what Kenji was doing... without being able to see his teammate obviously had dozed off on his feet. Culminating in Kensai apologizing with a cowed "...sorry..." He wanted the pain to stop, he wanted this nightmare to be over, they were out of food, they were out of water, the afternoon sun was getting low on the horizon, this had to end and now it was just up to Kenji's throwing arm and Kensai's ability to direct where he'd thrown it.

Kensai watched with bated breath as Kenji tossed the first time, holding onto the end of the rope acting like an anchor so they didn't lose their best hope of crossing the hasm. Kenji's first toss was excellent, the grappling hook landing just to the left of a tree with a low hanging branch. A perfect anchor point on the opposite bank. "Ugh!" Kensai verbalized the agony o being so close on the first try but not getting it. "Same throw, just a little higher and a little further!" He would work to start pulling in the grappling hook and handing the newly crafted tool back to Kenji, this time more forcing it into his hands than tossing it to him.

Throwing a grappling hook while blind wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do. Big surprise there. That said, Kenji was quite surprised to learn he had actually almost found purchase with it on the first try. Trying to do the same throw in almost the same spot, though, wasn't as easy as he made it out to be in his mind. He tried to swing the hook the same and tried to loft it a little higher with the same amount of force, but if anything he was even farther off the second time. At least, he assumed so. He merely waited patiently for Kensai to reel the hook back in again so he could try again.

"I'll get it this time," he muttered, more to himself than to Kensai. Then, with a deep breath, he tossed it once again, hoping to secure the hook on the tree he couldn't see.

Kensai nodded enthusiastically as Kenji talked up a win. As far as he was concerned the two of them were already home... not that Kensai had one for much longer, he'd figure something out, he was a survivor after all.

His village, his trek to Hone, every day he ate and slept in a warm bed was a victory to him, and he'd keep on having victories.

Kenji would notice first as Kensai was lost in thought before pulling back on the line and feeling it taut in his hands his eyes shot to the other end. "You got it!" He almost screamed victoriously. "Yeah! You did it!" Kensai was surprised, he figured its take at least a few more attempts. This was a sign that fortune was in their favor!

It wouldn't take a breath from Kenji for Kensai to start tying off to the tree he was sitting against, opting not to move and take all the time they didn't have left in the day. When he was finished he put his full weight on the rope just to hear it creak.

"So..." Kensai started, releasing his weight from the rope. "Who goes first?"

"Um... that's a good question." Both Kenji and Kensai had different impairments at the moment that would make climbing across the rope a difficult task. He couldn't even be excited about his quick success in hooking the rope, instead focusing on what to do next.

"So, I can't see...and you can't use your legs. So climbing will be harder for you, but I won't be able to tell where I'm going. If you fall, I won't be able to see to help you. And if I fall, you won't be able to jump in and help me. Neither of us can help each other a whole lot... unless we stuck with the harness and I tried to climb across with you on my back. Then you could direct me and be aware in case I slip... that might make the most sense?"

Giving the rope a Tug, Kensai knew it wasn't lifeline of a test that could haul both of the nearly 200 pound boys across in one go, and after all Kenji had been through to walk them this far it would be dangerous to ask him to haul both of them across. "I don't think the rope will Hold the two of us at the same time... not to mention the grappling hook." Kensai looked Kenji over, and shook his head, their situation once again catching up to him.

"We're gonna make it, and you're gonna go first." Kensai decided for the two of them, inadvertently answering his own question, if you climb across the rope one handhold at a time I'll tell you when you're safe to get down." Kensai ran his hands through his dirty silver hair adding more earth to it. He would reach out and grasp Kenji's hand and guide it to the rope gently. It would be all that he needed to get moving. "You'll be fine by yourself Bro. You can make it and I'll be along after you're off."