Tabitha patted his shoulder. "Leave it to me. On my turf, I won't let him get hurt."
Besides, she had planned to leave in a few days anyway. She was ready to head out.
"Please take good care of Mrs. Atkinson for me," she said.
"Tabitha, you can't. It's too dangerous," he urged.
"Look, I've done plenty of dangerous things before. What's one more?" she replied.
With that, Tabitha used Derek's rope to find footholds and began her descent. Derek must have left at dawn; otherwise, the poor visibility would have been too risky.
It had been a little over two hours since he left. If she hurried, she could catch up.
This wasn't Tabitha's first time on this path.
She had trained here before, using the cliffs as her challenge.
Every time she thought of how the nurses and doctors looked at her after Derek was rushed to the emergency room, and the slap from Misha, she was reminded that she was an outsider in their world.
Determined, Tabitha had thrown herself into studying medicine before giving birth and started physical training afterward.
Now, her strength was on par with men.
Even Spike was surprised to see her nimbly descend the cliff wall. It seemed Tabitha had changed in more ways than just her medical skills.
Soon, Tabitha's body was shrouded in mist. The weather was nice today, so there was no risk of a landslide.
But as if the Moon Goddess took offense at her good fortune, the skies darkened with clouds shortly after.
Mountain rain comes and goes quickly. A few drops fell, then a downpour began.
Damn!
Rain makes the cliff face slippery and increases the risk of landslides.
She hadn't gone far, and she could still climb back up. Otherwise, she'd be in danger too.
But thinking of Derek's lonely figure as he left, Tabitha gritted her teeth and kept going.
Below the cliff lay a vast, uninhabited forest. Without a local guide, one could easily perish there.
The raindrops grew larger, and the rope reached its end. The rest of the way had to be climbed without tools.
Many rocks were covered in moss, which became slippery when wet.
Tabitha hadn't found Derek yet, but she found herself in a predicament.
The rain showed no signs of stopping, and the mountains were shrouded in mist, reducing visibility.
Every step was dangerous. Tabitha found a slightly wider ledge to stand on and waited for the rain to ease before continuing.
Usually, mountain rain doesn't last long, but today the heavens seemed to be against her, pouring harder and showing no signs of stopping.
Tabitha couldn't afford to wait and had to feel her way down.
Despite her knowledge of the terrain, she had left in a hurry without proper gear, and there was no cell service in the mountains. She was truly in a dilemma with no way back.
The rocks were slippery, and she slipped several times but caught branches on the way down, thanks to her experience.
Her hands were bloody and torn from the strain.
Today was really her day of misfortune. As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.
Tabitha stood on a small tree branch, catching her breath. She looked at her bloodied hands. Of course it hurt, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. Her priority was to get down the cliff and find Derek.
The longer she waited, the farther apart they would be in the dense forest without any means of communication. Besides her dagger and gun, she had no supplies.
She realized she cared more about Derek than she thought.
People often say one thing but do another. She claimed to hate him, yet she was more worried about him than anyone else. She had even left without proper gear, which was a big mistake.
Tabitha gritted her teeth and continued. Despite some close calls, luck was on her side when she found a long vine that helped her reach the ground safely.
The forest in a downpour was especially eerie.
With no sunlight penetration even on a clear day, the overcast sky made visibility extremely poor.
Tucker could navigate by the shade of trees, but Tabitha was in a sorry state.
Normally, she should seek shelter immediately. The valley temperature drops after rain, and without dry clothes, hypothermia was a risk. A bite from venomous creatures could be fatal.
But Tabitha was worried about Derek and couldn't rest.
Derek had a two-hour head start. He must have descended before the rain, which had erased all traces of his path.
Standing under a tree, Tabitha was soaked. She gazed at the towering vegetation, feeling inexplicably wronged.
What was she doing? Why was she putting herself in such a situation?
Last time in the snake pit, she had rushed to Derek without a second thought. Did she really not love him as she claimed?
"Derek, where are you?"
Out of options, Tabitha headed north. Derek must have prepared before leaving; the exit was there.
As the rain poured harder, Tabitha quickened her pace.