I woke up today to the birds chirping and rubbed my eyes as I sat up in bed.
Mmh. Something feels different about today.
"Gatreh! It's time to wake up, breakfast is ready!" I hear my mom yelling from behind the door.
"I'm awake, I'll be down in a minute!" I say as I shrug off the feeling and start putting on my clothes.
The wooden floorboards creak under my feet as I make my way to the dresser. My reflection catches in the small mirror - brown hair sticking up at odd angles, grey eyes still heavy with sleep. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it into something presentable before heading downstairs.
The smell of eggs and toast drifts up from the kitchen, mixing with the morning air coming through my open window. Outside, I can already hear the distant sounds of the town waking up - a car starting somewhere down the street, the faint hum of conversation from neighbors beginning their day.
Wonder what Patani's up to this morning. Probably already bouncing off the walls, knowing her.
I grab my worn notebook from the desk - the one where I've been sketching out maps of our explorations - and tuck it under my arm. The pages are filled with rough outlines of forest paths, clearings we've discovered, and interesting rock formations we've climbed. Nothing fancy, just enough detail to remember where we've been and maybe plan where to go next.
Downstairs, Mom is already setting plates on the table. Her dark hair is pulled back in a simple bun, and she's humming quietly to herself - something she always does when she's in a good mood.
"Morning, Mom," I say, sliding into my usual chair.
"Good morning, sleepyhead." She places a plate of scrambled eggs and buttered toast in front of me. "Your father left early for a job across town. Mrs. Henderson needs her porch rebuilt before the summer storms hit."
I nod, taking a bite of the eggs. Dad's carpentry work keeps him busy, especially this time of year when everyone wants their repairs done before the weather turns.
"Are you planning another adventure with Patani today?" Mom asks, settling into her own chair with a cup of coffee.
Adventure. If she only knew how methodically we actually approach our 'adventures' these days.
"Probably. We were thinking about checking out that area past the big oak - the one with the weird rock formation we spotted last week."
"Just be careful, and make sure you're back before dark. You know how I worry when you two are out exploring."
I finish my breakfast and head back upstairs to grab my small pack - just big enough for a water bottle, some crackers, and my notebook. The morning routine is comfortable, familiar. The same rhythm I've fallen into over the years.
Years. Sometimes it still catches me off guard, thinking about how I've been here for over six years. How natural this all feels now.
I'm just about to head out when I hear the unmistakable sound of Patani's enthusiastic knock on our front door. Three quick raps, then two more - her signature pattern.
"Gatreh! Are you ready? I've been up for ages and I already saw three different butterflies this morning and I think one of them was really pretty!" Her voice carries through the door, practically vibrating with energy.
I can't help but grin as I open the door. There she is - long lavender hair already slightly mussed from whatever she's been up to, blue eyes bright with excitement, practically bouncing on her toes.
"Good morning to you too, Patani," I say, stepping outside and closing the door behind me. "Three butterflies, huh? And it's not even eight o'clock yet."
"I know, right? I think they were near those flowering bushes by Miller's fence. We should definitely check that area today - there might be more!" She's already walking backwards down our front path, gesturing animatedly as she talks.
This is going to be one of those days where she drags me in six different directions before we even reach the forest.
"Sure, we can start there," I say, adjusting my pack and following her toward the edge of town where the forest begins. "But I still want to check out that rock formation we spotted. Those layered stones looked like they might tell us something about how this area formed."
"Oh yes! The stripy rocks! I've been thinking about those too. They're so pretty with all those different colors!" She spins around to walk properly beside me, her attention already starting to wander to a bird that just flew overhead.
The morning sun filters through the trees ahead of us, promising another day of discovery. Behind us, the familiar sounds of Oakhaven continue - doors closing, engines starting, the daily rhythm of a town going about its business.
The transition from town to forest is gradual here at the edge of Oakhaven. First, the neat sidewalks give way to a dirt path worn smooth by countless footsteps. Then the houses become more spread out, with larger yards that blur into wild grass and scattered trees. Finally, the real forest begins - tall oaks and maples creating a canopy that filters the morning light into dancing patterns on the forest floor.
"There!" Patani points toward a cluster of flowering bushes about fifty meters off the main path. "That's where I saw the butterflies."
We push through the undergrowth, careful not to step on any of the smaller plants. I've learned over the years that Patani has good instincts for where to find interesting things, even if she doesn't always know why.
Sure enough, as we approach the bushes, I spot movement among the white and purple flowers - delicate wings catching the filtered sunlight.
"You're right, there are definitely more than three," I say, pulling out my notebook and a pencil. "Hold on, let me sketch this area."
Might be worth adding to the forest map. These bushes could serve as a good landmark, and if there's regular butterfly activity here, it suggests this spot has consistent resources.
I start with a rough outline of the clearing, marking the position of the larger trees and the cluster of flowering bushes. Patani crouches down near the flowers, her voice dropping to an excited whisper.
"Look at this one - see how the wings are all sparkly? And this one over here is completely different!" She's practically vibrating with excitement, but she's learned to move slowly around wildlife. "There's so many of them!"
"Looks like quite a few different species," I agree, adding some notes about the butterfly activity to my sketch. The concentration of different types in one area suggests this clearing gets good sunlight and has the right mix of flowering plants to support them.
Patani nods enthusiastically, though I can see her attention already starting to shift to a particularly colorful flower she's spotted. "We should definitely come back here! Oh, but first - can we check out those stripy rocks you mentioned? I want to see them again."
I close my notebook and tuck it back into my pack. "Sure. It's probably a twenty-minute walk from here, maybe twenty-five if we take the scenic route."
We head deeper into the forest, following a combination of established deer paths and routes we've discovered over months of exploration. The familiar rhythm of walking and talking settles over us - Patani pointing out interesting plants or unusual sounds, me keeping a mental map of our route and occasionally stopping to add details to my sketches.
"So what do you think made those rock layers?" Patani asks as we navigate around a fallen log that's become home to several varieties of moss. "They looked so neat and organized!"
I consider the question as we walk. Based on what I remember from my previous life, the regular layering suggests sedimentary formation - probably an ancient lakebed or riverbed where different materials settled over time.
"My best guess is that they formed in layers over a really long time," I say, holding a branch aside for her to pass. "Maybe there used to be water here - a lake or river - and different types of material settled on the bottom over many years."
"That's so cool! So the rocks are really, really old?" Her eyes light up with wonder.
"Very old, yeah. Each layer probably represents a different time period," I explain trying to keep it simple.
We continue through the forest, the conversation flowing easily between her observations about immediate surroundings and my explanations about what we're seeing. This is what works about exploring with Patani - she has good instincts for finding interesting places, while I help us actually understand and remember what we discover.
After about twenty-five minutes of walking, we reach the area where we spotted the rock formation last week. It's in a small clearing where several large boulders have tumbled down from what must have been a much larger outcropping higher up the slope.
"There it is!" Patani rushes toward the largest boulder, which stands about shoulder-high and shows clear horizontal striping in shades of grey, tan, and reddish-brown.
I approach more carefully, pulling out my notebook again. The layering is even more distinct than I remembered - some bands are quite thin while others are much thicker. Looking at it with more focused attention, I can see this is definitely sedimentary rock, and the variation in layer thickness suggests changing environmental conditions over time.
"This is really something," I say, starting to sketch the rock face and noting the different characteristics of each layer. "See how some of these bands are really thin, while others are much thicker? That probably means the conditions changed - maybe dry seasons versus wet seasons, or different types of material washing in."
Patani runs her hand along one of the clearer layer boundaries. "It feels so smooth here, but bumpy over there. And look - this dark line goes all the way across!" She's examining the rock with the kind of focused attention she gives to things that immediately capture her interest.
"Good observation," I tell her, adding notes about the texture variations. Looking more closely, I can see that some of the layers have been disrupted - there are places where the neat horizontal lines are broken or offset. "Something must have shifted these rocks after they formed. Maybe the ground moved, or they tumbled down from higher up."
We spend the better part of an hour examining the rocks, with me sketching different angles and documenting what I observe, while Patani discovers small details that catch her eye - tiny holes in some of the layers, places where the rock sparkles in the sunlight, a small plant growing in one of the cracks.
The examination is satisfying in a way that reminds me of debugging code or working through a complex design problem. Each observation builds on the previous ones, creating a clearer picture of how these formations came to be.
By the time we're ready to move on, my notebook has several pages of new sketches and observations, and I have a much better understanding of the geological history of this area. Patani seems content too, having spent her time fully engaged with the immediate details of texture and color and small discoveries.