Work Text:
As an outdoors person, it came to no surprise that Kate took a liking to the mountainous west of Stilwater's southern island.
She enjoyed hiking up the dirt trails as the midday sun shone through the thick forest canopy above. It felt so different from the busy city that lay not too far away to the east, but this place was quiet and peaceful. Some parts of the mountain had wide dirt roads snaking their way around the rock formations of Mount Claflin, often used by people on dirt bikes and ATVs, but this spot located in its center was relatively untouched. A nice little natural haven to escape the loud city life.
She listened to the soft wind blowing through the leaves, the calming rustling of the foliage around her, and the chirping of birds hidden in the trees above. It was hard to believe that a serene place such as this existed in a city like Stilwater, it seemed not even the gangs fought for control over the mountain, probably the lack of money that would come from claiming ownership of it.
Johnny and the Boss, however, insisted that this was a great place to get rid of bodies if you didn't want them washed up at shore a week later, but she tried to shake the thought from her mind and forget about the gang for a moment.
Climbing higher, she reached a neat little clearing that offered a good amount of shadow that allowed her to cool down and rest for a bit. The blonde sat down on a rock and removed her backpack, retrieving a water bottle from it. She took a few gulps from the refreshing drink before screwing it shut and putting it back inside her grey and purple rucksack.
Kate sat there for a while, listening to the sounds of nature and relaxing in the tranquility. She took a couple of deep breaths. Up here among the trees you probably found the cleanest air in the whole city. Free of pollution from cars and factories, and no garbage littering every corner.
After a couple of minutes, the woman got up to continue her track towards the top of the mountain, she was around halfway there. As she went further up the elevation, the trees started getting smaller, until the woods ended and only shrubs and bushes decorated the area.
The steepest part of the way up lay ahead of her, the final stretch to make it to the peak where the radio tower and viewing platform were located. To prepare herself for the incline that she was about to overcome, she took another short water break and made sure her shoelaces were tied firmly.
Her legs started to burn as she made her way up the highest part of the mountain, but she pushed through the pain.
When she finally reached the top, the view was definitely worth her aching muscles. The viewing platform gave her a beautiful 360 degree view of the city and surrounding areas.
She saw Stilwater University to the west, the Ultor Dome and downtown's skyscrapers to the north, the apartments to the west, with the iconic towers of the Pagoda Hotel in the distance behind them, as well as the airport to the south. She also got a good view of the nuclear power plant that was located on an artificial island to the south west, the ominous cooling towers seemingly rising out of the waters.
Taking in the breathtaking view, she grabbed her camera that hung from her neck, and began snapping photos of her surroundings and the city's landmarks that could be seen from up here.
If anyone would ask her why she went up here instead of looking further into the Brotherhood, she could use some of these photos as an excuse, saying she was scouting out their turf and potential targets from above.
She shouldn't spend too much time up there, however. Technically she could be called for an emergency at any time, and it would take her a good 30 minutes to track back down the mountain and reach her truck that was parked at its foot.
Kate took another good view of the scenery before beginning her descent. She would make sure to take a few more pictures of the woods on the lower elevations on her way down.
It was nice to get away from the city and gangs for even just an hour. Despite her sore legs, the trip to Mount Claflin's summit had been a very relaxing one for the sporty Saint. Maybe she should come with a friend next time to share the view.