Aerdrie had been hustling to stay ahead of Nevermore, having no intention to interact with the bird woman again if she could help it. Although she wouldn't admit it to herself, she'd been wounded by the easy dismissal by the younger woman and even easier betrayal by the others of the group. As if she hadn't saved each and every one of them from an early demise. She'd grown tired of being dismissed on things as shallow as her race or her mannerisms.
Thus, as she'd approached the rockface, she retrieved a very long rope from her pack and whistled at her two birds to fly it up to the top and tie it firmly in place for her. When she reached the side, she tested it carefully with the string she'd attached, trustful of her birds and their knot tying skills but always one to be safe rather than sorry. Finding it satisfactory, she began the ascent up the bottom part of the rockside without the rope which had proven only long enough to reach a little under halfway down.
It was for the first half that she silently cursed the fact she could not take bird form yet and by the time she reached the rope was finding that she loathed climbing almost as much as she did rockfaces. Still, the second half was much more speedy and she managed to make it to the top and pull her rope up and recoil it just about the point the others had reached the bottom. After a swig of water, she was back to walking knowing that she'd have to get several yards further down the path before she could rest up.
The birds for their part continued to circle and hunt for small game sometimes even passing in sight of the climbers.
