Kei'taro pushed himself in spite of the cutting winds that accompanied the blizzard he, and Havardr, faced. The second waystone was just ahead, meaning they were encroaching on the second half of the mountain, a short while later. To his side, he could see the gallant Mountain Goat, Havardr, pushing up the mountain.

Neck and neck.

The mountain shook as a house poorly built when confronted with booming lightning or a passing transfer truck. Kei'taro gripped the rocky surface hard, and continued to quickly take advantage of the ebb and flow, though his speed was severely reduced. Havardr pulled away then. 

The climb melted away, the second waystone passed, and the going was easier. Though the blizzard threatened to anoint him in frostbite, and the mountain threatened to toss him down its nearly unfathomable depths, he found his footing. It wasn't an exactly level surface, but it was more than enough for a man whose entire life was spent in the company of animals. 

He endured the cold, and timed his breaths. He wasted no time, and quickly came alongside Havardr. Running, his speed was swift. The third stone was barely in sight, and as he glanced to his side, Havardr had fallen behind. The climb was coming back, and as it did, his run changed. 

Monkeys.

He loved them, even had a tattoo from them. Of course, the tattoo was useless - but not the skills you learn keeping up with them. He began using his reach to grab hold, and his lower body strength to swing himself up. It wasn't as easy going as he wished, and several times he slipped on a foothold or handhold, and went back a foot or so.

Luckily, he made up the ground. His breath was steady, but upon closer inspection one could find the tell-tale signs of a man becoming winded. He hoped he could make it, but the blizzard, and elevation, made it colder than the Winter Wonderland, and the shaking mountain wasn't helping.