The Core Of The Earth

In the Wilderness

When Allie woke up, the first thing she noticed was how cold she was. The second thing she noticed was her hunger. glancing up at the sky, Allie wondered how long she had been asleep for. Hours? Days? who knew? last night's - or whenever it was- events rushed back to her, though she wasn't surprised. she had remembered most of her journey, only the river had been forgotten. she didn't think she could ever get the terrifying sight of her home city destroyed for the rest of her life.

collecting her thoughts, Allie brought herself to her feet. She took a good look at her surroundings; mostly trees and shrubbery. Allie felt a pain reverberating in her head, and heavy discomfort on her leg. she decided to look for herbs to treat her wounds. around her were flowers of different shades of blue and purple, with a few small white daisies hidden among them. limping over to a large tree, Allie saw a smudge of yellow in the shade. brushing aside a blanket of leaves, Allie uncovered a few echinacea stems. she picked a few with her hands gleefully before choosing a large, healthy oak leaf and wrapped the stems in it. Echinacea was used to heal wounds and prevent infection, and the way Allie's leg was going, she would need it soon. Allie had been very interested in medicine and healing as a young girl, and had grown up with two skilled doctors for parents. when she was little, her parents would teach her plants in the wild that could be mixed or mashed into poultices. she would always practice her skills in the forest in her backyard. Thinking of it made her eyes tear up, remembering vividly the fire. the sun sank slowly into the horizon, and the whole time Allie spent collecting herbs and gathering food.

Allie used some of the herbs she had gathered to treat her leg and her neck, which she had washed thoroughly with river water after finding a large scrape on the back of her scull. by the time she settled down for a meager dinner, she had collected a thick wad of Chamomile, used to relieve stress and anxiety as well as reducing swelling and infection; three roots of ginger, used to ease nausea and motion sickness; five thick valerian roots, used to treat sleepiness and reduce anxiety; mallow, which is used to numb pain; and dock leaves, which are used to sooth cuts and scrapes. for food, she had found a few carrots stuck in the ground, as well as a dying tomato plant, which she had managed to salvage three, slightly mushy, large tomatoes from. 

Allie settled down for dinner, devouring the food in a few moments. her hunger had its edge taken off, but was still there, a constant, nagging pain in her stomach. she found a small incove in the rocks surrounding the river and stored all her herbs bundled up there. next she looked around, trying to find long sticks. after about half an hour, Allie had made herself a small tent made of twigs, with moss padding inside. it was just large enough for her to curl into, and trapped some heat, but not much. Allie fell asleep within a matter of seconds, giving in to her drained body's demands for rest. her mind was still buzzing with questions and curiosity, awaiting the next day's adventures...