Feather

Chapter 11

                After Shraya had gotten passed her depressive state, she focused on picking up all the information the forest would give her. Every broken twig and crumpled leaf told her the next move. Eventually, the droplets of blood stopped appearing, and she was more than relieved to think that they were shallow and had already scabbed over.

                After nearly an hour, more of the dew on the trees had evaporated into the warm July sun, and Shraya reached into her bag and pulled out some of the dried meat she had managed to save. Chewing on it gave her stomach a little comfort, and the mind a little to do.

                Shraya hadn't seen a clue or trace of Feathers path for early five minutes, so she doubled back and searched again, very closely, hoping to find something she had missed. She came upon a torn piece of grass, something a grazer would have snatched, and a crushed shrub after a while, but it was a sharp veer from her former path. Following it for a while, something seemed off. The signs seemed less evident and farther apart than earlier. In an event to not lose hope, she decided that it would be due to Feather getting her bearings back and now walked more careful.

                After a few more minutes, Shraya came to a print in a more soiled area. taking the opportunity, she sat on her haunches and studied it a moment. Shraya was surprised to see it facing not the direction she was heading, but the way she had come. Blinking at it several times, as if to clear her vision, she was absolutely sure that it was heading the other way. Looking at it closer, she also found it to be too wide for Feather. Licking her lips, she stood and walked back the way she had come, until she found where she had veered to sharply. Searching the surrounding area, she found another trail. Watching closely, she found broken twigs and crushed plants far more often than before. The easier the trail was to follow, the faster she walked.

                Shraya went on like this for about three hours, finding clues and following them. Every now and then she came across manure, most of it looking a few hours old.

                She knew she couldn't stop, and the only time she slowed was to eat or have a bathroom break. The longer she was at it, the fresher the tracks seemed to get. By night fall, her spirits were rising in hope and she stopped only when the sun had sunk so low that she couldn't catch any more traces or signs.

                Shraya didn't bother with a fire that night and ate her food cold. Realizing her food supply was dangerously low, she told herself that as soon as she found Feather, she would head straight home, finding the river.

                The river. The water source had left her mind, as had the navigation unit. She needed the river. Laying down on the softest patch of foliage she could find, she wrapped herself up in her sweater and closed her eyes, awaiting the needed and blissful sleep.

                When Shraya woke up, she was cold, stiff, and covered in dew. Miserable and wet, she stood, recounted all her things, drank the last of her water, ate a small breakfast, then set off again, following the slightly diminishing track. Nearly tripping several times due to her tired eyes, she finally started making good ground in about half an hour. She tried to keep thinking positive; Feather couldn't have gone that much farther, her panic had definitely worn off by now, but what of she never stopped or turned back because of the wild horse? She banished all those thoughts from her head as she marched on, finding it much harder to stay focused if she was nervous or panicking.