Ella's Wild Beasts

CHAPTER 3

Ella hadn't been going for very long, it was just nearing the hour point, but she was baffled the stream still had such a strong taste of salt. While it had definitely weakened she had figured with the water heading towards the sea instead of away from it this was definitely highly irregular. Baffled she sat down on the bank and soaked her feet in the water. Her feet hurt alot as she was barefoot and not used to walking around that way.
  
   She looked at her reflection in the water with distaste. She was wearing the same pajamas as that night, though happily it seemed none of here blood stains carried over to this world. They were an old large gray Tshirt that hung loosely on her and a pair of black cotton sweat pants. They were crumpled and dirty from her hysterics the day before and from all her sweating she could tell she was starting to smell. Her shoulder length chestnut brown hair was a disaster of tangles and twigs. Her lightly tanned face was smudged with dirt and she had deep bags under her hazel eyes and her small beauty mark under the outer side of her left eye was hidden with a rather large streak of dirt. Her small straight nose had a scratch on it and once soft pink heart shaped lips were now chapped and cracked with thirst. Her slender arms that held little definition were also dirty and scratched. Ella by no means ever considered herself gorgeous but she was definitely pretty or at the very least cute.

   Seeing herself in this state was very disheartening and she wanted to clean off, but she knew that would have to wait. It was nearing the 48 hour mark without water and she was feeling it. Her head was starting to throb and mixed with the hunger she was also beginning to feel a little light headed and nauseous. So she reluctantly got up and continued her mission. Testing the water every ten minutes or so to check the saltiness.
...
   With the sun starting to lower in early afternoon all the bugs and birds seemed to be enjoying themselves. While she was pestered occasionally with insects it wasn't to harsh and with the trees providing shade as well as the streams cooler air she wasn't too hot. She hadn't checked in awhile she was so concentrated on walking without collapsing it was all she could do. She was now on her forth hour and she started to get a little excited, it sounded like a waterfall. No way that's salty... right? Ella thought. With a small jump in energy she pushed through the last of the growth and came across a stunning view.

   In front of her was a large deep pool of water. Plummeting into it was the 6 meter tall waterfall she had heard. The cliff seemed to carry and taper for a long way in each direction with her not being able to see the ends through the dense forest. The trees around the clearing, with their access to water and probably fertile soil were giant. With trunks as thick as cars were long. With this knowledge she knew climbing the cliff in her state would be suicide. Excitement and fear coursing through her Ella bent down and cupped some water to her chapped lips. After a small sip she moaned and bent down and started to drink directly out of the large clear pool. Finally. As her thirst was finally quenched and the weariness in her body slowly started to lift she sat on the little rocky shore and started to think of her next steps.