Memories of Life

13. The Path.

13.The Path.

The valley now came to a fork. To the east it narrowed gently, undulating further up the plateau a few hundred meters, where the trail disappeared from sight. The wider more westerly route flowed down into a basin where a heard of long horned cattle fed. Tash had never seen so many, and now understood why the valley was so clear of trees as the heard grazed unhindered. Skel stood silently behind her while she scrutinised the two possible paths.

Walking down hill would be quicker, but there was far less cover, and she could see for almost a kilometre giving an advantage to anyone following. Setting off to the east up the narrower path where the rocky edges of the cliff succumbed to grass. Tash knew it would leave a trail for anyone to follow, but hoped the wind and rain would hide it. On reaching the top of the plateau she looked back able to see for many kilometres along the valley floor, and saw no sign of anyone giving her some small security.

The unrelenting rain and wind continued to lash them front on. Walking for a few more hours, Tash noticed that the steep rock walls now eroded into tree lined ridges absorbing the gloom, with the suns dying light descending behind the clouds. Having barely stopped to rest since early light, her legs now felt fatigued, and Skel was beginning to slow.

Not far ahead was an escarpment of thinner bush, which ran down onto the valley floor. On reaching it there was only the barest of light left, so the siblings entered the safety of the trees.

"There!" Skel said pointing to a fallen tree amongst the bush. It sat resting on a large rock, and Tash nodded her approval and began to collect dead limbs to create a lean-to for shelter. Skel followed her lead snapping leafy saplings to place over the frame of branches to help screen out the rain and wind.

When darkness fell the pair had created a reasonably dry space, and settled under the shelter. Tash opened the backpack offering Skel the final bit of water from the canteen which he sipped at, leaving her the last mouthful. Tash then removed the bedroll as the cold set in from lack of movement and heat, covering their legs with it. Reaching into her pack she found two zip-lock bags each containing folded papers, which she studied for a moment before placing them back in the bag. Rummaging through it once more, she was unable to find what she was looking for. Unzipping the side pockets finding a knife, she smiled broadly discovering what it was she hoped for beside it. The stainless steel lighter was a rare, valued commodity on the community, but she knew her mother would have thought to give them one. Skel managed a despairing smile of his own when Tash showed it to him, and they began to remove the still dry bark from the underside of the dead tree they sheltered beneath. It was easy to light, with its brittle stringy texture generating coals on which they placed larger twigs which littered the ground beside the lean-to, not yet water logged by the rain.

The shelter leaked, though it kept the rain away enough for the fire to burn while the pair chewed on another strip of jerky huddled under the bedroll. Holding each other they spent another night alone keeping any thoughts they had, not wanting to remind the other, or themselves.