my gift. The only thing I had to do was find a place to stay the night.
Alas, that task proved harder than I had thought it would be. I determined to find a cave, or a tree that could offer shelter, but the landscape was full of tall, majestic pines with high limbs, and those openings I glimpsed were either too small to fit my child's body or were nothing more than holes in the ground. But I had reached a valley, perhaps three miles into the woods and the mountains rose on either side of me. Hopeful, I chose the less steep slope and began climbing. Despite its relative shallowness, the incline provided a struggle to my frantic body. I made it perhaps four or five meters before collapsing. Rubbery legs refused to carry me any further. The rain was still falling, and I couldn't bring myself to care. My mind was so frenzied that I all I could do was curl up and whimper. I could hardly believe I had left my family behind, that I could have been drafted into the army had I remained at home with the people I loved. It was too much to comprehend at once. Some part of me knew that I would have to find food and shelter eventually, since I couldn't exactly return to the city. I would be caught immediately. I ignored that part of me, and sank into a sort of stupor.
When I was able to roust myself from the ground, the rain was gone and they sky was a dismal shade of grey (albeit lighter than before). I sent a fast prayer to the gods in thanks. Drawing myself onto my feet, I cast about, searching for anything familiar or useful. It could have been dawn or half past noon for all I knew, so haste was my ally. I decided to walk horizontally instead of continuing up the mountainside. Just a few minutes after starting out, I noticed a large rocky formation jutting out through the trees. I scrambled over, tripping over a branch and scraping my hands on the pine needle covered ground more than once. Reaching the rocks, I let out a whoop of joy. It was a cave, with no bones or animal remains in sight! I ran into the entrance, seeing an open area with minimal debris on the ground. The overhang was low but there was no need for me to duck. There were advantages to being small. After a few feet though, I realized that the ceiling sloped up the further in I walked. This would be perfect, as long as no wild animals called it home already. I walked in until the the walls of the cave veered sharply off to the side, creating a round room, almost like an entrance hall.
Alas, that task proved harder than I had thought it would be. I determined to find a cave, or a tree that could offer shelter, but the landscape was full of tall, majestic pines with high limbs, and those openings I glimpsed were either too small to fit my child's body or were nothing more than holes in the ground. But I had reached a valley, perhaps three miles into the woods and the mountains rose on either side of me. Hopeful, I chose the less steep slope and began climbing. Despite its relative shallowness, the incline provided a struggle to my frantic body. I made it perhaps four or five meters before collapsing. Rubbery legs refused to carry me any further. The rain was still falling, and I couldn't bring myself to care. My mind was so frenzied that I all I could do was curl up and whimper. I could hardly believe I had left my family behind, that I could have been drafted into the army had I remained at home with the people I loved. It was too much to comprehend at once. Some part of me knew that I would have to find food and shelter eventually, since I couldn't exactly return to the city. I would be caught immediately. I ignored that part of me, and sank into a sort of stupor.
When I was able to roust myself from the ground, the rain was gone and they sky was a dismal shade of grey (albeit lighter than before). I sent a fast prayer to the gods in thanks. Drawing myself onto my feet, I cast about, searching for anything familiar or useful. It could have been dawn or half past noon for all I knew, so haste was my ally. I decided to walk horizontally instead of continuing up the mountainside. Just a few minutes after starting out, I noticed a large rocky formation jutting out through the trees. I scrambled over, tripping over a branch and scraping my hands on the pine needle covered ground more than once. Reaching the rocks, I let out a whoop of joy. It was a cave, with no bones or animal remains in sight! I ran into the entrance, seeing an open area with minimal debris on the ground. The overhang was low but there was no need for me to duck. There were advantages to being small. After a few feet though, I realized that the ceiling sloped up the further in I walked. This would be perfect, as long as no wild animals called it home already. I walked in until the the walls of the cave veered sharply off to the side, creating a round room, almost like an entrance hall.
