By The Light Of The Moon

Chapter 7

I scratched my head as I held Milly's lead rope. "Where are we?"

The mule shook her head and nibbled a nearby bush, ignoring my subtle request for her to lead us back. She had exhibited far more energy than I had ever given her credit for, but in all of her zigzagging, I had completely lost my bearings.

The low cloud cover didn't reveal the sun's position, nor had we crossed the road. In the past, various guides had told me moss grew on the north side of trees, but if that was the case, this forest was convinced every direction was north.

In essence, we were lost.

I wasn't going to mention this part of my journey to my father.

I sighed and shook my head. There was still light, so Shane wasn't going to put in an appearance for a couple of hours, and even then, he'd have to locate us. I didn't doubt his ability to track a sweaty mule through the forest – even I could see her hoofprints in the softer sections of dirt – but it'd take him time. And other predators might also pick up the scent of the lathered mule in the meantime.

If you got lost, rule number one was to not stray far from where you ended up, but I could hear a stream nearby, and I needed to find a semi-straight stick in case another predator came calling.

"Okay, Milly," I said, talking more to calm my nerves than anything else, "let's see if we can find some suitable branches on our way to the creek, and by the time we get there, you should have cooled off enough for a small drink."

Milly lifted her head and looked at me as if this grand adventure was entirely my idea. Rolling my eyes, I led her through the bushes.

Since straight branches seemed to be an extinct species, I used my dagger to chop down a sapling and stripped the branches away. Milly nibbled on various plants while I trimmed the end into a sharp spear tip. It wasn't as good as my first spear, but having the improvised weapon in my hands still made me feel better.

I followed the burbling of the water to the small stream and let Milly drink while I gazed at the forest around us. Alas, I was just as lost as before, and there were no handy signs to show me the way.

I eyed up the ground and debated trying to follow Milly's tracks back, but I discarded that idea almost immediately. There was a good chance predators would be sniffing out her trail, and I didn't feel like blundering into them. There were bound to be places where she hadn't left visible tracks, such as in the rockier areas. I was a trader who was usually responsible for several wagons in a trading caravan. I knew more about broken harnesses and cracked wheels than tracking.

Reluctantly, I decided that remaining here was my wisest course of action until Shane found me or trouble forced me to move on. I began munching on the watercress growing along the bank, and Milly contentedly grazed alongside me.

~

   As the world around me got darker, a long howl interrupted the crickets' orchestra. I judged the light and guessed this call was Shane looking for me and not him warning me to hide. And if I was wrong, what was one more wild ride through an endless forest?

Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shouted as loudly as I could, "I'm over here!"

I wasn't sure if he was close enough to hear me or not. I debated whacking my new spear against a tree, or banging rocks together to create more noise, but eventually decided Shane would have to prove his tracking skills, just in case the forest had other ears.

Minutes ticked by. Then more minutes followed. I sat down to wait. Eventually, another long howl rose into the night, much closer than before, but still not nearby. Milly snorted and danced to the side as I tightly held onto the remains of her tether.