A Rocky Start in Tange

Astra gritted her teeth as the briar snagged her right heel. She stooped down to pluck it out. A drop of blood welled up. She moved on, saying nothing.

Hesht stopped by one of the thorny vines, and cut some leaves off the plant. Astra wondered why, and concluded that he was storing them to eat later. Hesht jumped across a narrow ditch. Astra followed, and then whimpered just a little as pain shot through her heel, as it caught another rock. "Just a little more," said Hesht, half to Astra and half to himself. Astra observed that they had not been underway for anywhere near four hours.

There was a nice little stretch where the soil was a dry, cool, clay, which was a relief to Astra. She then felt an angular pebble of gravel, and then another. Hesht was going through rocky land now. As long as there were none of those briars, she could live with it. And Petrona, and from there, home, was only three days away.

Another flash of pain shot across Astra's right calf. She had to stop again. Her calf had brushed up against a plant with little seeds that were spread by embedding themselves in one's flesh. Hesht held up his hand, in a motion to stop, and stay there. He scrambled over a pile of rocks, and disappeared. The itching and burning intensified. She scooped some soil, and rubbed it across, the rash. This brought a little relief, but her leg still hurt.

She wanted to move, and wondered where Hesht was. She then heard a cobble shifting, and could see Hesht descending the pile of rocks. He was holding something in what looked like a basket.

As he approached Astra, the light from his lantern made him look taller, as it threw a long shadow on the ground. The "basket" that he had cradled in the crook of his left arm was no more than some of his leaves, and some long strips of bark. He told Astra, with little hint of a stutter, "Stay still. I have something to protect your legs."

Hesht set down the pile of bark and leaves and scraped off the dirt on her legs with one of the leaves. Astra jerked her leg back as she felt pain from the seeds, and then moved it back forward. She had come this far, and had to trust Hesht. From the pile, Hesht removed a small bottle. He rubbed it on Astra's calves and feet. Within a minute, the pain had diminished greatly. He then set a strip of bark against one of her feet, and marked a line at the level of her heel with his knife. He did this with three more strips of bark. The liquid in the bottle, besides relieving her pain, was also an adhesive. Hesht skillfully created a makeshift pair of sandals and stockings. The bark served as the soles of the sandals, and the leaves and liquid, now a resin, served as leggings that reached to her knees.

"Will that hold?" Astra asked.

"It should hold long enough. J- j- just don't get it too wet, and you w- will be fine," replied Hesht.

Over the next three hours, Hesht's promised had proven good. While Astra's feet were sore, they no longer burned from Tange's rocks or plants. Progress had been slow over the first half of their journey, as they had to cross a number of ditches and one shallow creek. She was able to keep her balance while navigating across slick rocks that poked from the creek's surface, but her legs stayed dry, and her "sandals" and "stockings" stayed in place. After crossing that creek, there was a gentle but steady upward grade to the land, but few briars, ditches, or large rocks.

"Are we close yet?" Astra whispered.

"Yes," answered Hesht. The shelter is well-hidden and sol - solid. It is cozy, but quite comfortable for t- t- two people."

Suddenly Astra and Hesht heard a screeching sound. They turned and stared. A huge boar with tusks about the size of Astra's forearms charged out of the darkness.

Hesht had a knife, but he was frozen in fear. Astra had her wits about her, but was unarmed. She had a number of unpromising choices.

1. Attack!
2. Run!
3. Try something else!

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