Water and Mud

So they set out. It remain dry for the time being, though the clouds continued to thicken until the sun was no longer visible and a breeze sprang up.

After an hour or so, they reached the first stream that cut across their path. Before crossing it, Astra removed her improvised sandals cum leggings and gave them to Hesht to put in his pack. They would hopefully remain dry there, since the pack was made of leather and should be waterproof. She could then wear them again tomorrow, when there would be no more streams to ford and the weather would with any luck be better. She consoled herself with the thought that at least going barefoot again would give her feet a better grip when she needed to climb.

She did not need to climb just yet, however, for this brook was shallow and slow-flowing, and had not cut itself a canyon. They forded it easily, with the water being little more than ankle deep.

As they crossed, Astra spotted a tell-tale dimple in the surface of the water. The rain had started. It was only light at first, but it grew steadily heavier. Before long, they were both thoroughly soaked, except - they hoped - for the contents of Hesht's pack.

They crossed a couple more streams. Neither was much more than knee deep, for it had not been raining long enough yet for the water level to have risen noticeably. Astra lifted the hem of her dress with her hands to prevent it getting wet - or rather any wetter - though she did reflect that it was probably a waste of time.

Coming to a tree beside the trail that offered some shelter, they had a quick and early lunch under its branches, and then pressed on. "Three m- more streams to c-cross that may n-need a little climbing, and then we g- get to the deep ravine," Hesht told Astra.

The land was rising steadily, if gradually, now, and each stream seemed to have dug itself a slighter deeper incision than the one before. Also the rain was now starting to make itself felt, with the streams increasingly running faster and with water of a deeper brown.

The third one they came to involved descending eight feet down a muddy slope at sixty degrees, wading through water chest deep that almost swept them off their feet, and then a similar climb up the far side. Both of them slipped back several times before they made it out, and it was two very muddy and bedraggled figures that finally emerged on the far side.

1. This did not bode well for facing the major hazard that lay ahead, but it was too late now to turn back, so they pressed on, hoping for the best.

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