Astra and the Deer

The river tracked in an east-west direction, between two lines of ridges. Astra was now quite lost. She had relied upon finding a creek that flowed southward and downhill to get back to her homeland. Even if she could get into the river valley, the direction toward settlement might not lead to her homeland. She determined that if she could make it to the river, she would follow it downstream, as settlement was more likely away from the mountains. But where exactly would it drain? She had no idea.

As she explored to the right, she found the going difficult. The trees grew close, and she could make little headway. The gradient seemed to slope gently downward toward the right on that stretch of land that was parallel to the ravine.

She doubled back. If she were to find a path to the river bottom, she would have to go toward the right, and away from the ravine for some distance, at least until the forest thinned.

Astra spent a few hours picking her way through the forest. She was starting to consider places to camp for another night when she found a clearing. She wondered if some men had cleared this spot for a camp, but as she approached, she could see that the soil was thin and rocky here. This would be a good place to camp, if it were needed. She decided to proceed. Within a few minutes, she heard a rustling from the trees. Astra felt no fear. Even an unfriendly man would be a sign of settlement, and she felt that in the clearing she could escape or fight any hostile animals.

The rustling came from a deer. Astra stopped the horses and watched. A deer, being a large animal, would blaze a trail. Astra remembered, from hunting lore, that they tended to bed low for the night. And as it was getting late in the day, this deer might lead her to a path down toward the river.

She chose to follow the deer into the forest. She had indeed found a narrow trail. Progress was slow, as she tried not to spook the animal. She followed the deer until the sun had set. She then lost the animal in the twilight. She noticed that underneath the forest litter, the ground was moist, although not waterlogged. It was not the ideal place for a camp.

Astra decided

1. that she was close to the river, or a tributary. She should press on.
2. She should camp here and wait for daylight.

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