Solo Survival of the Fittest (Part III)

[Asterope]

28th of winter, 520 AV
Day 4

(Continued from Survival of the Fittest Part II*)

The next day, she woke early, thankfully to a still intact shelter, and got moving. She had marked out north the night before, so she set off at an angled direction between her two markers. The day was spent mostly getting back on track. It took until the sun was well into the sky for her to hear the gurgling of the river again; at least, she assumed it was the same river. She hoped.

She had no idea at what point of the river she was on the map; was she further than yesterday? The same spot? She hadn't come across her old campsite. Still, it was discouraging to have wasted an entire day simply getting back to where she had essentially already been. Deciding to avoid the river this time around, Aster kept walking. She was tired, though she knew it was more of a mental thing than a physical one; though, even her semi-divine body was beginning to feel fatigued. But she didn't have time to dwell on that. She pulled the map out as she walked, looking for any landmarks or animal threats she should be keeping an eye out for.

Some sort of feline was crudely drawn north of her, between the river she was following and the lake that she has previously pinpointed as near her destination, and not far west from the feline was a drawing of what she assumes to be a wolf. There was also what she guessed to be a pond some distance before the feline. Her tongue darted out, wetting her dry, chapped lips nervously, but she kept walking. She didn't have much of a choice.

29th of winter, 520 AV
Day 5

The fifth day woke her with rumbling thunder and a cold raindrop splattering onto her bare back. Aster jerked awake with a yelp of surprise, narrowly managing to avoid kicking down her shelter again, and squinted up through the gaps in the branches to peer at the grey, cloudy sky. Raindrops were beginning to fall heavily, pattering down around her. "Wonderful," Aster mumbled, crawling out of her shelter. She had nothing to cover herself with or to try and keep the rain from her, so she quickly resigned herself to her fate of a cold, wet day. Hopefully she wouldn't get sick.

Picking up her sack and spear, Aster began walking, as always following the direction she had mapped out the night before. The rainfall was fast and heavy, the raindrops beginning to hammer down around her; the canopy of leaves offered a modicum of shelter, but it wasn't enough to keep her from quickly becoming drenched. Loose strands of hair stuck to her face, and Aster shivered as she walked; the cold from the rain seemed to seep into her bones. It didn't help that without any sunshine, she was going to be more tired than usual; possibly hungry enough that she would have to scrounge up some food somehow.

She brushed the thought away; that was a problem for later. For now, she just had to keep walking. It was harder than usual to tell how long she had been going for without the sun to keep track of the passing time. Huddling under a pine tree to stay as dry as possible, Aster shook her hands free of water and pulled the map out, hunching over it in an effort to keep it as dry as possible.

She had no clue where she was. With a frustrated sigh, she put the map away, watching the sheet of rain that was falling from underneath the safety of the tree before she stepped back out into the downpour and kept walking. The ground was squishy beneath her feet, the dirt turning to mud, and she wrinkled her nose slightly. A rolling boom of thunder made her jump, her ears popping slightly, and a crack of lightning made her hair stand on end.

She didn't like how close that had seemed; the smell of something sharp and crisp lingered in the air. Tucking her arms around her and putting her head down, Aster hurried along. She was so preoccupied with keeping her head down and walking quickly, hoping to find some sort of proper shelter from the rain, that she wasn't paying attention to the ground beneath her feet.

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[Asterope]

She felt it immediately when she began to slip. Her arms flew out, windmilling to try and keep her balance, but the mud was slick beneath her, and the next thing she knew she was half-sliding, half-tumbling down a steep hill. She grunted as she rolled and bounced, the world spinning around her, and then slid to a stop at the bottom. The grey sky above her spun in hazy circles as she blinked, feeling vaguely nauseous. She was covered in mud, and her whole body ached, a few sharper pains alerting her to potential injuries that were more than just bruising.

The trees were sparse at the foot of the hill, only becoming more dense a few feet away. Aster pushed herself up with a loud groan, wincing. She wiped some of the mud from her face, or at least tried to, but all she did was make it worse. Miraculously, the bag was still clinging to her shoulder; she hoped that the map wasn't too wet. Her spear was a few feet away, so she crawled over to grab it. She forced herself to her feet, wincing and using the spear to help support her weight, letting her medical knowledge kick in and take over as she passed her muddy hands down her sides, flexing her fingers and toes. Bruising certainly, lots of it, a few new cuts and scrapes; it was hard to tell if her ribs were broken. She didn't think so, but even if they were, there wasn't much she could do about that.

Her hands and feet seemed fine, and her limbs were working, so no broken bones there; a small miracle. It was hard to take proper stock of the abrasions, covered in mud as she was. There was definitely a sharp pain in her leg, and the mud on her right calf was stained darker with what what she assumed was blood. She grimaced as thoughts of infection whirled in her mind. Using the rain to her advantage, despite how she was shivering, Aster stood with her arms out, hands up, and let the torrent of water wash the gritty mud from her arms and hands, wiping it away to help the process along.

She did the same to her body and legs as best as she could, biting back a howl of pain when she passed a hand down her leg and over what felt like a fairly deep cut. Breathing in heavily through her nose, Aster used the spear as a makeshift walking stick of sorts, and hobbled her way into the shelter of the denser trees, finding another tall, full-branched pine to sit under. She carefully set the bag aside, hoping and praying the map was still readable, and took care of the smaller scrapes and bruises with a quick pass of her hand.

The brief glow of light and warmth was soothing. She leaned against the tree trunk, watching the rain, the occasional drop making its way through the dense, needled branches above her to drip onto her head. Thunder rumbled again, more distantly this time. She needed to clean her leg properly, find some herbs for it. She needed to build a fire. But she was so cold, and so very tired.

Aster leaned her head back, closing her eyes, listening to the rain fall around her. "Stupid," she murmured to herself, but there was no real venom in her own scolding. Did pine needles make for a good fire base? Did she need to worry about it spreading with what seemed to be an ocean's worth of water currently falling from the sky? Her head was still spinning slightly. If she waited a few bells, she would be in better shape. Nightfall would bring a fresh form, and she could take advantage of it to gather materials and try to set up a fire so that she wouldn't be entirely stuck and helpless tomorrow morning.

How long a few bells was, she had no idea. It could be one, or three, or five. But there was nothing she could do in the meantime, so Aster closed her eyes and dozed.

Word count: 694
Total: 1,410

[Asterope]

The shifting of night woke her, and she immediately felt her aches and pains ease, though she was still wet and cold. It was one of the rare instances that Aster was grateful for nightfall and her shift in forms. She stretched, flexing her toes, and peered out from beneath the tree she had taken shelter under. It was still raining, but the torrential downpour had calmed somewhat to a steady dripping of rain.

It was fairly dark, thanks to the addition of the storm clouds, so Aster didn't venture too far from the tree; her scavenging was a lot more feeling about on the ground than it was looking. But she managed to get a few sticks and stones together, and huddled beneath the tree again. She set up a small circle of stones, rummaging through her sack for the bundle of tinder, grimacing when she pulled it out. It was a bit damp, but hopefully it would still catch.

She took a slightly more generous portion due to the dampness, and set it up with some twigs and pine needles in the stone circle. Lighting the fire was easier said than done with damp tinder and a wet ground beneath it; she didn't particularly have anything to start it with either, since everything around her was wet. She thought of using a piece of her hair, but even that was soaked through. Aster hit the steel against the flint for what felt like the thousandth time, and this time, finally, the tinder caught, smoldering and then a few weak flames latching on.

Aster huddled close, trying to get as warm as she could. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled, and it chilled her more than the rain had, a shiver running through her. Well, that at least meant she was still going in the right direction, right? If the drawing of the wolf on the map was anything to go by, at least. She wondered if she should take the map out to try and dry it over the fire, then promptly decided that was a horrible idea as she was infinitely more likely to set it ablaze than do anything helpful.

She wanted to go looking for herbs, but in the dark and with the wolf's howl still echoing in her mind, she decided she would have to do her best in the morning with her injured leg. Curling up on the ground, Aster covered herself in a thin layer of pine needles, since they were mostly dry; it was better than nothing. Tomorrow was another day, and likely a more challenging one.

30th of winter, 520 AV
Day 6

Pain. Aster groaned when she woke up; her whole body felt stiff and sore, and her leg was screaming, throbbing in pain. She was sorely tempted to just keep lying there, under her think sheet of pine needles. But the sun had at least risen, judging by the faint, pale golden light streaming in across the forest floor, and it wasn't raining anymore. A thin layer of fog drifted through the air, catching the morning light and seeming to glow slightly.

Aster would have taken the time to admire the beauty in any other situation. But not now. Grunting, she pushed herself to a sitting position, then crawled out from beneath the tree, mindful of her leg. She was still covered in mud in spots, though now it was dry and itching. Grabbing her bag and spear, Aster inspected her leg, grimacing. The cut was long and deep, though it didn't seem deep enough to need stitches, but that was the only good news. Dried blood and mud caked her calf and the wound, and the skin around it was tight and tender, a pink bordering on red that Aster was not particularly keen on.

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Total: 2,042

[Asterope]

Putting weight on the leg sent pain shooting up through her calf, enough to make her grit her teeth, but not so much that she couldn't walk. Limping slightly as she tried to keep some weight off it, Aster peered up, pinpointing east with the rising sun, and began to walk north again. She went slowly, keeping an eye out for any potentially useful herbs. It didn't take her long to spot what she was looking for, and she could have hit herself for not thinking of it, given how common it was; a nearby bush, nettles poking out, was covered in dark berries. Jile berries.

Aster hobbled over, then hesitated; she would have to make a salve if she wanted to clean her wound with them. She was more familiar with using the already made salve, not to mention she didn't exactly have any herbalism or philtering equipment with her. But her leg throbbed, reminded her of the danger she was facing, so she began to pluck berried, dropping them into her bag. It was worth trying.

The nettles pricked her fingers, but Aster ignored it; satisfied with her haul, she straightened up, fishing out the map. The parchment was still a bit damp, and some of the drawings were smudged, but it was still in one piece and readable, and that was all that mattered. Careful with the damp paper, Aster examined the area she thought she was in; a small pond north of her, then slightly more north a feline, and west of that the wolves, presumably the ones she had heard the night before. Hopefully the pond wasn't too far.

It wasn't, but her leg was still in immense pain by the time she arrived. Gritting her teeth, Aster carefully set her bag down, not wanting to crush the berries. Okay, making a salve...she was going to need water, preferably boiled. Making a fire was the easy part; but she needed some sort of cup or bowl, of which she had exactly none. After taking some time to start a small fire, using more of the precious tinder, Aster waded into the pond, rinsing the blood and mud from her leg, trying not to get too much of the water in the wound; who knew what sort of dirt was in there? She took a few moments to rinse the mud off the rest of her, as well.

Next, she sat on the bank of the pond with two stones and her spear and tried to figure out how in the petch she was going to make a bowl. It didn't have to be big, or deep; just enough to hold some berries and a bit of water. Her first thought had been stone, but it would take bells of smashing one into the other to make an indent. Maybe she should try and carve out a chunk of wood from a tree; but that would take forever too, without anything sharp and hard. Her wooden spear wasn't exactly an axe. Maybe if she found a branch that was thick enough, she could hollow out a small spot on it with her spear.

There was a fallen tree on the other side of the pond, so with her other options limited, Aster limped around and poked at the tree's branches, looking for one she could potentially break off, but that was thick enough for what she needed. The wood was beginning to rot slightly, so while it took a bit of effort, which her whole body protested against, Aster managed to break off part of a relatively thick branch. Hefting it over shoulder, she limped back to the fire, which was already dwindling and threw some more twigs into it.

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Total: 2,666

[Asterope]

Feeling along the branch for a relatively soft spot, Aster then took her spear and began jabbing at the wood, carving out pieces until she had a shallow indent. It would fit maybe one handful of water, but it was better than nothing. It occurred to Aster that she should probably wet the branch as well, to keep it from immediately just catching fire.

Dipping the branch in the pond, Aster filled the shallow indent as best as she could; if she were to drink it, it would be a sip and nothing more. Still, it would have to do. Careful not to spill it, Aster held it over the flames. The branch began to smoke and blacken, but wet as it was, didn't catch fire; and tiny amount of water that it was, it began to boil rapidly. Aster quickly retracted the branch and set it down, holding it in place with one hand while she fished out a few berries from her bag with the other.

Dropping them into the heated water in the shallow indent in the branch, most of the water spilled out of the sides. Aster grimaced, but left them to cool for a few moments before poking at them with her finger. They were hot, but not scalding. Waiting until they cooled further, Aster mashed the berries with what remained of the hot water. The amount of paste was miniscule, and she realized she was going to have to repeat the process many, many times if she wanted to cover the whole wound. She didn't have the time for that; the sooner she got out of the forest, the sooner she could get proper medical help.

Perhaps there was an easier way to go about this. Aster squinted at the stones, the branch, her spear, and the fire, gaze flickering back and forth. If she heated the stone she could put a cup or bowl on it, but that still didn't solve the issue of a cup or bowl...she felt the small spark of an idea. Grabbing the larger stone, she washed the dirt off it in the pond and then shook it dry before sliding it into the fire. The flames sputtered, but with a few more twigs, reignited, beginning to heat the rock.

Aster rinsed some berries, then mashed them with some water in her palm. After a few moments, she used the branch with the failed 'bowl' carved into it to nudge the rock out of the flames again, and slid the paste of berries from her hand onto the rock. It steamed as it hit the rock, and she quite frankly had no idea if doing this was in any way effective or better than just using water and berries, but it felt better to her.

Once the rock and paste had cooled, Aster scooped it back up and slathered it onto her wound, wincing and whining quietly as she did so, gritting her teeth on louder sounds of pain. Now she needed something to wrap her leg with to keep the paste in and any further dirt out. Having no other options, Aster stripped the moss from the branch she'd been using, and wound it around her leg, wetting it with a bit of water to help it stick together and to her skin.

Not sure if she had helped or just made it worse, but feeling slightly better about having done something, Aster stood up, kicked some dirt over the fire, gathered her supplies and began to walk again. She knew that the feline drawing on the map was almost dead ahead of her, but it was the fastest route, and she couldn't afford to waste anymore time.

(Continued in Survival of the Fittest Part IV*)

Word count: 620
Total: 3,286