Keta Sinur Thruni pondered which direction to go to find cities. To go east, along the coast, would not be easy. There would be food. Well, crabs. And there would be water in the snow. As long as there was snow as the rivers would be frozen.
If he went to the northwest there would be fresh water from flowing rivers. But while there were creatures in the warmer forests who had meat they were also faster runners. And there would only be meat if Dog did not stomp them.
And there were dunes and wastes in the warmer regions. Not many people lived there.
Still, if one went far enough, following the rivers, there could be cities out of the reach of the greenskins. Towns with people. Towns with shops. Shops with goods he could use. His coins might be used for payment. But sometimes coins from one place were not accepted in other place. Yet the bone crafts would be accepted everywhere.
He could get a proper backpack and another skin. And maybe a proper axe. And local coins.
After making a rough map Keta realized the ocean might be a inner sea. And following it might just bring him back to the empty town. Maybe. The map was drawn on the wall with ash from his campfire so it was very rough. Also he wasn’t good with scale.
In the end Keta decided to go west and try to keep near the rivers. The greenskins seemed to be to the north and the east. They would not buy his crafts.
Maybe to the west there would be markets and shops. He put on the rings and bracelets and earrings and grabbed some meat.
Then Keta and Dog went west, along the coast till they found a river. And went west.
In the forests they ran into two two Utahraptors and three Ceratosaurs. Keta dropped the meat. He preapared his iron spear and buckler. He stopped leading Dog.
The Utahraptors ran away but the Ceratosaurs did not. Keta and Dog fought them. Soon all three dinos were dead.
The Keta found himself swimming. In the fight he had followed the last dino onto a frozen pond. And it melted.
At least he was clean. And unharmed. But Dog was wounded.
Keta found the meat he dropped and ate one piece. Then he checked the Ceratosaurs to see if they had anything useful.
They moved west. Soon stopped to drink. Then to the far west they saw what looked like mountains. Lots of mountains.
Keta decided to move slightly southwest. One of the rivers they crossed was frozen. But there was a desert.
Keta and Dog entered it and found a river there. The river was frozen.
Keta pondered if going north would be better? Or heading into the mountains? He decided to head north ALONG the mountains.
Soon the ground was limestone. But the rivers were still frozen. He made a fire to melt the ice in his skin and went to sleep.
He woke up to eat and drink the last of his water. Then slept til dawn.
In the morning they went north again. And ran into another Ceratosaur. Dog ran at it.
Keta dropped the food and armed himself.
Dog attacked it and it fled leaving blood and parts behind. It ran too fast for Keta or Dog to catch up with it.
Keta went back, got the meat, and they headed east this time. He was out of water and he felt he could search while going back home.
They found a river. It was cold but not frozen. Keta drank and filled his skin.
He took a little swim and then they both moved east.
By the time they made it back home it was the 24th of Granite. He melted some snow he found around the cabin and went to sleep. He woke up after the sleep to drink and eat and think.
He had explored westwards but found no cities or people. Maybe next time he would go northeast? Maybe the greenskins had taken a town with shops still in it? Maybe there were small folk or not-his folk who still lived under the greenskins?