You take a look around the campsite, seeing nothing but your companions standing around, looking at a map. Picking up your bedroll, you head on down to meet the group, and give it back to Hane. He takes it, and you turn your attention to the map. It's a very limited map, showing only the campsite and a few miles to either side, but they don't seem to care, paying attention to the ribbon of shading that is the river and the compass-rose in the top right corner of the map, with it's ornate lettering and arcane markings circling it. As you make room for yourself in the circle, you hear Hane talking, "-we'll avoid the forest and keep north of the falls. Are we good?"
The group nods as he turns to you. "Looks like you're ready to go as well," he says before shouting to the rest of the group, "Let's move! We still have to ford the river!"
The group marches on, leaving a spotless campsite behind.
Marching along the river, you take a look at the landscape around you. The same endless plain as you saw yesterday, with the clear river running through the expanse of grass to your left as you hike along. It takes you an hour, but eventually the group closes in on a part of the river with a big sandbar in the middle. Halting for a rest, you survey the sandbar. It would definitely make a good ford, marking a vastly more shallow portion of the river than the rest, which drops off to at least ten feet in the middle. The sand glitters slightly underneath the clear water, the specks of quartz and mica like stars within the silica. Laying back, you rest for a minute before standing with the rest of the group to cross.
Hane steps forward, motioning for Tern to accompany him. Slowly, the two step into the river, staying close. Slowly making their way across the river, they step carefully out onto the other bank, turning to watch the others cross. Viridana and June cross next without incident, leaving just you and Keran. Taking one last drink from your borrowed waterskin, you swallow and step into the river alongside Keran, feeling the cold of the water spread through your body, seeping into your bones as you wade through the thigh-deep water towards the other side.
Five feet from the shore, your foot comes down at a bad angle on the rivebed, and you lose traction, slipping forward. Luckily, the water's only calf-deep where you are, and you catch yourself, but the fall leaves you shaken. Slowly climbing to your feet, you quickly wade to the bank and clamber out of the water, to get back in the warmth of the sun, the group backing up to give you room to sit. Shivering from the cold water soaking through your shirt, you look up to see the tense stares of the group.
Author
Topic: (SG) Journey (Read 2238 times)