Lost In The Realm

chapter 9. Shelter

Glinda awoke tired and confused. She had rode the tree trunk down the river for many hours. Darkness surrounded her and she was scared. Glinda adjusted her self to sit up right. Looking at the sky it was filled with stars and the moon was just rising above a mountain range ahead.
"I must get off this river",she thought to herself.
Looking to either side, it was dark and gloomy. Glinda pulled out some of the berries she had and ate some. "Not very fresh now", starting to taste like wine",she screwed up her face and put most of them back. A warming sensation came over her and she relaxed, knowing it was the power of the berries she was feeling. The river felt like it was slowing down,and the sky ahead seemed to be getting larger.
Up ahead she saw a glimmer of light coming from the forest on her left. Thinking of the attack, she lay flat on the tree as it floated along. "At least I'm out of those cliffs",she thought.
"But who is over there. And why such a big fire, I wish I could see clearer",she said, frustration taking a hold of her. Glinda slowly drifted past the light. She judged it to be to far to swim so she settled in and waited for dawn.
Glinda had fallen asleep. The tree she was on had caught it self on some rocks and was slowly staring to swing to the side. But as it did, the tree was also rolling. Glinda awoke with half her body under water. Realizing what was happening she got off on the up stream side, just as the tree rolled completely over.
Had she not awaken, she would have been pinned between the rocks and tree.
Now she had no choice but to swim to shore. Kicking with all her strength, through the current ,she made it to some reeds and branches along the shore. Pulling her self up, she got on the bank of the river. Exhausted Glinda just laid there breathing hard. The sun was shining bright and was starting to warm her up. She sat up looking at her surroundings.
The river was very wide here, and moved much slower. There was a loud splash and the log she had rode, spun several times before it floated off down stream. Glinda watched it float away until it was gone from sight.
"I wonder if Sans and mother are trying to find me. I hope their safe". Glinda slowly stood on two weak and wobbly legs. "I've got to get back",they probably think I'm dead",she said quietly to herself. She looked back up stream. A set of mountains stood before her. The river ran through a deep passage in those mountains. "I must climb or go around them to head back", but what about those creatures and men,"she thought.
Glinda new one thing, she was hungry.
Being scared and in pain, while doing the (Blackins), berries, had dulled the need for food,but now she was weak and needed to eat.
Glinda lay there thinking of all that happened," I wonder if the dwarf child got away,and that elf gentleman, Lasar,he saved my life,I really hope their all safe. She dozed again.
When Glinda awoke this time,she felt better,but her stomach was making loud noises.
Determined to get back,she got up and started to walk north. The terrain was slightly steep and the trees were very tall but it eventually flatten out. After an hour of walking ,You could still see the river.
But something seemed off,she was smelling something,"smoke",she thought. Slowing down she crepe ahead going from tree to tree. The smell of smoke became stronger, an almost acrid smell that hung in the air. Coming through a thicket of small fir trees,she stood on the edge of a clearing. Ahead she could see smoke rising out of a huge pile of rubble.
It appeared to be a small cabin or what was left of one. A small chimney on a wall and a few roof boards was all that was left of the cabin.
Glinda looked around to see if there was any movement. Looking back at the river, she could just make out the moving water.
" This must of been the light I saw last night",she thought.
No one was around,she couldn't hear any sounds.
So cautiously she worked her way over to the remaining wall. She came upon another spot where someone had built a fire. Looking closer she saw bones in the ashes of the fire pit. She gasped,"those are human bones and some small animals. Glinda held her hand over her mouth as she backed away from the spot. She turned, dropped to her knees and vomited.
After several minutes of nothing coming up,she wiped her mouth and sit . Avoiding looking at the fire pit she gazed at the remains of the cabin. The remaining roof created a shelter of sorts. And it covered some of the fireplace,"the chimney still in place I might be able to rest here",she said to herself. "But those bones, could it be those men with the beast",she thought nervously.
Glinda got up and walked to the cabin. Ducking under the roof she saw a few things that weren't effected by the fire. Mostly part of a bed,but the blankets and furs were quite black from the smoke. A few pots, some cups,and a piece of a large candle was scattered around the dirt floor. Coming back out with a medium pot, Glinda went down to the waters edge. Taking sand and clay from the banks ,she scrubbed most of the soot off,and filled it with water. "There's quite a trail to that cabin,this must have been used frequently".
As she walked back struggling with the heavy pot,she noticed a beaten down path going behind the cabin remains. Sitting the pot under the roof she followed it. Not far behind the cabin she saw what looked like a pile of boards laying at an angle against some rocks.
As she got closer she could see that it was a plain looking door. "Ah a cellar",she thought,just like what father built for mother.
She stopped and listened,no sound except some blue jays and a few squirrels chattering off in the distance.
Glinda grabbed a stick and hit the door,still no sound. She reached down and grabbed a piece of leather that hooked to the door.
It was heavy and took all she had,but finally it opened wide. There were wide steps that went down a few feet. The sun shone down to a floor.
Glinda slowly creped down the steps. To her surprise it was a tidy little cellar. A leg of some boar hung by a wire, there was three small barrels with cloth over them. Glinda went for those first,she pulled back the cloth to reveal it was full of potatoes, another was full of turnips, and the other one had apples.
" Oh my",she breathed aloud. She quickly grabbed an apple and bit into it, "fresh",she thought. She looked around some more. There were some small clay jugs with cork stoppers in them full of some liquid. And some clay pots with covers.
In the corner she found carrots and onions hanging dry and not to old.
"Someone's stocked this stuff lately" she said as she ate another apple. She grabbed an onion,a couple of carrots, potatoes and a turnip and went back to the cabin. She laid them by the old fire place. Then went back to the cellar with a sharp rock she found from a pile of chipped stone and cut a big chunk of meat off the pig leg. She smelled, it smelled like garlic and apples,"hmmm, someone cured this I think,just like father did".
She closed the door to the cellar than went into the small shelter of the burnt cabin. She made a fire in the fire place and put the pot to boil, all the while eating another apple.
Next she took the blankets and furs to the river and scrubbed them as clean as she could, then hung them on branches and rocks in the sun to dry.
Glinda ate another apple. She was really feeling better,and more confident about her situation.
Taking the meat and some rocks, she placed it into the fire place,then using the sharp rock she found, she cut up the vegetables and added them to the pot.
After cleaning two big cups she had found ,she had filled one with hot water.going out of her make shift shelter Glinda removed her bandages, most of the small ones were just red marks of tender skin, the big one was still sore but had closed up completely, it was still quite red but not fested. She cleaned her wounds with hot water,then taking one of the cloths that covered the vegetables she made more bandages.
Squishing some of the berries she had left onto the big wound ,she packed it with fresh moss ,then tied a strip of cloth around it.
Glinda checked the pot of veggies and turned the meat over. She stoked the fire, then went down to the river.
She washed the dried blood out of her hair and let the sun and wind dry it a bit.
Grabbing the blankets and furs that was dry, she carried them back to the cabin.
Glinda scooped out a piece of turnip it was fresh tasting but soft enough to chew. Her mouth watered with the thought of food.
Filling one of the cups she had found and cutting off some warm meat,Glinda sat on the furs and slowly ate.
"This is so good", she thought as she nibbled on the meat. After she ate three cups of vegetables and most of the meat,Glinda felt stuffed. Adding more wood to the fire Glinda laid on the furs.
Between the food,the warm fire ,and being exhausted Glinda fell into a deep sleep.
The sun was getting high when she awoke. Stretching with a big yawn, Glinda glanced at the sun."I slept all afternoon and night", she said surprised.The fire was almost out.
Glinda added more wood to get the fire going again.
She sat in front of the fire as it rekindled into a good flame."I wonder who lived here,and where are they",she thought. Then she remembered the fire pit outside and the bones.
It gave her chills that ran down her spine. "I need to get back,but which way.
She got up feeling refreshed,avoiding the fire pit she walked away from the cabin. Birds flew all around her singing, which made her feel safer.
Looking back at the cabin she looked for any signs of a path. She could see a couple of worn down areas that appeared to be well used.
A path that went down to the river, and the path to the cellar were obvious. Another path went into the forest east.
"I need to go north, but that means going into the mountains",she thought. "I wish I would've paid more attention to the maps in my father's library".
She went back into the shelter of the fallen cabin and boiled some water to drink and clean her wounds.
After eating more of the vegetables from last night and cleaning her wound to her leg, she decided to check out the cellar more.
Making a small torch she entered the cellar. A self stood on the back walls with jars covered with wax seals. She gathered some of them and brought them into the light. "Honey and jams",she said smiling. Leaving a jar of honey she put the others back. Exploring more she found a large sack with straps to sling over your back."oh this will come in handy",she said aloud,"it's dusty but serviceable",she thought.
She found more food stuffs,some dried fish and jerked meat, "probably deer or elk"she thought.
Taking the sack and the honey she closed the cellar door and went back to the fire.
Sitting on the furs,and stoking the fire,she boiled some water. Mixing some of the Blackins she had left and a bit of honey,she made a tea of sorts. Settling back, covering her self with the furs, she slowly drank the warm liquid.
"Tomorrow I leave this place, looking around,thank the gods I found it",I must find mother","she said with tears running down her cheeks.