Unforeseen Development

I started climbing the mountain towards the lowest point I could see. The mountain wasn't really too steep but I didn't see why we couldn't climb higher if we just wanted to cross it. The mountain didn't really have a lot of trees but it wasn't barren either. There were some shrubs, small trees and a few large trees. It wasn't difficult for me to hide if I did come across something.

Just as I started climbing I thought of a problem. How will I make my way back? There were no landmarks that I could remember. It was still around 3pm and there was a lot of light. While it wouldn't really be too difficult to find my way back but I might waste time while trying to find my way. Others could get worried while waiting for me.

I looked around and found a sharp stone. I went to the nearest tree and carved an arrow on the tree to show the direction towards the camp. I made the arrow so that you wouldn't really see it unless you were looking for it. It was low enough that no one would see it accidently. I didn't want anyone to follow the signs to our current location.

I started to make my way up and carved arrows as I went forward. I also tried to memorize the path so that I could try to come back without having to see the arrows. I considered that my training as a scout. I didn't think a real scout would have to carve arrows in trees to make his way around the forest.

I continued to make my way up the mountain while trying to judge my direction. I was good that I had placed the arrows on the trees. At this point I wasn't really sure about what direction I had come from! I would have been lost without the markers. I was really thankful that Cleo was with us. I wasn't sure about Leana but Turek and me would have been lost in this trip for sure. So much for being a scout! I needed a lot of training from Cleo after all. Just how did she keep track of our direction? Looked up at the sun and squinted my eyes. That was the only thing that told me that I was going in the right direction. Well apart from the slope of the mounting itself. But slopes can change and I could easily have gone in a completely wrong direction if I just followed it.

It had been around 20 minutes when I finally thought of turning back. It should take me much less time to climb down and I thought 10 minutes should be enough. Since I didn't really have a timepiece, I tried to judge the flow of time the best I could. Since Turek didn't have one either, we would be doing the same. I had got some idea of my capabilities in these 20 minutes. I couldn't be completely silent like I could be in the city. No matter how carefully I walked, I would inadvertently place my foot on something that would make noise. I just didn't have any knowledge what makes noise and what doesn't in a forest. I also didn't really have a good sense of direction in the forest.

Thinking of the things I needed to work on, I started to make my way back to the camp. Just when I started to climb down, I thought I heard a noise. I froze in my track instantly and sharpened my ears. My heart had sped up and the memory of the direwolf that attacked me flashed through my mind. Shit! What was I thinking? I knew these woods were dangerous and I still went out on my own! Then I heard the noise again and realized that it was the voice of a person.

I quickly judged the direction of the voice and hid behind a tree so that I wouldn't be seen. Thankfully it was easy for me to find a hiding location because of my small size. I crouched down and carefully entered a dense bush next to the tree. I looked up and saw a few people walking up the slope. They were far enough from me that I was sure they hadn't seen me. They were not coming towards me, instead they were going across. I watched their progress with my heart beating loudly in my ears. I tried to calm down and observe them. I was trying to learn to be a scout. I couldn't panic just when I found something!