The Survivor: Episode 13 (Steemit Original)

Waking to the sun's bright glare and the morning dew still dampening my garments, the air was crisp and clean as I stretched out my legs and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The sun was still rising and as I woke it felt odd to think I fell asleep to almost the same view. As I lay there and yawned and started to get up I heard the dogs whine as it gaping mouth closed to finish a yawn. The gelding now stirring pulling at the lead fastened to a nearby sapling. Truth be told the knot was hardly tight enough to keep the horse steady, should something happen while sleeping the thought of the creature being harmed by the wrong hands or predators.

Gathering a few things from around the woods to eat for the morning's breakfast we made our way to a patch of trees that was sure to promise water. As we approached I could hear the sounds of the water rippling through the stream. Here would be a good place to stay for some time as it seemed to be far from any trouble and as safe a place as one could find in the now seemingly vacant world.

Beginning to set up camp I began to look for things to make a fire, in luck with flint in the area it was easy to get a tiny fire enough for cooking going and then off to hunt for food. The stream would be most useful and the tattered pants I wore made use as a net for the time being. Until, I could build or find something of better use. Although proving harder then I first imagined I eventually caught a fish and then another! With the excitement of the catches I retreated to the still glowing coals of the once burning fire. Rekindling the fire while cleaning the fish I broke pieces of scraps off for the puppy to eat. As the horse roamed freely grazing in the nearby field I wondered how this peaceful moment could be so wonderful even in such a world of chaos.

Finishing the last of the fish and dousing the embers to deter any investigations to the area I decided to make my way to a cliff I had seen up stream as we neared the water. Collecting the horse and pup and mounting the gelding we heading toward the cliff. The cliff’s walls jetted out from the earth like they had stormed up into the heavens of the pits of hell themselves. The red rock was crude and sharp as it poked the sky. The base of the rock met the earth and seemed to dive into the ground. The cliff and creek seemed to run alongside each other for miles. The journey was effortless but time consuming, continuing for the entire day we reached a point where the brush grew so thick I could not ride and the creek pooled into a dam, it seemed from a local beaver.

As I continued through the brush I noticed some black berries and began to pick them. Munching on a few and laughing as the pup licked at one from my hand we were happy for the moment and content in our peace. As we worked our way through the thicket I turned to see the cliff and the bushes meet. Where they did there was a gap in the rock. Pulling the horse inside the gap we walked into the rock like a canyon in the cliff. As we ventured down the rocky walls I spotted a cave on one side and knew I had found a good place to possibly stay for a while.