frowns, then tries again with the flat of his foot. It sinks beneath the surface until he stands on the bottom. “We’ll walk around.”
The gravel crunches under our feet as we walk around the edge of the lake. I keep an eye on the sky, the woods, and the lake itself. From the adventures the other girls have had, I know that lakes on Xren can contain some pretty nasty monsters.
But I also know that the water in the streams and lakes is usually pretty clean. None of the girls have gotten sick from drinking water on this planet, even if it hasn’t been boiled.
I squat down again and scoop lake water into my mouth. It’s fine. Cool and clean. “Caronerax, you want to try some?”
He gives me a short glance, then walks on.
Of course, dragons in human form aren’t human enough to really need to eat and drink, but this one is probably not in the best shape of his life, and a little bit of water never hurt anyone.
I hurry to catch up, then study his wound as we walk. “How do you feel now?
“There’s somewhat less pain,” he growls.
I’m relieved. “Great! Let’s apply more of the paste soon. Twice a day should be good.”
He sighs. “Very well.”
Our shadows grow long while we walk along the shores of one lake after the other, always trying to keep going south.
This is actually not bad. The lakes are close enough together that any bigger dino would struggle to make its way between them.
We keep coming upon little packs or herds of smaller creatures, most of them harmless. But the fact that there are so many of them here is a good sign. They must feel pretty safe.
After another hour, I slow down. The sun is about to set. We’ve walked all day, and despite the berries I’m starting to get really hungry.
“Well?” Caronerax asks. “Is this your village?”
“We’re nowhere near the village.”
“Then why are you not walking?”
I lean on a tree close to the shore. “I can’t walk at night. And I’m exhausted.”
“Ah. This is the food issue you mentioned?”
“Sure. Among other things.”
“Can’t you get food? Ingest more of the ridiculous berries, perhaps?”
I turn the leaf cone upside down to show him. “All gone.”
“Can you find berries somewhere?” he frets. “What else do you eat? Leaves? Roots? Bugs?”
I shrug. “Fruit is nice, but I haven’t seen a single fruit tree all day. Some roots are edible if you boil them, most are not. Leaves are not food, only seasoning. At best. I can eat grilled meat, but I have no hunting weapons, and it’s getting pretty dark. The bushes with berries are pretty rare, looks like. I don’t absolutely need to eat right now. But I will need to rest until tomorrow morning.”
I’m not sure how that will work. It’s not like I have a tent or a blanket or anything to make for even a slightly comfortable night. But right now, I can’t walk another step.
And of course walking in the woods at night is also not recommended. Some predators are mostly active in the dark, and you can’t spot them before they’re right on you.
Caronerax stares at me for three heartbeats, then turns on his heel and marches off in among the trees with determined steps.
I draw breath to call him back, then change my mind. I’m not at all sure I’ll be safer with him than alone in this lake area. Maybe he should continue on his own, and I will continue on my way tomorrow.
I gather fallen branches and a couple of pounds of dry not-pine needles from the ground. I still have fire-making stuff in the pouch around my neck, and after a few minutes there’s a crackling little fire on the shore of the lake.
Sitting down with my side to the water, just in case of lake monsters, I make myself comfortable on top of a sheaf of thick, squishy leaves.
The flames warm me fine, something we usually don’t need fires for in the jungle. But this is not a tropical jungle like at the village. This is a boreal pine forest, and the air is chilling fast despite the sun setting.
What do I do now? I’m obviously still far from the village. Weeks away, probably. I have to stay alive until then, which means I have to make hunting weapons. This not-fishing rod might fool dinos and turn their attention away from me, but it won’t kill and gut them. Actual fish don’t