1 Thirsty.

I stumbled through the forest. Hungry and my energy drained.

When was the last I had eaten? I had no idea and I was thirsty. I had refrained from using my powers until I had reached the borders. I could not risk to have them follow,trace me and find out my whereabouts. The swamp had been my best option. The last place they would look and it had taken me a day and half to reach the Janthii swamp.

I had left in a hurry so I had no provisions. I could not risk the journey to the kitchen nor alerting my maid in waiting who for a twelve year old girl was already suspicious. Dirana was clever like that. Maybe it was because we grew up together and she could read me, maybe it was her gift, either way I had not risked it and had ventured out on my own at the very first opportunity and with just some few snacks to sustain me.

Three days without food and two without water. I had not considered my treacherous journey and had thus planned poorly. I had no container to carry water and the last time I had a good drink was at the swap whose waters drained albeit slowly into the great sea of Haniwa.

Once I had created the portal though and had walked into the vortex to fall into this jungle in this other realm, I had not had satisfying drink save from the few that I collected on the leaves around me and even that was not enough. a meagre drink only in the morning did not serve to quench my thirst. I needed to find a river, or a settlement and once there I could figure out the next step I needed to take.

My feet tumbled through the undergrowth leaving holes in the once luxurious robes I had escaped in. The hems were frayed and muddied as green stains marred the rest of my dress where I had spent nights sleeping on the ground.

I was lucky that the weather was warm. That I had ended up somewhere on the equator as evidenced by the vegetation that was flourishing in this wet and humid jungle. I had my education to thank for that, though at the time of receiving it, it had not made much sense especially to the rebellious preadolescent that I was turning out to be. I was quite independent though. Hence the courage to do what I had done despite the fact that my throat was now dry and parched, paying deary for what I now confessed to be a lack of unpreparedness on my part.

A rustling noise startled me and I looked to my right to investigate its source. For a while everything remained the same. Then a bush shook and I jumped back already rethinking my resolve not to use my Birr. For a moment everything remaining still, with me stuck like a stature awaiting what the next moment would bring my way.

Then a bleat sounded and I exhaled the breath that I had not known I was holding. It was just a sheep, I breathed out with relief.

Curious my feet walked over to the bush and there I found a most adorable site. A small brown sheep with a lamb suckling on its teats. All the while the mother sheep continued nibbling on the tender shoots of the little shrub that had concealed it. On its a loose noose to tether it. That flowed all the way to the trunk of a tree where a bowline knot secured it.

There were people here. I remarked to myself. People meant food and water. Otherwise I did not think that anyone would have gone to all that trouble to tether a sheep quite far in the jungle. Weren't they afraid of predators? For a moment I pitied the little sheep left out as sacrificial lambs to some unknown wolves.

Or maybe there was none. I chose to believe otherwise I would have untied the sheep and probably gotten myself and the lambs in trouble.

Too exhausted to go further. For even with my Birr I felt weary I decided to put up camp there and wait. There was bound to be someone who would come back and take this sheep home. There was still some hours till evening, but I would take those to refresh my bones and instead of wondering around walking in circles I would hit two birds with one stone by guarding the sheep while resting as I did so.