by Sandra Elsa
#
Every passing day lightened the load Pink carried.
The herbal lore gleaned from her first owner helped her survive. She foraged from the countryside, and succeeded in stretching her meager supplies another three weeks. But all too soon she found herself spending more time searching for food than traveling. As fall faded to winter, little that was edible could be dug from the rough, mountainous countryside.
The weather varied, the skies darkened often to rain. She stumbled on despite the chill soakings. The need to get out of the mountains kept her putting one foot in front of the other except in the most torrential downpour. Every time the clouds gathered she scented the air, expecting that snow was not far in the offing.
Elation mingled with fear when she found a road. She wasn’t sure if it was the same one she had been on, or a completely different one. But shivering in her blanket and hungry enough she considered digging for grubs to eat; Pink decided she had gone far enough.
Chapter 3