Chapter 4

The next morning Endermon woke to a persistent bird pecking on her sleeping area. She blearily sat up and asked the bird what was going on. It said that there was a need for them to go down the river, about a day's travel away. She asked why the urgency and it just told her to hurry and flew away.

She got up and packed her stuff that she would need for traveling. And since the bulk of the campsite was salvaged from nature and could easily go back to being a riverbank in a matter of hours. Once she was packed she went to the others and told them she had a lead on the treasure and they had to move quickly.

They grumbled, but ultimately got their stuff together. After a quick breakfast and some rearranging, it looked like a place someone had stayed for a night, but no longer. They grabbed their stuff an headed down the river. Before leaving completely, they stopped where Shiloh's carriage was partially hidden and saw the man leaning against the carriage. They told him where they were going and he was welcome to join them if he so chose.

Then they headed off for the day. There was good natured bickering between them as they traveled. A little less from Endermon, as she was trying to pay attention to the animals as they would guide her to the new campsite.

It was mid-day as they stopped for lunch. Endermon was going to break out the non-perishable foods, but Dresden, egged on by Rutus, wanted to show off his hunting prowess. Endermon rolled her eyes, but agreed nonetheless. As she waited for them to return, she could finally hear what the animals were saying.

They said there was a perfect spot half a day's journey from where she was sitting. If she followed the river, she was sure to find it. She thanked the animals and apologized for her traveling companions.. they were solemn,, but understood. She asked to send a message back to her parents. They agreed, and Endermon was left alone with nature. She amused herself by making the flowers dance.

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When Rutus and Dresden returned, Endermon had to work hard not to outright laugh at a sopping wet Dresden and a damp from the knees down, Rutus. They only had a couple small fish and Dresden seemed to be in a fouler mood than normal.

Not wanting to cause a scene in case anyone happened to come upon them by the river, Endermon made a small fire, and speared the small fish on a stick. It didn't take long for them to cook. Being small fish, it didn't take them long to be finished off.

With Dresden as dry as he could get, they set off again. They were making good time until Dresden, who had been complaining about his damp clothes, took off his shirt, much to Endermon's dismay. After about a mile, he was not getting the attention he hoped to get, and put on his shirt again.

They continued down the road in relative silence. Every once in a while, Dresden would complain about being bored and would drop everything he was carrying and continue on as an animal.

This forced Endermon and Rutus to pick up and awkwardly carry the discarded stuff. Eventually he got told off by both Endermon and Rutus, so he stopped doing that. It didn't stop his mouth, but that was nothing new.

Finally, near dusk Endermon spotted an opening in the trees with help from the birds. This was a much more agreeable spot because at first glance, it was a solid line of trees which was tangled with weeds and a dense undergrowth. But if you knew where to look, there was an opening between two trees.

Here they went in and down to the riverbank. They found plenty of logs and stumps to fit their needs. In the fading light, Endermon made a fire and had the other two pick out places for sleeping. Since they dropped everything but the most personal stuff, Endermon was left with putting the stuff away.