Jared knew exactly what Therese would be saying if she were with him now. She would be shaking her head and saying “Jared Jonison, you have got to get over your pride and let Ray lead ya ‘round on your trips to the outback!” He supposed she was right. Actually, he knew she was right; if he had waited for Ray to return from the Great Plains so he could guide him, Jared wouldn’t be lost in the middle of Whisper Forest right now. Lost with a bewildered Cavallion and a Viral Velix.
Behind him, Charger the common Cavallion munched on what herbs and grass he could find in the mist, patiently waiting for Jared to decide which way to go. The Viral Velix buzzed and whined right next to him. It seemed to dislike the damp.
Jared shook out the little map and looked it over for the umpteenth time, as if this time he would somehow see something new and know what to do. He had gotten the crude, makeshift map off a trinket vendor in the City of Aldrect, after telling the vendor of his intention to travel to the Dead Coast. The vendor had told him of a shortcut from the City through the Whisper Forest that fishermen used.
“There’s a little ferry on the western shores opposite of the Dead Coast. After you get through Whisper Forest, it can take you right to the Coast!” The man had assured Jared he should have no problems. However, not even a half-hour walk into the forest, Jared lost track of the path in the mist, and then all sense of direction. Now he glanced at the Velix.
“Are you sure you can’t tell magnetic North?” The velix gave a negative, and rather indignant-sounding, bleep. It wasn’t the first time Jared had asked, and when given a negative reply the first time, he had then said in frustration, “Then what good are you?” Jared turned to the map again. Suddenly, he folded it up and put it in his pocket. The map wasn’t helping; he was going to have to try something else. He tightened his jacket about him while looking over the trees, half-buried in mist, and gradually fading into it in the distance. The forest seemed rather dark and gloomy, and he couldn’t help feeling uneasy. It made him think of Mirkwood in “The Hobbit”. He murmured a quick prayer for guidance: “Lord, help me figure a way outta here!” Glancing up the nearest tree, he thought he might try climbing up to look over the forest, much as Bilbo had. He would need a tree taller than this one, though. This deep in the forest, there were many huge trees, and he soon found one that looked suitable. He was in fairly good shape, so climbing wasn’t too hard. Charger stared at him, as if wondering what in the world he was doing. It took some time for Jared to climb high enough for his purposes; the trees were very tall in this part of the woods. At last, though, he was able to see over the surrounding trees.
The view he had was eerie and surreal. The great leafy branches hung over and stretched out above a sea of mist. There was no sign of the ground, and mist swathed the horizon, so it was impossible to see beyond the forest.
“Great,” Jared muttered. Stretching out to try to see better, he caught the faintest glimmer to his right. He looked, but it had vanished. After a few moments of staring hard, he saw another glimmer, but it vanished as quickly as the first. For several minutes he stared, trying to catch sight of faint gleams flashing in the fog. They seemed to come from only one direction. Suddenly he realized; it was the light reflecting off the sea! Now he knew which way was south, at least.
The climb down seemed to take forever, particularly as Jared was trying hard to keep his bearings so he would remember which way was south when he reached the ground. Charger looked relieved to see him climb down. The velix did not seem greatly concerned. As soon as he reached the ground, Jared set up a branch on a stone, pointing south.
“That way is south,” he said to the velix. “Remember that!” The velix beeped obediently, but in a doubtful tone. Charger returned to cropping herbs, now that his slightly mad master was safely back down.
Jared pondered what to do next. The wisest thing to do would be to get out of the forest as quickly as possible, but Jared didn’t know how to do that. He didn’t know where exactly in the forest he was. Perhaps the best route would be to head toward the sea. That way, the sea would become easier to see the further he went. Though Jared didn’t fancy continually climbing trees to see where to go, but it was pretty easy to lose one’s bearings in this forest. He picked up the backpack he had dropped some time ago and clicked at Charger.
“C’mon, you two,” he said, “we’re finally going to get somewhere.” Charger and the velix followed obediently, both looking relieved to finally be on the move again.
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