MERSHAD
Mershad and Erika continued walking at a comfortable pace, having already traveled for what certainly had to be several miles by then. Mershad had never walked so far in one single jaunt.
The scenery around them remained fairly constant. There was only a little fluctuation in elevation, as they wended their way around the bases of the encompassing hills. The plants, trees, and even animals remained largely familiar as well.
Yet twice more, they came upon more of the odd, tree-dwelling creatures that they had encountered shortly after their arrival within the strange locale. As before, there were no indications of threat from the unusual creatures, but the sightings reminded Mershad to not lapse in his focus.
“I believe that this forest could go on forever,” Mershad remarked ruefully.
Though they had not pushed themselves overly hard, his legs were feeling entirely leaden. He was beginning to brace himself a little more with each step upon the stout branch that Erika had procured for him.
“I wish I was in your condition,” he said through a tired grin.
“Need a break?” Erika asked him, looking at Mershad with care and concern. Her condition appeared to be holding strong. Her breath still came easy, and she was yet limber of step. She had since found herself another branch that she had deemed more suitable for her height, and was carrying it loosely at her side.
It came as no surprise to Mershad. He was well aware that she was accustomed to a regimen of regular exercise and activity. Mershad was not foolish enough to entertain any notions of sharing her endurance, honed and developed as it was through considerable exertion over a long period of time.
Mershad felt no loss of pride in being completely honest with her. He had no desire to quietly allow himself to sink into a completely exhausted state, especially not when they still lacked any clues as to their whereabouts. Neither could they afford to be lax regarding possible wilderness threats.
“Not just yet, but I promise that I will tell you, Erika, before I get into too much trouble. Who knows? Maybe we’re just a little short of finding something that will let us know where we are,” he replied.
“You’d better tell me,” she replied firmly, still eyeing him carefully, before adding in a softer tone, “and I do hope that we find something soon, anything at all.”
The two trekked onward for a couple more miles, sweat beading upon both of their foreheads. The late-afternoon weather was warm and mildly humid, broken up by the occasional breezes wafting through the trees. By the light of the sky above, Mershad judged that it was now just a few hours before evening arrived.
Mershad did not have any other options for estimating the time. Both his and Erika’s watches were now useless, little more than decorative accessories, after the transfer through the fog. Both watches had come to a stop, and with the unexpected shift from night to day, he knew that trying to estimate a time would be largely futile.
Mershad was also feeling the initial pangs of thirst and hunger, a foreboding development that Mershad began to fear as it raised several new dangers to light. He had spoken about his concerns a little already to Erika, and found that her own worries were not much different.
Neither of them wanted to blindly sample just any sort of berry or nut, not even ones that they might deem to be edible, as they were not experts in woodland growths. Furthermore, they both had little experience with hunting, and did not have any ideas on making efficient netting or rigging poles for fishing.
Still, the inevitable had to be faced, whether they were prepared or not.
As he was worrying about the approaching difficulties, Mershad perked his head up as his ears took in the distinct sounds of running water. A few moments later, they came upon its source, a wide, deep creek whose current flowed at a mild pace.
“I hope that it’s good water, because we are going to need it sooner or later. We’ve got nothing to boil it in, and I don’t know how to start a fire,” Mershad commented. “I…”
“Shhh!” Erika warned abruptly, gesturing urgently for him to be completely quiet.
Her eyes widened as she stared ahead, her posture rigidly still. Mershad felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck at her clear aura of alarm.
“Something is moving near,” she whispered, indicating for him to lie down quietly upon the ground.
They both lowered themselves to the forest floor, and Mershad’s heart began to pound rapidly in anxiety.
He listened intently, and it only took a moment for him to hear what had prompted Erika’s sudden concern. It was the distant sounds of voices, moving through the brush and growing slowly louder. They were still faint, and he could not yet make out any of the words, but the voices were perhaps the most welcome sounds that Mershad had ever heard in his entire life.
The sky above them, though, was still of the unique, blue-green hue, and one glance at it served as a stark reminder to maintain caution. They could not afford to make any quick assumptions. If anything, the sudden upheaval in their personal worlds had instilled a strong sense of prudence in Mershad.
He glanced over at Erika. She nodded back at him, and gave him a slight smile, clearly looking pleased to hear other human voices.
Both of them strained their eyes to gain a better look at the approaching beings, and their ears to discern their specific words. After a few moments, the figures responsible for the voices came into view among the distant trees, accompanied by the crunches and snaps of their footsteps upon the debris on the ground. They were two men, walking at a slow pace.
One was a stocky male, with dark brown skin. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His short, coal black hair was shaved high on the sides of his head, and he sported a dark shadow of growth upon his face that would become a very dense beard if given time. He was dressed in dark khaki pants and a collared, short-sleeved shirt, with a single logo of some type over the left breast.
The other male, a light-skinned man, looked to be of approximately the same age. He was a little taller than the first, modest of build with a narrow waist, and had angular facial features with a strong jawline. He had dark eyebrows, and long, even locks of jet-black hair that descended to the top of his shoulders.
He was wearing gray jeans and a solid blue, long-sleeved shirt. His face was also covered with the stubble of a few days’ growth.
One of the first things that Mershad noticed about them was that neither of the men looked to be very comfortable, as they were constantly looking around. They were talking in low voices, and it appeared as if they were keeping alert for an imminent danger. Their hands were empty, which surprised Mershad a little, given their obvious tension.
Mershad glanced over at Erika, and could see that they were both puzzled by the strange sight. The two men were clearly of a contemporary nature to their own, and their obvious discomfort strongly reflected the wary state of being that Mershad and Erika were in.
Yet despite the familiar signs, there was also the possibility that the men were yet another danger to be faced in this unpredictable and unknown place. The pair were headed right in their direction, and there was no real place to run to without being seen. A decision was being forced upon Erika and Mershad, which he knew that neither of them relished.
He gripped his branch-staff a little tighter, steeling his nerves as he looked back to Erika again. She quietly indicated her ears, then pointed towards the oncoming men, and proceeded to touch her mouth, as she silently mouthed some words.
Lip-reading as best as he possibly could, and using the gestures to augment the communication, he came to understand her intentions. She wanted them to remain quiet, and to try and listen to what the approaching males were saying before taking any action.