Slowly, the sound of rushing water met her ears and lifted her spirits. Shiloh lifted the map from her saddlebag and trotted next to a tree to shield its delicate paper from the marring rain. I can’t be too far from the bog. She thought as she stashed her map and began to gallop toward down the road. As the sound grew louder, so did her spirits. The fact that she had made progress to this point was enough to harbor some pride in her that she was accomplishing something worthwhile.
She rounded a sharp bend in the road and slowed to a trot. Her hope had turned to dismay as she saw the road. It meandered into the water and vanished underneath the raging current. Nothing suggested a bridge had ever been constructed to carry it above the water. Centuries of erosion had cut a new river over the road and the murky water was treacherous. Shiloh trotted to the bank and dipped her hoof into the water. It was cold to the touch. The rain, which had been tolerably light until now, had begun to pick up, causing her to look for shelter along the coast of the river.
A large oak tree stood on the other bank, its limbs stretching across the river. They beckoned her to seek shelter underneath their broad reach. Shiloh trotted to one of the sturdy limbs that stretched over the raging current. Slowly she grabbed onto the branch and gripped it with all her might as she began to slowly inch her way across the river. As she neared the middle of the river a stiff wind rushed over the river and shook the branch. Her hind legs lost their grip causing Shiloh to dangle by her forelegs as she held on for dear life. She felt her saddlebag begin to slip as she again started to inch her way across the river. Unable to concentrate long enough to levitate the bag, she let it drop onto her back legs. Using her back hooves, Shiloh held the bag on her ankles and shuffled the rest of the distance using her forelegs.
Once the bank was beneath her she dropped the saddlebag to the ground. Swinging herself to the grassy ground she trotted over to the yellow bag that lay just feet from the edge. A sigh of relief escaped her lungs as she realized nothing had fallen to the river. The adrenaline began to fade, and Shiloh absentmindedly took a bite of the grass. She immediately spat it out, worrying that the nausea might begin again, but after she realized nothing was near that could contaminate it she began to eat.
By now the rain had turned into a deluge and the sound of the torrent atop the leaves was deafening but tiring. Shiloh pulled the saddlebag close and allowed her eyes to slowly close shut as she awaited the rest. Seconds later she was sound asleep dreaming about what had once been.
Shiloh awoke coughing and gagging as she tried to expel the water she had just inhaled. She quickly realized the torrential downpour had caused the river to break its banks and flood the grassy knoll with murky brown water. Rising to her feet, she noticed the yellow saddlebag scooting along with the current toward the rushing river. Immediately she focused on the bag and lifted it using her magic. Setting it down on her back, Shiloh let out a sigh of relief that was cut short at the sudden realization. The map. She thought as she opened the flap and lifted the rolled up paper to her face. “No, no, no!” She exclaimed as she watch the black, ink filled droplets fall into the water.
She unrolled the map to see that the water had all but destroyed it. Her heart began to race as she realized she had no way of knowing where she was or where she was going. The water was still rising, and Shiloh had to act fast. The large oak tree loomed over her and again called her with its branches to seek shelter. With much effort, Shiloh slowly began to climb the tree. One hoof after the other she slowly began to distance herself from the ever-rising current. Perched like an owl in one of the swaying branches in the top of the tree, Shiloh watched as the water slowly began rise.
This tree had better hold up. She thought to herself as the water continued to rise. A cracking sound made Shiloh nearly lose her balance as she shook in terror. A tree upstream had fallen from the forest and into the water. She watched as the tree struck the side of the oak and wrapped around it. Another loud crack resounded from the log as the water snapped it around the base of her perch and began to flow down the river once again.
Shiloh breathed a sigh of relief as she realized the water had reached its full height but was only lapping at the base of the oak tree she was standing in. I really need some sleep. She thought to herself as she tried to find a comfortable space to lie down. The branches offered her little stability, and she could not bring herself to try and fall asleep on them. This is going to be harder than I thought. Shiloh lifted the saddlebag from her back and draped it over one of the branches near her. Beginning to brainstorm, Shiloh pulled the rope from the bag and floated before her face. How can I use this? She thought as she began to tie one end to the branch and stretch the other over a second branch. I could make a hammock I suppose. She thought as she tied a knot in the middle of the rope. But what can I use for padding? I don’t know how to knit I need something premade. Shiloh’s eyes drifted to her saddlebag that hung on a nearby branch. Slowly the wheels of her mind began to turn as she lifted it from the tree and undid the strap.
Taking the leather strap to the branch, she worked furiously as she tried to secure the bag in a stable position. Several minutes, and a few near slips later, Shiloh had created her makeshift hammock. It stood in the center of a forked branch. She had anchored the bad horizontally from the fork and used it as a headrest and the fork she used as a leg rest. Carefully Shiloh positioned herself on the hammock and tied a makeshift harness around her body as protection if she was to fall off. Sleep once again took hold of her mind, and she quickly drifted off.
Shiloh awoke the next morning to find herself dangling high above the ground, suspended by a single rope that was slowly twisting and untwisting itself. Startled, she tried to right herself, but the harness prevented her from moving. After realizing her struggles were only tightening the knot, Shiloh let her body fall limp and dangle in the breeze as she tried to devise a way out of her predicament. She noticed a branch that was just out of her reach. Beginning to pump, she slowly started to swing herself, getting closer with each swing. Her hoof finally grabbed onto the wood allowing her to pull her body onto the branch.
Uneasily, she rose to her hooves and untied the harness, and held onto the branch for dear life as she did so. Inching her way along the branch, Shiloh slowly moved toward the larger branches of the tree. As she reached them she allowed herself a moment to see where her saddlebag had gone. One of the straps that had secured it in place had torn under her weight and had caused her to fall during the night. That’s funny. I wonder why I didn’t wake up from the jolt. She thought as she untied the saddlebag and rope from the tree. Placing the bag on her back, Shiloh lowered the rope into it and began to climb down the tree toward the damp ground.
The morning was brisk, and carried the scent of rain with it. The clouds had long since dissipated, and the river had receded to its banks, yet still roared with the ferocity of a lion. The base of the oak was scarred from its encounter with the tree that had fallen during the storm. The sun was shining overhead, and the birds were beginning to chirp again, but Shiloh still had not figured how to get to the bog. I really don’t want to have to walk beside the river to the bog, but there is no way something can survive going down that water. She thought as she watched a small branch struggle to stay afloat in the rapids and eddies of the raging current.
Shiloh watched as a clump of debris gently soared atop the water, undeterred by the rapids of the murky water. “That’s it!” She exclaimed as she watched the clump disappear around the bend in the water. “I’ll make a raft!” Quickly she began to rummage through the piles of debris that lay near the tree as she tried to find several large branches that would serve as the base to her raft. One by one she lined the branches up in a disorganized row on the saturated grass. Once she had found about a dozen she used the rope to tie them together.
Shiloh carefully grabbed several smaller sticks and placed them atop the base of the raft. Slowly the raft took form as she placed the last few twigs to make the top of the raft slightly even. This had better work. She thought as she stepped back and looked at the makeshift raft. It looked less like a vessel and more like a heap of sticks, but aesthetics were not her objective. Carefully she lifted it with her magic and carried it to the edge of the water. As she placed it into the eddy beside the bank, the branches shifted and several sticks fell into the water. Shiloh let out an angered sigh as she watched them disappear into the water. Turning her attention back to the raft, Shiloh slowly placed her hoof on the raft. As it took her weight the water began to rise through the cracks. She hesitated as she assured herself that it would float in the rapid current.
Taking a deep breath, Shiloh leapt onto the craft. It tipped dangerously to the side, and she shuffled to the other as she tried to balance the raft. Once the surface leveled out, Shiloh lay down and pushed herself into the current of the river. The craft began to buck and jerk as the water pulled it into the middle of the river. Using her hooves as rudders, Shiloh spun the craft to see downstream. A pile of rocks stood in the middle of the river, splitting it in two. Paddling furiously, Shiloh maneuvered the craft to the side of the river and drifted by the jagged stones.
The river was much calmer than Shiloh had expected and put her mind at ease. She idly spun the craft as she tried to pass the time while the raft meandered down the river. The sun’s rays shone through the tree’s tops and created dancing flecks of light on the water’s surface. The air was cold next to the river, but warmer than the water itself. On occasion Shiloh had to avoid a small rapid or eddy, but she spent most of the time relaxing as the water carried her to the swamps.
The shadows lengthened with each lazy bend the river took. As the day turned to night the forest began to mingle with the water. Cattails swayed in the gentle breezes of the night that carried a brisk coolness with them. The smell of stagnant water rose from the river as it began to slow from a strong current to a meandering flow that wound its way into a large swamp. Large trees, supported by branching roots, rose from the water, blurring the lines between water and forest. Small islands of cattails and grass rose from the murky water and swayed in the gentle breeze of the swamp.
This must be Froggy Bottom Bog. Shiloh thought to herself as she instinctively lifted the map from her saddlebag. A frown spread across her face as she remembered how the water of the river had destroyed it. Placing it back into her bag, she surveyed the trees in the faint light of the crescent moon that was overhead. Small splashes of water arose intermittently around her as the fish of the swamp nabbed the insects that dared to drift too close to the surface. Shiloh looked around to see that the minute currents of the swamp were no longer pulling her craft. Great, now where do I go? She thought as she contemplated abandoning her raft and making the rest of her journey on hoof.
Spotting a loose branch nearby, Shiloh used her magic to pull it toward her. Carefully, she sat upright and lifted the branch from the water. Using it as an oar of sorts, Shiloh pushed her way through the swamp, trying to find a place of solid ground where she could try and figure out how to get to the outlet that led to Ghastly Gorge. Spotting a small island in the distance, Shiloh pushed the craft with long strokes as she carefully tried to avoid the trees that sprouted from the water. As she neared the little plot of land, Shiloh held the branch out and tried to use the ground to pull herself to it. Her branch, however, did not contact solid ground, but instead a patch of mud that was overly saturated with water. Rolling her eyes, Shiloh started off toward another island.
This time her stick contacted dry ground as she docked her raft beside the plot of land. She stepped onto the grass and lifted the raft halfway onto the bank to keep it from flowing away in the tiny current. Kneeling down, Shiloh tried to recall the map in her mind. The only thing she could remember of the bog was that the outlet was on the southern part of the swamp. She lifted the compass from her saddlebag and illuminated it with her horn.
She waited for the needle to steady and then judged her direction through the swamp over the past several hours. She had been heading west. She laid her head down on the grass and slowly waited for sleep to come to her. As her mind began to fall to rest, Shiloh watched as the peaceful swamp water drifted past the island.
Shiloh awoke from her rest and stretched her stiff body. That was a great night’s sleep. She thought to herself as she looked around the swamp. The light of the day showed the true nature of the swamp. A light fog hung over the water, and was a slight tint of green. The bog was alive with animal and plant life. A quiet wind drifted through the trees and blew the leaves and twigs that drifted in the water in spirals. South. Shiloh thought as she withdrew her compass and pushed the raft into the water. I need to go south. She lifted the stick that served as her oar and slowly began to push her way through the water.
After a while her forelegs began to ache from the repetitive long strokes she had used to push her way through the water. Looking through the trees, she realized a wide path had been cut through the forest. That must be a stronger current. She thought as she began to paddle toward it. As she neared the winding clearing the sound of gently flowing water met her ears. She gave one last powerful stroke and pushed her raft into the river. As the gentle current of water caught the boat it began to move. Shiloh put the branch on the raft and laid down on its wooden surface.
The river meandered through the swamp, carrying Shiloh with it as it wound in wide turns through the forest. Sounds of wild birds met her ears as she drifted through the water. Other noises arose from the wilderness around her, but their sources lay behind the shroud of the woods. Shiloh played with the water as she waited for the river to take her to the outlet to the gorge. She let out a deep sigh as she remembered how life had been so different only a month ago in Manehattan. Her body still ached from the overuse and undernourishment it had received over the past several days. The wound on her cheek from the bullet had slowly begun to close again. The image of the floating body of the mare flashed in her mind and made her body shudder, causing ripples of water to emanate from her raft.
A loud sound echoed through the forest. Shiloh shook her head and smiled. That was some animal that has no interest in me. She thought as she looked at the river that served as a barrier between her and the wilderness. Shiloh turned her attention to the flock of birds that had alighted from the ferocious sound. Waves began to rock Shiloh’s raft as an unseen beast moved the water deep within the forest of the swamp. That must be one giant animal. She thought as she bobbed over the rippling water.
Another roar, closer this time, rose from the forest. Fear began to grip Shiloh as she watched the tops of the distant trees sway as something plowed through them. This can’t be good. She thought, as the ripples grew larger. A large snakelike head poked out of the forest and loomed over the treetops in the distance, making the blood drain from Shiloh’s face. Her heart began to race as three similar serpentine heads rose beside it. Is that a… hydra? She thought as the heads surveyed the landscape. Shiloh’s body began to shake as she tried to figure how to evade the massive looming creature that stood in the distance.
A rosy aura encompassed her body as she tried to cast the invisibility spell that had spontaneously occurred days ago. Aided by adrenaline she began to recall the massively complex spell and started to summon it. Slowly her extremities began to disappear as she focused all of her energy on the spell.
The hydra looked with its snakelike eyes at the land before it, trying to find anything that might help satisfy its hunger. It looked at the opening of trees that had been cut by the river. A small pile of debris floated down the river, but it quickly moved on, as it realized nothing was alive on its surface.
Shiloh watched as the beast stared right at her. Confident that she was invisible, Shiloh met its stare with her own in a one-sided staring contest. The hydra’s gaze only lasted a second as it realized it was only a pile of garbage and moved back into the forest as it tried to find something else to eat. Shiloh’s heart beat like a drum in her chest and she stopped the spell as she lay down onto the raft. As the adrenaline subsided a splitting headache arose, a side effect of the spell. Rubbing her temples with her hooves she tried to quell the ache.
It took several minutes for the pain, and the black spots in her vision, to finally subside. Once they did, Shiloh noticed she was trapped in a small pond. I wonder where I am. She thought as she looked at the forest. The air had changed from a gentle breeze to a stiff wind that caused the treetops to sway and the water to become choppy. The sounds of the forest’s wildlife had been replaced by a low roar of water that emanated somewhere beyond the curving river. Water now only stayed within the confines of the river that was lined with dirt banks. Trying to get a view of where the noise was coming from, Shiloh paddled to the edge of the pond and looked downstream. The river ended in a fog that encapsulated the trunks of the trees around it.
That has to be ghastly gorge. Shiloh thought to herself as she paddled her raft toward the bank. She took a long moment before she began to disassemble the raft to retrieve the invaluable rope she had used to lash the raft together. Slowly the vessel began to fall apart as she untied its bindings. Minutes later the only thing that remained was a pile of sticks that slowly swirled in the stagnant water. Coiling the rope and stashing it in her saddlebag, Shiloh started along the edge of the river as she quickly trotted downstream.
The water of the outlet was much more violent than the river that had taken her through the swamp. As the sound grew louder the fog grew thicker and began to engulf her. Slowing to a crawl, Shiloh carefully trotted toward the noise, warily avoiding the rushing water that surged toward the gorge. The fog grew blindingly dense, forcing her to feel her way to the waterfall.
Carefully, Shiloh felt the ground before her before she placed her weight on it. Several steps later, all she could feel was air. A strong breeze began to pick up and blew the fog from her view. As the haze cleared, Shiloh could start to make out the scene before her. Large mountains rose above the horizon in the distance, scraping the sky with their white-capped summits. A large forest stretched into the distance far below her. The water that fell from the edge of the cliff refracted the sunlight, causing a vivid eternal rainbow that encircled the waterfall. A great chasm sliced through the forest and cut its way toward the horizon.