* * *
Turyn awoke to a horrible pain in his left, front paw. He tried to stand. Pain ripped through him as he fell to the ground. He glanced at his paw and noticed the swelling, which meant that it had broken. Looking up, Turyn remembered the events of the night before. He had fallen with the rubble.
Turyn stood up holding his hurt paw up to avoid putting weight on it. He studied the slope and noticed that since the rain had stopped, it was not as slick as before. Turyn tried to climb up. Instantly, his paw gave out and he dropped to the ground. He tried again with the same result. Turyn lay in the wet dirt unsure of what to do. How would he ever find Tesnayr if he couldn’t walk?
A vine tickled his nose. Turyn eyed it, thinking. He grasped the vine in his teeth and hauled himself to his feet. Gradually, he hopped up the hill using the vine to steady himself. His paw throbbed, but he managed to remain standing. Shifting himself, Turyn took another hop up the hill.
So far, so good.
Using a series of movements he continued to hobble up the incline while maintaining his hold on the vine. Slowly, he inched his way upward until he reached the top. Turyn collapsed on the top of the hill breathless. He looked around for Tesnayr. Nothing.
Turyn hadn’t expected the man to hang about. Figuring that he had continued on, the cat limped down the trail. He sniffed the air for Tesnayr’s scent. Something familiar prickled his nostrils. Taking a chance, the cat moved on hoping that he would find the man. He’d have to use scent by day and the trail by night, if possible.