It was a mistake; he knew it now. Rubbing his left thigh, he sighed and reflected on his brashness. That he was fifty and a grandfather was reason alone to have refrained from pursuing the stag. Now, he felt his age in every fiber of his being. With every step, his legs burned and tightened. He knew that it was no use to attempt to find his way back; it was getting dark and he had spent, most likely, several hours trying to find the trail.
Sighing heavily, Tobias eased his aching body onto a large tree root jutting out of the ground. It was low enough for Tobias to feel apprehensive about ever getting up again; he was glad his courtiers were not with him. The effort and clumsiness involved in rising again were not a spectacle of which he would be proud.
He began to knead into the muscles of his thigh. They were hard and every stroke was sore and painful. Tobias gritted his teeth and continued to massage. Gradually, the muscles loosened. They were still immensely sore, but there was great relief in the absence of tension. As he started on his other leg, Tobias considered his plight. It appeared that he would need to create some sort of shelter for the night. He was grateful that his saddlebag held some provisions and a blanket, but he prepared himself for an uncomfortable sleep.
Gazing around him once again, he groaned with exhasperation. Even if he could find his way out of this forest, it would not be for a few days at least. If all the stories were true, he knew he could go ahead and prepare to never see his home or his seven children again. Although he always had tossed aside such stories as 'mere tales' or 'fodder for the foolish', he now realized the truth in them. For the forest, however magical it be, was indeed large and intricate. Massive trunks, twisting roots, encroaching brush; it all combined to form a most impossible maze.
"Ah, well," he sighed again and looked about for a spread of moss or grass upon which to lie. Finding a relatively soft, although somewhat damp, area, Tobias grunted and lowered himself onto it. It would be a long night.