Chapter 29

Ben groaned and collapsed on the grass. He leaned against a stump for support. He had just completed his third round of exercises. These included the wind sprints, tree climbing, and balancing on a level while hacking at a tree with his saxe knife. The balancing was by far the hardest. Several times, Ben had lost his balance and collapsed in a heap on the ground. Will had instructed him to carefully stay balanced, but remain relaxed at the same time. Ben realized this was true because if your body went stiff and rigid, it couldn't move with the board to balance.

Now, Will had called it a day. Gratefully, Ben cleaned up his supplies and packed it up on the saddle, ready to head back to the shelter to make dinner. That was when he realized that there was no food left. He groaned inwardly, knowing that he would have to search for some meal for the night because Will had insisted that he 'needed' food to keep his strength up. He still wasn't sure whether he was referring to Ben or himself.

"Hey Will," Ben inquired, ready to break the news.

"What?"

"I just remembered that we lost all of the food, and we need some more." he said.

Will sighed. "Go and get some then."

Ben strode off into the woods leaving Night with Will. He had instructed Ben to follow the path until it branched two ways. Then, to take the left path and follow it until he reached the cabin. Ben made sure to take his bow and knives with him. He didn't want another run-in with a bear. Ben eyed the rabbits and squirrels. They were everywhere, darting in and out of bushes and shrubs. Ben tried to shoot several, but to no avail. The arrows were lost in the thick foliage. The animals had too much cover. Back in the patch where the cabin was, Ben was able to shoot rabbits anywhere, but here they had too many places to run and hide. With a sigh, Ben put away his bow and walked in search of some berries.

After about ten minutes, Ben yelped with delight as he came across rows and rows of wild raspberries. He tasted one to make sure. The tart and sweet juice burst in his mouth. He smiled and started collecting them in the sack he had brought specifically for this reason. Finally, Ben was satisfied. He walked back with a full bag of berries in hand. There was already a stain forming where the berries at the bottom were getting slightly crushed. Ben wasn't worried. He and Will would be able to sit by the fire and eat the berries. It may not seem like much, but it was the best Ben could do.

It was when Ben was thinking over this when he realized that he had no idea where the path was. His heart sank as he looked up at the sinking sun. There was probably only twenty minutes of daylight left. Frantically, he searched for the path.