The next morning, Alexis woke to the warm sun on her face. She sighed and rolled over. Walnut was still asleep on her bag. Gently, she moved the chipmunk off and on to the ground. He grunted and shifted his position, but didn't wake. Alexis shook her head fondly.

Absently she wondered how Walnut had woken so early the day before but was still asleep now. It wasn't like he'd been running all day the day before. He had simply ridden on her shoulder. She opened her pack and pulled out a thin slice of dried meat. She shuddered as she looked in her bag. She was running out of food!

She ate her meager meal feeling down. How was she going to get food while being stalked? It would be impossible! She realized for the first time that she needed help. She needed help by something other than a tiny chipmunk, too. How far would she make it alone? Not far enough, she thought wryly.

Alexis finished her food. She reached in to her half empty pack and pulled out a clean green tunic, matching leggings, and clean cloak. She wandered down to the stream and hoped that it was part of the safe-haven.

She sat down on a rock and, for the first time in two weeks, dared to take of her boots and stockings. She wasn't surprised to see that her feet were covered with bright red blisters, most of them popped. She had learned to deal with the pain after the first week. She stuck her feet in the icy cold stream and sighed. The cold water felt good on her sore feet.

A few minutes later she stood and stripped off her filthy tunic and leggings. She slipped in to the freezing water and had the fastest bath she had ever had. It was only a minute and a half long. She hurried out of the freezing stream and wrapped her clean clock around her body to dry off. A few moments later she was dressed in a clean, warm, soft tunic and leggings. She attached her knife to her belt and went back up to their "camp".

Walnut was awake. His head was inside Alexis's pack foraging for nuts. He pulled his head out and looked up at the princess as she neared him. "Where were you?" he scolded the best he could through a mouthful of nuts.

She gestured absently towards the stream. "Batheing."

"Why?" he asked, cocking his head in confusion. Alexis laughed. Walnut looked absolutely ridiculous! His cheeks were bulging with the nuts he had stuffed in his cheek pockets and were sticking out to either side of his face.

Alexis shook her head fondly. "I was filthy! Why else would I take a bath?"

Walnut seemed to shrug. "I don't know. I have no idea why humans have to wash in freezing cold streams anyways!"

Alexis sighed. "I didn't used to. I used to bathe in a silver tub full of hot water my handmaidens would fill and heat for me." She sighed again and looked off into the trees, her eyes unfocused, as if she was imaging that hot bath.

Walnut swallowed the rest of the nuts he had and stuck his head back in her bag. "You're out of nuts," he commented as he pulled his head back out. He was holding a dried raspberry in his paws." He sighed dramatically. "This'll have to do, I suppose."

Alexis shook her head irritated. "If you hadn't eaten them all, we'd still have some. I had quite a bit left before yesterday. You ate them all! If you want more, find more!" she snapped.

Walnut looked hurt. "I'm sorry," he squeaked quietly. "I'm sorry."

She took a deep breath and murmured, "It's all right, Walnut. I'm happy that today we can just rest. You can leave the safe-haven, can't you? You could find nuts and berries, can't you?"

The little chipmunk nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah! I can go! I can get nuts! I can get berries! Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah! I can go I can go. Ooh pick me pick me!" Walnut was hopping around and raising his paw. "Pick me pick me pick me!"

Alexis laughed. "I pick… Walnut. So long as he doesn't eat every nut he stumbles upon. And so long as he doesn't carry them in his mouth."

Walnut's face drooped. "How else am I supposed to carry them?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Give me a second to figure it out." She though for a moment then, with a smile, picked two large green leaves off a nearby tree. Using tree sap, she glued the two leaves together along three sides; she then picked another leaf and glued it so the tip without the stem was on the back. That was the only bit glued. The other end folded over and hooked in a tiny hole she made like a clasp. She picked several long pieces of grass and braided those together two make to long, thick ropes. She then attached these to the back – the same side that the flap was glued to – in two large loops. She held it up triumphantly. "Carry them in a backpack!"

Walnut looked impressed. "Great!" he squeaked.

With help from Alexis, he put the pack on his back and scurried off to look for food.

Alexis watched him leave. She ran her hands through her long, wet, brown hair and sighed. She looked down at her filthy frayed tunic. It had once been sky blue, now it was brownish-gray color. She bent down and picked it up. She tugged a thread loose from the hem of the skirt. Using the thread, she tied her hair out of her face. She smiled and picked her cloak up too. She was going to see if there was a chance that they could be cleaned.