Time is Ticking

Finding her way to the seat of the sheltered valley had been more hassle than she had necessarily cared for. Tracing her way along its rim was really the only solution she had been able to arrive by herself, and while it had been effective method in finding the opening- it had been tedious at best. The narrow canyon she had to pass through to trail her way down to sea level had certainly been a difficult one in its own right. But she had hoped that through all the additional measures she took, perhaps her beloved stalker would have an even more challenging time tracking her down. In the end, the thought of it brought her enough satisfaction to keep her pressing on, and as she stood at the cusp of new ground, she decided the struggle had been well worth the endeavor.

The towering rock face did an excellent job at shielding the lowlands from the winter breeze that had ripped its way along the peaks. And while it wasn't warm by any means, at least she didn't have to fight the wind-chill in addition to everything else. Aurelia could feel her body weakening by the second- the tickle in the back of her throat, the fatigue in her muscles, the congestion in her head. Treating herself wasn't necessarily the problem. She was fully capable of caring for herself given that she had the supplies to do it- but that was just it. Could she find what she needed to treat a common cold? What terrible timing to fall ill!

As best as she could tell, she had a few hours to gather the things that she needed and find shelter before she would be at the mercy of her own physique. Her only hope was to find a cave or vacant den to tie herself over in, as she certainly wasn't in the condition to go digging in the hollow. As far as herbs ... for obvious reasons her selection would be limited.

With an airy cough, she stilled for a panning glance through her immediate surroundings. This was far from ideal.

354/1500 words
"Aurelia Veratti"