Shredder XXIV
“No, I suppose not,” Gerard muttered to the unconscious woman. The ranger knew he needed to press on, that delay was dangerous if invasion was on the horizon. He felt it pulsing in his heart with each gush of blood. His mind wouldn’t let the enigma of this stranger go though. She was a puzzle, and the clever Halfling had always been a keen puzzler. More so if he weren’t able to solve them.
With a deep sigh, he made his choice. He knew of a decent spot to attempt to provide some succor for this naked interloper, but it was in the opposite direction. It was not far, true, but his grand-pap had a way of saying that it only took one foot headed down a path to change everything.
“Well, so be it,” Gerard said aloud, “I’ll not have your ghost haunting me as well.” He paused for a solemn moment, not even aware that Anibel had been so near to mind. Her face, her screaming face, swelled in his mind’s eye, and he closed his lids for a moment. A mental apology sent her way and a promise to the woman at his feet calmed him.
“Up you go then,” he encouraged himself as he hefted the sizable woman over his shoulders. His pitifully small bedroll did little for her modesty, but such couldn’t be a concern when survival was an issue. They would just have to touch flesh for this short duration.
Gerard stumbled a few times, chuckling to himself. He had hauled big game before in such a fashion, but his efforts had never really been to ease the comfort of the carcass he carried. The ranger believed that this sojourn promised to be an interesting one as he picked his way across the uneven terrain in the darkness.