Softly and very low, Nab called to Warrigal and the owl flew back and perched on a branch of the alder tree under which they had stopped. There the four of them waited for Sam and Brock and when they had arrived it was arranged that Perryfoot and Sam would stay under the shelter of the tree and try to keep as dry as they could while the others went off in search of food. Warrigal would bring something back for Sam and Brock for Perryfoot while Nab and Beth would look after themselves. Then they separated and Beth found herself being led by the boy down into the stream where they splashed along looking minutely at the damp dripping banks and picking out little green shoots and roots which he handed to her and she ate. The tastes were mostly strange: some were vaguely familiar and reminded her of salad vegetables, like the water-cress which he found and which she had had many times before, but others were tangy and acidic or else bland and tasteless. Sometimes she recognized the plant but had never eaten it before, like chickweed, but more often she had no idea what she was eating. Occasionally he would find a fungus growing and hand it to her with a look of pride and satisfaction, for edible fungi were difficult to find at this time of year. Then she closed her eyes and chewed little bits off and swallowed them without thinking. She loved mushrooms but some of these were slimy as they slid down her throat and she had to fight hard to avoid being sick even though they tasted of very little.
When they had walked along the stream for some little while they clambered up the steep bank and Nab led her to a patch of scrubland where he again proceeded to produce little pieces of green foliage and leaves for her to eat. Finally after what Beth guessed must have been about two hours of searching for food, he stood up and they began the long walk back to the alder where they had left Perryfoot and Sam. She felt very little better and just hoped that what she had eaten would keep her going through the night. She thought with longing of the meals at home and the wonderfully satisfied feeling of warmth and fullness after a good supper and began to panic a little. Still, if it kept the boy going it must be all right for her, she thought, and tried to put all thoughts of food out of her mind although to her intense annoyance visions of large chunks of whole nut chocolate kept appearing and making her mouth water and her tummy rumble.
When they got back they found that Warrigal and Brock had returned and that Perryfoot and Sam had gratefully finished the food that had been brought for them.
‘Come on then,’ said Nab. ‘We must put some distance behind us before dawn. ’ Then he looked at Perryfoot who had put his ears down so that they hung limply on either side of his face. He looked indescribably miserable. ‘I suppose you still want to be carried,’ said the boy, and the hare visibly brightened. Sam looked on enviously as Perryfoot was again hoisted into his sling and the little procession set off once more. It was dark now so they moved more slowly and kept closer together. To their relief the rain had stopped and nearly all the snow had been washed away but the wind was still very cold. Above them the moon occasionally peeped out from behind a black cloud and sometimes a star could be seen twinkling merrily. The rest had done Sam’s leg good and they made steady progress through the night until, by the time that dawn broke through on another grey wintry day, they had almost reached the bottom of the foothills and could see a huge plain stretching as far as the eye could see with only an odd hummock dotted here and there to break the flatness. On the very far edge of the plain, almost out of sight in the distance, one of these hummocks stood out larger than the rest and they could just make out, on the summit, a number of large standing stones.
‘There is where we make for,’ said Nab.
They were standing on top of a small hill which fell away steeply in front into a sheltered grassy hollow. The travellers made their way down into it and curled up close together at the bottom so that they were well out of the wind. They all fell asleep almost immediately, exhausted as they were, and did not wake up until late afternoon. Beth felt terrible; her legs were shaky and she was so dizzy and faint that she could hardly stand. Nevertheless she was afraid to show the others; she must persevere and start walking: perhaps once she was on the move she would feel better. Speed was obviously important and she must not hold them back from their destination wherever it was. She was also worried deep inside about how they would react if she became a burden to them, and for the first time she began to wonder why they had brought her with them in any case. Perhaps it was just as a favour to the boy because he wanted her with him after their meeting by the stream and if she became ill he would choose, or perhaps be forced, to go on with them and leave her behind.
She moved forward slowly and carefully so that she would not stumble and fall but instead of feeling better her legs felt more unsteady than before. They started walking and she steeled herself for the ordeal but after a few paces Nab looked at her and there was anxiety and compassion deep in his eyes. Then suddenly her legs collapsed under her and she felt herself falling to the grass; it was as if she were outside her body watching somebody else fall and it all seemed to happen in slow motion. The last thing she remembered, before she blacked out completely was a circle of worried faces framed against the yellow evening sky as they looked down on her.
‘We must get her somewhere warm and dry, quickly,’ said Nab.
‘I saw a stone building just over that ridge,’ Warrigal said. ‘I’ll go and see if there are Urkku around and whether it would be safe,’ and he flew off.
While he was gone Nab tried to nurse the girl back to normal by cradling her head on his lap but her face remained pale and ashen and he was scared. Sam spoke quietly.
‘She’s not used to living outside. They live differently from us; they have different food. It even took me some time to learn how to live like you. You were all born to it; I wasn’t and neither was she.’
They waited in silence until the dark shape of the owl flew back over the ridge of the hollow and settled on the grass beside them.
‘Perfect, perfect,’ he said. ‘It’s full of hay so it will be warm and there is a smaller building on one side where there are a number of hens. They will warn us if any Urkku come near. I didn’t tell them about the girl or you, Nab, so you must stay out of sight with her. They are probably trustworthy but we can’t be too careful. I gave them a story about looking for new homes; I think they believed me.
It took a long time to get through to them though; they found great difficulty understanding our language and I couldn’t follow much of theirs. Still there was an old cock there who seemed brave and wise so we should be all right.’
Sam broke in, ‘We could give her some eggs; they like eggs and it will do her good.’
Greatly relieved, Nab hoisted the limp body of the girl over his shoulder and they set off for the hay barn. They were soon there and they pushed open the great wooden door at the front which, luckily, had been left ajar, and found themselves at the bottom of a flight of stairs which led up into the hayloft. The ground floor was full of farm machinery and there were other oddments lying around which were obviously not used very often judging by the cobwebs that hung on them. Gingerly Nab climbed the stairs and when he got to the top lifted Beth carefully up on to the pile of hay. Climbing up after her he then dragged her away from the edge until he found a little hollow in the middle and there he made her comfortable. All the others except the hare had waited downstairs and Nab left Perryfoot beside her before going back down to rejoin them. He found that Warrigal and Sam had been next door to where the hens lived and had brought some eggs; the dog had carried one in his mouth and the owl had gripped one in each talon and placed them very carefully on the floor of the barn before landing.