Follow the trail

Druuna thought about it for a moment. She didn?t own much in the way of earthly possessions, not even by the standards of her post-apocalyptic world, but what she did own was her clothes and the things tucked down into her satchel, including a small reserve of bottle caps, which was the closest thing to proper money that existed.

As it was now, she only had her shoes to stand in, and even if they might be worth a great deal, trading them away would hardly give her clothes and supplies of equal worth to those that she had now lost.

Add to it all the fact that while prancing around in the nude might be a bit enticing, Druuna knew herself well enough to recognize that she possessed a certain affinity for exhibitionism, there was reason for her dressing in the way she did after all, but it would most certainly steer any interactions with whoever she might stumble upon onto a certain subject, and Druuna considered herself to have few options other than to go up that sand bank and follow the trail, wherever it might lead her.

Not stopping to wipe away the multitude of sand pebbles that had become stuck against much of her body as a result of her having laid with her wet body in the sand, Druuna set off up the bank until she could nervously peek up over its top.

Scrutinizing the area just beyond the beach in the hopes of seeing something of interest to her in her current predicament, Druuna had to admit that the view was a tad on the depressing side.

No person was visible, but between the field of broken, boulder-littered ground and two small collections of trees which seemed to merge into one large forest about two- or three-hundred yards away, there was plenty of suitable places for someone to remain undetected whilst monitoring the open ground which Druuna would have to cross if she was to follow the trail further.

Keenly aware of the chance that she would likely be observed by the thief, or thieves, if she attempted to follow the footprints, Druuna also noticed something white flapping at the corner of the body of forest to her right, clashing rather strongly with its surroundings.

Squinting at the white object, Druuna soon felt confident that it was her top which had been hung onto a branch. Whatever it was, the body of white was located at the exact point where the trail seemed to disappear into the woods.

Sighing to herself and scanning the tree-lines to see if she could spot anyone but failing to do so, Druuna climbed up over the last few feet of the bank of sands and small rocks, and set out towards her top.

As she moved, every noise became the sound of someone sneaking around amongst the trees and waiting to ambush her, and if she was correct each time that she thought herself to have seen someone move about then there would be a small army waiting for her in the woods.

If there was, its members kept themselves hidden as reached the tree-branch on which her top, for that was what it was, had slung across.

Fishing the garment from the branch, Druuna put it under scrutiny, but could find nothing wrong with it; it seemed exactly the same as when she had last seen it.

Clutching the flimsy article of clothing in her left hand, Druuna tapped the trunk of the tree with the palm of her right hand, and tried to see if she could see any more of her clothes or equipment.

The ground was no longer sand-covered, so there was no longer an easily detectable trail for her to follow.

Almost convinced that this was where the trail ended, Druuna finally managed to spot something. About fifty yards into the forest, dangling from a branch just like her top had done, was her satchel.

The question was now if Druuna should count herself lucky with having recovered her top. Her nerves were getting to her already, and would not be strengthened by her delving into the forest. And if she did turn round now, she would either manage to get away from those who were quite obviously toying with her or at least upset her plans.

But on the other hand; her top was hardly the most valuable of the items that she had lost, and the satchel was such a short distance away. She might try to retrieve it quickly, and then hastily move out of the forest.