Only when he was halfway towards breaking towards the treeline did he hit upon the winning thought – but he'd have to pause his run momentarily to put the idea into effect, making it somewhat of a gamble. He fought the decision over and over in his head, before finally growing sick of the stone enough that he came to a stop.
He pulled his long-sleeved shirt off his body – he hadn't decided to wear a coat over the top of it, despite the cold, for he knew he'd quickly overheat when running – and he wrapped the stone up in the cloth.
Once it was wrapped up and secure, he took the long sleeves and ran them around his shoulders and under his armpits, tying them off on each arm, to make a somewhat more comfortable backpack.
