Later they sat up at the table and ate the stew that Tim had put together. "This is good." Lacey said, Tim smiled.
"It's not bad." Silvia said. "That deer meat should be enough for two weeks." Silvia said. "I have hung it all around this clearing. Maybe the hide will be enough to make Lacey a new dress.
Because that white is not a good color right now, and the skirt really is getting in the way." Silvia said. The sun had gone down and the only light was from the fire. After cleaning up the girls headed up to the second floor while Tim lay on the cot in the corner.
They got to the top of the stairs and entered a room, an enormous bed with a silken spread. The four posts reached up to the ceiling with rods across each side.
Long lightweight curtains hung down on each rod. It was very elegant. "Fit for a queen!" Exclaimed Lacey under her breath. At once the girls pounced on the bed, the mattress was so soft. They lay side by side giggling and talking for a while then soon fell asleep.
As the sun barely began to peek its rays onto the land, quietly the figure climbed the tree on the outside.
Glancing in the window of the first floor of the treehouse, he carefully scanned the room and noticed the form on the cot in the corner. The intruders must have been there all day yesterday.
He quickly climbed on up to the next level, the person on the cot was definitely not the person he had seen in the meadow so the other one must be on the upper level.
Again, carefully he peaked in the window and glanced around the room, Surprise filled its face as it noticed 2 forms laying on the bed. One of the forms started to move. Quickly he climbed back down the treehouse and disappeared into the forest.
Silvia woke with a start, what was outside. She quickly ran to the window just in time to see the form of some kind of human deer disappearing into the forest. "Wake up!" Silvia cried. "What's the matter?" Asked Lacey as she quickly sat up.
"What's wrong?" "There was something looking in the windows, maybe we aren't safe here." Said Silvia "Maybe it was the people who live here and we are the intruders." Said Lacey, her eyes wide in fright.
"It was not a human." Exclaimed Silvia, "It was more a cross of a human and a deer." "That sounds like the same thing I saw while I was hunting." Said Lacey. "What are we going to do?" "I am going to go hunt it down." Said Silvia as she began combing out her hair.
"I'm coming with you." Cried Lacey as she jumped out of bed and began re-tying her skirt into the pants like form around her legs. Soon the girls were dressed and headed down to the main floor.
Tim woke sleepily and sat up on the side of the cot rubbing his eyes "Why are you up so early?" he asked as they began putting things in Silvia's pack to take with them on their hunt.
"We had some sort of thing poking around this morning." Explained Lacey. Silvia and I are going to go see if we can hunt it down."
The girls quickly got their things together and were soon headed into the forest. With Silvia's natural tracking instincts, they were soon on its trail and headed deeper into the forest.
After tracking the beast for some time, suddenly Silvia stopped short. Lacey stopped short just before bumping into her. "What is it?" Whispered Lacey. "Shhhh." Said Silvia. "I think we are close." The girls crouched down and moved slowly and cautiously along towards a bush.
All of a sudden the creature jumped out of the bushes knocking the girls over and ran into the forest in another direction. The girls scrambled back onto their feet and began to pursue the beast.
It ran and leaped around the forest. The girls tried their best to keep up but soon lost it. Silvia slowed and began walking. Lacey slowed too and walked beside her. "So now what?" Asked Lacey. "Can you find its trail again?"
"I'm looking." Said Silvia. "Its trail has just seemed to disappear; it probably went up into the trees." "Let's stop and eat, " I noticed a stream back a little way. Let's go down there and have our lunch." Replied Lacey.
The girls turned and headed back to the bank of the small stream. They began talking as they sat on the bank. They had removed their shoes and had their feet sitting in the water as they talked and ate. They did not notice the deer- like form as it watched them from a tree above.
After a good hour the girls began gathering their things and put their shoes back on. "Let's see if we can find its trail again." Said Silvia as they walked slowly through the trees.
The girls walked around for a while, Silvia keeping a close eye on the ground and the bushes as they walked. "I can't find anything." Silvia finally said. "It has definitely vanished, most likely into the trees." She added.
"Let's head back then." Lacey replied. The girls headed back to the treehouse. It was late afternoon when the girls entered the treehouse. Tim was sitting at the table preparing meat to be dried into jerky as Silvia had shown him to do.
"So how did it go?" Asked Tim as the girls came in, setting the pack onto the table. The girls sat down with a sigh. "Well, we chased it for a while, but it got away." Said Lacey. "I think it escaped through the trees." Replied Silvia.
"Bummer!" Exclaimed Tim. "I was hoping you had gotten it." "I am going to go after it again tomorrow." Said Silvia, "This time it will not get away. If it goes into the trees then I will be right behind it." Exclaimed Silvia in a serious voice.
The next morning Silvia was up at the crack of dawn, quietly she got ready for the day.
Lacey sat up sleepily rubbing her eyes, noticing Silvia just finishing her hair she quickly got out of bed. "Wait for me, I want to come too." She said as she quickly began getting ready for the day.
"Hurry, I'll be packing my bag." Said Silvia as she headed out the door and down the stairs. Lacey quickly finished getting ready and headed out to find Silvia.
Silvia was waiting for her on the last step at the base of the tree. "Let's go." Said Silvia picking up Tim's sword and slinging the holder over her head so the sword was across her back. Lacey put her spear into her holder she had made and the girls headed out.