Part 3 of YA fanfic

Rose awoke slowly and groggily, her mouth feeling as if she'd tried to swallow a hand full of cotton, and leaned against Sophie's soft shoulders. "We have to find some water Soph." she whispered, shivering again. She had no idea if it was morning or still night, the darkness still encompassed everything. Her dress was still damp, and her stomach was rumbling fiercely.  She held her hand onto the dog's strong back. "Sophie, that wonderful little nose of yours is going to have to get us out of here, if you can manage it." Abruptly, Sophie stood up and Rose could hear her scuffling down the slope that lead away from the small room. Rose followed, feeling her way down the narrow chute, scraping her knuckles and cursing her shortsightedness in not bringing another change of clothing, or at least some nuts and an apple or two. Think for a moment girl! Adie's voice had always been her inner tutor, coaxing her stray thoughts into a semblance of order, much as she had always tried to cajole her wild tresses into serene styles fit for a princess. What brought you here? And what will bring you out? Rose thought for a moment, and decided that finding water and some food was the first task she must set for herself, whether the hunters remained in the area or not, she had to find sustenance else she'd wither like a weakling. She set her resolve, and with that, pulled herself out of the chute. The darkness remained unchanged, but the space around her felt larger, and there was a slight stirring of the air, rather than the dank stillness she'd felt in the small chamber. She paused to catch her breath and hitched up her dress so she could somewhat indelicately relieve herself. If Adie only knew what this poor dress was going to go through...

Sophie nuzzled her hand, and when she placed her palm on the dog's head, Soph lead her, stooping and shuffling along the passageway. She walked what seemed like hours, one foot determinedly set in front of the other, and then again, and again. Eventually, the darkness gave way to a faded glow, and the glow became green lit day, shining through a small, grass filled opening in the passage. Rose took a deep breath of the fresh air and her eyebrows relaxed for the first time all morning . "Good girl Sophie! You found a way out!" Sophie seemed to take that as an encouragement to move on, so Rose followed, shrugging her way through the small hole into daylight. Rose was thankful it appeared that the sun hadn't moved very far above the horizon, she hoped she had an advantage in that Lord V'Sluz may not have even been served his morning meal yet. She looked around for Sophie, and saw her glancing back, then bounding through the grasses down the hill. She followed as best as she could, dodging the trees, trying not to stumble over her own two feet, or the fallen logs and branches sometimes hidden in the grass. As she went, she listened to the sounds of the forested hill around her. Birds chirping their morning greeting, every once in awhile the sound of a woodpecker beating his beak against a wizened trunk, and a few times she heard a branch falling to the ground, perhaps loosened from their hold by a storm the night before? That would be a benefit, a storm would've made tracking me more difficult, not for the hounds, but I can't imagine that V'Sluz's hunters would've wanted to continue the search for a "soft and spoiled heiress" during the storm, not when they could so easily begin again the next day. This day. Oh Creator! I can't let them find me. I must keep moving! At least it seems I must've somehow crossed under the mountain through the caves. Bless me! It should take them some time to go around through the pass, and even V'Sluz won't risk his men and the hounds trying to cross the mountain. It still seemed odd, talking to the Creator, but since her only companions were herself, Sophie who kept dashing away and back again, and the Creator, she accepted it as better than the alternatives.

Finally Sophie lead her out of the more densely crowded forest to a small clearing as a stream gurgled happily through. A paradise! The princess looked around at the berry bushes hungrily. She knelt down on a grassy patch by the stream, cupping her hands to bring the precious water to her lips before giving up, unceremoniously dunking her face in the cool waters. After she had drunk her fill, she collected the nuts and berries she found, and set to with a ravenous appetite. Sophie sat inquisitively next to her, seeming to wonder at the vegetarian meal with humorous judgement. She herself had already partaken of some small rodent-type refreshment, Rose tried not to think about it. Her meal finished, her stomach gurgled at her, though lacking some of it's previous intensity. She leaned against a mossy tree trunk thinking about how she got into this predicament in the first place and what to do next. The sun played in patterns across her folded arms, warmly shining through the leafy heavens above her.