Chapter III, Reading 8

Deru enjoyed being patted beneath his forelock and she started to massage this favorite spot. His head started to lower as he relaxed under her familiar touch. Once she had discovered how much he loved being rubbed here, she had always tried to indulge him. Deru liked being patted under his forelock almost as much as he liked carrots. Almost.
Flindra gathered the reins and mounted. Once in the saddle she pulled her cloak tighter around her body to afford protection from the wind. It would be a chilly camp tonight.
Riding parallel to a small creek, Flindra found a suitable camp. A large fallen tree wedged between two giant boulders would give good protection from the wind. The ground was fairly level and soft with needles - it would provide a good bed. Beyond the boulders was a grassy area where she could let Deru graze.
Flindra tended to Deru first. She had always been taught to take care of her animal before she thought of herself. After all, her life may depend on the horse. She unsaddled him and then brushed him thoroughly. She felt his back and the girth area to make sure he had no sore spots from being ridden all day. She then picketed him in the grassy area.
During the course of the day, Flindra had been gathering dry sticks and pine needles. Her Papa had told her many times that it was not always easy to find dry kindling when setting up a camp. It was better to gather dry tinder when she found it, making it a certainty that she could start a fire when she needed it. She dug in her pockets and pulled out her store of kindling. Placing them on the ground before her, she soon had a small, smokeless fire burning. The fire was really too small to provide a great deal of warmth. Its main purpose was to add a little comfort to her lonely camp.
Flindra ate a simple meal of bread and cheese. She washed the food down with the cold water of the creek. Once her supply of bread was gone, she would exist on berries and dried, smoked meat. Dakra had given her a good supply of dried foods since she would not have time to do much foraging.