The ranger finally stopped as the sun began to sink, and found a decent place to make camp. He felt reasonably certain that he'd manage to put enough distance between himself an any possible other people. He found a cave carved into the side of the mountain by wind and weather. It would do nicely, if he could cut the wind a bit. There were no trees in the area, so he found a great boulder near by and up hill from the mouth of the cave. Using his walking stick as leverage, he began working to roll the boulder. If he aimed it just right, he could cause the boulder to roll and fall over the mouth of the cave, leaving just enough room for him to enter.<br/><br/>After a great while, he managed it. He had slept so little, worked so hard, and walked so far over the past two days, that he felt dizzy as he finally stumbled into the cave and dropped onto the sandy ground beside his pack. He was exhausted. This would have to work for now.<br/><br/>He made it through half a chunk of jerky before sleep took him. He slumped against the wall, head lolling to the side, and dreamed of darkness, fear, and pain.