It was early afternoon by the look of the sun when Mike woke. It took him a few moments to remember where he was, but the horrible reality closed on him fast enough.
He sat still in the cave for several minutes before he moved, listening for the sounds of any pursuers. He had kept to a pretty straight line the entire night, so the chances were good that if they hadn't caught him by now they weren't going to bother. In this reality, a 12 year old stable boy was worth less than a horse.
Stumbling into the clearing in front of the small cave, he looked around. It was eerily quiet and still, a few unfamiliar birds chirping in the treetops. The smell of water hit his nose and for the first time he realized that he was hungry and thirsty.
He followed his nose for a few yards before finding the source of the smell, a small natural spring in the rocks near the cave enterence. It was about the size of a bathtub, surrounded by rocks and lichen, but looked clear to the bottom.
He cupped his hand to reach into the water, then stopped. He shuddered and sat back without water. He was thinking too much like he was still back home, and not in a world where magic was behind every turn. He couldn't be sure that this water wasn't dangerous! It was only then that he realized how deeply in peril he might be. The food around him, any animals...
Mike licked his lips at the water. If he was going to make it though the woods, he would have to take risks. He looked around the water hole. The rocks would hide any animal or human prints, but there were no animal bodies nearby. How could he be sure if the water was safe?