Shortly after Palmer had sent Wagner to the group furthest away from the river, he sent Jax Hornsby to the group that was closer to the river and Nels Osterlund to the group located below the terrace they were currently on. They, like Wagner, were to observe and report back. While they were gone, Palmer had managed to roll a few logs and cut a few limbs and was well into the process of making a makeshift shelter.
It had been close to twenty-one days since he had sent Wagner and a fortnight since he’d sent the other two and none had returned to report. He was beginning to doubt any of them would return. Every few days, Palmer would trek to the river, harvest a fish, and refill his waterskin. On one of the return trips, he followed the edge of the terrace closely, looking for an easier way
