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Ulla Tornaes gathered her things and started moving downwards. She paused for a bit, examining the storm clouds gathering on the sky, before continuing her trek.
Shortly afterwards she picked up a dry branch and bent down, examining the small opening in the rock wall. It looked like it might widen up if you managed to squeeze past the initial opening... She had found several small openings like this that connected to the larger cave complex twisting through the Guadalupe Mountains.
Usually, she would have investigated further right away, but with the approaching rainfall she was not going to risk it. She took out her pen and journal again.
She froze. Something was off, she felt watched.
She wrote down her observations as if nothing was wrong. But she listened intently.
Maybe it had been nothing. But she could have sworn she had heard human footsteps...
She continued her trek downwards the slope.
It had been a week since she had seen an another living person.
Ulla enjoyed the wilderness, but even these rocky mountains were not devoid of human touch. People had been living here for a long time, and even the treacherous caves were not necessarily free of human influence, even if most people would avoid them. And most people who shared her interest in these caves were doing it for far less scientific reasons. It was rumored these mountains were filled with Apache gold.
Ulla had not come across any of it, beyond few trinkets she had picked up and was carrying in her rucksack. Maybe once she was back in a city she'd find a museum to get someone to have a look at them.
Maybe she was missing humans, now. She felt at home in the wilderness, but sometimes civilization had nice things to offer.
She scratched her head, running her fingers through her blonde locks.
Things such as baths. She would love to feel properly clean again.
Ulla had never felt shame in what she was. She merely followed her inner nature, and had never required the freedom offered by wilderness to dress as she wanted. But it was nice, admittedly, to not have to deal with people's frustrating reactions...
But it had been a while since she had had companionship. Both platonic, and more sensual-
She paused again. This time she knew she had spotted something.
Carefully, she made her way towards the small bond even as the rain started to fall. Someone had been there just recently. She looked around the small valley. No one-
Until she spotted the hat.
The worn-out felt fedora was hung on a stick on a pile of rocks, and next to it was a hole someone had cleared.
Ulla peered inside. "Hello!?"
Rain was falling harder now, and water was pouring down the crevice that opened, from what she could see, into a limestone passage.
No answer.
Whoever it was must have let their greed or stupidity overshadow their senses. It was suicide, going down an opening like that when a storm was coming, it would flood.
Ulla tucked the hat into her belt. Hopefully whoever it was would get out from some other opening before a flash flood would reach them...
She looked up, to the hills, where she had come from. If they were still in there, the only way they'd survive would be by getting out some other way.
It was only a small chance, but perhaps-
She noted with some amusement that she was determined to not yet think of this mysterious treasure hunter as male, despite that being the far more likely possibility.
That's it, I'll see if I can find this person, and regardless of how that turns out I will head to the city bars afterwards.
Ulla started climbing towards the openings she had found earlier that day.
Just in case the idiot fortune hunter would manage to find their way out before mother nature showed them why she was to be feared and respected.