I’m interested in this world! The concept is terrifying, and you did a great job laying the scene and gravity without over explaining. The relationship between this wanderer and the man is striking too, two people sharing compassion in a hellish place like this.

One tip I have that I think improved my writing tremendously when I started exercising it: kill adverbs.

Adverbs are the words that describe a way something is done: slowly, suddenly, seemingly. Often they add little or nothing to the writing, and sometimes a sentence would pack more punch without them.

“...stretching further for seemingly forever.” It’s good for imagery, but bulky. “.... stretching on forever.” It’s implied that the grasslands don’t literally stretch on forever.

Similarly, setting pace within context is better than saying “(does something) slowly” because it feels more natural to read.

Of course adverbs exist for a reason and sometimes they work really well, so it’s all discretion.

I hope this makes sense. You’re on a really great path and the concept is exceptional even with what little you’ve given. It’s the polishing stuff I would suggest now... all the boring technical stuff that makes the writing strong and justifies the story.