Dreigiau Book 1: The Gift of Flame

Chapter 14

AsaHi stood knee-deep in the cool flow of the mountain stream, holding the heavy wet cloth of an apron-turned-fish-net. Her green eyes watched the darting flashes of silver fish under the surface of the clear water as they scattered away from her shadow.

The girl lunged forward, sweeping out with the makeshift net. For a moment, she felt contact. The fishy squirm of a struggle between her hands. The splash of fins and water on her face. Suddenly, she slipped, the bottom of her feet sliding over the slick-moss stones. Then, she was on her hands and knees, her face down in the cold stream's flow.

That wasn't the first time that day. And just as before, when she opened her net, nothing was inside.

A soggy sigh escaped her lips, "Almost..."

Not that I really need a fish. But having fresh meat would be nice.

It had been a while since she had anything other than the stale food in her pack, and those supplies were slowly growing thin.

There's plenty to make do with out here, if I could just catch it.

AsaHi lost track of the time they spent traveling. The hills, mountains and forests had a way of making concepts born of civilization melt out of sight and mind. Her only means of measurement were the marks on the map. The sun. The stars.

And Kaze's extremely good sense of direction.

More than once, he stopped her in protest, only to show her a better way to travel or avoid a potential danger. More and more, she trusted his insight, especially since more and more, he was able to communicate what he wanted to express.

AsaHi found him to be a charming travel companion as his vocabulary grew. Kaze always had an observation to make, usually in good humor and warm spirits. There was never a time when AsaHi wasn't glad to have him with her.

Pushing the long wet strands of hair out of her face, she pulled herself up out of the stream. Darting silver bodies sped away from her motion, the fish mocking her defeat. The girl blew out a frustrated breath and decided to take a break. Walking in wet clothes for the rest of the day wouldn't be much fun, and it wouldn't be long before they needed to move on again.

We'll be going just as soon as Kaze gets back.

More often of late, Kaze wandered off when they stopped to rest. He never left for very long and he never came back carrying anything. When AsaHi asked where he had been, he replied in the vaguest way possible that he was out "looking."

Though I have no idea what he's looking for.

Maybe he was scouting ahead or making sure they weren't being followed by people from Nefol. He never told her more than that, though, and the evasive light in his eyes made her curious.

Maybe next time I should tell him to bring back some food. I wonder how good he is at hunting, seeing that he doesn't seem to eat.

The girl wrung out the apron and spread it on the top of a rock to dry. The large, flat stone was warm to the touch, so she hoisted herself up on it and sat in the quiet sunlight, waiting.

If all the bad things hadn't happened back at home. I could almost imagine this was just a trip for fun. Almost...

Laying her head back, AsaHi began to doze. The soft babble of the stream was lulling. The breeze whispered softly through the trees, swaying the branches over her head and sending patterns of light dancing over the ground below.

In time, the sound of insects began to fade and fall silent. Where the shadows draped over her bare legs, her skin felt chilled. The girl opened her eyes at the distant hiss of moving grass, watching expectantly for Kaze to appear. But he didn't. Instead, the brush parted with the scrabbly sound of little claws and hissing breath. Curious, AsaHi leaned forward over the back of the stone to get a better look.