The Many Adventures of Peter and Fi Volume I: Homecoming

Chapter 3: Battle with a Bullrush

A cool breeze rustled the tall grass along the meandering bank. Clumps of froth lazily drifted along the river, following its curving path. They settled just before a wide bend, getting caught up in the reeds. A timid mud deer lapped water at the river's edge, wary of the strangers on the opposite bank.

Peter yawned widely. The sun had barely peeked over the horizon, but already he and his companion had trekked deep into the bog. Bleary-eyed and sluggish, he stepped cautiously along the bank, careful to keep his boots out of soft mud. Locating his target, he bent down to grab a chain by the water's edge and yanked firmly. A small cage came dripping out of the river's depths as Peter pulled it towards him, empty. Stifling another yawn, Peter reached into his pocket and attached an apple core, before throwing the cage back into the river.

"Got a big one here!" His companion called.

Finally. Peter thought. He walked further down the bank to find Beruka standing tall, rattling her cage about. Beruka, to Peter's annoyance, was definitely a morning person. Beaming brightly, she jogged over to Peter to show him her catch. About the size of a small melon, the bullrush snapped at the finger Beruka teasingly poked through the cage.

"You're a feisty little guy. Told'ya mud deer bits made the best bait." She said holding the cage up to Peter's face.

"Yeah, yeah. Gold medal for you. Let's head back."

The Kendite Marsh was several miles across, a solitary river spanning its length. At points it expanded into small lakes, at others it was narrow enough to step across. Tall grass thrived along the river where it was able to soak up all it wanted, whereas lush fields developed along the lakes where the twisted cypress trees kept the grass at bay. The river gave life to the entire ecosystem, home to plentiful wildlife. It was along this river, Peter and Beruka trod, heading back to camp.

It had been four days since they set out from Kertan. It had only taken a day's travel to reach the marsh, but Beruka insisted on proper preparation before they engaged their mark. Hence, she set out with Peter each morning to map out their battleground, identify their point of attack, and in today's case, capture an example for the troops.

Peter had to admit, despite the miserable hour, he was actually in high spirits. Being forced against his will into a fight to the death with a mythical creature aside, travelling with Beruka had been a surprisingly enjoyable experience. The tough woman he had met in Mathers' cabin turned out to be outgoing and jovial by nature. On the way up, the soldiers exchanged crude jokes to pass the time; Beruka's were the foulest of the bunch. At camp, she prepared breakfast every morning, preferring to hunt fresh game herself. Afterwards, she would wrestle with the troops, providing helpful tips to those she fought, yet always emerging as the victor. Indeed, the longer they travelled together, the more Peter came to admire her.

They approached the point where they had crossed the river. Peter stopped to roll up his pants while Beruka simply carried on. "Really Peter? How do you plan on facing a monster if you're afraid of getting wet." She splashed into the river, water rising up to her shins. She let the cage drop briefly as she waded across, submerging the creature before pulling it back out.

Peter frowned in annoyance. Logically it just made sense to take the extra minute; why spend the rest of the morning wet? Leaving his pants alone, he instead opted to form a small bubble in his palm and tossed it into the river. The bubble expanded as it slowly drifted downstream. Peter timed his jump accordingly, and hopped over to it. Ready to leap once more, the bubble burst below him. With a gasp of shock, Peter fell ass first into the cold stream, drenching himself completely.