mountain. On the shore of the lagoon, behind a huge rock, Sniffia unconsciously pulled a thick piece of cloth tighter

floral stew gave off a scent of medicine and flowers as he stirred it with a stick over the fire. He grabbed

sky, smiling. "That would be fun." He raised the stick up in the air. "Then peopl

lants and swine that made their home in the muddy areas outside the village. He'd been hearing it so long, he'd come to t

ia sn

o her, carefully, gingerly. He didn't want to startle her - she was one of those hunting him, afterall.

uld I hide?" He stopped, looking at the injured woman, not really a woman, she couldn't be much older than him despite her fierce appearance. "No I saved her life.

d her eyes. Peirce f

canned her surroundings, then looked at the thick cloth covering her body. She lifted the thick cloth up, noticed she wa

show he meant no harm. "It is not what y

glared

. if I didn't do it the wet clothes would cause your temperature to r

to the half-destroyed mountain, P

om the mountain, I, um... I think the dragon did them in. I don't

led up in her eyes, one finding its wa

so sorry," he said, consolingly. "T

anked the steel pot out from the flames, immediately placing it on the

r he sniffed as smoke came out underneath him. He looked down, seeing the ashy bl

sighed with relief, waggling his hips in the cool water. Suddenly, he

him in wonder. W

d out the two fishes from his pockets and put them

She could see the blackened hole in his pants and realized what had happened. She pulled the

r, and said, "It's fine now

te, then looked at Sniffia. "Aren't you eating?" he asked, staring at her for some seconds as she made no

in it makes it hard. Or we make life uneasy. I don't really know how my grandma said it, but it was something like

?" Sniffia

at her, surpri

iately lo

drew in the sand with his cooking stick. "Let's just say I

family or friends

ed off into the distance, pointing his stick toward a place Sniffia couldn't see. "I

grandma

r! She is the onl

eave your village

can do something good, since I'm the only one that is willing to explore far from the village. With these f

heck her injured fingers. However, she found it was neatly

If you don't drink the

ile making sure to hold the thick cloth around her body. Th

No. You feel dizzy. Your w

omach and vomited blood. Peirce rushed to h

re. Or I will kil

l kill is yourself if you don't

nomous orange eyes. She turned and lurched back to her seat, looked at his face again an

she wh

?" he

wer you just prepared? You're

k." He poured it all in her mouth, watc

e patted her back

t the flowers from my

outh. "And you said

is stick and sat on the sand next to the fire, drawing. "Now tha

pped the thick cloth to the sand and picked up her dag

owly heal one after the o

winging her dagger, Peirce turne

Peirce. He grabbed her hands just in time to keep her from stabbing the knife through his eye. He held

diately, as Peirce said that, Sniffia's eyes widened,

alling asleep on Peirce's body. He blinked. "Well... this is a per