words.
“ Mule turd!” I say to him
but my own lips twitch in amusement.
I watch all interested as he chops off
both heads with one swing of the knife, then a part of the tail.
The snake looks huge laying on the ground, almost 2 arm spans I
reckon. He slits it from the tail end up then makes a couple of
notches with the knife and pulls off the skin all in one piece. I
ain’t ever seen anything like that done before.
“ Snake skin is real good for
trading,” he says and lays it aside. He tosses the heads, tail and
innards to Cat who’s waiting patiently by the fire, then spits it
on a long twig and hangs it over the low flames.
“ Oh gods, my mouth is
watering all ready, I cain’t wait!” He’s hopping like a wild rabbit
back and forth from one foot to the other, looking all of his
twelve years. It makes me laugh.
“ Well you’re gonna have to
wait,” I say. “And you’re gonna have to clean up. Your hands are a
mess. Go see if you can find some wet leaves or moss or
such.”
“ Okay,” he says, agreeing
with me and grinning slyly. “Besides...it’s time for my nightly
droppin’s anyway.”
I screw my face up at him. “Ugh! You’re
disgusting!”
His laughter follows him into the
trees. He disappears from sight with my warning of not to go too
far trailing after him. I lay back, close my eyes. The nights are
cooler here in the woods and the warmth of the fire feels good
against my skin. The smell of the cooking snake fills the air,
blocking out the stench of the rotting trees. It’s making my mouth
water as well. If it tastes as good as it smells then we were in
for a real treat, I think. I yawn, the days travel catching up to
me. Maybe just a quick nap while I’m waiting….
“ Tara!”
The scream makes my blood run cold and
I bolt to my feet instantly, but Cat is much quicker than me, she’s
already gone. I grab the iron shooter and run in what I hope is the
right direction.
“ Finn!” I yell, crashing
through the trees. I cain’t see anything, it’s too dark and my eyes
ain’t adjusted from the firelight.
“ Finn!” I yell again, panic
gripping me ‘cause he ain’t answering. I trip over something, a
root maybe, and I stagger but don’t fall. Why ain’t he
answering?
“ Over here,” he finally says
and at the sound of his voice the ice cold fear in my belly eases
some. I stumble onto him, standing on a little bank, looking
perfectly fine, Cat calmly sitting at his side. No sign of danger,
or attack, or critters like I was fearing. There was nuthin. He was
screaming his fool head off over nuthin! I feel my anger at this
starting to build ‘til I notice what he’s staring at. A creek, no
less. A nice big watering hole!
“ You scared the hell outta
me,” I say but my anger is dimmed some by what he has
found.
“ Sorry,” he says but he
don’t look it. He looks excited and hopeful. “You think it’s good
for drinking?”
Before I get a chance to answer him Cat
makes her way down the small slope. She sticks her head down into
the creek, her slurping sounds loud in the quiet night. We look at
each other and grin.
“ I suspect so,” I say and
Finn’s excited whoops echo loudly back at us.
“ I found us a watering hole!
I found us a watering hole!” His chanting is followed by some two
step dance that makes him look more like a hog in its death throes
then anything and I cain’t help but laugh.
“ Okay, okay mister hero, you
found us water, now make yourself useful and go get the
waterskins.”
After we had filled the waterskins and
drunk our share, we laid back on the creek bank just staring at the
moons reflection on the dark water, reluctant to leave our little
haven. Being around the water...well, it was comforting
almost.
“ Tara,” Finn says, breaking
our companionable silence.
I look over to see him watching me with
the oddest expression on his face.
“ What?” I say, wondering
what was going through that head of his.
He shrugs. “I was
“ Mule turd!” I say to him
but my own lips twitch in amusement.
I watch all interested as he chops off
both heads with one swing of the knife, then a part of the tail.
The snake looks huge laying on the ground, almost 2 arm spans I
reckon. He slits it from the tail end up then makes a couple of
notches with the knife and pulls off the skin all in one piece. I
ain’t ever seen anything like that done before.
“ Snake skin is real good for
trading,” he says and lays it aside. He tosses the heads, tail and
innards to Cat who’s waiting patiently by the fire, then spits it
on a long twig and hangs it over the low flames.
“ Oh gods, my mouth is
watering all ready, I cain’t wait!” He’s hopping like a wild rabbit
back and forth from one foot to the other, looking all of his
twelve years. It makes me laugh.
“ Well you’re gonna have to
wait,” I say. “And you’re gonna have to clean up. Your hands are a
mess. Go see if you can find some wet leaves or moss or
such.”
“ Okay,” he says, agreeing
with me and grinning slyly. “Besides...it’s time for my nightly
droppin’s anyway.”
I screw my face up at him. “Ugh! You’re
disgusting!”
His laughter follows him into the
trees. He disappears from sight with my warning of not to go too
far trailing after him. I lay back, close my eyes. The nights are
cooler here in the woods and the warmth of the fire feels good
against my skin. The smell of the cooking snake fills the air,
blocking out the stench of the rotting trees. It’s making my mouth
water as well. If it tastes as good as it smells then we were in
for a real treat, I think. I yawn, the days travel catching up to
me. Maybe just a quick nap while I’m waiting….
“ Tara!”
The scream makes my blood run cold and
I bolt to my feet instantly, but Cat is much quicker than me, she’s
already gone. I grab the iron shooter and run in what I hope is the
right direction.
“ Finn!” I yell, crashing
through the trees. I cain’t see anything, it’s too dark and my eyes
ain’t adjusted from the firelight.
“ Finn!” I yell again, panic
gripping me ‘cause he ain’t answering. I trip over something, a
root maybe, and I stagger but don’t fall. Why ain’t he
answering?
“ Over here,” he finally says
and at the sound of his voice the ice cold fear in my belly eases
some. I stumble onto him, standing on a little bank, looking
perfectly fine, Cat calmly sitting at his side. No sign of danger,
or attack, or critters like I was fearing. There was nuthin. He was
screaming his fool head off over nuthin! I feel my anger at this
starting to build ‘til I notice what he’s staring at. A creek, no
less. A nice big watering hole!
“ You scared the hell outta
me,” I say but my anger is dimmed some by what he has
found.
“ Sorry,” he says but he
don’t look it. He looks excited and hopeful. “You think it’s good
for drinking?”
Before I get a chance to answer him Cat
makes her way down the small slope. She sticks her head down into
the creek, her slurping sounds loud in the quiet night. We look at
each other and grin.
“ I suspect so,” I say and
Finn’s excited whoops echo loudly back at us.
“ I found us a watering hole!
I found us a watering hole!” His chanting is followed by some two
step dance that makes him look more like a hog in its death throes
then anything and I cain’t help but laugh.
“ Okay, okay mister hero, you
found us water, now make yourself useful and go get the
waterskins.”
After we had filled the waterskins and
drunk our share, we laid back on the creek bank just staring at the
moons reflection on the dark water, reluctant to leave our little
haven. Being around the water...well, it was comforting
almost.
“ Tara,” Finn says, breaking
our companionable silence.
I look over to see him watching me with
the oddest expression on his face.
“ What?” I say, wondering
what was going through that head of his.
He shrugs. “I was
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