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She opened her eyes and he was s not if it was for her sake or his own, she returned it

‘So,’ she said, ‘no more adventure?’

‘No runted

‘No more sharp pieces of metal ai to gods’

‘Noto be eaten in your sleep’

‘Or stabbed or crushed or otherwise‘No more adventure’

‘No more,’ the words spilled from her mouth unconsciously, ‘companions’

It was a slow and heavy dawn that rose on their faces, a long and jagged frown that was shared between theht None were exchanged They turned away froh of relief at the knowledge that passed between thee to turn and look at him

No, she told herself, don’t look The solution is easy … Now you don’t even have to worry about anything else No one has to die You’re still a shict He’s still a human All you need to do is not turn around and stay--

‘So …’ she muttered

Silent Damn it

‘If not adventure, what?’

‘Back to ainst the reed wall ‘Find some land, build a farm, hack dirt, sell dirt Honourable work’

‘Alone?’

Damn it, she immediately scolded herself, don’t ask hi that? WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?

She turned to look, couldn’t help it, and saw hihtfully Whatever she screamed at herself next, she couldn’t hear Whatever he was about to say next, he didn’t say

‘Cousin!’

Another sigh of relief was bitten back before they both looked up to see the rin set in aa round black hat upon Bagagame’s scaly crown as he sauntered toward theuests of Teji?’ He kept one eye upon thee upon Lenk’s leg ‘Sun feelin’ hty fine on your h his nostrils and twisted his other eye up at the sun ‘Too bad it never actually ’

‘Medicine does,’ Lenk replied, rubbing his leg He glanced up at the Owauku’s rotating eyes and shuddered ‘Do … do you always do that?’

‘’S’yeah, cousin,’ he said, bobbing his great head ‘M’always extendin’ the warain ‘King Togu’s always pleased to have humans on Teji, always pleased to share his medicine and hospitality’ His scaly lips split in a broad, banana-coloured grin ‘All for the s about, but--’

‘Oh’ If such a thing were possible, the creature’s eyes see to erupt from their sockets with despair ‘Oh no … you ain’t happy’ His hands, tre, reached up to clutch his face ‘Oh, sweet spirits, I kneould happen Was it reen chest ‘W’did I ever do to you?’

‘It’s … it’s nothing, it’s just--’

‘You’re hungry’ His head nearly ca off with the force of his nod ‘That’s it Sunshine and happy thoughts can’t heal M’get you a nice gohmn, cousin A fine, fat one’

Before anyone could protest, Bagagame had spun on his heel and scaed by several rainbow-coloured carapaces Another Owauku wearing a leather hood and wielding a crooked stick looked up as Bagagah-pitched babble A dozen feathery antennae twitched, a dozen co pools, and even from such a distance, Kataria could see her distaste reflected back at her over a hundred times

‘Gohmns,’ she muttered disdainfully

‘You don’t like therin

‘We have a history’ She tried not to re so No et her face clean again ‘Stupid insects’

‘It doesn’t seeainst an insect?’ he asked

‘I’ fro that sprays anything froated to hate’

‘Really,’ he ht you’d admire them’

‘For what?’

‘Well, you’re always boasting about how shicts ate every part of their kill, right? I thought you’d appreciate the: food,her loincloth ‘It’s one thing for a deer or a bear to fulfil those needs If it coiant rainbow roach …’ Shean errant itch on her belly ‘They don’t even taste good What I need is venison stewed in its own blood …made of meat’

‘Insects are made of meat’

‘It doesn’t seem a little odd to defend an insect so vehemently?’

‘A little’ His smile was broad, if no less crooked ‘Maybe I’m not so averse to the various oddities that surroundtre to find a place where it could break out She recalled how aze before, bereft of the softness it bore now His gaze had been so to be avoided

Quietly, she longed to see those eyes again They would at least be easier to turn away from Instead, she was bound by his stare, forced to look at him as he stared back at her with an expression that was terribly human

‘Maybe,’ he whispered, ‘I don’t want to leave all of the this? Her voice was growing ever naw at her heart with sharp teeth Why do you encourage him like this? Even if you wanted this, even if you wanted to be infected, this can’t last It can’t even last as long as you think it can

Lenk didn’t see the fear on her face as he looked up His shtly as he stared at the three half-naked figures approaching them His eak, his eyes lost their softness; it only reminded her painfully of how he had just looked at her