Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [86]
He sat down beside the pool, and it wasn't until he was still that he realized how exhausted he was. His hands shook, and his arms and legs felt empty. It was too dark to have any hope of catching a fish in the pool or stream, and it was still too early in the season to forage for acorns. The thought of a supper of fireflies, crickets, and earthworms didn't excite him, but he had to keep up his strength.
He shook his shoulder to wake the lizard, who had been dozing. "Hey, Perch."
The lizard twitched. Seeing that they'd stopped, he scrambled down Berun's back and began rustling through the grass.
Berun closed his eyes, widening the link he shared with the little lizard, and sent one strong image-Eggs. He didn't like the idea of robbing nests, but without some nourishment soon, he wouldn't even have the strength to search for food.
Eggs-round-round-breaks-eggs-in-trees-eggs?
Eggs, Berun told him again. In trees, yes. Bring eggs. Try-try-try not to break.
Through the link, Berun sensed that Perch had detected a cricket that had strayed too close. The lizard lunged and snatched the insect in his jaws. He crunched and swallowed it down, then shot off through the grass. Berun listened to the sound of his claws as they scratched against the wood of the oak, then Berun began unlacing his boots.
Perch returned not long afterward, when Berun had just finished a long drink from the pool. The lizard had a small egg in his jaws, and wonder of wonders, it was unbroken.
Good, Perch! More, please. More eggs-in-trees.
The lizard took off again, and Berun used his thumbnail to crack open the top of the egg. He sucked out the inside, grimacing at the taste, then opened the shell and licked the inside clean. Going back and forth, Perch managed to bring another four. It wasn't much, but it would last Berun until morning, when he could forage or maybe even catch a fish.
The breeze picked up, and shirtless as he was, Berun knew it would be a cold night if he couldn't get a fire going or find something to cover himself. Leaves wouldn't be much, but they would be better than nothing. If he could find enough dry grass, he could stuff it inside his trousers for insulation, maybe even find enough to put a layer between his bare skin and a blanket of leaves. Still…
Something about the pool called to him. Light still lingered in the sky, but the surrounding woods were mostly varying shades of shadow. Most of the pool seemed black, shaded as it was by the oak canopy. But on the far edge there was a sliver of water that reflected the first evening stars, and with the fireflies, it almost seemed as if some of the stars had come to life and danced over the water. He was suddenly very conscious of how filthy he was. Running most of the day, he'd poured sweat, and the sweat had accumulated every bit of dust and dirt he had touched or passed. Pushing his way through the brush, his skin felt raw with hundreds of tiny scratches, and some of the leaves made him itch. Cool or not, he knew he'd sleep better if he were clean.
Perch had gone off to hunt, hoping for a juicy spider but content with the crickets and fascinated by the fireflies. Berun pulled off his boots, then stood and stripped away the rest of his clothes. The grass by the shore felt wonderfully soft between his