Page 46 of The Weaver

This is stupid, Ahmya.

But I…I want to do this. For Rekosh.

She glanced back at him. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t opened his eyes. He was exhausted and hurt.

“I won’t go far,” Ahmya said quietly. “I’ll stay close.”

She tightened her grip on the knife and walked forward.

Ahmya kept her eyes in constant motion, watching for any beasts, for the slightest sign of danger. If she saw anything at all,she wouldn’t hesitate to call for Rekosh and run back to the overhang.

The ground sank beneath her feet as she walked. The mist coated her skin and hair, and she blinked as it beaded on her lashes. The scents of rain, vegetation, and earth were heavy in the air, but the smell of Rekosh’s blood lingered in her memory.

He’s only out here because of me.

That realization sent a shard of guilt straight through her heart, nearly bringing her to a halt. Ahmya let out a shuddering breath as she rubbed her chest.

But it was true. Rekosh had only joined the foraging party because she was going with them. He was always getting hurt because of her.

And right now, she needed to help him.

“He needs food, needs rest, needs strength. I can do this.”

The discomfort in her pelvis increased with each step.

“Well, I can do this after I pee.”

Ahmya came to a stop and searched for a spot to relieve herself where nothing would leap out of the undergrowth and bite her on the ass.

“Because that would be just my luck, wouldn’t it?”

Once she’d emptied her bladder, using some wet leaves to clean herself, she continued on, making sure to keep track of where she was going in relation to their shelter. She hadn’t traveled for long before she spotted a small copse ofsahn’haduriitrees—bluevine trees.

Grinning, Ahmya pumped her arms in triumph. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”

The trees were over eight feet tall, with thick, bulbous trunks reminiscent of pineapples in shape and texture. Long branches sprouted from the top of each trunk, all ending in dangling vines from which clusters of deep blue fruit hung.

She double checked to make sure there were no lurking beasties before jogging closer to the trees. Lifting one of thefruits from the vine, she used the knife to cut the stem. The rind was hard and lumpy, but she knew what was within. Simply thinking about the purple, raspberry flavored, jam-like fruit made her stomach growl.

Ahmya poked her belly. “You have to wait until we bring them back to Rekosh.”

She cut away four more of the fruits, setting them on the ground at her feet. She’d just started on the fifth when she heard rustling behind her. Stilling her hands and her breathing, she turned her head to look over her shoulder as the sound moved closer.

She released the fruit and spun, brandishing her knife before her.

Sitting upon a mossy fallen branch was a small creature, hunched over and eating what appeared to be a large grub in its long-fingered grasp.

Ahmya blinked and tilted her head, lowering her arms slightly.

The plump creature had gray and black fur, a long, fluffy tail, and a narrow face with large, pointed ears and wide eyes. It couldn’t have been much bigger than a raccoon. And…it was cute.

But it was also food. Meat. Something that would benefit Rekosh far more than a bunch of fruit.

Adjusting her grip on the knife, Ahmya crept forward.

The creature paused, glanced at her, and its tail, curled like a squirrel’s, flicked.

She froze.

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