[Firefoot]

Adranel’s mouth watered at the scent of dinner. For the first time since yesterday morning, food sounded good to her, and she was starving. It was only some dried meat and a the type of waybread that the people of Dale used for journeys, but to her it seemed a feast. She was also looking forward to a good night’s sleep after she ate. Though she didn’t realize it, being around other people had given her the will to live again. Beluf especially helped her, and she was relieved that he hadn’t questioned her for details on herself. He reminded her of someone, though she couldn’t place who. She knew she should be able to, and it was bothering her that she couldn’t.

As she ate her share of the meal, she observed the two older men surreptitiously, keeping in mind what Beluf had said earlier. She was grateful for his opinions on them, and though she intended to use his advice she wouldn’t necessarily follow it. What he had said about Gelding keeping Sjorging in line surprised her; she had immediately assumed that Sjorging was the leader of the three. Maybe it was more of a partnership. The rest of what Beluf had said made sense to her, fitting in with the pieces of Sjorging and Gelding’s personalities that she had already figured out. If it took a while for Sjorging to respect someone, it made sense that had been rather unfriendly to her. Well, if he was going to come to respect her it would be because of herself, not because she kept her distance and didn’t speak up if she had something to say.

They finished up their meal in silence and began putting things away. Beluf banked the fire for the night, and the other two began preparing for the night. Adranel helped out where she could, but she felt out of place in their camp, unsure of what she should be doing. It was getting dark, and the only light came from the fire. Adranel had long since noticed that there was only one tent, and figured she would be sleeping outside it, which didn’t bother her. There was a fire, which was more than she had had last night. Finally the activity started to die down, and the four of them were ready to call it a night.

“We’ll be leaving as soon as it’s light out,” Sjorging reminded her. Adranel heard the unspoken words clearly: Don’t keep us waiting.

“All right,” she said, with an undertone of her own: Anything else? I already knew that. Sjorging frowned and disappeared into the tent. A few moments later Beluf poked his head out and tossed her a blanket.

“Here,” he said. “It’s cold out there. Sorry we don’t have another tent or something.” Adranel caught the thick blanket deftly and waved away his concerns with her free hand.

“It’s alright, really,” she said. “Thanks for the blanket, though. Good night.”

“Good night,” said Beluf, the flickering firelight casting shadows on his face. He ducked back into tent and Adranel was left alone. She laid down as close to the fire as she dared and wrapped the heavy blanket around her. During the day, she had been distracted from herself by the men. Now, during the night, there was no such diversion and she was alone with her thoughts. She soon fell asleep, but not before quiet tears had started to trickle down her cheeks.

*~*~*

Old habits die hard, and it had been a long time since Adranel had slept in. When she awoke, streaks of pink and orange lined the ominous clouds that had moved in over night. Sjorging had been right; a storm was coming. She sat up and stretched, wondering again why she had decided to go with these men. She could just go now, before they awoke... she shook her head with a small smile. No, she had said she would go with them, and, if she would admit it to herself, she rather liked Beluf’s company. Night had brought no hint as to who he reminded her of so strongly.

No signs of life yet came from the tent, and Adranel took a few minutes to enjoy the early stages of sunrise. Though her mood was far from cheery, there were glimmers of hope stirring inside her. Deciding she didn’t want to lay around any longer, she got up and immediately considered snuggling right back into her blanket; the temperature was frigid cold. The combination of blanket and fire had kept her much warmer than she had realized. With a shrug, she began methodically folding the blanket, setting it down near the tent when she finished. All the supplies that had been used had been packed up yesterday night so that they might get an early start this morning, so Adranel sat down on a log near the fire and began finger-combing through her hair while she waited for the men to wake up.

She did not have to wait long - only a few minutes to be precise - before they began arousing. Sjorging was the first to appear out of the tent, and seeing her said, “You’re up.” There was a more than a bit of surprise in his voice, and though it was so brief she couldn’t be sure, Adranel thought she had also heard a hint of approval. Adranel smiled as if to herself

“I am. Good morning,” Adranel replied. It sounded stiff, but she was at least trying to be polite. She bit back the sarcastic remark what did you expect?, knowing full well what the answer would have been.

Beluf and Gelding emerged then, and they ate a quick breakfast, not even taking the time to cook anything over the fire that had now died to embers. The four of them all helped to dissemble the tent and pick up anything they might have left unpacked. Adranel was eager to be going, as she had spent the entire day yesterday idle, though she had needed the rest.

“I suppose we’re ready to go, then? If you have a fourth pack, I wouldn’t mind carrying some things,” offered Adranel.