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Sondo snuck a glance over at Reggie. Now that was interesting. He had been dying to know about Falco since Reggie had come back, but he was not about to be the one to ask. Now he knew, and found a great measure of satisfaction from the story. The pair had not reached Sarn Ford, nor could Falco even keep the one follower he had! The ultimate triumph would be if Falco were to turn around after realizing Reggie was gone... but, based both on Reggie’s account and his own logic, that would never happen.
“Well, we’re glad you’re back,” said Sondo, “even if Falco is not.” No one said any more on the issue; it had been a touchy topic before and everyone seemed satisfied, for now at least, by Reggie’s answer. Some light conversation ensued. Between Sassy’s catch and Reggie’s return, there was finally something to celebrate. Indeed, after going so many days without much to eat, the small meat chunks seemed a feast. Even so, the meal was all too small and was finished all too quickly. Sondo felt sure that given the opportunity he could have eaten both coneys. But he was thankful for what he had, and had given Sassy a smile of genuine appreciation upon receiving his food. It was the first token of forgiveness he had shown her since that fateful day when she called him “Bunnymuggins.”
They tarried there for a while after finishing breakfast, content to relax and let the food settle. Soon, however, Sondo felt an itch to start moving again. One thing he had found was that, even if it made for rather miserable travelling, it made for easy “pick-up-and-go” when they didn’t have any supplies to gather up and carry. They had scant supplies, and once he gave the word to start moving again, it could not have been more than ten minutes before they left.
This morning there was a spring in his step, and lively chatter characterized their hike. Having a meal (albeit a small one) in their bellies took their minds off food troubles (for a while, anyway) and Reggie’s return encouraged everyone, most notably Bingo. And yet, as he walked, Sondo could not shake the feeling of foreboding growing in the pit of his stomach, similar to when he had ‘known’ something would happen before the raft crashed. But no, he told himself. This day has started off so wonderfully; what could go wrong?
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