anything and everything

Dunstan Vs. Arun

To get a feeling of the boys. Similar and differences. The reason Dunstan can talk like a normal person is because it's in their first language.

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"How long does it take?" Arun asked, looking at the lines strung in the water.

"It shouldn't be too long. Fish are active this early in the morning." Arun was growing up fast so Dunstan was put in charge of teaching him some basic skills.

Children are allowed to be kids for quite a while. They help feed fires or easy jobs before then but hunting and such is for once you're older. Arun, however, insisted on coming with Dunstan to fish. Dunstan was 13 but Arun was 8 so he had a bit of time before he had to learn how to hunt.

"What do we do while we wait?"

"You can dig up more worms for bait." Dunstan offered, taking a seat in the grass. He was happy to relax and enjoy the sun. If he got his work done early in the morning, he could spend more time with his friends in the evening.

"That's boring too!" Arun was not as patient as Dunstan was, even if you factored out the age difference. Dunstan liked listening to stories the elders told or napping in the sun, Arun always wanted to be playing games and keeping active.

Dunstan considered it for a moment. "Alright, I have a game for you."

He took his sling out of his belt. It was a handle about as long as his forearm with a rope and cradle attached. You could put rocks in the cradle and fling them with a bit of practice. They could be used to hunt with or scare predators. More often than not, young boys and girls used them to throw mud balls at each other.

"If you can hit a bird, I'll play night hunt with you." Dunstan offered his sling to Arun. "Flat thin pebbles fly best but any rock will work with enough strength."

"I know how to use it." Arun took the sling and looked for good rocks along the shore. That would keep him entertained for at least a short time.

Dunstan kept an eye on his younger brother but mostly watched the lines. He alone could usually put out six since fish didn't bite too often. He'd wait for the stuck to bob, indicating a hooked fish, then run over and pull them in. It was easy but took a lot of waiting. Maybe that's why the job got assigned to him more than others his age. Usually Henan came with him but since he brought his brother, she was doing something back at camp.

"Does a squirrel count?" Arun called Dr some ways down the shore. This was a big lake, he could wander quite a ways and still be visible.

"Is a squirrel a bird?" Dunstan called back.

There was no reply from Arun but Dunstan watched him kick a rock into the lake and assumed he was pouting about it. Maybe he'd play night hunt with Arun anyways. He hadn't spent much time with his brother lately except late at night. They still shared a bed but he would get his own soon.

Dunstan lost track of time as it went on. He watched his brother run around with the sling, occasionally pulling in a line when a fish started to bite then recasting it. The sun was almost at his highest point when he realized he hadn't seen Arun for a bit. He should have come back for more stones at this point.

"Arun?"

"Dunstan! I'm over here!"

He sounded a little panicked. Dunstan got up and jogged towards Arun's voice.

"Where are you?" Dunstan entered the treeline, looking around. There wasn't much danger in this area. There were only a couple predators but Arun knew by now to stay away from them.