Lucas knew it was time to leave. Every time Amicia looked at him, she saw the death of her brother, and he saw it in her eyes. He did not want to go, but he knew he needed to. Would he ever see her again?
"Alright, are you ready now??" Amicia called from up stream.
"Ready!" Guy replied, readying the sling, prepared to hit every target this time.
Amicia picked up a pile of pinecones, tossing several into the stream from the bottom of her favorite waterfall. "Time to take down the enemy ships, Guy!"
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He started slinging, looking determined. Letting it fly, the stone hit the riverbank. Groaning, he tried again, at least hitting near the pinecones in the stream this time.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Olive goaded him as she stood nearby, grinning conspiratorially, knowing full well she was better than the older boy by a long shot.
"Shut it..." Guy gritted out, preparing again to shoot.
"Just watch the wrist, Guy!" Amicia encouraged, smiling in encouragement.
Letting several more pinecones go down the stream, Guy let another stone fly, hitting it this time! "I did it!"
"That's the way!" She laughed, straightening, hands on her hips.
"Come on, Amicia! Show us how it's done!" Olive shouted from down the stream, beckoning for her to join them.
"But you need to practice!"
"Please!!" Olive begged.
Guy grinned. "Yes, please! It's always something to see you do it!"
Sighing, Amicia shook her head, smiling, and walked down the rocks by the stream to join them. Guy happily handed her the sling and ran back up closer to the waterfall to let the pinecones go. Pushing back her free-floating hair in the slight summer breeze, she was glad she had tied the front part of her hair back in two braids, intertwined with blue ribbons... Half up, half down, enough hair now to at least keep the front of it out of her face. And being in the mountains meant it wasn't nearly as hot as it was below...
"Better prepare yourself, Protector! A flood of pinecone armadas is coming your way!!" Guy cried as he grabbed up an armful and threw them into the stream.
"You don't fight fair, do you, Guy?" Amicia laughed, as she started swinging the sling, almost like an extension of her right arm.
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