Between The Crystals

Ch 42 Missing

The berries, young clover leaves, and clover flowers made this breakfast one of the best I'd ever had. I pulled a carry net out of my pocket and began collecting greens while keeping my eyes open in case more snakes were around.

After having found one bush with berries on it, I kept searching for more. Dandelions and clover might be tasty and easy to gather, but they didn't have many calories. Fruit, berries, roots, and nuts were much better prizes, and of course, far harder to find. Meat was a protein-packed powerhouse, but that wasn't an option for a porter, especially not with a Saursune nearby.

This close to a field, no one had planted any fruit-bearing shrubs or trees, and I soon resigned myself to bringing back common plants. At least they were plentiful here. I'd be able to collect more in a couple of hours than some gatherers did all day in the increasingly overharvested areas.

I carried the full carry net over to the crystal and slowed when I saw a snake. Then I noticed there were actually two of them. Both were dead.

I set my collection to the side and crouched down beside the headless snakes. It wasn't a kind I recognized, and with no mouth to pry open for a fang-check, I had no way of knowing if it was venomous.

After a quick check to make sure the Saursune wasn't in sight, I quickly gutted the snakes and put them under my carry net to stay cooler and keep flies at bay. I grabbed a few empty carry nets and continued collecting greens.

I located another berry bush and put the handful of berries into a leather pouch. I quietly hummed while I worked. It would be a relief to bring back a decent haul. If I worked hard, I might even be able to collect enough to ensure Callie got breakfast tomorrow morning. If nothing else, at least none of the children would cry from hunger tonight.

I didn't see any glimpse of the Saursune, although his coloration was a shade that would let him blend into the forest very well. Was he hanging around, just out of sight? Or after getting the energy, preventing me from getting bitten by a snake, and leaving two dead snakes as a trade, had he left? I truly hoped he wouldn't harm the hunters if he found them...

The morning wore on as I collected more greens. A glimpse of brown had me looking up, but it was just a bird. I took a break around midday and sat on a log while nibbling nearby greens.

At least I wasn't pacing this afternoon. The thought gave me pause. My eyebrows furrowed as I chased it around. Where had that come from? Yet, the restlessness I'd experienced yesterday stood out, even though the oppressive heat should have removed all ambition. It hadn't faded until I'd ported several times.

I didn't recall pacing the day before, although I had been walking all over while trying to find something to eat. But I hadn't sat down until...until after the Saursune had shown up. Admittedly, after having that much energy drained, it wasn't surprising that I needed a rest. But the restlessness beforehand was unusual.

Normally, a porter collected anything edible or useful around the crystal. The activity kept us busy if we were bored, and simply porting a group usually meant we spent a lot of time sitting and conserving our strength for our next port. Not pacing restlessly.

Had yesterday just been due to frustration with how little I found and how little there was to do at that spot? Or was it possibly something more? Was my strengthening porting ability possibly to blame? Or was it because I was porting less now that I remained at one crystal all day?

I decided to keep track of it, just in case it wasn't a unique event. It wasn't a hardship to port a few extra times a day, but if it was related to my quickly-strengthening porting ability, it would soon become noticeable to those around me.