Winter Sun Eyes (Translation Project)

Pooka

Nervously Marja rolled to her side, turned her back on Bastian and Raven, even though it was incredibly difficult for her. But finally she couldn't watch them all night either; Bastian, as he clutched his tightened legs with obvious indisposition and Raven, as she stared at the fire as if spellbound, repeatedly making hissing sounds.

Every time she did that, Marja tensed up involuntarily, but at least a little lesser each time, until at some point she didn't really care any more. Yet she thought she could feel Raven's piercing gaze in her back, and that feeling just wouldn't let her sleep.

Only a few hours remained until the twilight creatures, who only dared to leave their hiding place between the morning and evening hours, had left again and they could finally continue their journey. Although Marja had stayed up all night, she still couldn't fall asleep. She felt observed. As if the threat were hanging over them like a dark cloud, erupting at any moment. And Marja didn't know if this was all due to the presence of the Lady in White.

"We...", she suddenly heard Bastian babbling in a low voice. "We can put out the fire if it is ... um... frightening you." Now Marja would have loved to turn around inconspicuously to see how Raven reacted, but on the one hand she could imagine it so well that it shook her, and on the other hand she had found a just so bearable lying position at the moment, between a root and an unpleasantly piercing thorn bush.

"Put out the fire", Raven hissed dangerously and Marja thought she heard Bastian pull his legs closer to his belly. "Are you suicidal? I - yes - I don't care, but I do my best and keep guard here and then you want to put out the fire!"

Marja could literally see Bastian recoiling at every word she so threateningly and loathsomely uttered. She herself certainly did. Twilight creatures feared fire, so Bastian had used all his street knowledge to finally let a few small flames flicker out of the dry wood. These flames grew to a warming campfire, which drove away the clinking winter cold - at least in Marja's back.

"Wake her up," she suddenly heard Raven bawling. Marja could not say if those were really the words she had spoken, but when she heard hesitant steps on the leaves, and finally a big hand grabbing and shaking her arm roughly, it was clear to her that she was not mishearing.

Ponderously Marja sat up. Her neck hurt and felt incredibly tense, and her arm was tingling as it regained feeling. She hadn't been able to sleep, but even lying down for hours didn't do her limbs any good, as Marja had to realize.

She was surprised to see that Raven was not sitting there at all, but was probably running around the fire for a long time. She was so silent because the floor did not give way under her feathery weight, and that was fascinating to watch. Marja herself had never been a real lightweight, but that something like that was possible would probably have made any anorexic model mad. Raven's hips didn't look as bony as those of a skinny female. She was slim, but not too slender. How did she preserve her nice silhouette? Marja wasn't even sure if she was eating at all.

Bastian clutched Marja's arm rudely and pulled her to her legs. "Ow!", she uttered as she twisted to get out of his grip. "You're hurting me!"

The beggar gave her a disapproving look, but released his strong, corneal-covered hand from her thin, weak arm. With a reproachful expression Marja rubbed the spot, which must have turned red, but was covered by her warm sweater and thick winter jacket.

"She has to stop whining," Raven decided as she stroked through the thin mane of Morning Pallor who had been standing there like a statue the whole time. The horse snorted and turned his head to its mistress, touching her white cheek with its gray nostrils.

Raven seemed to touch the back of the animal only very slightly. That's all she needed to swing up with a light-footed jump. Morning Pallor must have wondered where she had suddenly disappeared to, but she probably felt a hardly noticeable weight on her tender back.