The first building Rillik found was a house, with a large woodshed nearby. He passed it by, because it wasn't late enough at night yet to risk getting closer. I need a barn, a stable, a granary, something like that.

What he found instead was an orchard.

The trees stood in neat rows and were wide instead of tall. There were round, rotted fruit on the ground, some green, some brown, a few bright red but crushed. He went sneaking around the orchard on all sides, avoiding the part nearest the house he spotted. Retreating to the trees at the other end, Rillik climbed one and inspected it. The tree was so short that he barely got twenty feet up at the highest point.

He spotted a few lonely fruit still hanging, and worked his way out to them. They were inconveniently placed, which made sense if they were left behind after harvesting. For once, he was glad that he was still small; the branch would have never taken much more weight than he put on it. As it was, he had left his pack a short ways into the woods, hidden in a bramble.

He retrieved three small fruit, all bright red. Rillik considered how to get down with them all and with no pack to put them in. He was reluctant to drop them for fear it would ruin them. Finally, he sniffed one of them all over, worked up his nerve, and took a bite.

It's sweet! The fruit was very sweet, with a bit of an acidic tang to it. Thinking responsibly, Rillik immediately decided to get some of these back to Sheema. She would need food like this after doing any Healing.

He had meant to simply hold one in his teeth while he climbed down, but he was so hungry, and it tasted so good, that he ate the whole thing. There was a core with seeds that didn't taste as good as the rest. That part, Rillik held in his teeth while he climbed down.

He examined the ground, so full of markings of traffic, and decided to get rid of the core a short ways off into the woods. It was simple enough to hide it; then Rillik returned to the orchard, selecting a different tree. He climbed up and retrieved the few abandoned fruit. These were smaller, and he managed to carry them all down to the ground with him. Another trip to his pack, and he was ready to do it again.

This time, the tree he selected had nothing left on it; the humans had picked it clean. He climbed down and tried another. Partway up, he found a small collection of rocks, all very white, tucked between one branch and the trunk. Rillik stopped and stared at it.

A human kid is picking out neat rocks and keeping them here.

It was so normal, that it felt weird. Humans didn't do things like that. Humans got on boats and attacked people who never did anything to them, and murdered your parents and sold you into slavery. They didn't gather pretty rocks and stash them. For some reason, the sight made Rillik's stomach upset.

He left the rocks alone. Instead, he climbed down and retreated for the time being. He gathered his pack, and the six small red fruit, and moved off to the east, looking for someplace else to rob.

Someplace a little less disturbing.

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The night was going to be especially cold. Rillik needed someplace sheltered to spend the night. As the last light was fading, he found a barn. Seeing no lights, and hearing nothing, Rillik slipped inside as quickly and quietly as possible.

Inside, there were two zenayu and a goat. Rillik spent a few minutes making friends with them, and once he was satisfied that they would not kick up a fuss over his presence, climbed up into the loft and hid himself in the hay as thoroughly as possible.

I should stay up a while, make sure no one is going to come out to the barn before it gets late.

He fell asleep almost the moment his head hit the hay.

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The loud creak of the barn door woke him. Rillik blinked wearily, then froze. There were humans close by. Very close by. He held very still, afraid even to breathe until he had to.

A man's voice, barking that harsh human language, and then a boy's voice replying meekly. Footsteps. A door slamming shut, and more footsteps outside. Almost directly below him, the human boy was shuffling around, probably doing his chores. He was muttering to himself, obviously annoyed at the work he had to do.

Rillik listened to the boy banging around a metal bucket, pouring water, and decided to try to move where he could watch. He only shifted when there was already sound from below. Carefully, he snuck up to the edge of the loft and peeked out.

The human had blond hair like Kervan's. He was small—about the same size as Rillik, which meant that Rillik was the bigger one, because humans tended to be big, he reasoned. Also, Rillik reminded himself that he was probably twice this boy's age, so he was better because he was older, too.

I could totally beat him in a fight. If I had my dagger, I could... Rillik stopped that thought. Doesn't matter, I don't have my dagger, and I'm here now, and so is he.

I ought to kill him. Humans should all die.

But, if I kill him, his father or the others will find his body and start searching the woods for me. They might even find the others. If I kill anyone, it has to look like an accident.

The boy started to turn around, and might look up, so Rillik pulled back quickly. Totally silent, he applauded himself. If I couldn't hear anything, a stupid round-ears—

The boy called out, in surprise and annoyance. Rillik waited, frozen. After a few heartbeats of silence, the human asked a question. Rillik tried not to breathe. He didn't see me. I know he didn't hear me. So, how—? Rillik winced as he realized it. Some stupid hay must have fallen when I moved.

The boy was moving closer. He was making no effort at being quiet, grumbling to himself as he started to climb the ladder to the hayloft. Rillik eyed the top of the ladder sticking up. If I push it at the last moment, he might fall and die. That would look like an accident.

He might not, though. And then, I truly would be in a leaky boat.

He was running out of time. Rillik used the boy's noise as cover for his own as he scrambled back behind some of the hay bales. Can I avoid him? Keep moving and hide from him? Should I run for it? If I keep my hood up, he might not realize I'm an elf.

The human reached the hayloft and took a few steps forward. "Hello? (Something something?)" Rillik was surprised that he actually remembered the word for "hello" in human language.

He slowly turned in his crouch as the round-ear moved to his right, about to come around the hay bales that hid him from the human. A little farther...a little farther...now. He bolted for the edge of the hayloft. There was a surprised yelp, then the boy started yelling at him as he jumped. It wasn't quite a short enough jump to him to be completely comfortable, so Rillik made sure to land on one or two of the rungs of the ladder on his way down.

"Whoa," the human said quietly.

Rillik ran for the door to the barn, and was about to dash out when he heard footsteps approaching. He stopped short. The big human is too close! Rillik quickly looked back and forth between the boy and the door, trying to decide what to do.

The boy looked confused, then his eyes widened in realization. He's going to yell for his father, and—

Instead, the boy hissed something, and beckoned to him frantically. He's scared of his father, Rillik realized. He's going to get in trouble. While he hesitated, the man drew closer, and he realized that he had probably waited too long. Having half a heartbeat to decide, Rillik opted to go with "probably going to be caught soon" rather than "definitely going to run into an adult human right now."

He bolted up the ladder. The boy stepped aside to make room and Rillik dashed back to his hiding spot. Was this really stupid? If the human tells his father about me it will be really hard to get away...

The barn door opened. The man's harsh voice shouted a demand. The boy stepped to the edge of the hayloft where his father could see him.

The two had a conversation. Rillik was surprised at how much he understood just from the way they said things. The father demanded to know something. The boy concocted an explanation. The father questioned him suspiciously, and the boy embellished his lie.

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There was a warning tone in the man's voice that Rillik had rarely heard from his own blood-father. He had heard it from a couple of the other adults back in Kilder Vald. Those people were...not very nice, and Rillik had tended to avoid them.

The conversation went back and forth a couple more times, and the man gave some kind of demand or threat, while the boy reassured him or promised something. With a final grumbled warning, the man left. Rillik heard his footsteps fading, and silently let out the breath he was holding.

Several heartbeats later, the boy called out to him quietly. Possibly it was something like "we're safe now" or "the predators are gone." Rillik didn't know, and didn't know how to answer anyway.

This time, the boy didn't move closer, probably wary of Rillik bolting past him again. He called out something else in the human tongue, a statement followed by a question. After another few moments of silence, he called out, "Hello?"

Rillik took a deep breath. "Hello," he mimicked quietly. The boy asked a question. I don't see any way to hide that I'm an elf. Slowly, he stood up.

"I don't understand your language," he told the boy, keeping his voice low. The blond kid squinted at him. Rillik sighed and pulled his hood back. "I...elf."

The boy's eyes got big and he made the same noise again. "Whoa." Then he started throwing question after question at him at high speed. Rillik grew annoyed quickly, and had an unwelcome moment of insight. Is this how I sound to the adults when I get excited?

"I don't understand you," Rillik repeated. The boy paused, threw one more question at him, and then they both lapsed into silence for a bit, staring at each other.

Rillik sighed, then pointed to himself. "Rillik."

"Charlie."

"Hello, Charlie."

"Hello, Rillik."

Rillik's stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. Good thing that didn't happen when I was sneaking around. Charlie asked a question, then when Rillik didn't respond, he mimed eating something. "Eat."

"Eat."

"Rillik eat?"

His stomach gurgled again. Charlie talked to himself a minute, obviously thinking. Then he pointed. "You. Hay. Down." Or so Rillik guessed. Charlie patted the hay bale closest to the edge, then descended the ladder.

Rillik frowned. Is he going to treat me like a slave? Not seeing any other realistic options, Rillik set himself to pushing the hay bale over the edge. He was actually barely able to do it. Why don't they make these things smaller? he grumbled. Finally, it tumbled down, and Rillik warily followed, keeping his pack with him at all times.

He heard liquid hitting a metal bucket. Charlie was milking the goat. Rillik opened his pack and scraped out a few remnants of the crushed berries, just to have something in his mouth to quiet his stomach. He didn't want to eat any of the apples in case he couldn't get more.

Charlie finished his task, and picked up a small wooden cup. He rinsed it briefly in a water bucket, then scooped out a little of the goat milk. Then he held it out to Rillik. "(Something something) I (something something, something) you (something something.)"

Rillik stared at the cup for a moment, feeling very strange. He's an enemy. We're supposed to be trying to kill each other. Why is he giving me a drink? Why didn't he tell his father that I was here? Wouldn't the father be happy to know about me and catch me? Why would he be scared to tell his father?

Charlie stared at him, said something, and pretended to drink from the cup. Then, he held it out again.

I know how to drink milk! Rillik thought, feeling offended. He took the cup, sipped, and then gulped it all down at once.

Oh, that's so good. I needed that. Rillik held the cup out, and Charlie took it back. He looked at it wistfully and sighed, then put it down. Then Charlie started talking and pantomiming. Rillik didn't get the words, but the gist of it was something like, "I bring the milk in. You stay here. You hide. I come back."

Rillik thought back to the attempts the adults had made at communicating with Tom Walker. It was hard, but he made himself say one of the first expressions they had learned.

"Thank you."

Charlie stopped, looked at him, smiled, and nodded. Then he picked up the bucket and left the barn.

Rillik hid in the hayloft again, wondering what was going to happen next. What am I going to do now? He thought about running for the woods, but he wasn't sure where Charlie's father was, or his mother for that matter.

It felt like forever, but was probably less than half an hour before Charlie returned. The boy was very withdrawn and angry, but not at Rillik. One side of his face was red. Rillik politely didn't point it out, but he wondered what had happened. The boy kept glancing at the door as he got back to his chores.

Rillik helped out in spots, but he didn't know the tasks or where anything was, so he wasn't of much use. Charlie seemed to appreciate that he had tried, though. Finally, he seemed to be done with his morning chores. He went and peeked out the door of the barn, then came back to Rillik.

With a hand shovel, Charlie scratched a picture in the hard-packed earth. He drew a square, a mark on one edge, and a row of dots on the opposite side. He pointed at a few things, speaking his language. Then, he took off his cloak. He pointed at Rillik. After a moment, Rillik got that he wanted to trade cloaks. Confused, the elf played along with the human's plan.

A bunch more gestures made it clearer. Rillik would go first, and would walk, not run, around the barn, and a short ways into the woods. Then he was supposed to wait. Some unclear amount of time after that, Charlie would follow and meet him in the woods. Charlie wanted Rillik to leave his pack, but he refused. So, Charlie told him to carry it in front of him, and under the cloak. That much, Rillik was willing to do.

Once he was sure Rillik understood, he watched out the barn door for a minute, then said quietly, "Go." Or possibly, "now." Rillik wasn't sure which, but he went.

Walk, don't run. Walk, don't run. You're pretending to be Charlie. Rillik kept his breathing even. It's just another kind of stealth. You can do this. He reached the woods and forced himself to keep walking a fair bit farther. Then he stopped.

I should get out of here. Rillik considered whether to just take off. It would be safer...but Charlie had his cloak, and he had Charlie's. If the cloak was a favorite or something, Rillik didn't want to steal it. The human boy had given him food, and helped him to hide. I'll wait a few minutes, at least, he finally decided.

A while later, Rillik was fidgeting, wondering how much longer he was willing to wait, when he finally heard the boy coming. Charlie was alone—Rillik would have bolted if that wasn't the case. In fact, Charlie didn't even see Rillik until he was almost past him and Rillik moved.

"Whoa," Charlie said, then asked a question. Rillik shrugged.

They traded cloaks again. Charlie had actually carried Rillik's cloak balled up, instead of wearing it, and seemed relieved to get his own back to ward off the chill in the air. Smart. That way the adults didn't see an unfamiliar cloak walking around, just Charlie as usual.

They stared at each other for a moment, then Charlie sighed. He beckoned for Rillik to follow him, and set out along a path into the woods. Not having anything better to do, Rillik followed.

Charlie kept talking the whole time they were walking, despite Rillik not knowing what he was saying. Their first stop was a berry bush that had been stripped almost bare. Charlie hunted around and found a few left, took one for himself and ate it, then handed Rillik the rest.

"Thank you." It was easier to say the second time.

Then Charlie led him onward, deeper into the woods. After a while, he walked up to a log that had things growing out of it. They were mushrooms, but didn't look like any Rillik had ever seen before. Charlie pointed at a large one, then broke it off. He tore off a piece and ate it himself, then passed the thing to Rillik.

Rillik sniffed it, then took a bite. It wasn't great on its own, but as hungry as Rillik was, it was delicious. He stuffed a lot of it into his mouth, and Charlie laughed at him. Rillik made to protest, but his mouth was full, and Charlie laughed harder. Rillik shook his head and then started picking more of the mushrooms to put in his pack, once it was clear that the human boy did not object—at least at first.

"No! No, no, no!"

Rillik froze, then realized that the mushroom he had just picked looked a bit different from the others. Charlie went on at length, talking and pantomiming, finally acting out a dramatic death scene as only a boy his age could do, falling to the ground and rolling, pretending to vomit, and finally ending on his back with the back of one hand pressed against his forehead, his tongue sticking out to one side, and lay still.

"I get it, I get it, it's poisonous. Poison." Rillik took a good look at the two kinds of mushroom, so that he would not mix them up again. Then he dropped the poisonous mushroom on the ground and ground it under his heel a moment. "Thank you."

Charlie continued to lead Rillik deeper in. He pointed out the nuts that the elves had already been collecting, washing and cooking. Both of them did a lot of messy pantomime before Charlie was satisfied that Rillik knew how to make them edible.

Finally, Charlie hunted around and found a small tuft of green streaked with yellow. The human took out his hand shovel, and carefully dug up the large root attached to the tuft on the surface. The root was large, lumpy and yellowish. Charlie pretended to eat it, then stuck his tongue out and made disgusted noises, but didn't perform a death scene. More gestures, repeating some of what they had done before, made it clear that you needed to cook them or boil them, and then they would taste better.

The two boys walked together for a while after that, while Rillik practiced finding the foods and Charlie pointing out ones he had missed.

The whole time, Charlie was asking question after question. He wanted to know who Rillik was, where he had come from, what he was doing in the woods, were there more elves, and who was supposed to be taking care of him. All that and a lot more, but Rillik only ended up learning a handful of words. He answered some questions, and pretended not to understand other ones.

He also asked Charlie about himself, the humans, and the town. His clan name was Farmer. They cut down trees and made things out of wood. The town was called Oak Mill. Charlie had no brothers or sisters. They had goats and chickens, which Rillik recognized. What Charlie called horses were zenayu without any stripes.

Charlie explained that he had to go home soon. Rillik thanked him again, and then asked about a bow and arrows. The human boy didn't have one. They ended up talking about money, and numbers, and Charlie showed him a copper coin, and then held his hands out to indicate how big a pile of copper coins would buy a bow in Oak Mill.

Rillik had taken a few of the coins Tom Walker gave to Arven for the group when they parted ways. He had five silver coins and some copper. It was clearly not enough. But then, he asked Charlie about buying food.

It took a while to get the idea of tomorrow, and Charlie needed to hurry home. The human boy drew the barn and woods again in the dirt, and conveyed that he could meet Rillik the next day at a certain spot in the woods. From there he would take Rillik's money, go into town, buy food for travel, and bring it back to him.

Rillik didn't trust Charlie very much, but he didn't have a lot of other options. He agreed to meet the boy, and reluctantly held out his coin pouch. Charlie looked alarmed, and shook his head, saying something about his father. "Tomorrow," Charlie repeated.

"Thank you," Rillik said, still feeling strange at doing so. As he watched the human boy go, he worried that money caused problems even between friends. Charlie seemed...not mean...but, would he try to take Rillik's money and just keep it? If he was going to do that, though, he could have just taken it now.

Would he betray him somehow?

Even if Charlie was honestly going to try to help...would he be able to go into town, buy the food, and bring it to Rillik without something going wrong?

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