Page 121 of Moonless

Then her head comes up.

“My fish.”

I stop, and she points past my shoulder.

“Rauk, we’re not leaving my fish. Or my bow. They’re back where Keer grabbed me.”

“Which way?”

“Around that bend, then uphill. I dropped everything on the path.”

I turn where she points, lifting her knees clear of a branch. It’s farther than I’d like on this leg, and uphill.

“All of it?”

“All of it. I worked hard for those fish.”

“Then we’d better go and get them.”

Her fingers loosen in my fur as I carry her around the bend.

Chapter 29

“Look at it beside the others.”

I move the smallest fish out from under the big one’s tail. I’ve got all four laid out on the preparation stone, and Rauk’s looking at me.

“The fish, Rauk. You’ve seen me.”

He looks down, straight at the little one, and then back at me.

Hmph. “That one’s for flavor.” I spread my good hand on the big one’s silver side. My fingers don’t even reach all the way across.

“It nearly pulled the stake out. I had to hold it with my foot.”

“I can see that.”

He touches the red line across my palm with a blunt fingertip. Not now. I turn my hand over and point at the fish again.

“It was worth it.”

He bends to look at the arrow hole with a fang showing. He’s still keeping his weight off the left leg, and he’s got it stuck out a bit so the binding on his thigh doesn’t pull. He let me wash and bind the bites when we got in, but getting him to sit down for it took longer than the washing.

“A good shot.”

“Damn right it was.” I step around the stone to show him where I aimed, and my back seizes halfway through the turn. Shit. I shuffle the rest of the way around instead of twisting.

His hand comes toward my side, so I catch it.

“I’m showing you something. You can fuss later.”

“Stand still, then.”

I do, but only because he’s finally looking at the fish properly.

“There was a rock in the water, and it came out from behind it. I waited until I could see the whole side. Right there.”

I point, and he puts one claw beside the hole.