Éireann grumbled with annoyance. Anxious to finish, she tried to pick the prickly cactus berry from the umber-leafed plant much faster than she should have. As a result, her hands were covered in red sores. Her basket was still half-empty. Meanwhile, Joseph was nimbly working on his fifth basket, snatching the berries up without so much as a minor scratch. She glared at him. He grinned back and continued to work.

"Why-does-he-have-to-be-so-good-at-everything-he-does?!" she muttered angrily as she worked. Joseph laughed.

"Let's head down to the mines on our way back," Joseph suggested after they'd finished.

"Sure," Éireann uncharacteristically agreed. "If we went to the meet straight away we'd be waiting half the day for Krun anyway."

The mines of Pelor's rock were carved into the bordering cliffs of Runeland. They were worked day and night by the townspeople, led by the old dwarf Andin Stigma, Krun's father. The Stigmas had been shunned by their people when, ten years earlier, Andin had been caught with more than his fair share of the gold. Despite this, the Stigmas were well respected, not only for their prowess in the mines, but also for their skills in story telling.

Joseph and Éireann headed down the dark mines quickly, though carefully so as not to disturb the men concentrating on their task, and kept their eyes on the ground, scattered with tools, ropes and carved tracks.

The area Krun was working on was rich in iron ore, copper and gold. The minerals glittered dimly in the lamplight, and reminded them both of why dwarves were fascinated with treasures. Krun himself was working on moving debris that had fallen down, blocking the rest of the tunnel. When they approached him, he was staring down at his own hand in fascination, and jumped when they came close. He quickly shoved whatever he'd been holding into his pocket and tried to act casual.

They both shrugged, almost simultaneously. They'd both seen Krun steal gold before, and it was generally agreed by the townspeople that as long as not too much went missing, the discrepancies could be ignores. Besides, Éireann had a sneaking suspicion that Joseph had a stockpile of his own somewhere that no-one knew about yet.

"Hey, we're just heading over to the practise grounds now, are you ready?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah, sure," he answered uncertainly, in his deep, booming voice. I'll be right there." He indicated that they should leave.

"Well that was unusual," Joseph said after they'd left. "Did you see what he was holding?"

"Sort of," she replied, confused. "It didn't look like gold to me, at least not raw stuff."

"Probably just a piece of old junk or something," he said half to himself.

"Finally!" Alana exclaimed as they reached the top of the hill, passing between the ditzy looking sheep.

"What took you?" Hennet asked, perplexed. "We've been waiting for ages."

Joseph smiled and shook his head. "We stopped to check on Krun on the way. He should be here soon."

"Good," Thamior said, coming up after them. "Then we can get started." He frowned and examined Éireann's hands. "You tried to rush it again, didn't you?" He said perplexedly.

"Yes father," she teased. "Now, where's my costume?"

"Right here," Alana said, handing it over.

"Needs a few more feathers."

"You said that last time."

"The sheep look a little restless."

"Thamior, I think there's a problem with the whole fire act."

"Well, I'm saying it again."

"Did anyone hear that?"

"The whole routine is stuffed up."

"Just listen for a second!"

"I thought you said we were doing okay."

"I changed my mind."

"Guys, don't you hear that?"

"Here, I brought a few spare, I knew you were going to say that."

"Maybe if we speed up Krun's act a little it'll fit in better."

"Thanks."

"I don't think he'll like that very much-"

"QUIET!!!!" Everyone turned to Joseph, red faced and pointing down the hill to the left.

"I hear it," Éireann whispered. She quickly pulled her spear out of the ground and snuck down. It was a wolf, trying to snag one of the lambs, and it was one she'd seen before.

I thought I told you to stay away from my sheep. She told her.

I'm not scared of humans. I'll eat what's there. Why should I eat what girl tells me to eat? I want prey. She replied menacingly. A growl escaped from her throat and she crouched low.

These are my sheep. I've warned you before to stay away from them. If you don't then I'll kill you.

I'm not scared of girl. I'll eat girl too if girl comes closer. The she-wolf bared its teeth threateningly.

Éireann moved closer, breathing hard. Sweat stood out on her forehead and her brow was creased in concentration. The wolf suddenly launched herself at her and she moved with lightning speed and accuracy. The spearhead collided with the creature mid-air, and a strangled sound escaped her throat. She died as she hit the ground.

Éireann stood still, and for a moment left her arm hanging in the air. Then she straightened up, and standing over the dead thing, she pulled out her weapon, which was smeared with dark blood. She turned back to the others, who'd become silent from shock. One thought came into her head, and it was that she'd killed, really killed, not just some small mindless creature, but that she'd killed for the first time in her life something that was real, living, soulful.

"Éireann," said Hennet, always the responsible one. "Go back to the village. We'll look after the sheep." He looked at the dead wolf. "Alana, you go too. And come back with a couple of shovels."