Chapter 9: A well earned rest.

Maheegun awoke before dawn, finding himself laying next to his pack brother, Jargo. With excitement he sat up and patted and grabbed him on the flank. Rika was sleeping on the other side of the sandstone bank of the stream and near his drying clothes and pack. Jargo was watching her, he didn't trust her one bit. Maheegun once told him about his lynx mother and how she ran away – Jargo didn't want the same to happen now, he didn't want his pack-brother to be betrayed, the lynx should never be trusted.

Maheegun stood up and put on his jerkin on, then tying his belt on. These were the only clothes near him, he walked over to the other side and grabbed his damp ones, like his over-jerkin, quiver and pack, and accidentally woke Rika. She yawned and lifted her upper body up and propped it on her arm. ' Who is that wolf?', she said and yawned once more.

'He's my pack-brother', he felt his over-jerkin for dampness. 'Why? Has he given you a hard time?', he threw his equipment over his shoulder and sat next to her.

'He sure does growl a lot…', Rika looked at the watchful canine and stuck out here tongue, Jargo growled, and Maheegun looked at her.

'Who? Jargo?', who then looked at him, ' He doesn't trust the Lynx Clan.', he decided to put on his outer jerkin and took off his belt underneath, then re-tied it over his over-jerkin.

Rika looked at him, wondering why he and the wolf didn't trust her people. ' Why?'

'My mother abandoned me when I was very young. She was Lynx.'

'Oh', she felt pity for the wolf-boy.

'So.. Jargo doesn't like you huh?', he smiled and looked at
Rika, waiting for a response.

'I wouldn't say he doesn't like me…', she stood up and walked closer to Jargo. '…as you said, he just doesn't trust me. yet.'. She walked closer to Jargo and tried to pet him, but he snapped at her and growled. Maheegun burst out laughing. ' Shut up!', she looked at the wolf – who was still growling at her, and backed away. She ran up to Maheegun and slapped him on the face.

He stopped laughing, 'Hey! What was that for?', he said while stroking his cheek.

'You let that happen!' she yelled.

'Yeah, I know. It was funny!', he resumed laughing.

' You still haven't told me your name yet, wolf-boy!', she now waited for an answer.

'It's Maheegun, of the Wolf Clan.', he said calming himself from laughing. The fire shard around his neck began to glow. Rika noticed it.

'And, Maheegun. What is that necklace?, she looked very scared, she was pointing to the fire shard.

'I told you before, it's a stone.', Maheegun lied – but it was no use. Rika was bound to ask questions.

' Please tell me – what it is.', she was determined to find out.

'I - I'm a fire keeper. This 'stone' is part of the legendary fire-stone. This is a fire shard.', he hated himself, as he was breaking the Brethren law of secrecy.

Rika was amazed. When she was younger she heard of the heroic tales of the fire keepers, and how they had power from the fire-stone, which was broken before the Great Wave. The fire keepers each kept a shard of it. ' I didn't know that they still existed!......How?'

' It doesn't matter. No more about it, Ok?', the little he had told her was still too much. Rika still was amazed. Her Maheegun was a fire keeper. He looked down at his glowing shard. ' Earlier, when you found me, you mentioned someone hunting me?'

'Quirnoc.', she said, she couldn't believe she forgot to tell him. This is why she came looking for him.

'Quirnoc, the man who saved my life – is now hunting me?!', Maheegun couldn't believe it. Quirnoc seemed like an innocent type of fellow.

' Since he became Idonu's mate, he has been trying to win her fathers approval, and her father wants you to be re-captured. So he sent Quirnoc to go.', she was a little frightened, Quirnoc could be anywhere.

'Idonu. Idonu.', Maheegun had heard this name before. ' I'm sorry I didn't mention this earlier, but, I have many people after my skin. If you want to go with me, stay. If you don't, get as far away from me as possible!', he was in a rush, he grabbed his pack and packed food and a bag of fairly large rocks.

'I'm not leaving you! I'm going whether you like it or not!', she placed her hand on his cheek and looked at him. He looked back and then smiled, he then looked away.

He looked at Jargo, who was sleeping. ' Then we head south..'