A/N: Here is the newest chapter - thanks to my beta All-Knowing Alien it's polished up to a fine glow. ;) The updates will be a bit slow right now because of my finals, but no worries - this fic will be completed. The next chapter will move more quickly than this one - that I promise.

Don't forget to leave a note in the end. I'm always curious what you think about the chapter, what works for you and what not.

Chapter Eleven: A Long Way to Go

or: How bonds are made

I dragged on the coat and zipped it up under the warm covers. The shockingly cold mornings were not good for my persistent cold. The crispness of the air was duly recognized in a series of coughs when a deep breath seared my lungs. It was definitely too early to wake up. My coughs did not seem to wake anyone though. I found it odd, but perhaps the men were just as tired as I had been previously. I looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw that the guard had already moved to the pack with food and now brought it closer to the fire.

I guess it's my job to bring the kindling then…

I stretched and worked out the kinks in my neck as I moved quickly to the heap of the wood we had managed to find before dark fell. I loaded a generous amount in my arms and brought it to the small fire. I was glad for the warmth and gratefully turned my palms towards the gentle glow. Everything about the fire pointed out that the guard did not bother to load up it up frequently, and, judging by the amount of ashes collected, the wood was good and burned long. He did not want to use too much of the good kindling, I believed. Several logs were quickly added to bring the flames up again so we could prepare a nice, warm breakfast. I pushed only one end of the branches inside, controlling the fire with ease by inserting or retracting them.

Kwahu – that was the guard's name – joined me again after I'd gotten everything in order. He had been rifling through some packs and I learned that he was looking for the tea the men drank in the mornings. The bag was in his calloused hands now. He gently placed it beside the small collection of mugs (everyone seemed to be in possession of at least one) and started sorting out the meat for breakfast. The pack he had placed beside the fire contained other things too, but he took only the meat. I helped him place the pieces of the meat we did not process the previous evening on sticks and drove them into the ground at an appropriate distance from the flames.

I was glad it was the silent Kwahu who was awake – he was one of the men who were not uncomfortable in my presence. I learned soon enough not all were enthusiastic about strangers, even if I was a defenceless woman and thus no danger to them. Sadly, their experiences with people outside of their tribe were not good ones and it showed, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. Their reserved attitude towards me revealed I was not the only one who had to let go of the past experiences. But even though their mistrust made them keep a distance from me, they always remained polite. And I did my best to avoid making things harder for them once I found out. The way to their trust and hearts was not a very hard one, I imagined. If I was to judge them according to the impression I got of Ghân, they were not very hard to please. I only had to use my inherent curiosity when they talked, and stay as polite and as unobtrusive as possible. That was no problem for I very much disliked being the centre of attention. I have always been the person in the shadows, the prompter at a play, if you like. That did not mean I was a frightened mouse though. I observed people, learned from them and waited for the right moment to speak up, to show I cared. I bid my time here too. I knew they were my lifeline and that they would in all probability let me go my own way in the future. That is the impression I got, at least.

Kwahu and I looked after the meat, letting it get a nice colour before turning it to the other side. The delicious aroma soon woke up the rest of the group. Before I could move away from the fire and take the water-skin, one of them already managed to get a hold of it and disappeared among the bushes in search of water. There was a small stream close by. I was looking forward to the hot drink made of dried berries of some kind. Unfortunately this beverage had nothing to do with real tea. Since we drank it only in the mornings there seemed to be quite a nice amount of the powdered substance left, I noted when I peeked inside the precious pouch once. Achâk rationed it nonetheless. It was clear the men were not happy with the decision, but their grumbles were toned down. They washed their hands with the stale water from their personal water skins and took their shares. We sat on blankets or other clean places and began our day with a warm cuppa.

I swirled the powdered substance in my mug made of some kind of light wood (kindly donated by Ghân) and waited until the bitter particles sank to the bottom. The wooden spoon held a small amount of the dark substance and the tea tasted distinctively watered-down when I took my first sip. The special aroma that I had begun to connect with the men was almost nonexistent. Achâk really did a great job of scoring as little points with me as possible. I respected him, I really did, but he truly tried my patience several times a day with his pointed looks, questions. The other men seemed to share my opinion now – even Ghân was heard complaining about the quality of the beverage.

I could not say the medicinal tea I had to drink several times a day was in any way less potent. Even if such a version was kinder to my taste buds, Achâk would not have been inclined to lower the dosage. It tasted horrible and I had a feeling it got even more repellent with time. I ate up my share of the meat and some nuts and nursed my metal cup with the tea Achâk prepared for as long as I could, trying in vain to keep the time when I would need to drink it up far off in the future. I looked with longing at the empty wooden cup at my feet. Even watered down tea was better than that!

As he was mixing the grounded herbs with water I noticed that the amount of the sickly grey substance was disappearing with amazing speed. I should have been concerned about it since it was the only medicine for my persistent cough, but I was elated to estimate that there was enough for two large cups, maximum. Achâk grumbled, complaining to Ghân about one thing or another when my face unintentionally melted in relief. I would be subjected to the foul medicine only one day longer.

I was quick to disguise my elation with a similar expression – one of gratitude - when Achâk turned back to me. He seemed pleased I appreciated his efforts. Some of the men saw my rapid change of expression though, and tried hard to stifle their amused laughter with coughs. I do believe the healer's question, if they were alright or if they needed a sip or two of the foul beverage, made them laugh even harder. I certainly scored points here.

However amusing this episode was though, I still had to drink the tea. I was tempted for a few seconds to pour it away behind my back, but knew that would be a war announcement to Achâk and probably a great faux pas. To my discomfort, the tea even smelled like it tasted! When Nawat nudged me softly in order to bring me back from my thoughts of how best to approach said problem, I could only grimace at the smell and pointedly look down at the cup in my hands. He suppressed a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Drink up…" he said in a tone far too cheerful for my liking. I was quite sure he was familiar with the brew and relished the fact he did not need to take it. I was tempted to show him my tongue in reply, but settled for a wry twist of lips and a shake of my head before I quickly gulped down the beverage. I could not suppress a small shudder and gratefully accepted the water he poured inside my cup to wash away the taste.

It surprised me to note that we had both become quite fond of each other during the long journey. Of course I was a bit weary of pronouncing our good understanding as friendship – it was only a few days since we first met, but a feeling told me that we could become really good friends with time. There were several reasons why I believed this to be possible.

He was very much like his father, I guess, a kind and gentle presence at my side during the trek. Even though our conversations were short due to the language barrier, it seemed we understood what the other wanted to say relatively well. Nawat was more approachable, his personality less enigmatic than that of his father. Ghân was one of those great men you were drawn to, but the reason why eludes your mind repeatedly. There was something about him that made me feel safe and that trait seemed to have passed on to his son. I began to rely more on Nawat once I noted searching looks Ghân sent my way when I least expected them. It felt as if he wished to look into my mind, into my soul. He was searching for something, waiting for me to perform an action, but I was not sure what it was he expected of me. The unsettling feeling I was laid open before him like a book never left and quite frankly scared me. Despite this, Ghân was still one of the people of the group I trusted the most.

The other reason why Nawat became so close to me was his age. I estimated he was just a couple of years older than me and thus in the age range of my friends. He also possessed a mischievous nature that seemed to complement mine quite well. I could never act like the teenager at heart around Ghân. He was too important and I seriously doubted immature actions would convince the other men I was worthy of their protection. Nawat was a different story – we could both laugh and make fun of things together and not one of the men would look askance at us. They sometimes even joined our laughter. I knew any ignorant remark would be received better if Nawat were there to joke back. Thus I was never afraid of saying something utterly ridiculous in their language when we walked close together. I had to learn their language somehow. Consequently, Nawat was the one who taught me a lot of the new things about nature and I tried to return the favour.

What prompted my decision to walk closer to him was also the surprising fact that he never behaved like a guard (as others did), but more like an older sibling taking care of a much younger sister. Very protective, I noted, but not too much and always mindful of my feelings. Nothing seemed to get past him, but that was not really a surprise since Ghân too had the uncanny ability to know what was happening in several different places at the time. Wish I shared this skill …

When everyone had eaten his share, we shook out the blankets and bound them to our packs. Carefully pouring water over the fire and covering the charred remains of the logs with earth, we set out again. As I looked back, there was barely a sign we were ever there. Even if some were left behind, no one could safely predict how many people had rested here. I marvelled at the skill of the men every single day.

The sun was barely strong enough to light up the path and the sky and we were already moving through the bushes. Since I fell asleep early it was no problem for me to walk long distances anymore and my leg got better too. The men, no doubt, woke up at these early hours every day of their lives. But it was quite a strange experience to actually see the sun rise in the east, behind several peaks. Admiring this event became a sort of a daily ritual for me, even if the time I could dedicate to it was short.

My lessons on tracking, plants and animals continued, along with the language lessons. I was grateful for their patience and the ability to distract me from homesickness that seemed to finally hit me really hard. With each day my frustration and the numbing fear that I would never return back to Europe intensified. Even my dreams began to reflect the worries I carried. I was grateful to wake up at the odd sounds for this was the only thing that ripped me out of the frequent nightmares. It was surprising I had enough energy to walk long distances with the sleeping pattern I had suddenly developed. Perhaps the late-night sessions for my studies and active nightlife I had back home with my circle of friends was part of it.

Ghân was not helpful in relieving those fears, I must regretfully point out. The simple explanations he gave me when I asked where we were going and how long he thought it would take for me to return frustrated me with their vagueness. If I had had cause to fear or distrust him, I'm quite sure I would have found a way to return. Days I'd spent walking offered many opportunities to dissect my situation in detail. Numerous questions haunted my mind, but I was afraid of uttering them for fear of saying too much.

Why are they hiding me away? Why did I pass through the veil between the worlds? Why are there even multiple worlds and portals? How did the books come to my world? Did Tolkien really write them? HOW is this even possible?

My initial decision to keep my knowledge of Middle Earth to myself was weakening. I desperately wanted to find some sense in my presence here. It would have been nice to believe I was sent here for a purpose – this would have given me some measure of comfort. It would imply I was capable of braving all obstacles, doing something good; that it was not a combination of an honest mistake and bad luck that stranded me here as everything pointed out. I was looking for a purpose to silence the rising doubts and fears. My first encounters with death weighted heavily on my mind, too…

I realised that I had accepted Ghân's explanation and decisions with no major disinclination because I was scared of being alone in this hostile land, because I wanted to trust someone to keep me safe… Doubts made me think again, to look for signs of danger, traps… But the natural reactions to strangers the men showed towards me somehow reassured my mind – they were not pretending to like me if they did not, so they must not have some ulterior motives.

Right or wrong assumption?

Why did then the Gondorians hunt them? What of the other group?

I tried to ask more about the situation in the land, about the conflicts, but realised soon enough this was a sore spot better left alone. Yet I still wondered – torn between my wish to find out more and staying under their wings. I had no idea which time period I had landed in… It was hard to gather any information from the men's conversations, though I became accustomed to their language. Searching for familiar phrases was not as difficult as in the beginning, yet I knew so little. Many words were very hard to explain and the differences in our cultures very soon became apparent. Certain phrases, words, had many meanings that were hard to keep apart or made no sense to me. I was frustrated with the words that sounded the same even if they were telling me they were quite different. I did not seem to hear the mentioned difference no matter what they tried. And I could hardly start teaching them the alphabet and phonetic symbols to help myself... I guess everything demanded more time – time I did not seem to have. Time that never before appeared so precious…

I tried to remember if anything at all was mentioned in the books about the Beacons that would help me narrow down the time period, but I sadly hit a wall here. A frustrated and foreboding thought wriggled inside my mind: You should have no need to know the year you landed in if you are to return soon. Why do you wish to know?

I pushed thoughts out of my mind, firmly concentrating on the rhythm of my steps, to the gentle pressure of the pouch at my side, the smooth wood of the bow, the quiver… Nawat was before me, holding branches away from the path for me to pass. I thanked him, but I saw he knew something was troubling me early in the morning. I took a deep breath, stifled a cough and kept walking ahead.

"Everything will be alright, Megan. Don't worry," he said suddenly and I stopped in my tracks, looking at him in surprise. He never failed to reassure me when hope was gone and my mind filled with doubts.

"You are right… just dreams…" I retorted in my meagre vocabulary. It was true though that a nightmare or two lingered on in my mind long after waking up. I did not wish to whinge about how homesick I really was – it felt wrong to behave like that when all they did was help me.

"Dreams are shadows, don't listen to them. The day is bright – all is good," was his reply.

What he meant about dreams being shadows I was not entirely sure, but I knew he hoped I would not pay much attention to them. However, I could not forget what my mind recalled in the night, how it twisted my memories, thoughts. I've never seen someone die and the gruesome scene of the attack replayed in my mind every night. I was surprised I never woke anybody up with my tossing and turning. But the recalled dreams reminded me of something else - the true reason for my growing fear and doubts on this particular morning.

It was something I heard two nights ago when I woke up from another nightmare. I remember I lay motionlessly on my blanket, my breathing shallow. Something must have woken me up just when the face of the killed ranger moulded into the face of my ex and the blood began to bubble up from his lips. They were almost of the same height and shared the grey eyes, so it was no wonder that the face of the unnamed ranger morphed into that of Adrian. The scene filled me with unimaginable horror.

We had a rough break up, Adrian and I. After two years of a very solid relationship he decided we were not meant to be and the fact he found a new girl in two weeks still smarted. I was devastated then, but let him go despite my strong feelings of love. I could see in his eyes it would be for naught. I was still on the road of recovery a year after the event, so I guess this was my mind's way of reminding me of another painful event in my life. Just as I was about to start analysing the disturbing dream and what my feelings (beside love, anger and hurt) were towards Adrian, I heard a shushed conversation at the edge of our camp.

I turned my eyes towards them and barely recognized in the dim light the forms of Ghân and Nawat. One of them must have taken up the post of a guard. I could not make out all the words, not even understand half of them, but the first impression I got of their conversation was not a good one. I might have been wrong, but it seemed to me that Ghân wished Nawat to stay close, keep an eye on me because he feared or suspected something – whatever it was, I did not hear or understand. It was probably connected to my sudden appearance and the fate of their allies – the Native American tribe – that troubled him. Yet there seemed to be more. The question of the purpose of such a connection between worlds rose up in my mind again. However comforting it would be to think my presence here was planned, the thought did not come to me without a dark foreboding feeling in my heart. I was sure Ghân questioned this just as I did ever since I knew of the veil.

It was at that moment that I stumbled over a root on the path. Nawat let out a disgruntled sigh at my right side and I looked up, ripped out of my musings once again and feeling foolish for being so absentminded. He shook his head and gently took my hand to keep my pace up with others. I have fallen slightly behind too, it seemed. I sheepishly let out a small self-deprecating laugh and followed his lead.

"Sorry," I told him once we caught up with the front of our group.

"It's alright. I understand," he said as he released my hand.

And I believed him. His eyes told me he could imagine I was feeling lost and out of my elements and that it was ok to admit this. I guess he could sympathise even if he did not know what exactly haunted me on such a bright day. Nonetheless, he started to point out various things to me again – all in an effort to distract me from whatever seemed to have me in its thrall.

Soon one of his friends joined him and together they pointed out other eatable plants that were to be found. They also showed me prints of various animals that crossed our path and how to distinguish one from another. It was the same every day – the only difference being that I recognized some of the plants and prints now. I tried to remember as much as possible, writing down everything when we took short breaks. They did limit the amount of things they told me for they knew too well that I could not remember everything. But the few lessons in between long treks made me feel better and also offered me some respite from the swift pace Ghân decided on. My coughing intensified when I was out of breath – a fact that was not missed by the shrewd eyes of the healer. Achâk forced me to drink down another cup of the foul tea before midday, which was a surprise. But I guess the dry cough which was normal when I had a cold was making the healer nervous. I guess he feared it could be something dangerous if left untreated. Well, the tea did help my throat, if nothing else. My joints ached, but since this was a constant ever since I landed in Middle Earth, I tried to not pay too much attention to it. Nawat, however, asked for a short stop several times. No one complained though, for which I was glad.

The forest was beautiful here and the path quite good for the duration of the trek until our midday break. The scouts had been sent ahead a while ago so everyone was relieved to get rid off the weight on their shoulders. However, the men remained watchful despite the relatively carefree atmosphere.

"A beacon…" was the explanation given to me by Kwahu, when he passed my spot.

"Already?" I wondered aloud which called forth smiles onto their faces. I was not aware we had moved forwards so fast to be near a beacon at this point of the day - perhaps later in the afternoon, but not at midday.

"The road is good here, Megan. One day more, I wager, and we will arrive at the old shelter," said Nawat as he dug inside his pack for a spare knife he used to prepare food with.

"Old shelter?"

"Yes, my people don't live in these places anymore, but we still remember the old hunting-grounds," he said as he stood up again. His dark hair fell over his bare shoulder and he flicked it away with one hand before he reached out to me. "Come, Megan. Help me prepare our meal," he said. I would have liked to rest but I could not deny his request when he asked so nicely. So, I decided to wriggle out as much information about the secret destination of our journey as possible.

"Can you tell me more?" I asked after I'd taken my knife with me. His eyebrows rose slightly at my eager tone, but he smiled nonetheless when he took the pouch one of the men gave to him as we moved across the camp.

"There is not much to say…" was his reply.

"But what do you know?" I demanded in my broken and halting language. I was quite good at forming simple questions. We moved among the small bushes obstructing the view from the small brook, so he did not answer immediately – he always took care to speak to me only when I could hear him clearly.

"It is safe, deep in the mountains… away from danger," he replied as he squatted by the rushing water. He passed me one of the roots the men dug up along the way. It was some sort of a wild carrot, I presumed. He held a few battered onions in his hand too. "You will be safe there."

"From whom?" I muttered under my breath, but he could not understand me since I had switched to my mother tongue. I knew there was more than what they told me and the rangers were the least of their problems. I disliked being kept in the dark. I'd seen too much to be satisfied with half-answers. Had he talked to his father? Decided on how much to reveal to me? I still wanted to know why they were leading me so far away from their homes. Surely they did not think me dangerous? Or was there something about their people I should be aware of that they hadn't told me?

I huffed at that and deftly cleaned the vegetables, my fingers tingling from the cold water. I really hoped we would get something warm to eat beside these roots, but the close proximity of the beacon would probably force them to forego kindling a fire.

"Why aren't we moving toward your home?" I asked Nawat just as I had asked his father. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I remember what Ghân told me, but still... Why aren't we?"

"You never give up, do you?" he asked and paused chopping the onion.

"I have a right to know…" I muttered and turned away, scraping off the skin from the roots with renewed vigour. I felt foolish to be so nosy, but too many questions had accumulated inside my mind to make me keep silent much longer. One question – that's all I ask.

Nawat sighed, "I will talk with my father… "

I looked at him with some surprise. It seemed he would try to convince the ever enigmatic Ghân to reveal some things kept from me until now. They knew I suspected there was more – at least they did not think me dumb just because I was a woman. I was glad some of the usual prejudices about natural peoples and the position of their women in their societies were wrong. However, I did not expect he would give in so quickly…

"Thank you," I said with all my heart and relief, both easily heard in the simple words.

"Don't thank me yet…" he replied and stood up. He was careful to warn me I still might not get a satisfying answer. Everything depended upon Ghân – and the other men. Unfortunately (or fortunately) he did not rule over them, they worked together. I had a feeling anything they would reveal to me would include some kind of a trade, but the price was unknown as of yet.

I really had no idea how this thought got in my mind, but I was sure Achâk would have a few things to say before I got my answers. If I knew anyone from the group at all it was Achâk – his character was easy to read. Or so I thought. He would try to get more out of any situation and since he was not overly fond of me… well, things just might turn even more interesting.

"Do you need help?" Nawat's question ripped me from my thoughts – again.

"No. I'm finished," I replied and collected things together quickly. He only nodded and turned in the direction of our camp. My hopes for a hot soup were dashed as soon as they appeared in my mind – we did not have a pot to put over a small fire. The men were satisfied with some roasted meat and raw vegetables though. It was not half that bad – a bit unusual, but not bad at all. Since I cleaned the vegetables myself I knew there would be no nasty surprises to be found and so enjoyed yet another simple meal. It was curious to note they kept a balance between consumed meat and vegetables – my mother would have approved. Unfortunately my hands were smeared when I finished my meal. I grabbed hold of the pre-prepared small towel and a bar of soap I had with me and turned in the direction of the stream. The fruity smell of the soap reminded me of a hot shower or a real bath that I hadn't gotten to enjoy for quite some time. I sighed at that thought…

The fresh scent also contrasted with the smell clinging to my clothes. Frankly, I stank. Stale sweat and dirt are not a nice combination to any nose, but combining this with my elevated temperature during my cold… well, it was not a pleasant experience to sniff at my armpits when I removed my coat even though my nose was half-blocked by mucus.

Ew… Holy shit! How come no one complained?! Change of clothes – immediately!

I grabbed the soap and returned to my backpack. The men were cleaning up or sitting around, relaxing. My businesslike approach was noted and many sets of eyes followed my determined steps with curiosity. I know that Ghân stopped bundling up his blanket to look at me when I began digging through my things, muttering softly under my breath what I had to find. I grabbed one bag then put fresh underwear, socks, undershirt and sweater inside. The pile of dirty clothes was steadily growing bigger, but I knew I would have time to clean them only when we would arrive at the shelter – wherever it was. One bottle of shower gel later, I was headed in the direction of the stream.

"Megan… where are you going?" It was Nawat who stopped me just beside the bushes.

"Change my clothes," I replied and showed him the bag I held in my hands. He stepped closer, obviously intrigued by my sudden decision. I had changed my outer clothes several days ago therefore it was clear to me I had to do something for my hygiene (which was not as good as I desired at this time). I did manage to change underwear more frequently, but it seemed he thought that donning fresh things was not necessary.

"Why?" he asked. It was the stupidest question, I thought, but understood he did not know I changed clothes every day at home.

"I stink…" was the blunt reply. I coloured lightly at the admission since he was still a young man and turned my eyes away. He stepped even closer and took a short whiff to my utter mortification. His brows furrowed and he suddenly took my left hand in his larger one. He brought it closer to his face. I looked at him completely baffled, feeling uncomfortable as I noted that several men were looking at us.

"What is this smell?" he asked as he took a whiff of the scent the soap left behind on the skin of my hands and forearms.

Unfortunately I did not know the word for soap, so I took the bottle of the shower gel and opened it, giving it into his hand. He sniffed the lemony scent, his brows furrowing. "For washing the body," I finally explained as best as I could.

His dark eyes settled on me before he grabbed my arm and dragged me to Ghân who looked on the scene with a glimmer of amusement. I had no idea what was going on and my puzzlement must have shown on my face, for several of the men began to chuckle. It was a funny sight, I believe, for I did not go his way without a token of protest in my own language.

"Father, you won't believe this. I don't know how her people live, but it's clear they don't hunt," he said in a rapid torrent of his language so I could barely understand a word he said. "She intends to scare off the game with this scent – it's unbelievably strong soap of some kind. I don't know why, but she believes she stinks when all that can be smelled on her is stale fire-smoke that masks her true scent from the animals…"

"Have you asked if she perchance has to undergo a cleansing ritual of her people before you dragged her here?" was the reply Ghân gave him which seemed to surprise Nawat somewhat if his expression was any indication. I hoped the matter was settled, but Nawat was still lightly holding my arm – which bothered me a bit.

"It is clear she is not used to the forest at all – you know she revealed that her family lives in a big city," said Ghân. "While I understand your concern regarding our dinner, you must learn to expect the unexpected with her."

"I did overreact a bit, didn't I?" Nawat sighed suddenly before he shook his head. "But it is dangerous… The scent is very strong and lingers behind. You can smell it spread from her hands, can't you? She doesn't know how to hide at all…"

I was just starting to get some understanding of the conversation when I saw Achâk rapidly approaching. Whatever the matter was, it would certainly take a long time to be settled if he was to be one of the people sorting it out. I could just forget my plans of a quick wash...

"Do you wash your body many times with this scented water?" was the question Ghân suddenly addressed to me in slow and carefully spoken words so I could understand.

"Every day before I got here…" I replied. Two sets of eyebrows rose in surprise.

"It alerts the animals of your presence. Too strong – use water for now," said Ghân as Achâk arrived. I sighed – how could one tiny bit of soap scare the animals? It did not make much sense at first, but I figured they knew what they were talking about. If everyone in Middle Earth was soap shy, then it could be that the animals would react negatively to the strong smell of my modern lemony goodness. I was still of the opinion that it would not be a problem since any trace of the perfume would dissipate shortly, but let the matter rest. It was not worth fighting over.

"Alright," I capitulated just as Achâk demanded what was going on. I put away the shower gel and turned towards the stream. Nawat's hand upon my arm stopped me. I was getting annoyed. I just want to get a decent wash, nothing more, for god's sake.

"Can I go now?" I asked with an edge to my voice. I really hoped they would not try to inspect my bag too – I would not let them go anywhere near my underwear, this I swore.

"I will accompany you," Nawat announced.

I blinked in surprised before my flabbergasted reply rang out, "Absolutely not!"

Every head turned in our direction, Achâk looking at me with utter surprise. I coloured hard and quickly slipped away through the bushes before Nawat could get a hold on my shoulder again. The look on his face was a study in puzzlement.

Amused deep-throated laughter rang out as I quickly walked towards the stream - Ghân knew why I reacted in this way. He had told me during one of our talks that the men and women of his tribe helped each other to bathe – it was completely natural to them. My surprise at that and the following explanation amused him – I believe Ghân thought my people were too shy for their own good, but obviously had not shared the knowledge with others. I just knew that there would be several sets of amused faces greeting me when I returned. Maybe even some joking… Nawat especially would use every opportunity to remind me of my outburst and shyness. A soft groan escaped my throat when I touched my glowing cheeks…

I quickly went about my business afterwards, partly because it was not a warm day, partly because I wanted to be finished as soon as possible. Few swipes with a damp cloth are sadly not a bath so I looked at the bottle of my favourite scent with longing. It felt good to be rid of the grime though. I was nervous someone would come by despite Ghân's explanation, so I finished in record time. I need not have worried – everyone knew not to approach the stream until I returned. I adjusted the straps of my bra and carefully folded the dirty garments to preserve space in my backpack. It would have been nice to have another dark short-sleeved undershirt, but I had to make do with the burgundy strapped one. I felt cold and exposed in it despite the sweater and coat protecting me from the fresh air.

Just as I expected – the men were still amused when I returned. I did join their laughter after Nawat mimicked the expression I had made at my exclamation. He was simply too funny. After we calmed down I warmed myself beside the small fire and drank a cup of warm water to speed up the process. I put away my things and bundled up under a blanket.

We were at the spot for about one hour when one of the scouts returned. I was just finishing writing about the plants I was shown in the morning when the first man appeared out of the bushes. He moved towards Ghân immediately and a lively conversation was started. The expression on Ghân's face told me something was wrong.

That's it! Enjoy your day, :D