Boone picked up a handful of sand and spread it out onto the animal skin that the hunter was tanning, and then stepped back as Locke ran over the grains with a rounded, smooth stick. Boone glanced at him. "Are we gonna go investigate the –?"

"Maybe." answered Locke simply.

"Well, are we gonna go now, or –?"

"Later."

Boone stopped questioning, and Locke turned to him, wiping his forehead. "Tell you what," he said. "If you're so bored, go start packing your stuff up."

Boone stared at him, his undead eyes more flat then ever. "What?"

Locke stared at him. "You heard me." he said, turning back to the hide, "go pack up your stuff."

"We going somewhere?"

"No," answered Locke between strokes. He faced Boone again. "You are."

"Me!" exclaimed Boone.

"Yep," said Locke, continuing to tan the hide. "You and your sister are going to the caves."

"But, why –?"

"It's safer there."

Boone searched the sand aimlessly with his eyes. "But we just –?"

"Left? I know."

"What about –?"

"Me? I appreciate your concern, Boone, but..." He looked up from the hide once more and opened his arms towards the boy. "Do I look like I need protecting to you?"

"No," said Boone truthfully, and Locke went back to tanning the hide. "But –"

"Don't worry about me. I'll come around eventually." Locke made one long, deep scratch on the hide. "Have you heard some of the stuff they've been saying about us?" he finally asked, a touch of humor in his voice.

"All the time. From my sister." Boone sighed. "To my face." He glanced up at Locke again. "That's not the reason why you –?"

"No. Definitely not." Locke wiped his sweaty brow and put down the stick. "It's just that a young man like yourself shouldn't be stifled by attaching himself to an old man like me. You need to have some adventures of your own. At least for a little while." He smiled back at Boone. "I'm sure you've felt the same way sometimes," he said.

"Once," Boone admitted, "when you wouldn't let me tell Shannon about the thing we found."

"And are you going to tell her now?"

Boone hesitated. "No," he answered.

Locke wiped his forehead with a dirty sleeve and smiled at Boone proudly. "Good for you." he said.

"So, should I start packing up now?" Boone asked, indicating towards his bags.

"It would be your best option," answered Locke vaguely.

Boone took one last look at Locke and picked up his bag. As he threw his things into it, he glanced over at his stepsister. She was obliviously sunbathing, her head resting on her arms, her eyes covered by a pair of movie-star-style sunglasses. Boone snorted and continued packing up his belongings. Zipping it up, he slung the heavy bag onto his back and began walking away.

"Oh, Boone," called Locke.

Boone turned just in time to see Locke tossing the javelin to him. Boone caught it with easiness that the hunter had taught him and surveyed it in awe. He then looked up at Locke, his eerily dead eyes glistening.

"You're going to need it more than me." Locke told him, and then returned to the hide.

"Thanks," Boone smiled, and then began up the sandy beach towards the caves.