It turned out their trip was a long walk to a wider part of the creek, where the water was a little deeper and the current was sure to be faster.

It took about an hour to walk through the woods northwest of camp, up a hill and then down the embankment where they sat upon a rocky beach. Mihris sat upon a boulder and lifted the heavy pack from his shoulders, setting it down with a thud. He flipped the top open and pulled out a large net, obviously handwoven, and shook it out over the ground, untangling sections that were stuck as Ellana and Amaryllis stood to the side, watching.

"I thought it would be fun to teach you two how we hunters work when the animals begin their winter's sleep." He said, checking over the net once more. Seeing nothing wrong he stood and motioned for the girls to follow him to the water's edge. Ellana jumped forward, intrigued, while Amaryllis was still wary, and stopped about a foot away from where they stood with their feet underwater.

Mihris spoke again."In Ena'eir'man we trap as many as possible to salt and dry them for the colder months, but we cannot take too much. The animals are giving their lives for us so that we may survive and so we must help them in the ways that we can. While the animals sleep, we fish."

He rolled the bottoms of his leggings up and cinched them above his knees, then helped Ellana do the same. He turned to Amaryllis and motioned for her to come closer, but she shook her head. "That's alright." He said, expression unchanging. "You two can watch for a moment while I explain."

He stepped further into the water until it reached past his calves to just below his knees, then he pushed up his sleeves and thrust his hands into the water, coming up with a few slick rocks. Mihris began to pile them underwater in a semi-circle, a half-moon shape with a single exit in the middle, until the tops of the stones jutted above the surface. Then he stopped and turned to them, hands on his hips in self-satisfaction. "First we must connect two more walls from the outer sections of this to the edge on both sides. Then we will form another circle around this one, but without this missing part. The fish will swim inside this circle, find that they can only go one way, then they will enter the outer circle, where we will be able to catch them easily."

Ellana went forward with a happy bounce in her step. Though the water was cold, and she was shivering, she did not seem bothered by it. She looked excited. "I can build the left side!"

Mihris smiled as he watched Ellana begin to pile stones, one on top of another, in determination. He looked to Amaryllis once more and paused for a moment, then said "Why don't you find some on shore? You can leave them in a pile here, and Ellana and I will take them."

"Yes," Amaryllis's voice came out choked. She cleared her throat once, loudly. "Yes, I can do that."

"Thank you," Mihris said. "I would be grateful."

They spent an hour like this in the morning light, until the sun began to shine brightly enough that the skin of Amaryllis's neck warmed and her ears no longer ached from the cold. Ellana and Mihris finished the outer walls, adding extra to the barrier of the first semi-circle until the stones were raised inches above the water, and ran to shore, blowing hot air against their cold, wrinkled fingers. Ellana's father reached into his pack and pulled out a few apples they had found along their journey and began slicing them with a small knife, handing pieces to the girls first before he ate his own.

"So what's next?" Ellana asked around her mouthful, having shoved the entire slice into her mouth. Juice spilled down her chin and she used the back of her hand to wipe it away.

Amaryllis chewed slowly on her own, savoring the taste. It must have been November by then, and the smell of the cool breeze and fallen leaves made her crave her mother's apple pie. She baked one for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. She wondered if the Dalish had apple pie, too.

Mihris swallowed his bite before speaking. "Next, we must build the outer circle. Once that's finished, we must wait for the fish to come."

"That sounds boring." Ellana said with a sigh. "How long do we have to wait?"

"Not very long, just a few hours." At her exasperated look her barked a laugh and stood again. "Have patience, da'len." He looked to Amaryllis, paused and watched her finish her apple before speaking. "Would you like to help? In the water, this time?"

Her eyes widened in panic and her heart beat painfully against her breast. "I-I don't…"

"Do not worry, da'len. I will be there to catch you if you fall."

The others called her da'len constantly, but that was the first time Mihris had ever referred to her in that way. A pleasant warm feeling spread throughout her body and Amaryllis stepped forward without thinking, blinking in surprise as a brilliant grin spread across the man's face. He crouched to help her roll her leggings up and took her hand in his to steadily lead her into the water.

Amaryllis could feel her pulse throbbing, quick like the beat of a hummingbird's wings, in the base of her throat. It was all she could focus on for a moment as her gaze seemed to close in, focused on the spot in front of her and the low temperature of the water surrounding her on every side, so much so that she couldn't catch herself when her bare foot slipped on a particularly slippery stone. She squeezed her eyes shut, prepared to hit the water with a splash, when Mihris caught her with his firm, immovable grip, and she didn't fall.

When Amaryllis dared to finally open her eyes she was standing upright with Ellana's father beside her. His smile was so gentle, concerned, and she wasn't sure what to say. Thankfully, he spoke for her. "See? There is nothing to worry about. I am here to help you."

They created a system together, so that Amaryllis would not run the risk of falling once more, though she was beginning to overcome her fear, little by little. She stood before the section of wall they were building while Ellana and Mihris collected stones from around them, depositing the rocks onto a growing pile next to Amaryllis who in turn used said rocks to frame the semi-circle. A short twenty minutes passed, and they were done.

"It's about time for lunch," Mihris said, taking the girl's hands as he headed back to shore. He began pulling parcels wrapped in thick leaves out of his bag and laid them out on the shore. Ellana and Amaryllis began peeling them open to reveal roasted meats, vegetables, and thick slices of soft bread. "Faelyn prepared this for us this morning. I hope you both will thank her when we get back."

Famished, they finished their meal in no time at all, making their way off shore and to a cool section of grass beneath a tree where they curled up together to take a short nap. When they awoke, refreshed and raring to go, it was a few short hours later. They could hear a distinct splashing in the direction of the creek.

"Fish!" Ellana yelled. She leapt up and slid down the embankment leaving clouds of dust in her wake. The others took off after her, a bit slower but no less enthused. "How do we catch them, babae? With our hands?"

"We can either do that or use the net."

"Use the net? How do we do that?" Amaryllis asked, taking a step into the water without thinking twice. She didn't miss the way Mihris smiled proudly at her progress.

"It's quite easy, actually. We need to take each end and secure them beneath a section of the wall so that it will not move once the fish eventually get caught in it. We can also each take one end and pull it along the pool we've created to collect the fish. That would be much faster, and if we did that we might be able to make it back home on time for everyone to enjoy them for dinner."

"I like that idea," Amaryllis said. Mihris took hold of both ends of the net and all three of them walked towards the trap. Ellana gasped at all of the fish she saw.

"Babae, there are so many!"

"I'm surprised," he said. "This is wonderful. Keeper Deshanna will be happy."

He instructed the girls to stand together and take one end of the net while he walked around to the other side, bending lower to match their height.

"Now we will dip the net into the water against the edge of the pool. Make sure there are no fish on the outside." They did so, and Amaryllis watched reverently as it settled against the bottom. Fish darted away, then back towards it, mouthing at it curiously. "Grip it as hard as you can, and we pull it to the other side, together. Ready?"

The girls nodded quickly and took position, digging their feet into the riverbed to keep steady. Mihris began to count down.

"Three, two… one!"

They pulled against the slowed current and the school of fish until a majority of them were stuck inside the holes of the net or in between each other, and Mihris stepped into the pool and over to their side to take the edge of the net from them, twisting them together until the net became more of a bag. "Now help me kick these stones out of the way. We have to take down our trap so the fish can swim freely after we leave."

So they did, gleefully, squealing and screaming as the walls fell and gave way to the rest of the creek. The girls took hold of the net and helped Mihris heave it onto shore where they sat with a wet 'plop' and a laugh. Fish twisted and flopped around inside the net, until they didn't.

"Let's go then, babae, I want to share with everyone!" Ellana said and began collecting his bag, lifting it with wobbling arms over her puny shoulder. It slid right off and back onto the ground. Mihris scratched at the side of his head and it pulled at his bun funnily, bouncing it back and forth. Amaryllis thought he looked so normal then, like a person rather than the angry creature she had been afraid of not long ago.

"I think I may have overestimated my own strength." He chuckled and rose to his feet, sending rocks clattering across the shoreline. "Wait here a moment. I'll be right back." And he took off into the trees.

Ellana turned to her friend the moment he disappeared, expression inquisitive. "Did you have fun? I had fun. Babae was hoping you would have fun, too."

"I did," Amaryllis said with a shrug. "I never liked fishing… before. This was different. It was nice."

"Good," the other girl nodded, shifting her eyes towards water where it lapped against the banks of the creek. It was mid-afternoon, and though the sun wasn't setting yet, a cool breeze had returned. Amaryllis quickly rolled her sleeves and pants back down, rubbing her hands along the prickled gooseflesh of her arms. Ellana spoke again. "He wants to do better. He's trying to, at least."

"Yeah," Amaryllis agreed, turning towards the trees at the sound of Mihris yelling out something incomprehensible in their direction, dragging something made of sticks alongside him. "I think he's doing a good job so far."

Ellana's father laid the contraption out on the ground and heaved the net full of fish on top of it. It was just a long, flat slab of sticks, woven together with… more sticks. And yet, it was ingenious.

"I can tie the net to this and drag it along behind me," he said. "We make these to carry large animals back to camp as well."

"I can help carry it," Ellana suggested. "Well, until my arms get tired. Then Lis can help."

Amaryllis laughed. "Why don't we all do it together?"

"Oh, yeah. That's a better idea."

Mihris smiled and ruffled Ellana's hair, then Amaryllis, hesitating for a moment after as he watched her reaction, warily. Ellana sighed, a long-suffering huff of air that only a daughter could produce, but Amaryllis smiled shyly, running a hand over her hair to pat it back down.

Mihris looked relieved.

"Alright, then." He said, hauling the slab up against his back. Ellana and Amaryllis quickly took hold of the sides and lifted. It wasn't so heavy, together. "Let's go."