Faithful Pebble

Part Fifty-Four

"Don't worry about the watch," the wanderer said. His words were soft, his gaze distant as he stared into the fire.

Pebble hesitated. Her hood inflated gently, deflated gently dipping quietly under the tender blanket of her cautiousness. Eventually, she moved to sit across from him, her gaze slipping to the glowing ghost dancing seductively before her. Fire, she remembered. It was called fire. She eyed the rabbit.

"They're both yours," he said. "I had mine while you slept." The wanderer lifted a hand and waved brown and stout and green-tainted fingers toward the moist morsels roasting calmly over the orange flames. They smelt of smoke and spices. Pebble rubbed her nose through her hood. "I'm always on the road," the wanderer explained… well, murmured gruffly, distantly, carelessly at the ghost dancing between them. He didn't look at her, not yet. "When you do that, you learn rather quickly how to live off the land. Inns are expensive and restaurants even more so. It's cheaper to catch your own game and season it yourself. It's like carrying a little bit of home with you and best of all, it's free. I have plates and utensils also."

"Utensils? I don't know what those are." Pebble answered him softly. Immediately, she put the watch on the grass beside her and moved to snatch a rabbit. The wanderer watched her carefully, moved automatically guiding her hand to pick up the stick and not the game itself.

"It's hot," he instructed. "Grabbing the stick protects your hands. Forks and spoons and knives, they each have their own separate purposes, but generally they do the same thing. They help you eat. They're also called utensils."

Pebble nodded remembering vaguely the various items. "Can it be fixed?" she asked suddenly. She tilted the rabbit under her hood and took a bite. The wanderer could hear the meat mar her words and stifle them slightly. He leaned forward. He wondered if that was the first rabbit she had ever eaten. "It tastes better cooked," she said. "And you didn't answer my question."

The wanderer licked his lips then rose to his feet. He began to pack. "Please take your time eating. We have plenty of it—time that is."

Time? Pebble watched him closely, secretly eyeing the watch resting by her thigh. "Again, you avoided my question. You know," she pondered openly. "You remind me of a rabbit."

The wanderer stopped short his fingers delving into his sac. His eyes were cautious. "What do you mean?"

Random fact, nearly every character can be loosely compared to a character from the Alice in Wonderland/Alice Through the Looking Glass novels. Don't know if you caught that or not. - Calla