Chapter four: The Mud Horn

Din's body 'trembled' slightly and a cautious, yet throaty laugh could be heard. "You remind me of the mudhorn." Cara tilted her head slightly and gave him a sharp look. "Then you know what to do." She started moving and ran towards Din. The slush smacked as she hit his torso. Din was so perplexed that he didn't move. And there was something else, it wasn't uncomfortable to feel Cara's body on his. Grinning, she put her face and a hand on Din's helmet. The mud blocked Din's view. He switched to thermalimagingmode and saw her as a red / orange warm outline.

Cara slipped away from Din, turned and walked away from him. "We have to go the other way." "I have to go to the river so you don't think I'm a mudhorn anymore." Without a helmet she would have seen his contrite face, he knew that he had done something wrong. He hung his head and shoulders, but immediately had to smile when he saw the shadow of his mud-smeared armor and remembered Cara's touch.

Nearly clean, but completely soaked, Cara went back to Din and wiped his T-Vesier from the mud. Her face was right in front of his. She smiled brightly at him, "Thanks for the rescue." Din nodded. Then she marched off as best she could without boots.

They walked silently through the forest side by side. A strange noise intensified next to Din. He stopped and looked around. The origin seemed to be with Cara. "Did you hear something?" asked Cara and looked around searchingly. "You're cold." "Yes and?" Din removed his cloak and gave it to her. "No thanks, we'll be there in a moment." Din said in a firm voice that left no contradiction, "Take it! My helmet shows that your body temperature is at the minimum. " Cara looked at him in amazement. What else did his helmet tell him about her? Reluctantly, Cara let the cloak be pulled on. Immediately she became significantly warmer. "Better." noted Din. "Better." confirmed Cara.