Eating Veggies Chapter 4

Outlaw's Camp

"Much! We are back!" Robin called.

"Great! Breakfast is almost ready." He said, coming out. "Who was it?"

Alex trotted out up to him and jumped up, putting his front paws on Much's shoulders and knocked him down.

"Much, you remember Alex." I said and watched the two wrestle. Alex positively loved Much.

"Are you two coming?" I just got a grunt that could have been either a yes or a no. I rolled my eyes and went to join the others in the camp.

Djac was sitting, stirring something in a cup and John was leaning against the wall, watching Much and Alex. They were playing like little kids (well, a little kid and a puppy.) The other three were nowhere to be found.

"Where did they go?" I asked, sitting against the bed frame.

"They said that they needed to talk and they would be back shortly." Djac answered.

"About what?" I wondered curiously. John shrugged but it was more of a 'I-Know-but- cannot-tell-you' shrug than a 'I-do-not-know:

With The Guys

"What is this about, Robin?" Will asked when Robin stopped walking, out of hearing distance of the camp. "Rachel?"

Robin nodded. "I am unsure of how much information we can trust her with." he admitted.

"In not being funny but we just rescued her from the dungeons! It's not like she would go and betray us!" Allan protested and Robin shot him a 'look-who's-talking' look.

"But that's just it, Allan. We've been here for about three months now and the letter arrived the day before yesterday."

"So?"

"Think about it. It would have taken the letter at least a month to get here from the Holy hands. And it would have taken just as long for a letter from Prince John to reach the king." Robin paused.

"She's been a prisoner for atleast two months." Will said into the silence, shocked.

Robin nodded.

"Probably longer. As King Richard's Personal Messenger she would have known secretes, secretes that could hurt the king. Prince John would have known that, and he would have tried to get them, at any cost."

"You're worried she told him." Allan stated, and again, Robin nodded.

"Everyone breaks. It's just a matter of how long it takes. Prince John wouldn't have just given up if she did not say anything. We need to find out how much she told.''

After that they traveled back to camp, not speaking.

Allan was angry. Angry at Robin for suspecting Rachel. Angry with himself for betraying the gang. And he was angry at the Sheriff and Gisborne, for... well, a lot of things.

He told himself that the Rachel he knew would never betray the king. But a little voice in his head wasn't so easily convinced.

"Allan, watch out for that branch." Will warned him and drew him out of his thoughts just in time to duck and avoid being hit in the head with a low branch.

"Thanks." He said and thought how just three months ago, no one would have said anything.

When he had first returned with Robin, Much and Little John, they had basically ignored him, only answering or asking direct questions.

Then Will and Djac had returned. Djac had been the kindest to him, like always. She had tried to talk to him and gets ask his opinion but he had been too deep in his depression and self-loathing to appreciate it, until afterwards.

Will had been the one to call him on his actions. About a week after they returned he had asked Allan to go with him on a walk with him and Allan, although surprised, agreed. They had walked a-ways before the young carpenter asked directly and without preamble.

"Why did you do it, Allan? Betray us to Gisborne."

Allan, who had been going through the different things he could say the entire walk, couldn't say anything for once. The words were frozen in his throat. But he forced himself to start talking, and he told the complete and utter truth for what was possibly the first time in his life.

Those first words were the hardest to say but once he started he couldn't stop, the words just spilled out.

Will let him speak without interruption. Then, when Allan was finished, he punched him right in the jaw and sent him falling onto his back.

"What who was that bloody for?!" The thief had asked, more out of shock than pain. He knew that he deserved worse.

"For being a fool." Will answered and held out his hand. Allan took it and was pulled into a hug. From there they began wrestling like brothers and returned to camp.

That had been when the gang had begun to trust him again. the others had followed Wills lead.

Later, after breakfast in the woods around the Camp

"What's you favorite animal, Djac?" I asked breaking the silence.

"My favorite?" She questioned, not looking up from the plant she was examining.

We had been put in charge of making lunch and we figured it was as good a time as any to start the gang on veggies. So, after they left to deliver the food, Djac and I had gone to find some plants and berries.

"Mhm" I reached and plucked some berries, off a branch.

"Probably a hawk. Why do you ask?" She answered.

"I was merely curious." I answered truthfully. You could find out a lot about a person by knowing their favorite animal.

We collected greens and berries for a while in a comfortable silence, there wasn't the need to fill the silence with chatter, and I occasionally threw a stick for Alex. Then, after Djac deemed we had enough, we headed back to camp along the North Road.

"I suppose we should be nice and let them have some meat with the salad. They might complain less." I said, breaking the silence.

"True. After we bring this to camp, I'll see if I can catch a rabbit or something."

"No need." I said and she looked back at me curiously. I put my hand on Alex's back and he looked up at me. ''Go hunt, boy."

He wagged his tail and then took off into the wood. She was now looking at me with surprise.

"It will give him something to do and one less thing for us." I explained shrugging.

"You trained him?" she asked and I laughed, remembering my attempts to actually train him.

"A bit. But I really just show him something once and he seems to automatically know what I'm asking the next time."

We traded questions and stories, the rest of the way back to camp. She spoke about the birds she had helped train and I told of Alex's antics.

It took us longer than to thought it would to return and when we did, Alex was already waiting, he was sitting in front of the entrance with two rabbits by his feet.

"Good boy!" I scratched behind his ears while Djac picked up the rabbits and I followed her in.

The gang would be returning soon and we effortlessly fell into a rhythm as we prepared lunch, while she cleaned and prepared the nut, I took the plants down to the river and washed them off. Once they were clean I brought them back and put them in a big bowl. Djac sliced the meat and added it to the salad. I mixed it all together, covered it and then stuck it in a cool place, out of the sun.

"Well, that's done, now what?" I asked, collapsing on Allen's bed.

"Now, we wait." She said and sat on her bunk.

Conversation flowed easily between us and we talked until the rest of the gang returned.

"We're back!" Robin called as they approached. Robin was in the lead with Much behind him. Allan followed Much with Will next to him, and Little John was in the back.

Allan and Much were bickering about something but stopped when they realized they were in the Camp.

"I'm not being funny but weren't you two supposed to make lunch?"

"Were we?" Djac asked innocently, as I hid a laugh in a cough. Much looked at me frantically but I just stared back at him.

"You are joking... Aren't you?" Much asked, looking back and forth between Djac and I. Little John rolled his eyes and went to get a drink, leaving Robin, Allan and Will snickering behind Much.

"Alright, I'll go make something. Why do I have to everything?" Much started to rant.

"Much." I said trying to get his attention but he just kept ranting.

"Much!" I repeated, still no luck.

"MUCH!" that worked.

"What?! First you do not make lunch and then when I try, you won't let me!" he yelled back.

"Relax. We made lunch. Chill." I told him as Djac got up and grabbed the bowl with the salad.

"Oh, you did." He said, calming immediately.

"I'm not being funny or anything but what is that?" Allan asked when Djac set the bowl on the small counter.

"Salad" I said gathering dishes to put it in. Allan started to protest but I interrupted him. "Don't even start. I know you don't really mind salad"

"And how would you know?"

I stared at him, "We grew up together, remember?"

"Oh, right, Well... maybe I don't like salad anymore."

"Do you?"

"Well, yeah but it was possible."

"Right." I said rolling my eyes as b-hand in a bowl to Little John, who had just returned.

"Now eat" I said and handed Allan another bowl before taking one for myself and sitting next to him, since everyone else had a bowl.

"What' d you put in this?" Much questioned after taking a hesitant bite.

Djac named some of the plants we had gathered and then looked at me.

"Rabbit." We said to together.

"Really?" Much asked surprised.

"We thought that you might complain less if there was some meat in it" I explained and Djac nodded in agreement.

Apparently it worked since no one else complained. They told us, well mainly Djac, since I no idea who they were talking about, about what was happening in the villages they had visited.

A.N. Sorry it took so long! Remember reviews faster update!!