A sharp pain exploded on Kre’s forehead, where something struck him. He floundered under the water, briefly breathing in the cold liquid and causing his lungs to feel like they were going to explode with the pain of the chill. He came up sputtering and was silenced by a hushed, yet commanding, “Quiet!”
He looked over at the river’s bank and spotted Kitalia, another river rock raised in her hand threateningly, possibly in case he should decide to make any more noise. She motioned to him to swim back and grabbed his still wet clothes, leaving him with only the towel and his boots, before she jogged back up the bank to their campsite.
This was now the second time that Kitalia had interrupted his bath and he was more than a little miffed by it. Truthfully, though he’d never admit it to her, he was getting chilly anyway and was going to get out of the water shortly of his own accord. Even though his night vision wasn’t great right now, he still glanced around to make sure that she was completely out of sight before striding up and out of the water towards his towel.
He dried off quickly and slid his still damp feet into his boots. He would have to make sure he dried the insides of the boots out completely back at their camp as wet leather was not great for walking in. Kre wrapped the towel around his waist and was thankful that it was large enough to wrap around twice. He could have tucked it in and trusted it to stay intact, but he elected to hold it tightly closed instead, just in case.
Shivering in the chill night air, Kre hoped that the soup was still warm as Kitalia had promised. Maybe that was why she called him back, to make sure that he ate it while it was still steaming.
He turned the corner and saw Kitalia there with both of their bags on the ground next to her and a small metal bowl sitting on the rock next to her. She was busy twisting rope around the ends of several arm-thick wooden logs, each about two to three feet long.
“Eat that now, even if you are not hungry. You will need the energy.”
He recognized the urgency in her voice and did as bidden without question. There wasn’t a point to arguing it honestly, and he knew it. He would just end up frustrated or embarrassed and still going through with whatever it was that she had told him to do. That one realization seemed to perfectly define their relationship at this point.
The soup was still hot, and it burned his tongue and throat as he drank it down, but he was thankful for the extra warmth it provided. As he tipped the bowl up to drain the last bits, he could already feel the heat expanding through his limbs and wiping away the goosebumps on his arms.
“Where are my clothes?” he asked, setting the bowl back on the rock.
“Still too wet to wear, but it matters not. We need to cross the river and clothes will just hamper you.”
“Cross? Tonight?” He looked up at the twin moons in the night sky and shivered once again. One was full and bright with a rich silvery white light while the other was just over half-full and more bluish.
“You continue that annoying habit of repeating everything I say. Yes, we cross tonight. If you stop complaining and pestering me with questions, then maybe I shall have time to explain things before it is too late.”
Kre opened his mouth to make a comment but closed it instead and sighed. Again, it just wasn’t worth the trouble it would cause.