Kirima woke to the smell of cooking. She stood slowly, rubbing he eyes and taking in the scene around her. Rudgar was standing by the fire, stirring something. It smelled quite a lot better than anything the bandits had eaten in a long while. The girl smiled. Who would have guessed that the chicken thief could cook?
A messenger walked into the clearing. He had a letter for Lotar, and one for Soran. Kirima sighed in disappointment. She was always eager for news from Weathertop, even with the terrible conditions there. They were starving, she realized with a start, while the scouting party had a good meal in front of them. Suddenly she felt ill. The feeling worsened as she saw Soran refuse his food, confirming that the letter told of starvation.
She sat down again, trying to quell the self-contempt she felt at the thought of eating while others could not. She saw Rudgar move away from the fire, falling asleep against a tree. An idea sprouted in her mind.
They were all thieves, were they not? A bag lay next to Rudgar, presumably filled with more food. She walked over and peered inside, being careful not to wake the sleeper. The bag held vegetables and eggs, and another chicken. Kirima gently lifted the bag and hid it a little ways from Lotar's tent. In a moment Kandel and Lotar left the tent, followed by the messenger who had brought news from Weathertop. Making sure Kandel and Lotar did not see her as they walked down to the fire, Kirima stepped out from behind the tent and tapped the messenger on the shoulder. She handed him the sack of food.
"Please," She said quietly, "Take this to Weathertop when you return. Give it to the families you think need it the most. And make sure Laira has enough for her children. Tell her it's from her brother."
The man nodded and left. Kirima watched for a moment as the messenger retreated down the path, then went back to sit at the fire, staring into the flames.
[ October 27, 2003: Message edited by: Arestevana ]
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