I bite my lower lip and look back towards the main village. They’re all busy, and nobody’s looking too closely in my direction. If I now just go on a little excursion into the jungle to examine that one tree and see if it is in fact the type I need, then I’ll only be gone for a couple of minutes. Nothing bad could happen to me in that time. Also, I should toughen up a little.
The cavemen have a lot of weapons, and one wooden rack catches my attention. I walk over to it and pick out a long spear with an iron tip. To the cavemen, this is probably a light and girly weapon. To me, it’s a little too long to comfortably carry among the trees. But it’s not too heavy, and I have no intention of actually using it. Still, we’re supposed to have a spear or a crossbow with us if we ever venture into the woods, and I’m not going to break any rules here.
I put the spear over my shoulder, take a deep breath, and trot into the jungle.
Immediately, cold and sticky drops of water mixed with sap fall on me, and the smell of dense vegetation is sharp in my nose. But I see no movement and hear no sounds other than the usual calls from various creatures far away, which is something I’m used to after more than two years on Xren. It’s not my first time in the jungle. But it is my first time in the jungle alone.
I push aside heavy branches and bushes that get in my way, aiming for the tree I saw, feeling brave and a little silly for being scared of this in the first place. Yeah, I really should toughen up a little. No dinos within a mile of here, no dragons because we scare them. In another month, probably this whole part of the jungle will be cleared to make way for more huts and fields. There’s no need to be worried. This is a harmless thing, just like walking into your own garden to prune an apple tree—
I freeze as I see movement from the corner of my eye. But when I turn to look, there’s nothing. I stand there for a moment while big and small drops fall on my head, but nothing moves and there’s no sound apart from the hiss of dewdrops falling to the ground.
Walking another few paces, I locate the tree and tear off a part of a frond.
Nope. Wrong kind. I’ve tried these things before, and they didn’t burn cleanly. The ash was black and grainy, not the gray dust I need.
But that tree over there, that looks better.
Huh. Quite a few trees have fallen down here recently. I suppose when the trees are as dense as this, one tree falling down probably takes a few others with it. So I shouldn’t complain.
I throw a glance back at the village. I can still see it, and I am really only a hundred yards away. If I scream, they’ll probably hear me.
I walk to the next tree.
Oh yeah! This is the good stuff. The fronds are waxy and smooth, thicker than leaves. And while they’re still reddish green and fresh, I know from experience that they burn pretty well anyway. They must contain some kind of flammable material.
I get my knife out and cut off four of the fronds close to the trunk of the tree. Each one is really heavy, and there’s a lot of them. If I can use all of this, then we’re looking at a year’s supply of Dolay.
What if I add an apostrophe and call it D’olay?
I cut two more fronds and get ready to drag them back to the village when I realize I’m not alone.
“You remind me of a little nymph.”
I whirl around, then recoil in horror and fall on my butt, crashing halfway into the crown of the fallen tree.
The dragon smirks. “Oh, don't let me interrupt. It's refreshing to see a female leave the security of the tribe. Were you needing some excitement, perhaps? I think you just found it.”
His voice is smooth and ingratiating, his face a splotchy green. He's wearing a long, dirty robe that could have been white at some point. He's thin and almost withered, very different from the massive Aragadon or Kyandros. He has thin, white hair down to his shoulders. For some reason,