Chapter II
The Fira girl spent the next three days gathering. Her parents had left her with a decent amount of smoked and salted meats, but she did adore green things. And no matter what anyone says, a good diet should always allow for something sweet.
So, Saure took her nag out into the forest at the edge of the kirn. The trees in these parts were what you or I might call coniferous. They were about the size and general age of the redwoods and sequoias that we know, but their branches bore small, pine-tasting brown berries instead of cones. They were tough on the outside, and somewhat bready on the inside, and fairly difficult to reach. Saure had to use thick strips of leather to aid her in shimmying the wide trunk of a tree.
She loved climbing in the forest during the summer months because of the streamflies. She gasped as one flitted by her, its long and glowing tail trailing behind it. It changed colors as it landed on a branch, from yellow to green, to a pale blue. A resting color.
She lifted herself onto a bough and sat to watch the streamflies while she rested. The nag huffed a sound of annoyance far below, flicking her long tail at the offensive glowing things landing on her.
"Oi! Mind you don't hurt them; you know that's bad luck!" Saure called down.
"It's their bad luck to land on me, dear." she muttered in return. When the nag did talk, it was usually a complaint.
Saure removed the basket strap from her forehead, where she had rested it as she climbed, and began to pluck pineberries from the branches around her. She wanted to start off with a few of these semi-sweet treats, but she really had come for the blackberries down by the creek. It was easier that way, and I'll explain why in a moment.
