Jenny: With the Flash of the Deer

For a long moment Artos thought the Guttersnipe would not respond. Then he saw Jason's voice slowly draw her out, and the coldness went out of the flame in her eyes. She seemed to suddenly feel Champion's weight on her shoulder and, with a little wince, reached up and stroked his head, the little pink bloom of her mouth parted in bewilderment. As Jason moved purposefully over to her, his usually amiable countenance just barely veiling concern, she blinked and seemed to shake off the eeriness. Like a child, she said, "I am hungry, Jason," and put her hand in the one he held out to her.

"It is breakfast time," he said. "Minna is just fetching the food. Let's go lend a hand."

She gave him a little bob of her head, as Nutmeg might do, and walked off with him, Champion still clinging to her shoulder. Artos watched them go until they had disappeared into the kitchen, then he looked over at the others. Kay had his head craned back, eyebrows flyaway, and Bedwyr had his bottom lip tucked under and bit down hard on, as if in pain. Domitia and Cathair looked faintly undone. The moment was over and gone, a flash as of a white buck darting in front of them across the path, out of the forest and in again. He had no comfort to offer them, nothing to say which would not sound like an excuse for the Guttersnipe's words - words which all too closely matched the uneasiness inside him - so he found his position in his chair and resumed carving, but not without muttering softly to himself, "You little freckle-faced liar. You remember everything you saw and said."