Out of everyone in the party, Voxin was the last one Aytin expected to be any good at cooking. She was the escort leader. That was literally who she was. Every morning she was first awake, lashing the rest of the guards into shape with tongue and talon. During the long flights she was either scanning the skies or else taking care of her gear.

Standing over the fire wielding a long handled fork in one hand and armored in a leather apron just didn't fit anywhere into that mental picture. It was like walking into the forge only to find his sister Suuie carefully arranging a bouquet of flowers instead of hammering some piece of metal into shape.

But the aroma wafting off of the steaming chunk of meat she dropped onto Aytin's plate insisted that no matter what he might think, Voxin was definitely a chef.

His first bite of the antelope steak only confirmed it.

"Where did you learn how to cook like this," he asked, words muffled by the mouthful of meat. It was a little tough and definitely on the gamy side. Without hanging, that really couldn't be avoided. But the meat was perfectly cooked and oozing with flavor.

The guard captain laughed. "If you spend enough time flying around the frontier, you either have to accept shit for rations or learn to make decent grub for yourself."

"She also insisted that I buy her nearly half a gold worth of spices to cook with," Reed complained. But not all that angrily, considering the larger-than-average cut on her plate.

"Only the stuff I can't scrounge," Voxin said as she slid a steak onto Bush's plate. "Half the herbs I used tonight came from around the camp. It's amazing what you can find if you know where to look. It also helps to have good material to work with." She added the last to Xantha.

The other dragonette paused from her meal to grin. "Any time I can stretch my wings and have a bit of fun instead of dealing with kitchen duty is a win for me. But don't forget that Tin here did his share of the work."

"Yeah, he did, didn't he?" Voxin turned speculative for a moment. "A bit of a strange choice, that. It's not like most males would have a whole lot of experience with hunting."

"Reed told me to pick someone to go hunting with and I did that. Besides, Tin did fine. The kid's a hell of a shot."

"Sure, but so is Vin," the guard captain said, jerking a chin at one of her subordinates. "And no offense to our young passenger - sorry, crewmember - but Tin didn't exactly look like he was having fun carrying his half of the kill back. In fact, he nearly ate dirt on the landing."

Aytin shifted his wings self-consciously. It was true he had had trouble carrying even the smaller of the two bags back. He just didn't have the wingspan of a female like Vin.

The whole thing was getting uncomfortable. And some uncomfortable suspicions were bubbling in the back of his mind. Things he hadn't considered before, but were starting to fit.

Xantha didn't seem to notice, though. And she had a response ready. "Vin was busy. Tin wasn't. I figured I'd give him a chance to have his own fun, see how the huntresses do things."

"You never took me out hunting and you know I'm decent with a bow," Bush added, before giving his plate a final lick.

"That's because you have plenty to do around camp. But if it makes you happy, I'll bring you out next time."

"And someone else, too," Reed added. "Two is an awfully small hunting party out here. I know you can take care of yourself, but not all of the crew has your experience."

"There was never any danger. It's not like we're right next to the southern border or walking through a forest full of wolves. The plan was to bag a couple of antelope, dress 'em, and fly right back here. We did that. It was perfectly safe."

"I still want at least three people on any hunting party. Especially if one of them is inexperienced."

"I assume I'm excused from that order?" Faelon asked from the edge of the camp.

As usual, the dragon hadn't said much, although he had gone out of his way to thank both Aytin and Xantha after returning with his share of the kills.

Once again, the young dragonette had been surprised at the dragon seeking him out. It certainly wasn't something Faelon did often, even with the crew. Usually Reed or occasionally Bush sought him out when they needed him. Otherwise he was amazingly solitary despite the traders spending hours every day on his back.

So his off the wall comment turned heads.

"Obviously," Reed finally said after a moment. "It's not like there's much out here that could touch you."

Aytin looked back to Xantha in time to see the older dragonette's face return to a blank mask. He had been sure she was about to say something else to Reed. Something she might not be able to take back.

Hells, he wanted to say something. If it wasn't for Xantha, Aytin would still be some passenger sitting on the outside looking in. Her way of doing things was strange, sure, but he'd take it over the alternative.

He was just about to speak up and say just that when a loud smack echoed across the campsite, accompanied by a yelp from Bush.

"You keep your greedy claws off of my steak." Voxin's voice cracked like a whip.

Everyone shifted to watch the drama unfold as a wincing Bush backed away from the angry cook.

"Hey, sorry, I thought it was an extra. You don't need to break my wrist!"

"An extra? Sure you did. Which is why you tried to sneak up from behind to take my steak."

"I could have sworn you already had yours."

Crewmembers started poking each other and grinning as Voxin's expression turned dark.

"Really? You thought I already ate? Well that's fucking typical."

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The guy at least knew enough to back off when he was beaten. He gave a shit eating grin and spread his arms wide. "Sorry. I just wanted more of your delicious cooking."

For her part, Voxin narrowed her eyes. "Next time you want more of my cooking, fucking ask."

"Sure thing," he said, then paused. "Say, could I have some more of your-."

"No."

The entire camp broke out in laughter. Even Voxin cracked a grin after a moment, but she kept a close eye on her food.

And with that, the previous conversation had been completely forgotten.

Between the steaks and the impromptu entertainment, a bit of a party atmosphere developed as twilight set in. While there wasn't any ale to spare, two of the crew produced pipes that billowed with a fragrant smoke and passed them around.

Aytin took one puff and nearly choked, much to everyone's amusement. Pipes weren't common back at Luffin Keep and the blend was extra potent. It left his head swimming long after he passed it on.

A quartet broke off to play cards, something nearly impossible on dragonback. The rest of the group inched closer to the campfire. It wasn't all that cold, but the warmth of the flames was certainly more comfortable than the slight chill of the early autumn air.

Bush took the opportunity to slip off somewhere. He returned with a couple of small drums. At the sight of the instruments, Vin produced a flute from seemingly thin air and the pair huddled together for a moment. When the two rejoined the group, they both had smug expressions plastered on their faces.

"Alright, so you're all in for a treat. I've been working with Vin on this for a few weeks, and we're finally ready," Bush explained as his partner worked her way through a few scales as a warm up.

"Something you two came up with?" Reed asked, looking rather surprised, but her young apprentice shook his head.

"No, I heard it in the capital. I was, uh, a little drunk at the time." There were laughs from the crowd and Bush's ears flicked back in mock embarrassment. "Anyway, it's taken a bit to piece it back together and teach it to Vin. But I guarantee you'll all like it."

Without further preamble he started beating his drums in a rhythm that bordered on frantic. Vin joined in a moment later with an upbeat tune and then Bush started singing.

"I'm flying on sunbeams! Woah-oh! I'm flying on sunbeams! Woah-oh! And it feels so good!"

The young dragonette had a great voice and belted out the lyrics with enthusiasm, all the while keeping the beat with his drums. Vin didn't have quite the same musical talent, but she held on gamely. Pretty soon the entire camp was bobbing their heads in time with the music, and even joining in with the chorus.

It was one of the oddest love songs Aytin had ever heard, but he had to admit that it worked. Although some of the lyrics made no sense. He couldn't understand what a box full of armor had to do with anything, or a weak end for that matter. Bush's drunken memory clearly wasn't perfect.

Not that he minded. It was all great fun and Aytin joined in the hooting and stomping as the pair wound down.

The next tune was more traditional. It was a classic ditty about the bumbling adventures of a two-tailed green dragon named Twisty.

As Bush launched into the verse where the clueless Twisty foiled a darkling infiltration by accidentally knocking over a tanning vat, Aytin quietly made his way over to where Xantha was sitting.

"Hey," he said, just loud enough to get her attention.

She flicked an ear in question, then scooted to one side. There was just enough room at the end of the fallen tree for Aytin to join her.

"What's on your mind, Tin?"

The off-key chorus and stomping of the audience was loud enough that despite the crowd the two could speak without anyone else overhearing. Still, the young dragonette took a few moments to compose his thoughts before saying anything.

"I just wanted to say thanks. For today, I mean. The hunting trip. It was- well, thank you." It came out in a bit of a jumble.

"Ah. Don't mention it."

The curt reply didn't invite a response, and she was already turning back to watch the music. Aytin almost left it there. Almost.

But he had to know.

"Why did you take me? Really?"

This time she twisted to look him in the eyes and there was a hint of frost in her voice as she said, 'I told you not to mention it."

But Aytin was committed, and he wasn't backing down. "Did my mother pay you to take care of me? Because I really can't think of any other reason for you doing all of this."

"You're mother is not paying me."

"So why?!"

A few of the other dragonettes were starting to glance their way, much to Xantha's obvious discomfort. But after several seconds of warring emotion, she stood and motioned for Aytin to follow.

They didn't go far, just to the edge of the flickering light of the fire. It wasn't wise to go wandering off into the dark on an uninhabited island.

"Your mother didn't put me up to anything," the older dragonette began without preamble. "No one did."

"Then-"

"Be quiet because I'm only going to explain this once. Understood?" Aytin nodded and Xantha gave a grunt of satisfaction.

"I haven't been a huntress in a long time, but we did things a certain way. We did them because they worked. Out in a frontier keep you want your biggest, your strongest, your fastest, your toughest, your best out there keeping everyone else alive. There aren't many males that can measure up to that."

It wasn't anything Aytin didn't know. He even agreed with it. Males tended to be short and stout. Not ideal for ranging around an island scouting and hunting for the pot.

"Outside of a keep, things are different," she went on. "In other groups I've traveled with, males take up some of the duties of a huntress. Not all. Not usually. But some circumstances require... flexibility. Some backup is better than none. Half the meat is better than starving."

Xantha paused, and her eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to her.

"Have you ever been hungry?"

The sudden change in subject left Aytin momentarily nonplussed, but she didn't wait for an answer.

"Not missed a meal or the pot was a little light hungry. I mean days with nothing more than a few scraps of dried meat and some roots you dug up. That sort of starving. Where you can't think about anything other than the gnawing pain in your gut and the weakness in your limbs."

Mutley, Aytin shook his head. He couldn't remember a time where food had been short. Even if it had been, his family owned the keep.They would be the last to starve.

Xantha smiled without humor. "I didn't figure you had. But when things get that bad, I can tell you from experience that traditions go into the ocean. So does that tell you why I took you today?"

"You... think the traditions are wrong?"

"Fuck no. Were you even listening?" She let out a hiss of exasperation. "I said they're there for a reason. And here I thought you were smart."

The bite in her words touched a nerve. "Do I look like I have an inquisitorial token on my shirt?" Aytin demanded. "I'm not a mind reader, so just tell me or keep your damn secrets! Don't string me along!"

That seemed to bring Xantha up short. She gave him a long look, as if reevaluating the young dragonette. Eventually, she relented.

"Everywhere is different. The capital is different from the keeps are different from all the little trading bands. If showing you how to tie some knots or sending you off to inspect some mines or taking you hunting helps you realize that, then maybe someday when you've made something of yourself, you and the people you love won't ever have to experience real hunger.

"So now," she asked, fixing him with an unwavering stare, "do you understand?"

This time Aytin nodded.