It was one of those early winter mornings that promised snow to come. A frost overnight had left the ground underfoot crisp. A week or so had passed since Lord Chandris and his people had visited, and Niall had done his best to put the unsettling incident behind him. He had been working hard in the smithy and around the small holding. This was a rare full day off.

Niall rubbed his arms to warm them as he and Kiran walked out into the woods. They had brought Silas with them. The excitable dog scampered at their feet and snuffled in the leaves as they went. Today’s mission was to find mushrooms. Kiran did not have school so they had the whole day in front of them.

“Remind me why we’re leaving so early.” Niall asked as they left.

“Stop complaining. This time of year, there are only a few places left where we can find mushrooms. We’ve got to go way deep into the forest. Papa makes an amazing thing with cheese and rice with them. It is all gooey and yummy. He calls it something odd.”

“Risotto?”

“That’s it. So, if we get back in time, we can have it for dinner. Now hurry up. We’ve got ages to go.”

Niall wrapped his thick woolen cloak tighter around him and followed Kiran. Despite his half-hearted grumbling Niall had to confess that he did not mind very much. When early mornings heralded another day in a job that he was, at best, indifferent to, they did not spark happiness. However, in the reality that was his life now, he loved getting out with the dawn.

He took a deep breath to fill his lungs with the woodland air. This was a good existence. In honest moments he had to admit that it was a better life than the one he had before. When he had first apprenticed with Devon he wanted to go home for his own sake. Now, if he had a choice he would just stay here. But that was no choice at all. He could not abandon his family. He had to find a way forward and get home. Just not today.

Kiran led Niall through the woods, the younger boy not hesitating as he weaved his way through the trees. Niall was happy to follow, enjoying the use of his muscles as the ground gently rose. Nonetheless, he made sure that he stayed close to Kiran. Although he was getting increasingly comfortable with being outdoors, he knew himself well enough to know that he would be lost within minutes if he were alone.

After an hour of walking, Kiran gestured in front of him and ran on ahead. “Here we are.”

Kiran led him into a clearing. Niall looked around. “Kiran, I don’t mean to be rude, but where are the mushrooms?”

Kiran had a frown on his face. “Someone’s been here recently and cleared it out.” His frown cleared up. “Never mind. I know an even better place. Follow me!”

After another hour or two Kiran and Niall walked into a second clearing. In front of them was an immense fallen tree. The broken trunk showed the rot that had taken hold inside. As it had tumbled to earth, it had taken multiple of its more modest brethren with it. The devastation had clearly taken place a few years ago. The trees were now covered by a thick layer of moss and there was plenty of new growth of all sorts spread across the clearing, even at this time of year.

Kiran was already clambering on the trees. He looked down at Niall and pointed. “Look, there are loads. I told you I had a good spot. We’re going to be able to get enough to keep us going for days. Come on.”

Niall looked to where Kiran pointed. In the shelter created by the fallen trees he could see a large cluster of brown topped mushrooms. He turned in a slow circle. Now that he knew what he was searching for he spotted clusters of the mushroom scattered all over the clearing. A rumble in his stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten yet that day.

“Hold up. I’m starving. Anyway, we need to empty these baskets before we fill them again.”

Kiran climbed down. His reluctance apparent from his every movement. “I suppose.”

The two of them sat on one of the smaller of the fallen trees to munch on cheese sandwiches and the crunchy, red apples that they had packed in the baskets. A slab of moist fruit cake rounded out their brunch.

As soon as they had finished, Kiran jumped up. “You start on that side and I’ll start on this. I bet that I fill my basket before you.”

“You’re on.”

Niall took out the curved mushroom knife that he had brought with him and started to fill his basket. He would never have thought that he would be the sort of person that would know which mushrooms were edible and which were dangerous. Yet here he was. As was the case with so many activities now, he found himself falling into a state of flow. He lived entirely in the moment, only focussing on which mushroom to cut next.

They had been going for half an hour or so and Niall was kneeling to harvest a satisfyingly large patch when he heard a cry and a thud. He dropped his basket and jumped to his feet.

“Kiran!” Niall looked around as he called, but could not see the younger boy.

“Kiran!” He called again. This time he was rewarded by a groan.

He ran over to where the sound emanated from. Scrambling over some roots, he found Kiran lying on the floor clutching at his ankle. It was twisted at an unnatural angle. Silas was whimpering and nudging at Kiran where he lay.

Niall dropped to his knees next to Kiran. “What happened?”

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“I slipped on the trunk and fell. I’ve had sprains before. I can fix those. This is worse. I think it’s broken.” Kiran had turned pale and forced the words out through gritted teeth.

“It’s OK.” said Niall. “Let me look at it.”

Kiran flinched but stayed where he was as Niall gently reached for his ankle. He concentrated and tried to push his Spirit into Kiran. In reality he had no clue as to what he was doing. In the past, Devon had healed him many times, so he tried to replicate that sensation. Nothing happened.

“Don’t bother,” Kiran said. “You need to be at least Level 5. Otherwise you can only heal yourself.”

“Never mind, let’s try to get you onto your feet. We have to get you to a place where we can get help.”

Niall gently started to lift Kiran up. He stopped as Kiran immediately screamed with pain.

“Pobble?” Niall asked in his head. “Some help here.”

Pobble’s reply was serious. “Niall should not ask. There is nothing that Pobble can do.”

“It’s fine,” Niall said. “We just need to stay put. People, your parents, will come and find us soon.”

Kiran shook his head. “I told Mama and Papa that we were going to the first site. They don’t know that we’re here. Even if they did, no one is going to even think about looking for us before it gets dark.”

Niall thought for a moment. “Listen, Kiran. We’re in the middle of nowhere. The only option we have is for me to get help.”

Niall expected Kiran to object but instead the boy nodded. “Do you know the way?”

Niall could feel his cheeks turning red. “No.”

“It’s fine. You just need to head straight south west. It’s around midday now. The sun sets in the west so you just need to make sure that you keep it a bit to your right. It’s downhill all the way. Even if you don’t come to our house, once you’re past the treeline you should be able to see the village. Tell Mama and Papa that this is place with the fallen trees where we had the picnic last summer. They’ll know where it is.”

Niall could feel his anxiety rising but kept it to himself. He steeled himself to Kiran’s cry as he moved him slightly so that he could prop him up against the tree.

Niall looked down. “Right, I’m going to go.”

“Wait.” Kiran was pale but there was urgency in his voice. “It’s going to get really cold once the sun goes in. I need you to start a fire before you go.”

“I don’t know how to do that.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk you through it.”

Under the boy’s instruction Niall spent a few minutes collecting branches and sticks of various sizes and brought them over. Kiran then told him how to lay the twigs ready to start the fire.

“There is a flint and steel in my pouch. It has some charcloth as well. Can you get it out?”

Niall reached in and pulled the items out. He held them out helplessly. “I don’t know how to use these.”

“Get a bundle of dried grass, put the charcloth inside. Hit a spark onto it and blow. It’s easy”

Niall hit the flint and steel against each other. Nothing happened. He took a deep breath and tried again, faster and harder. Bits of the flint flaked off but there were no sparks. All he produced was the sound of metal hitting stone.

Kiran opened his eyes and watched. There were lines of pain etched across his face. He waved a hand at Niall. “Pass it here. I’ll do it.”

His cheeks burning, Niall handed over the flint and steel. He had never felt more useless. Kiran was more of an adult in this situation than he was.

Despite the pain it clearly caused him, with a few strikes Kiran produced some sparks and within a few moments he had a small blaze going. “Could you add some of the smaller branches? I can’t reach them. Also, if you take my knife, you can chop the large branches into pieces that I can move.”

Niall did so and stacked a large pile of wood within arm’s reach of Kiran.

He knelt down next to the boy and put his own cloak around him. “Here’s my cloak. I’ve left both waterskins and the rest of the food here as well. Is there anything else that you need?” Kiran looked to be on the verge of passing out but cracked open an eye. “Don’t do that. Take your cloak back and your water skin. You’re going to need them both. If you die of thirst or cold out there, that would be bad.”

Sheepishly Niall did what he was told then stood up. “Listen Kiran, don’t worry. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Just hang in there. It’s all going to be OK.”

“Thank you. I know that you’ll get help. Just so you know though, there’s not enough wood here to last the night. Please be quick.” Kiran gave him a small smile then shut his eyes and leaned back against the tree. Silas gave a whimper and then curled up at his side. Niall clasped Kiran’s shoulder and then left at a run.

“Stop.”

Niall turned at Kiran’s call. “Don’t run. You’ll twist or break an ankle yourself on this ground.”

Niall gave him a nod and left at a quick walk instead.

Kiran’s directions ringing in his ear, Niall made sure that the sun was to his right and that he was going downhill. Nothing looked familiar as he walked, then again, he had not been paying attention as they left, simply trusting that Kiran knew what he was doing. The tension rose in his chest and he started at every snap and rustle around him.

He was going to get lost. He just knew it.

Niall realised that he was not scared for himself. Instead it was fear at leaving Kiran alone and injured in the woods. The epiphany stiffened his backbone and he pushed on.

The light started to fade and still there was no sign of the edge of the woods. Even though he was moving, a chill started to settle into Niall’s bones. Without the sun it was getting cold. Really cold.

Any adrenaline that Niall had from earlier had worn off and tiredness was setting in. The tension in his chest was turning into panic. It had taken nowhere near as long for them to get to the mushroom site in the first place and that was going uphill.

Niall stopped for a moment. He had to think. “Pobble. Do you know the way back?”

“Do not ask Pobble for help. Pobble is not allowed to help.”

“It’s going to be freezing soon, Pobble. Kiran’s going to die, if I can’t get help to him soon. This isn’t a game.”

There was a long pause. “Climb a tree.”

“What?”

“Pobble cannot say it again. It is already too much.” Niall felt his awareness of Pobble dwindle almost to nothing.

Niall looked around. He had to do something, otherwise he might end up just wandering the woods hoping to be found. Even if he was found eventually, it would be too late for Kiran.

He had never climbed a tree before, even as a child. There was one a few metres away that looked as if it had lower branches that he could reach. He approached it with trepidation. To his surprise, after a few minutes, he found himself in the upper branches. It had taken a number of early falls and many grazes and bruises, but he had managed it. His increased Agility and Strength Attributes had earned their keep.

With one arm around the trunk, he looked around. From this height the trees were like a green and brown sea all around him. However, he could also see the edge of the woods. In the fading light he looked around. He hit the trunk with frustration and started to climb down. The edge of the forest was only a mile or so away from where he was. But, at some point, he had got turned around and had been walking parallel to the tree line. He had walked past Raintor and was now four or five miles past it.

He jumped down from the last branch then froze.

A shaggy, four-legged creature slowly paced out from behind a tree. Yellow eyes were trained on him and a pungent smell of damp dog filled his nostrils. Sharp, white teeth glinted in the weak light. Niall had never seen one before, but even he knew that he was facing a wolf.