28 A presence and a watchful eye

"Aaahhh!" Avana shrieked when a splash of water reached her face. With the back of her hand, she shielded herself from getting wet any further.

But it was a useless attempt as water passed through the different directions. The kids ended up entirely wet while she still had a few parts of her clothes that remained dry.

On the other hand, her hair was a sagging mess as it stuck to her face, neck, and shoulders. But who cares, seeing the smile that exploded on each face. She could not help but join the fun and laughter.

"So, how do you catch a fish?" She asked, wondering what the raucous was all about and curious to learn the basics of survival.

She suddenly remembered that she would not survive another journey if she could not find a decent meal, meaning catching a live one and eating fruits that were not poisonous.

"It is quite simple." Kiev confidently said, leaning down the rock and grabbing some big stones. "First, you have to set a trap." Piling the stone not too far from the riverbanks.

The little boy made a small pool barricading the water from flowing smoothly down the stream. Then, he blocked the rest of the opening with small rocks, creating just a tiny slit, wide enough for a small fish to enter.

"You just let the fish swim inside that trap and closed this." Showing her how it was supposed to work. "But you need time and patience because sometimes, it will not catch anything."

The little boy wiped his hand from the silt of the rocks on the side of his pants. Then, he placed his hands on his side while his eyes studied her face, satisfied with his explanation.

"That never works." Amaira suddenly interrupted them as she complained, disproving his claim. "You kept saying that it would catch a fish, but it never did." Continuing the argument between the two. A little while later, the other girl also joined in the raucous.

"Hey, kids." Avana interrupted, standing in the middle of the three, holding her hands out. "There is no need to shout."

She might have little experience catching a fish. But as a middle child, she knew a lot about being caught in the middle of a fight.

"She started it." Kiev pointed at Amaira. Then, Amaira was about to retaliate when she stopped her.

"It is not important who started it. But we should not fight among ourselves if we want to catch a fish." She explained to the three kids.

"I guess," Amaira answered, echoed by the other two.

"I think we should move further away from the trap and wait for it to work," Ava suggested, believing that the bickering and shouting might have scared all the fishes away from the snare Kiev created.

She grabbed the hands of the little girls and guided them on the clearing away from the water. She could tell that Kiev was not far behind, following them.

A few big rocks seemed to be an ideal place to sit and wait. Ava gestured for the kids to join her as she settled her butt on the biggest one.

"What do we do now?" Kiev impatiently asked as he kept looking at the rock formation he made on the other side of the river.

He seemed very uneasy for someone who kept advising her to be patient. The two girls seemed not so different as they also kept their heads moving around.

They were kids. They were bound to be restless, smiling while observing her companions. She fixed her dress, trying to find a more comfortable position on the rock.

"Would you like to hear a story?" She remembered her sister, who could not lie still in her bed as they waited for their mother to walk into the room for their bedtime stories.

"Yes..." The three shouted in unison. Finally, they had something to agree upon as they excitedly waited for her to continue. She smiled at them as she rummaged her brain for one of her mother's fascinating stories.

The wind blew her wet hair, but it did not move much. It was too heavy for the light breeze, but it did bring some chill to her skin. Rubbing her hands together, she made slight warmth on her palms and tapped it on her cheeks.

Luckily the sun was warm today, giving warmth despite the dampness of their clothes. Else, they would have to run home to change to avoid catching a cold.

"Once there is a prince." Then, she began her tale but was abruptly interrupted. She turned to the voice, and instead of surprise, she smiled, not offended at all.

"Would he slay a dragon? If not, then it would be a boring story." Kiev looked at her, not at all, afraid to voice out his opinion.

She always found him too wise for his age. He seemed to be a whiz kid and had so much potential. She wondered who his parents were, learning that he was an orphan.

In truth, she sensed something different about him.

"But we want a prince who would bring flowers to the princess." The youngest girl also suggested.

"And cakes." Amaira echoed her wish for a romantic story.

"Chocolates, you dumdum. Princess likes chocolates." Kiev once again corrected his playmates. "But that is not exciting. Dragons are."

"The prince should be carrying a big sword and would plunge it into the heart of a fire-breathing dragon." He continued, quite fascinated with his story as his hands demonstrated holding a sword and imagining it striking an imaginary dragon in front of him.

"That is gross. Why would a prince kill a dragon when she could marry a beautiful princess?" Amaira said, not finding Kiev's story any bit interesting.

She kept her silence, enjoying how the three children explained why the other version was better than the other. But at some point, she could not help but relate her life to the story the kids were making.

A slight movement in the river caught her attention. It would appear all her instincts were returning. She would be a hundred percent better at any time now.

Or was her more heightened senses an indication of her turning soon?

She hoped so but was it wise to turn for the first time away from her pack. Suddenly, the thought scared her, sending shivers down her spine.

"Who is there?" She suddenly asked, sensing something else moving. Thankfully, the kids ran toward the river, leaving her alone to deal with a possible threat.

She turned around and let her eyes scan the trees for any signs of movement. If an animal was present, it was bound to create a sound. But nothing. However, her instincts kept insisting that eyes were watching her.

Then.

"I caught one," Kiev shouted, making her turn in the kids' direction as he kept yelling at her to join them.

The three kids kept jumping, proudly showing her the fish in his hand. But her eyes still kept looking at the directions of the trees.

She could not sense it anymore, but she knew someone was there, a presence and a watchful eye.