Smoke in the distance (1)

Throughout this entire process, Brian kept one eye closed while he reached down to his damaged leg and carefully touched it. 

Shane took a few long, deep breaths before slowly and carefully sitting himself up.

To hasten the process of getting dry, Shane extracted the weapon from the body of water and then set fire to it. 

This allowed him to get out of the water more quickly. At the same time, he cast a quick glance around him and noticed that the water had become still. 

This realization came at the same time as the previous one.

When he looked down, he noticed that Neffy's bandages prevented his hands from coming anywhere near his ankles. This was a surprise to him. This was something that he had observed earlier on in the conversation.

He spoke while he sat among the roots, which is where Alister was, "Now, my future legends, how are you going to line up so that Neffy can keep the vulnerable protected while you move in unison?"