Editing Chapter 1 (section)

==Later that night...==

...the five amalgams sat around their campfire by a hissing pot of stew, to the lee side of their cart, outside the village.  Yao Ye spoke between mouthfuls as she took long gulps from her bowl.  “You know, when the old lady said we could ‘rest’ here, I was hoping that she meant that we could, you know, sleep indoors for once.  Not next to this sawmill again,” she said as she poked Shu Zhuang.  He ignored her.

Zhou Wing watched her with a vague sense of horror and awe as she filled her bowl a sixth time.  “Yes, I have trouble seeing why they had such reservations.  Hmm.  And where did you come up with that ridiculous name?”

“What?  Oh, you liked that?  You see, it’s like we’re bringing the light of the...”

“Yeah, it wasn’t much of a mystery, thanks.”

Yao Ye raised her eyebrows as though we would like to respond, but she was too busy at the moment scraping the bottom of her dish with her chopsticks.

Toruna began gathering the empty dishes.  “Listen.  We will stay here a few days while I talk to Grandmother Lee.  Selara, Wing, and Ye, you will scout for any nearby villages or spies from the beastman tribes.  Do not engage any enemies you meet.  Remember, we are guests here.”

With that she picked up the bowls and walked into the darkness, down toward the creek.

Selara watched her leave and then rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  “Hmm... why is it that she never speaks to us except to deliver an order?  I don’t think she was at Breaking Iron.  Two spells certainly can make a person vain...”  Her forked tongue flicked out of her lips briefly as she spoke, and she clamped her lips shut.

Yao Ye looked at the dying fire and sighed.  “Why is the stew pot always empty before I’m full?  Ugh.  I don’t want to go wandering off in the plains looking for trouble.  Why couldn’t there be a demon right here, or better yet one of those bastard Mayhiros.”  She flopped on her back and looked up at the stars.  “I wish Rivers was here... he’s probably off having awesome adventures...”  She lurched up into a sitting position.  “In fact, I bet he needs me right now, right this very second.  I should go find him... but what should I wear?”

Wing stood and began pacing by the fire.  “That’s not what he told us to do, and you know it.  We’re supposed to Do Good.  Now I admit that exploring the horse plains isn’t going to do much good, but there has to be something we can do right here to help this town.  We’re empowered by the sun!  Surely we can find a way to help them, right?  What about that fight we saw in the town... maybe we could start  by helping these people work out their problems and bring peace back to this village!  Let’s do it!”

He stood before the fire with both arms stretched out before him, a distant look in his eyes as though he was seeing some other village, far off in the distance, torn by war and strife, waiting for a savior.  Selara looked past him to where a child (the same girl that had first announced their arrival so indecorously) was peering through the grass at them.

“You’ve had your eyeful, now scram!”  She hissed.

The child ran off, and in the ensuing silence the only sound that could be heard was the faint susurration of Zhuang snoring.

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