"What does Sunflower do?"

"She's my companion. We travel together. We protect each other." Ellie squeezed her tighter.

"If she's hurt, does that mean you won't be coming back here anymore?"

Ellie loosened her hold. "You sound a little sad about that. My, my, is someone having a change of heart from the whole just-give-me-my-stuff-back-and-I'll-go thing?"

"Um..." Shreya didn't know what to say. "Her foot's red. We should tend to it."

Ellie let her go to check on her foot. Sunflower whined as she manipulated it, checking it for the extent of her injury. "She's going to have trouble walking."

"We need to tie her foot with that." Shreya looked over at the big bow on Marietta's head.

"No! Obviously you don't know quality when you see it." Marietta huffed. "This ribbon's rare. It doesn't deserve to get soiled by being wrapped around a dirty paw."

"We can use hers." She undid Sunflower's ribbon, letting her reddish-blonde hair loose. Ellie fluffed it out, causing joy to intermingle with the anger still lingering in Sunflower's eyes. "Pressure on the wound'll help, right?"

"It keeps it from..." Shreya made a circle with her hands, then expanded it to a larger size.

"It keeps it from enlarging, or getting bigger." Marietta said.

"Yes, thank you. Enlarging." Shreya said. "And we need something cold. A river."

Ellie wrapped the ribbon around Sunflower's foot and ankle, tying it tight. Sunflower whined when she pulled it. "We should let her rest. I don't think she's ready to walk. Why don't we eat and chat a bit, you know, get to know each other more and stuff?"

"Right here? Where a bear almost killed us?" Marietta reminded them.

"If there's anything coming, you'll let us know." Shreya said. Since she was with them, only the bravest of creatures would come near them. A wolf, a dog, a pig, a human. They were too much of a threat (and an oddity, too) at this point to be worth contending with. Scent-wise, at least. Sight-wise told a different story. "I know how to hide us. We'll be okay."

"Is there anything you don't know?" Ellie took off her bag. She took out three jars filled with light brown mush, followed by an apple and some wrapped-up, dried-out meat. Muttering something about payment, Marietta grabbed a jar, the fruit, and the meat, and then got right to eating.

"Yes. I learn something new every day." Shreya said. "I have to know a lot in my life or I won't have one anymore."

Ellie popped the lid off of one of the jars and handed it over to Sunflower. She passed the remaining one to Shreya.

"You should keep it." Accepting the jar meant that Ellie wouldn't have one.

"It's okay. I owe you so much already. Seriously, this is the least I can do, and—and your gourd! Wait here, I know where I dropped it. Sunflower, stay." Ellie hurried off to get it. Knowing that they were in a relatively safe place, Shreya didn't go after her.

Marietta spoke through a mouthful of apple. "Well-played so far, wolf."

"What are you referring to?"

"You haven't given yourself away." Marietta said. "I thought Sunflower would ruin everything for you."

The look of pure hatred in Sunflower's eyes only seemed to grow the longer Shreya stayed with them. She scooped out her porridge and spooned it into her mouth, her gaze not leaving Shreya.

"Sunflower, Miss Wolf here is our friend for now. Do her a favor and lighten up. She's not going to hurt Ellie since she knows what's good for her." Marietta tossed the finished apple core behind her shoulder.

"I'm not going to hurt her because I don't want to."

"Or that."

Sunflower shook her head. "Bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad."

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A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story's main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well.

The next post will be Chapter 5.5.

Chapter 10 is out now on the main site. Voting will end Sunday at 11:59 PM EST. Still accepting character suggestions on Chapter 10. See the main site for more details.