We reached camp to find a fire going and our companions engaged in light conversation. The kid went to sit by his mom, and I realised I hadn’t asked for his name. So much for social skills.

“Ah, Tam! There you are. This is Europa and her husband Benedict. They come from over there.” she pointed East with her knife. Percy almost always had a knife in hand. She reached for the squirrels as she continued. “Apparently shit went bad earlier where they’re from. They’ve been living hard for more than half a year.”

Europa gave me a faint smile. Her son went to sit next to her. She turned to me and said, “Tam, is it? Thank you for letting Noah come with you. He’s been trying to help us find food but we’re quite inadequate in that regard.”

I had noticed. I nodded, smiled and looked at Benedict. He seemed uncomfortable. He certainly did his best to avoid making eye contact. Ashamed of not providing for his family? Something told me the answer was elsewhere. He looked at his wife with what looked like fierce possessivity. Ah. Got it.

“So Noah, wanna know how to make a sling?” I asked the kid. His eyes were shining. I took that as a yes and reached for a bit of torn fabric. His dad stopped me.

“You ain’t talking to my son.” Oh fuck, this was worse than I thought. I looked at Perceneige, waiting for the explosion I was sure would come any second now. Her jaw was clenched. Shit. This dude wasn’t gonna survive the night.

His wife saved him. “Darling, these women are kind enough to share their food with us and offer to teach us how to find our own. Can’t you swallow your righteous anger for once? Just for tonight?”

No answer. He grunted and looked away. Awesome.

Noah’s eyes weren’t shining anymore. He had curled up and looked close to tears. I winked at him and grabbed the fabric I had been reaching for. “I don’t need to talk.” He looked up, surprised.

Slowly, to give the kid time to register what I was doing, I made him a sling. I took a few pebbles from the purse at my belt and showed him, without a word, their shape and smoothness. I put it all on the floor between us. His choice. He nodded and took them with a grateful smile. Good. That kid was smarter than his dad.

Perceneige winked at me when our eyes met. She approved. Then she focused on the task at hand: gutting the squirrels. 

Our companions looked sick at the sight, although Noah seemed to take mental notes. Kid would survive no matter what. The silence stretched, punctuated by the sounds of squirrels being butchered. Percy pointed at the roots she had put next to the fire. Got it. I grabbed my knife and got to work. Europa looked way more interested in this part of the meal prep.

I offered silently to let her do it, but she shook her head. So I settled on exaggerating my movements and taking my time, hoping it would help.

All in all, it was a good meal. Percy was a great cook on a campfire, and we had enough to ease the cramps, although she had not included the boar. Not quite filling, but close enough. Feeding five was a lot harder than feeding two after all. Without the extra mouths we would’ve had leftovers. At least the kid had learned a thing or two.

When we were done and everything cleaned up with Noah’s help, which his dad didn’t seem to appreciate, we went to sleep. Percy made a show of it, of course, beckoning to me with that horribly beautiful smile. She just had to push it as far as she could.

Europa had mischief in her eyes when she looked at us, and graced us with a smile. Noah shook his head. Adults being adults didn’t interest him. Benedict looked like he’d have a heart attack. I managed not to laugh, barely. Percy was incorrigible, and I wouldn’t have her any other way. This encounter made me realise we might have more trouble than I thought with the survivors when we reached our destination.