Alle Kunst ist der Freude gewidmet

Innes sat close to the tree trunk, cowering in its shadow to keep the moonlight from reflecting on his hair. He was not leaning against the tree since he had received a big though superficial wound on his lower back. It was not enough to keep him from accepting a shift, of course; you'd need more than that to keep the Prince of Frelia from doing what was his due.

It was only a superficial wound, yes, but it twinged and ached in the crisp night air more than he had supposed. However, he would surely not go back and ask Ephraim (of all people) to give his shift to someone else. This little ache would not hinder his ability to detect and shoot enemy spies. He just ignored the pain and rather stared at the bushes, the palisade of trees and kept a close gaze on the holes in the treetops.

Maybe an hour passed and the ache had grown almost too prominent for him to ignore; he shifted a bit, pulling his cloak tighter around himself but it accomplished nothing but more uncomfortableness. The weather was not that bad, actually, and he wouldn't freeze that much if he could walk or just somehow move his limbs. But he wouldn't show the enemy were to hit just because of a little coldness.

Suddenly the world became dark and something fell on him. Startled he stumbled to his feet, but his legs gave away (he should have switched his sitting position earlier) and he fell back. Small hands caught him. "Innes!" a familiar voice hissed worriedly.

"Tana?" he asked incredulously and yanked the cloth, which he identified as a blanket, from his head and incredulously looked up at his little sister. "Are you mad?" While there was still a hint of worry on her brow, she looked mostly annoyed now.

"I thought you heard me," she retorted and crouched down. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Aren't you the one
who said that you have an impeccable hearing?"

"Tana, what do you want?"

"I've thought you might be cold," she said with a shrug, a bit from her annoyance leaving her face. "You seemed to have problems with your side earlier and I know you can be sensitive to cold." Innes clenched his teeth tightly; he wouldn't let his little sister tell him that he is sensitive to anything.

"Don't be ridiculous. Where did you get this blanket from anyway?" He pulled it a bit closer, letting the surprisingly soft material caress his cheek. "I don't believe we had any spare ones." And he had looked into that earlier (he had feared that his own blanket would be too thin to keep him warm properly and he was proven right again).

"It's mine," she said with a shrug and an unconcern that appalled him.

"Tana," he hissed and yanked her blanket from his shoulders, shoving it towards her. "I won't take your only blanket. You'll catch cold and that's the last thing we need. Be a bit more responsible. I thought you wanted to show me that you are a fully-fledged soldier now." She puffed up her cheeks in anger – a relict from their childhood when this technique still worked on Innes and her father (truth to be told, sometimes it still worked on their father).

"I still have my riding cloak. Just take it."

"No. Our father would have my hide if I let you catch a cold. I don't need your help."

"You're ungrateful, you know that?" He didn't even blink.

"Take your blanket with you and leave me alone." He turned back to the forest, sitting cross-legged, and clutched his own blanket tighter. He thought that he had made his point clearly and that this conversation was over, but he obviously underestimated Tana´s stubbornness.

She straightened abruptly, threw her blanket over him – how she managed to tuck it around him so tightly and quickly, he would never know – and walked away, her head held high.

"Tana," he hissed and whirled around. She gave him a dismissive wave over her shoulder.

"I can't hear you. You have to speak up." Her voice had an incredibly grating triumphant undertone. Innes gritted his teeth; she knew he wouldn't call after her. It was far too dangerous and he wasn't stupid. Seething with annoyance, he turned towards the forest again and unwillingly clutched her blanket tighter.