Slap Happy

JP with Omni and Lorem

Gonyaul likewise was fading. And he noticed Voah was further along then him. He even had to wake her a few times before she started slipping to one side of her saddle.

At one point Gonyaul shared a tiny bit of the Berry Pecammin with Voah to help boost her strength and energy. It was drank like a thick paste from a skin container and tasted like caribou bacon mixed with chokecherries. Gonyaul thought it was one of the best things he had ever tasted, sweet and salty at the same time. Packed with nutrients for sustained travel, which is why the Odsier were known for it.

He finally admitted that they had to stop and make bed for the night. He showed Voah a neat trick he saw Odsier children do during nap time. He laid flat on the ground and started rolling inward to a fixed point, then repeated that motion from different angles. What he was doing, was folding the tall grasses with his body from the sides, like a rectangle, to make a slightly raised and padded bedding big enough for two. It was more off the ground because of the layers, which would help prevent heat loss and if damp allow drainage off to the sides. It was also pretty comfortable, almost as good as a thin mattress.

The pecammin looked awful, but Voah knew well not to judge food by the initial look or initial. The taste was potent after the weeks of bland food and she relished the flavor that was akin to cherry and bacon. Gonyaul told her with pride that he had a hand in making it.

"By the Pillars, you made this?" she said, taking another mouthful.

He warned her not to eat too much because a small amount had enough energy to to sustain them for quite long time.

Then she watched groggily as Gonyaul rolled on the ground, displaying the trick he learned.

"Sor-ry! I'm sorry! It's just... it's so funny!" She laughed aloud, slap happy from lack of sleep.

Gonyaul couldn’t help but join in a little with contagious laughter. He supposed he probably did look silly. A smile lingered on his face from the laughter as he looked up at her from the ground.

He shifted over on the grass bedding and made space for her but Voah made her way over to Litany who was grazing on some lucky roots. Halfway there she doubled over, unable to stop giggling. Finally, she grabbed the bedroll she had taken from the army camp and brought it over to the nest Gonyaul had created and spread it out on top of him. Then she proceeded to gently lay on top as a good spirited joke.

Gonyaul watched her retrieve the bedroll. He couldn’t believe she was here. He played along as she covered him, it forced some more laughter. The levity of the moment was a nice respite.

He could feel her body weight pressing down on him. She could feel him moving beneath her.

“So this what seed feel like. I wonder what kind be when reach the surface?” His voice was muffled and she could hear the comedy in it.