The hemming pines laid their needles fine and thick over the forest floor. It helped in keeping his steps silent. Even his bed at night was soft, albeit damp, and he easily swirled into sleep. The dwarf shifted the sack to the other shoulder; it had become so heavy. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so greedy. Really, he couldn't help himself, this plaguing urge to pocket everything he saw. It got him into such trouble all his life until at last he was condemned to Muntclyce, to death. A slow death, long enough to contemplate how he had gotten there and for why he wished to live. He was still amazed at their escape.
He peered through the depths of the trees at the small group. The boy was wrapped up tight in a woolen blanket, his long legs stuck out toward the fire. A girl, he couldn't make out her origin or purpose, but her presence was interesting. And the bear? The dwarf shied at coming closer. The poor boy. Humans could not withstand hunger and thirst like dwarves. How quickly he was expiring. The dwarf felt a little guilty for running off once the prison gates opened. He had planned to come back and give the boy a proper burial after all the other convicts had dispersed. But he had no intentions of hanging around the likes of the Berastrong—and here one of them had hauled the boy off.
He decided to follow them from a safe distance. It made him feel better like he hadn't quite abandoned the boy, altogether. Not that he could do anything if the girl and the bear decided to eat the boy. Somehow they had found other things for nourishment. He wondered how much longer he himself could last without food. All the provisions he took from the warden's hut were gone now and prisms of light flickered across his eyesight as if he were about to faint from hunger. Maybe if he shared his hoard with them, bartered for a meal, they would let him sit at their fire. He and the boy were more than prison mates, even friends, perhaps. Surely the boy would vouch for him, maybe even welcome him into their camp.
Thanks for reading this flash of short short fiction! You can read more about Biddy Roundbelly in the 2nd book of the Song of Glædlond, Arrow of Ebbadane. Available on Amazon
Ps. I am having a terrible time with my website. Wix is a lovely place but it may be too heavy for my internet connection. It took me a week of attempts to get this one post together. I may be moving soon. Stay tuned!