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[giftless]

"Stupid, stupid, bloody, buggering hellEdmund grumbled at himself as he trudged steadily through the jungle. His damp hair had started to dry into salt-stiff curls, but his shirt stuck to his wet chest and his trousers felt awkward. The lingering stiffness between his legs didn't help that either, but onward he marched, trying to put as much

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[alethioliar]

Lyra was thoughtless, empty-headed and enjoying the reprieve. It was an uncharacteristic moment for her, to be so unaware of the jungle around her as she ambled along. She almost missed his presence entirely.

Would have, had he not looked as he did. Lyra couldn't have missed spotting that face if she'd actively tried. "Edmund," she called out, stopping to lean against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest. "In a hurry?" she asked as a rustle in the leaves above her signaled Pan perching on the branch.

[giftless]

Edmund stopped, and a rustle in the underbrush answered Pan though Honour would not come out in plain sight. The boy had to wonder just how connected these direwolves were to their men. If he could have hidden in the bushes for the next eternity, Edmund would have done so. Gladly.

"No," he answered sullenly, but even so he glanced anxiously back in the direction from which he had come. "I'm just walking. What's wrong with that?"

[alethioliar]

That was quite all right. Pan didn't mind doing the moving, although in this case that involved scampering to the very edge of the branch until it dipped low like a bowstring pulled taut. There he hung not more than a foot and a half away from the bushes, his tail swishing his curiosity, one paw swiping out at air.

Lyra blinked and stared at him for a short time. Then she took large, tall steps over the bushes to make her way closer. "Well, for starters, you're doing it wrong," she said, just to be contrary.

[giftless]

Edmund wasn't aiming for a fight, but he had to admit that arguing something very obvious and simple had its appeal just then. When you're confused and frustrated about one thing, often it is easier to focus on something you know. "Only because you stopped me," he snapped back.

Honour skulked low to the ground, eyeing the marten but refusing to budge an inch.