fruits of their robberies: some old empire gold shillings, some clothes, some travel packs. They robbed for food, which they ate there and then. The rest was of little use to them.
"When did you last eat?"
"Yesterday," said Libbet.
"What time yesterday?"
"'Bout now."
"So you're hungry again."
"Always hungry," said Libbet with a shrug.
"Me too."
"You can share what we get," said Hem.
"Thank you," said Morning Star. "But this doesn't seem the best place to get food. I'm on my way to my home village. Why don't you come with me?"
"We stay clear of villages," said Hem.
"They chase us!" chimed in the little girl, who was called Deedy. "They put dogs on us!"
"I'll tell them not to," said Morning Star. "But you'll have to stop attacking people."
"Then, how are we to live?"
"We'll find a way."
"What makes you so clever?" said Libbet in a surly tone.
"I'm a Noble Warrior," said Morning Star, drawing her badan over her head.
They all gasped at that.
"A real hoodie?"
"Yes."
"I heard they was gone," said Hem. "I heard their castle was smashed to muck."
"They've gone from one place. Now they're every place."
"So, you're a hoodie." Libbet was taking in this information, and it pleased her. It made it all right that she had given in to her. "I'll come along with you if you want."
That was all it took. Burny and Deedy clamored to come with her too, and Hem shrugged as if to say that he cared very little either way.
Burny chose to take this outcome as a personal triumph.
"I found her!" he said to anyone who would listen. "I said the words. I did the crying. I got us the hoodie lady."
Morning Star was glad of their company on the road. They quarrelled with each other and endlessly demanded her attention, and that stopped her from thinking about herself. Libbet scolded and chivvied them, graceless but caring in her way, and Hem acted the man, strutting ahead of their little procession and scowling at others they encountered on the road.
When they reached one of the many rivers that watered the fertile plain, Morning Star proposed that they all take a wash. The river was low, but clear water was flowing in midstream, and it was shallow enough for even the smallest to stand up in. The little ones regarded washing as a water game, all the more welcome after a long morning tramping the sunbaked road. They stripped themselves naked and hurled themselves into the river, then set about an activity they called washing but which more closely resembled fighting.
"Let's wash Burny! Grab him! Wash him!"
"Yow! Ow! Let me go!"
Libbet washed herself more sedately, sitting on the riverbank, stripping off sections of her clothing one at a time. Hem did not wash at all.
Morning Star was aware that he watched her, while doing his best to make out he was doing nothing of the sort. She could still see the look on his face and the color of his aura when he had seen her stripped before them. She had thought about it since and had come to the conclusion that Hem had been struck with admiration. Morning Star was far from vain about her personal appearance, but the colors never lied. This led her to a further conclusion that was new to her. She was no beauty, of that she was sure. But perhaps—just possibly—she had a beautiful body.
Hem was only a boy, but he was a boy forced by hardship to grow up young. He was a boy becoming a man. He was awkward and shy and aggressive and suspicious of everyone, but in his unguarded eyes she had caught the first ever reflection of herself as a woman who might be desirable to a man. She was not a little mother to Hem.
"Not going to wash, Hem?"
"What for?" he muttered. "The muck comes back."
They didn't eat all that day, and were dull with hunger by the time they reached the village. Morning Star led her ragged little troop past the familiar landmarks of her childhood towards her family home. Here was the timber bridge over the stream, and here the long stone on which the village women beat the
"When did you last eat?"
"Yesterday," said Libbet.
"What time yesterday?"
"'Bout now."
"So you're hungry again."
"Always hungry," said Libbet with a shrug.
"Me too."
"You can share what we get," said Hem.
"Thank you," said Morning Star. "But this doesn't seem the best place to get food. I'm on my way to my home village. Why don't you come with me?"
"We stay clear of villages," said Hem.
"They chase us!" chimed in the little girl, who was called Deedy. "They put dogs on us!"
"I'll tell them not to," said Morning Star. "But you'll have to stop attacking people."
"Then, how are we to live?"
"We'll find a way."
"What makes you so clever?" said Libbet in a surly tone.
"I'm a Noble Warrior," said Morning Star, drawing her badan over her head.
They all gasped at that.
"A real hoodie?"
"Yes."
"I heard they was gone," said Hem. "I heard their castle was smashed to muck."
"They've gone from one place. Now they're every place."
"So, you're a hoodie." Libbet was taking in this information, and it pleased her. It made it all right that she had given in to her. "I'll come along with you if you want."
That was all it took. Burny and Deedy clamored to come with her too, and Hem shrugged as if to say that he cared very little either way.
Burny chose to take this outcome as a personal triumph.
"I found her!" he said to anyone who would listen. "I said the words. I did the crying. I got us the hoodie lady."
Morning Star was glad of their company on the road. They quarrelled with each other and endlessly demanded her attention, and that stopped her from thinking about herself. Libbet scolded and chivvied them, graceless but caring in her way, and Hem acted the man, strutting ahead of their little procession and scowling at others they encountered on the road.
When they reached one of the many rivers that watered the fertile plain, Morning Star proposed that they all take a wash. The river was low, but clear water was flowing in midstream, and it was shallow enough for even the smallest to stand up in. The little ones regarded washing as a water game, all the more welcome after a long morning tramping the sunbaked road. They stripped themselves naked and hurled themselves into the river, then set about an activity they called washing but which more closely resembled fighting.
"Let's wash Burny! Grab him! Wash him!"
"Yow! Ow! Let me go!"
Libbet washed herself more sedately, sitting on the riverbank, stripping off sections of her clothing one at a time. Hem did not wash at all.
Morning Star was aware that he watched her, while doing his best to make out he was doing nothing of the sort. She could still see the look on his face and the color of his aura when he had seen her stripped before them. She had thought about it since and had come to the conclusion that Hem had been struck with admiration. Morning Star was far from vain about her personal appearance, but the colors never lied. This led her to a further conclusion that was new to her. She was no beauty, of that she was sure. But perhaps—just possibly—she had a beautiful body.
Hem was only a boy, but he was a boy forced by hardship to grow up young. He was a boy becoming a man. He was awkward and shy and aggressive and suspicious of everyone, but in his unguarded eyes she had caught the first ever reflection of herself as a woman who might be desirable to a man. She was not a little mother to Hem.
"Not going to wash, Hem?"
"What for?" he muttered. "The muck comes back."
They didn't eat all that day, and were dull with hunger by the time they reached the village. Morning Star led her ragged little troop past the familiar landmarks of her childhood towards her family home. Here was the timber bridge over the stream, and here the long stone on which the village women beat the
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