Winter was about to let Kielo know that she could try hunting for herself, but they spoke before she could. She stared at her. Flowers? Mosses? Mushrooms? She didn't even know those were edible. She had only ever hunted mice and rats and small animals because it was natural to her. She wondered if plants tasted good.

Also, how would she eat them? She swallowed things whole. It wouldn't be easy to just open her mouth to gobble up some moss without any teeth. She suddenly had a visual image of her leaning over a flower with her mouth wide open. It was a pretty funny image.

"Okay, I could try it. Could you show me where?" She wasn't too worried about the edibility of plants. If Kielo could eat them, she probably could too. She didn't understand that she was a carnivore, or even what that term meant. So she was oblivious to her inability to eat whatever Kielo offered her.

When I speak.

When I think.

Winter followed Kielo, moving slightly awkwardly with the moss bearing down on her back. It was heavy and she wasn't used to carrying anything that wasn't in her mouth. She was so distracted by it that she barely noticed they were coming back around to the rive. By the time she had looked up and saw Kielo steps away, it was too late. She opened her mouth to cry out, but her friend was already plunging into the water.

Horrified, she shot to the edge of the water and watched as they bobbed to the surface, pawing frantically at the waves. "Kielo!" She turned and hurried along the shore, trying to keep pace. But for what? She couldn't help her. She could swim, but she doubted she could drag them back. Bad time to be a snake, she thought, grimly.

She could do nothing but hope that Kielo could get out herself. She soured at her uselessness. After everything Kielo had done for her, in their moment of need she could do nothing.

But relief overcame her anger as they managed to drag themselves back onto the rocks. She hurried over at their call and stood up, checking over her body for injuries. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? I was so scared!"

She saw that they were shivering. However, she couldn't think of anything to do to make her warm. She wasn't exactly warm herself. She looked at her friend, disappointed in herself. "Sorry, I wish I could have helped you, but I didn't know what to do."

When I speak.

When I think.

Still worried that their friend was somehow hurt, Winter watched Kielo shake out her pelt with concern. She looked like she was cold, with all of her shivering and chattering. However, she could do nothing - she could not give Kielo the warmth they needed.

"N-no,
that's okay. I'll be..." but it was too late to stop Kielo from finding her food as she had already bounded off. Angry with herself for being helpless, she curled into a coil and awaited Kielo's return. This was frustrating, not being able to help. Having to be looked after and babied. If she was strong enough to hunt, Kielo wouldn't have fallen in the river and they would be curled up and warm, their bellies full.

But there was no going back now. Kielo was getting her food and she might as well be grateful.

When Kielo came back, carrying a small mushroom, Winter couldn't help but be intrigued. She slid forward and her tongue flicked curiously. The mushroom didn't smell bad. It was strange, but not uncommon. There were mushroom all over the place and she had scented them before. She wondered what they would taste like.

She let her jaw unhinge as she opened her mouth to engulf the fungus. However, the instant her tongue touched the side, a strange taste shot into her mouth. It was awful, like rotten prey and dirt and decay. Her body shuddered and she felt her stomach flip as her mouth close around the end. It felt strange and uncomfortable in her stomach, squishing down with rubbery skin.

Against her will, her throat convulsed and she spat the mushroom out, her tongue stinging with the taste.

Guiltily, she looked up at her friend. "I don't think I can eat them," she whispered, hoarsly.

When I speak.

When I think.

Winter looked away guiltily, not wanting to meet her friend's face. After they had gone and found her food, she couldn't eat it. In fact, she had spat it out right in front of them. She couldn't believe herself. Why couldn't she eat it? She wanted to, but she couldn't!

She gave Kielo a nod, letting her know that she could eat the mushroom. It wasn't like she was going to eat it. But what now? She wondered if she could even hunt for herself. The wound still throbbed and she hoped that it wouldn't make her clumsy. She couldn't ask Kielo to hunt for her.

"No, really, that's okay. I would prefer to hunt for myself."

When I speak.

When I think.

Winter shifted uncomfortably. All love and comfort from their night together was gone now, replaced with awkwardness and more hurt. Why wasn't Kielo eating the mushroom? She had offered it back to her, since she wasn't going to eat it. But then it struck her that Kielo was blind and wouldn't have been able to see her nod. "Oh, uh, sorry, yeah you can have the mushroom." But she didn't want Kielo to hunt for her, both because she liked to do it herself and because she wasn't sure Kielo would be able to do it. They were gentle, kind, and inexperienced with hunting. She wondered if they would even be able to kill it.

But she knew that they would be hurt if she refused again. There wasn't really any harm in letting Kielo hunt for her, right? But what if they were freaked out by the way she ate? What if they were disgusted by how she devoured her prey with a single bite, pushing it through her throat? What if they hated how she had to kill to eat?

She had to take the risk. She didn't want Kielo to be hurt anymore by her. "Okay,
well, I guess. But if you need help, I'll do what I can to make it easier. I know you're probably not experienced with hunting..." She managed to get the words out, but worry clogged them down like mud.

When I speak.

When I think.