[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

They found some promising shoots a short way outside the city, and Eko carefully scooped a little of the surrounding sand and dirt into the jar with the tiny plants, securing it back into the saddlebag where it belonged before climbing back onto Rogir. She held a hand up against the horizon - they had left a little later than planned, and judging by the number of fingers she could fit between the sun and the horizon they had a little over three hours of daylight left.

[16]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Two hours later, they stopped in the shelter of a large pile of rocks and made camp. Eko removed the saddle and bags from Rogir and erected the frame around them, hanging the tarpaulin over it as Rogir had a wander around for any prey he could snap up. He usually brought whatever he caught to her first, in case they needed to share the meal, and she was always struck by how intelligent he was to do so.

[17]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

A short while later, Rogir's kills lay beside the fire she had lit and was slowly feeding, with a slight breeze fanning the flames and helping them grow. She had unrolled her bed roll and had wrapped a thick wrap around her shoulders. She wasn't concerned - their makeshift tent would keep her warm, and Rogir would be alert in case anything should come near. As she skinned and gutted the small animals, she wondered idly what she would be doing if she wasn't travelling the world in search of rare flowers.

[18]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Rogir rolled over onto his back beside her, and she rubbed his belly, the smooth scales familiar under the rough calluses on her hand. He made a chirrup noise and rolled his head to look at her, and she smiled before holding up the innards for him to catch. Through his noisy chomping, Rogir made contented sounds and she hoped it would be enough for him until she was done with her share, at which point he would have the carcasses as well.

[19]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Eko watched as he stood and took a few steps away before she had to dive in front of her cooking area, as the large reptile shook the dust off of himself from snout to tail tip. She shook her head, dislodging some of the dust and sand from her clothes, and sighed; she supposed she should be grateful he hadn't just stood up and done it right beside her, as he had done before - there had been many ruined meals before he understood what the problem was.

[20]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Rogir himself paid her no mind, as he was hunting again, chasing some small, furry and unfortunate creatures between the stones. Eko ignored their alarmed squeaks and shrieks, and ignored them even harder when they were replaced by chomping and crunching sounds.

She pulled one of the jars of preserved vegetables from her saddle bag, and unscrewed the lid, breathing in the smell of fresh vegetables. She would never forget the amount of scrimping and saving it had taken to buy each of these jars, or the sorry excuses for meals she had had without them.

[21]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

A short while later, she was stretched out on the ground, Rogir's head resting on her lap as she stroked his neck jently and watched the stars. He snored lightly, though every so often his ear or nose twitched as if he heard something in the distance. It was almost completely dark now, and though the flickering light of the fire lit the camp well enough to see, all she could see outside of their little circle of light were the silhouettes of the dunes and the occasional rock or large cactus.

[22]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She yawned, and gently pushed Rogir's head off of her so she could sit up. He stretched himself out and sat up, blinking sleepily in the firelight and watching curiously as Eko stood up and stretched, before wandering over to check on the pelts of the lizards she had skinned; stretched out on stones by the fire, they had dried out nicely, and she rolled them up before inserting them into one of her preservation jars. She hated letting anything go to waste that could be useful.

[23]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She looked up as a slight breeze ruffled her hair, and sighed; it was stronger than the wind had been earlier that day, and for safety she could not allow the fire to continue burning overnight the way she had been hoping to. She wandered over to the tent where she had placed her saddlebags, and pulled out her trowel, before moving back to the fire and shoveling sand onto it to smother it, watching carefully to prevent stray embers from moving anywhere near her belongings.

[24]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Without the firelight, the campsite was almost blindingly dark, with just enough light given by the moon to see the outline of the tent and Rogir's head, following her movements. She yawned and rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand, before making her way under the tarpaulin. She thanked her lucky stars for the enchantments on it - the amount of times she had been eaten alive by bugs because Rogir had shredded the mosquito nets in his haste to get out of the tent were beyond counting.

[25]

[Wild Pet Found]