Page 23 of Suncatcher

He raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I was just kidding…”

Pearl shoved him away roughly. “I’m going for a walk.”

Rave called after her, but she ignored him, heading into the broken bushes where they told her Driz had disappeared.

A spatter of blood darkened the earth. The heaviness grew into a leaden weight in her gut.

It was stupid to pursue an injured, aggravated beast alone at night. But Pearl was feeling stupid.

She did her best to follow the vague trail through the darkness. She soon lost it, but pushed on, up the other side of the slope that helped contain the valley.

“Driz?” Pearl called softly. No one answered.

She should give up and turn back to the camp.

She reached the crest of the hill. A rocky outcropping jutted nearer the entrance to the valley, and Pearl made her way toward it without a better idea of where a goyle might’ve gone. She called out occasionally, finding another dark splash on a light patch of dirt.

Movement caught her eye up ahead. A figure shifted and disappeared around the rocks.

“Driz?”

Pearl waited until the outline of a shaggy, horned head appeared, peeking at her.

“Come on out. I wanna talk to you.”

“Are you going to shoot me?” Driz asked, her gravelly voice quiet.

Pearl held her empty hands up and out, showing them. “Nope.”

“Are you going to stab me?”

Pearl’s sore gut tightened. “No.”

Driz eventually emerged. She walked forward, shoulders hunched, the end of one wing dragging on the ground as she held the main joint close against her body.

“You alright?” Pearl asked, even though it was clear she wasn’t.

“Do you care?”

Pearl released her breath. “For some reason, yeah. I guess I do. I’m sorry they hurt you. That I hurt you. And I never said thanks. For your help. That could’ve gone worse.”

Driz didn’t answer right away, and Pearl couldn’t see her well enough to determine expression. “You did not come this morning,” Driz said, her voice still quiet, like a scatter of pebbles down a slope.

“I know. I got delayed. Did you see the pie? I left it.”

“I saw.”

“It’ll be spoiled now. I’ll get you another one.”

“Will you?” Driz sounded unsure, and a little hopeful. She didn’t trust Pearl anymore, and Pearl didn’t blame her.

Pearl approached cautiously.

Driz took a single step back.

“May I see your wounds?” Pearl asked.

Driz didn’t answer in words but slowly released her wing, which she had wrapped protectively around herself.