“Well, you were talking to Boxter. And I like to hunt and forage alone. I always have.” She took another step toward him, but he made no sign of moving to allow her to pass him on the branch. It was wide enough that he could easily have moved to one side. Instead, he remained perched where he was, looking up at her. She didn’t know Nortel well; she’d never realized his eyes were green. He was not as scaled as most of the other boys, and what he did have, around his eyes, was very fine. When he blinked, his lashes caught the light and sparked silver at her.

After a long moment, he said, “I’m sorry about Rapskal. I know you two were close.”

She looked away from him. She was trying not to think of Rapskal and Heeby and whether they had died quickly or struggled for a long time in the water. “I’ll miss him,” she said. Her voice went thick and tight on the words. “But today is today, and I need to see what food I can find. May I get past you, please?”

“Oh. Of course.” Instead of just sliding to one side, he stood up. He was taller than she was. He turned sideways on the branch and motioned that she should edge past him. She hesitated. Was there a challenge in how he stood there or was she imagining it?

She decided she was being silly. She edged past him, sliding her feet and facing him as she did so. She was halfway past him when he shifted slightly. She dug her toenails into the bark of the branch and hissed in alarm. He immediately caught her by the arms and held her facing him. His grip on her arms was firm, and she was closer to him than she wanted to be. “I wouldn’t let you fall,” he promised her, his face solemn. His green eyes bored down into hers.

“I wasn’t about to fall. Let go.”

He didn’t. They were frozen in a tableau, looking at each other. A struggle would almost certainly mean that one or both of them would fall. The smile on his face was warm, the look in his eyes inviting.

“I’m getting angry. Let go now.”

The warmth faded from his eyes, and he granted her request. But he slid his hand down her arm before he lifted it away. She hopped past him, resisting the urge to give him a slight shove as she did so.

“I didn’t mean to make you angry,” he said. “It’s just…well, Rapskal is gone. And I know you’re alone now. So am I.”