Victor awoke with the sun beating down on him, as even in the early morning its embrace was cruel and the air was hot. Already his lips were parched. Sam sat upright with her eyes closed and Hansel stood facing the watery haven far below. They got up and set off down the rocky slope without saying a word, and were covered in scrapes and bruises from the hard terrain by the time they found water. A small stream, barely a trickle, spilled from a rocky alcove and weaved its way downhill, leading them east. As the terrain became flatter they arrived at the oasis that Hansel had spotted, a large clear pond encircled with green. They drink their fill.
“There has to be food around here, right?” said Victor. “There are plenty of plants, and I bet there are fish in there!”
An unexpected voice emerged from behind them. It was Gretel. “I’d prefer rabbit.” She was sitting among the bushes eating freshly cooked rabbit meat. “Don’t expect me to share.”
“This isn’t a game!” Hansel said, angrily. “Stop messing around. We need food!”
Gretel drew back. “I can see that, but so do I. There’s hardly enough meat on this thing to begin with. I found him over there. Maybe you’ll find some more.”
While this was happening, Sam felt a sudden urge to follow the bank of the lake. She came to an area where the bushes had grown high. Scattered in the sand were bones of all sorts; some were small and some large, many were dry and had baked in the sun for a long time, and a few were broken or cracked. Strange footprints riddled the area. “Come and see this!” she called.
The company came to her and immediately examined the site. Gretel pointed at the footprints. “Old track. New tracks. Something has been living here. Human-like feet. It can gnaw through bones.”
“Either a goblyn or a witch,” Hansel suggested.
The creature (a witch) sprung out from its hiding place and tried to sink its teeth into Sam’s shoulder. She cried and wrestled with it. The grotesque witch writhed about, flailing its long arms and screaming. Suddenly a heavy blow to the head silenced it. Astrid stood over the fallen creature, a bleeding rock in her hand, and a disgusted look in her eye. “I’ve changed my mind. Maybe we should stick together.”
All their eyes turned to Gretel. She sighed. “Whatever.” And then handed her rabbit to Hansel.
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