She looked at him carefully, then shook her head, climbing to her feet.
"Yeah, okay," she said, looking thoughtful. "I'm gonna go to the feilds. You're going to need some fresh lavender for those stone marks. You're mum will only be upset if she sees them."
She gave him a smile, and adjusted her scarf so it covered her head before heading to the door.
"I'll be back in 5," she added, before letting herself out of the house.
The sun was warm and many of the local young were in the town center. The little ones played, whilst their older siblings chattered, the boys taking breaks from their work, the girls pausing in their chores to chat and laugh.
Kes didn't seem to notice them, mostly because they'd always been background to her. Her brother, on orders from her mother, had been trying to get her to go in the evening to socialize. Kes had scowled and said she didn't want to go. She wanted to see her friends, which had meant Jube. Her brother didn't go often himself, sticking to the forge. The girls that liked him, that he didn't even realize, would cluster near the forge when their father went for his lunch, calling to him and giggling.
They were there now, she saw. She moved past them to Robin, who's head was bent, ears red. She pulled a face at the girls and they shot her daggers but left. Robin looked relieved.
"Feeling better," he asked, throwing the metal into the water to seal.
"I'm still not happy, Robin," she told him, "but I have Jube to think about. I can't leave."
"You really love him," Robin said kindly. Seeing her face, he added "like a friend."
"He's my best friend, like you," she said, mollified. "I don't know what to do, Robin. I don't want to marry."
Robin didn't say anything. If their parents had told Robin he was to marry, he would have been unhappy but obedient. It would be Kes who would have kicked up a stink for him.
"I'm off into the feilds," she said. "I just wanted you to know I was okay."
"Just be careful," he said, retrieving the metal to hit again.
She felt relieved having spoken to Robin. She knew he hated being used by her mother and her as some sort of intermediary. At least now he could relax.
She headed down a lane, looking closely for lavender. It was then that she saw Pepper and his friends, jogging slightly to the woods. They seemed excited about something.
She looked around. She owed Pepper for that attack on Jube and Jube would never do it himself. Pepper needed to understand that she wasn't going to let him hurt Jube. She had been told violence didn't solve violence, and that a lady shouldn't raise her fist. She didn't care about being a lady, and she knew Pepper would never respond to being reasoned with.
Beside, something that caused Pepper to run was not going to be good.
She moved fast, even more concerned when she saw there was 5 boys, all holding sticks. Between their legs she could see a black wolf. It was cowering, cornered by the boys. Each time it tried to move, a boy would swing a stick, striking the poor beast.
"Leave it alone!" she screamed, running at them and throwing herself at Pepper, who stumbled forward and the wolf, frightened and confused, bit him. 
He gave a howl and the other boys looked alarmed, frozen for long enough for the wolf to dodge away, clearly hurt but seeming to know that it would have only one chance.
"You stupid...." Pepper shouted, angry as a bull and in pain, lashing out and hitting her head.
Kes was tough, but she was still smaller than Pepper, and his pain and fury gave him adrenaline. He knocked her aside as easy as if she were a blade of grass, and she went over, her face hitting a rock.
This would normally have put fear into any of the boys, who understood exactly who's daughter, and come to that [b]family[/b] she was, but Pepper was too far gone on his rage and kicked her hard in the side.
"Pepper!" one of the others shouted, as a couple tried to grab him. His nostrils were flared and his leg was bleeding.