Vellia heard the voices, thinking it was just a simple argument between others of the company, but . . . no, there were warnings . . . then threats. This couldn't be just between Shepherds. She looked up and, noticing a female running away with . . . was that their pot of food? Vellia didn't even hesitate to hop to her feet, jumping completely across the stream this time, and ran at full speed, drawing her blade in the process.

As she noticed how much their archer was trembling, Vellia knew that she would not be able to fire the arrow with good aim. [b]"Don't shoot!"[/b] Vellia shouted, running past the girl and chasing down the thief. It wasn't a hard chase. Someone carrying a heavy pot of food and trying not to spill hot stew all over herself tends to not run very fast. Even then, though, it took everything inside of her for Vellia to catch up. Vellia skirted around the thief and stopped in front of her, aiming her sword at the thief.

[b]"Stop!"[/b] Vellia demanded. [b]"That's not . . . yours to take,"[/b] she said between heavy breaths. [b]"If you wanted food . . . why not . . . just ask for it? We aren't like the Yllissean army, you know?"[/b] When the scent of the stew trailed her way, Vellia's stomach growled audibly. It smelled delicious, and Vellia imagined that it would taste better than any meal she had had in a long time.