In the midst of murder, dragons, and imperial intrigue, two childhood friends waded half naked through the shallows of a river, collecting fish and stealing glances at each other. 

[color=f26522]"If you want to talk snakes you should see the boulder snakes on the road to Dras Leona. About as thin as my little finger, and long as my forearm if they're lucky. Poisonous, but more painful than deadly. They hide in cracks in stones, you have to be careful where you think looks like a good seat, or else your pa is gonna pucker his lips on your arse to get the poison out,"[/color] he laughed, [color=f26522]"That's my experience of snakes, anyway. Do you think this is enough? I have no frame of reference for how much a baby dragon eats."[/color]

Rona was an industrious fisher, apparently, there were still more to collect, even as both boys were laden with stuffed baskets. Alph supposed that the flood had helped to fill the traps. 

[color=f26522]"Getting back across will be an ordeal, though."[/color]

And it was. Encumbered as they were, it was harder going. Again, Alph gave himself some room to drift and started upriver of his destination, but this time he had baskets tied haphazardly to his arms and came out of the river even further downstream and had to walk back to where they had stashed their clothes. 

He put the baskets down and shook himself as dry as possible before dressing.