A gentle nudge of the shoulder brought Miwah out of her stupor.

"What now... Yalch...?" Miwah muttered.

"Yalch? What's a Yalch?" Tamma said with confusion.

Miwah slowly opened her eyes again when the smell of roasted meat reached her nostrils. Her head angled in the direction of the savory aroma. "Is that... for me?" she said with a trembling voice as she eyed the metal tray in Tamma's hand. A pile of long strips of crispy brown meat sat on top. The hunter handed it over to Miwah.

"All yours," Tamma said. "I've got some water too if you're thirsty." She then placed a canteen on the ground next to Miwah.

"I cannot thank you enough!" Miwah said as she stared at the tray that rested on her lap. She pinched one end of the chunky pieces of meat and promptly ate it, sighing and grinning as she chewed. The flavor of the meat was nigh on non-existent. Only a strong spiciness lingered on the edge of her tongue.

"Don't worry about it, lass! I've been hungry before, so I know what it feels like to have gone days without eating," Tamma replied. She took a seat next to Miwah in front of the wheels of the caravan. The hunter then put two fingers two her lips and made a high-pitched whistle. Miwah watched her as she continued to chow down on her food. Across the expanse of grass, she could see a shadow move through the foliage, ruffling leaves and branches as it came closer.

A beast burst through the hedge shrubbery. Shaped like a boar, the animal dashed towards Tamma with its tongue flopping outside of its narrow mouth. Tamma opened her arms, letting the animal hop on top of her. She laughed as it sniffed her face with its long snout, snorting joyfully as Tamma brushed her hands against its back.

Miwah scooted to the side to give the hunter and her companion more room to play. She paused her eating to look at the bits of meat on her tray and then at the animal that Tamma embraced.

"Down, Lug! Down!" Despite Tamma's playful command, the animal remained on top, continually sniffing and licking the hunter. "Come on, boy! I mean it! Can't you see we've got company?" She then patted her companion on its side, prompting him to step off. Tamma set herself upright and faced Miwah. "Sorry about that, Miwah. You know how brillicks can be, right?"

"Never seen one before," Miwah said before gulping down the rest of her bite. "And... it is safe to assume that I have never eaten one either. Right?" With one eye she glanced down at her tray before looking back at Tamma.

"Of course not!" Tamma said with surprised smile. "I would never eat a brillick! Even if I was on the brink of death! What I cooked up for you was a spare ration of forest rat seasoned with salt and ozako peppers. And the peppers aren't there to add flavor. It is the flavor."

Miwah glanced at her food again with a disappointed look. "Oh. Forest rat."

"Sorry I couldn't whip you up a fancy cuisine in time. You were on the verge of losing consciousness, so I had to give you something that was readily available."

"I am more than happy with this!" Miwah said while nodding her head. "I just wanted to make sure that you did not cook one of your pets just to feed me."

Tamma began brushing the back of Lug with her hand. The Brillick laid on its stomach and purred as Tamma continued to move her hand along the length of his spine. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not sure I'd cook a brillick to save someone else's life. Especially not a stranger that I barely know. Forest rat isn't the tastiest of meats, but it can do in a pinch."

The seamstress took another chomp out of her food. "I mostly taste the pepper," Miwah said after gulping down the bite. "Not bad at all."

"You don't have to be so kind as to spare my feelings. Even the most talented of chefs couldn't make a decent meal out of forest rat. But I always keep it on me because of how much energy it gives."

"Regardless, it is a satisfying meal for me," Miwah said with a smile. "My village mostly consumed fish, so this forest meat is a... pleasant... change."

With her other hand, Tamma gave Miwah a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Once we get into town, we can get you some real food."

"You do not have to do that. You have been more than generous."

"It won't be anything fancy. Maybe something from a bakery. Besides, I got a half decent haul today. I can afford to spare some coin with what I'll make at the market later." Tamma got up and stretched her arms above her head. Lug rose on all four of its stubby legs as well, looking at Tamma as she walked towards the front of the caravan. "We'll be heading out soon. Once I finish arranging everything in the caravan, we'll be good to go. Just give me a minute to get things set up."

"Take your time," Miwah replied. As she went for another bite of food, she noticed Lug staring at her. He panted, his entire body moving up and down as his small black eyes followed her hand as she lifted another strip of meat. The brillick stepped forward, letting his tongue stick out as he stood next to her. The face of the animal was roughly the same height as her sitting down. It placed his snout next to her arm and began sniffing.

"Are you hungry, Lug?" Miwah asked the animal. He took his snout off her arm then eyed the tray. She moved the food closer to its face, watching as Lug stretched its neck out and snatching the last piece of meat off the tray. The brillick laid down on its belly as it happily gnawed on the roasted forest rat.

"Oh, and Miwah!" Tamma stuck her head out from the side of her wagon. The seamstress shifted her eyes from the animal to the hunter. "Try not to feed him. Don't let those dopey eyes get—" Tamma went silent when she heard the sound of the brillick's tongue licking something.

"My apologies," Miwah said embarrassedly.

Tamma shook her head. "It's not a big deal. Lug just gets sleepy when he eats too much. That's why I feed him after work is done. He already had something to eat before we went hunting. But I guess he knew that you didn't know and used his charm to get you."

"All things considered that is quite clever."

"He's a clever boy. Too clever for his own good sometimes." Tamma whistled again, making the brillick stop chewing on his food. He gave the hunter a sluggish stare before returning to his meal. "Don't get me started on how lazy he can be, either." Tamma rolled her eyes before vanishing back inside her wagon. Once inside, she rummaged through its contents, making sliding and clacking noises loud enough to be heard from the outside.

"Do you need any help, Tamma?" Miwah said loudly. She waited for a response but only heard more rustling from inside. After placing the empty tray on the ground, Miwah jaunted to the front of the wagon. She then pushed one of the curtains that covered the wagon's entrance. Miwah poked her head through the small opening and peeked inside.

Pelts and furs of a plethora of sizes and colors lined the narrow the walls of the caravan. The height of the wagon from the wooden floor to the canvas ceiling spanned the height of Miwah's shoulders. Tamma remained in the back, on her knees as she continued to arrange the wide array of meats and hides.

"Excuse me, Tamma," Miwah said quietly. The hunter turned her head around.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes. I just came around to see if you required any assistance."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm pretty much done at the moment." Tamma shifted some jars to the very back wall before making her way out of the transport. Miwah stepped to the side so she could get out.

"You are a merchant?" Miwah asked, putting her head through the curtain again to look at the results of Tamma's arranging. The caravan was packed from corner to corner save for the narrow area of the already slim wagon that Tamma had just stepped out of.

"For the most part, yeah," Tamma replied. "I earn my coin by selling pelts and food throughout the town. But I do other tasks on the side as well. If you ever get a pest that you can't seem to catch, well, I'm the woman you call."

"A talented hunter then?" Miwah said with a bit of awe.

"The best on Chuthford! But that's partly because I'm the only one. Farrowport is a harbor town, so a lot of goods are imported. Not to mention that the most people here eat nothing but fish." Tamma gave her wagon a pat on the side. "But you'd be surprised how many people are willing to buy some good ole land-based meat whenever they get tired of seafood."

"How long would that haul last you for?"

Tamma looked at her wagon again and bobbed her head from side to side as she contemplated her answer. "I'd say about two weeks. Give or take a few days. Fortunate thing about furs and pelts is that they don't go bad like meats do. Not too many people buy them, but I hate to waste a perfectly good part of an animal."

Miwah opened the curtains to the wagon once more. She gravitated to one of the pelts that hung up on the side. She took her hand slowly brushed down the golden fur. "This material is quite pleasant," Miwah said. "You could make a fine coat from this."

"You think so?" Tamma said as she stood beside Miwah and examined the pelt. "I haven't been able to sell that golden bear hide in months. It's been taking up valuable retail space, but I don't have the heart to just get rid of it."

"I never worked with animal hide exactly like this," Miwah replied as she lifted pulled the pelt off its hanger and turned it over. "But I still think I could turn it into something useful if I had the proper resources."

The hunter nodded her head. "I like that idea. There's a crafting trader over in the market. I'm going to head over there now. We can see what they have once I set up shop."

"But I'm coinless," Miwah said. "And you have done more than enough for me already." She then put the fur back onto its hanger and secured it onto the wall again.

"How about a deal?"

"A deal?"

"I buy you the supplies. You turn that fur into something practical and we’ll split the profits. How does that sound?"

Miwah smiled. "I think that is more than fair. Especially after all that you have done for me."

"Then shake on it." Tamma extended an open hand. Miwah took the palm and shook it. "So, we're in business then!"

Art Spotlight: Tamma Lezmala and Lug