Soon, they arrived at a small inlet protected from the waves. It was twilight tide, between the highest and lowest level of the water. Good for gathering sea greens. Bran went in first and yelled.
“Yow!” But he went in deeper to his hips even though his toes were already getting numb.
“Well, your turn. I can tell you this, this cures any desire to have an experience. I think my snake disappeared” Bran laughed.
Yust entered the water and walked up to Bran as fast as he could before he had second thoughts. He looked down and nodded his head with a quiet giggle.
Kombo sea greens were growing thick in the water and swaying in the waves like the grasslands in the breeze. He pulled out his knife and grabbed a large kombo sea green under the water. It was long and lanky with ‘leaf’ stalks growing from the main stalk. Yust carefully cut away the side stalks leaving the main one to regrow so they could come back later in the Cel season and gather more. He threw them in the basket slung over his shoulder. Bran was doing the same.
“Should we look for nor?” Bran asked.
“Let’s get some of that when we come back during the long days” he answered realizing that by the time the next sea green foraging time rolled around Bran would be living in Heronhaven with Lan. Bran just nodded his head. They continued gathering sea greens even though their teeth were chattering and Yust realized his toes were losing feeling.
When both their baskets were full, Bran motioned to the shore and they both gladly left the water. Bran and Yust put their baskets down and they sat in the sand shivering. Bran wrapped his arm around Just and pulled him close to warm them both.
“The rogue was weird and creepy” Bran interrupted Yust’s frustrated silence “I don’t want you to be a rogue.” It looked like there was a tear in Bran’s eye. Bran rarely showed emotion other than excitement and laughter when he was playing or goofing off, or anger when in an argument. This melancholy voice was something Yust only heard once before when Bran’s younger brother was killed by a lion. Yust didn’t know how to react or what to say.
“I don’t either”
“Yust. I love you more than my parents, or sister or anyone. I don’t know what I would do if you vanished. Probably break all the rules and let you live with me. But don’t be a rogue.”
Bran pulled him a bit closer.
