A Lot of Mouths To Feed

[Darastrix]

Tell me they didn't rob the temple that night, Scarlet thought, unable to think of any other reason why the child would have been told not to go back.

"You don't know any Waters who could help?" she asked, stalling. She really did not need to get more involved with those two. Or was it more? Teneth had said he had kids, plural. Dammit, if it was a bunch, she'd have to help.

[Kender Bard]

"Well there's Beatrice," Sunder replied, "But she's only, um, four. She can't make healing water yet. Trust me, we asked her to try but..." He gestured to his wet clothes. "It didn't really work." He bit his lip and shifted from foot to foot, clearly growing more anxious by the moment.

[Darastrix]

We. So at least two other children. Damn. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. "all right. Where do you live?"

[Kender Bard]

Sunder grinned, pleased, but looked around as though very suspicious of saying. "Um."

He walked over to her and went on tiptoe, whispering, "On an island not far away. Our little boat is in the docks. I can show you the way. But Teneth said to never, ever tell anyone more than that."

[Darastrix]

Considering what Teneth seemed to do with his spare time, the secrecy made sense. Scarlet couldn't help the initial thought of Fireteeth, though. But that was silly; Fireteeth was too far away to be a likely location. It had to be some little island off the coast somewhere.

"Okay, you go back to the dock and wait while I go buy some healing water," Scarlet told Sunder. She wasn't just going to give the kid money, after all.

[Kender Bard]

"Right! Of course!" Sunder replied and turned around, scampering away - almost tripping again but catching himself. He really was a bit of a clumsy boy.

[Darastrix]

Forces, it's a wonder he made it here by himself without capsizing or something.

Scarlet walked over to the guard who'd spoken to her earlier. "Can you cover for me for a while?" she asked. "I need to run pick up some healing water for the kid's dad. They're not used to the island yet and he's worried enough without adding getting lost on his way back to it."

[Kender Bard]

"Well, okay," the guard agreed. "Tha's good of ya, Scarlet, 'elping above and beyon' yer duties. I'll cover ya, but don't take too long, ya 'ear?" He smiled and went to gather his things.

[Darastrix]

"Thanks. If I end up gone too long, I'll take your next shift to make up for it," she promised. That seen to, Scarlet headed out at a light jog. She stopped by her own home first to grab a bag and stuff some extra food in it, mostly bread and dried meat with a bit of fruit as well. Next stop was the healer, to buy some healing water, then she ran out to the docks, looking for the boy.

[Kender Bard]

Sunder waved to her from his 'ship' - which was barely more than a tiny sailboat. It could almost be a rowboat with a rather pitiful sail attached for that matter.

"Ready to go!" he announced happily. "The trip isn't all that long, not with the good breeze we have today. I hardly had to row at all."

[Darastrix]

"Is this thing safe?" she asked, eying the little boat before cautiously getting in. Thank Efil she knew how to swim.

[Kender Bard]

"Of course it is," Sunder replied, giving her a look as though that was nearly an offensive question. "Father made it and he could make anything great." Once she was inside, he took up the paddles and rowed out of the dock into the more open water before fussing with the sail and catching enough of the breeze to send them off. He continued to row until the sail billowed with more wind and then stopped to rest his hands.

The trip wasn't terribly long though it was no skip and a hop back home. After the rather uneventful (save for when the boat rocked precariously with a sudden very strong gust) sailing trip, the sight of another "island" came into view, though that was using the word lightly. The bit of land was terribly small. It was just large enough to hold a cottage, some pasture, a large garden, and an animal pen though the pen stood woefully empty. The house looked sturdy though it could use some repairs - recent signs indicated there had been some patch jobs made on the roof that were shoddy at best.

As soon as Sunder had touched land, the island having no dock, just a sandy little beach strip on one end, three other children burst from the house. Two were girls, one close to Sander's age and another that was young enough to pass for four - Beatrice possibly - as well as a young boy of about six years old. All four of the children had different facial structures and hair colors - from red and golden brown to blonde and black. In fact, they seemed to look nothing like one another.

"Sunder, Sunder, you're home!" the older girl cried out and threw herself at the boy, clasping him tightly. "And you brought help!"

"Yes I did," Sunder replied proudly and hugged the girl back. "Everything okay here?"

The other three children shook their head, and were terribly solemn.

Sunder looked uneasy as well but then cleared his throat. "This is my family, miss. Well, part of it. The rest are likely inside. Beatrice, Ian, and Victoria."

[Darastrix]

"How many of you are there?" Scarlet blurted in surprise. She'd been expecting three, maybe four children. No wonder Teneth had needed food.

[Kender Bard]

"Oh, eight, including me," Sunder replied. Victoria grabbed his hand and started to drag him back to the house as the younger two ran inside to herald their return. "There's also Straton, Katty, Copper, and Primrose - though we just call her Rose."

The house was as modest inside as it appeared on the outside. There appeared to be four rooms total in the cottage and the majority of the children were sitting in a circle on the floor outside the door to one of the rooms. They were of varying ages, from a toddler up to about eight or nine years old. Sunder and Victoria were clearly the oldest of the group. The children were all very quiet, save for the toddler who made a few sounds as she played with a block of carved wood.

[Darastrix]

"Is that Teneth's room?" she asked quietly, nodding at the door. "I have some healing water for him."

Scarlet was trying not to think how hard the whole situation had to be for everyone. It would only get her in trouble. Well, more trouble. But nine people on this little island, and only one adult? It was a wonder they'd managed at all.