I felt hot breath on my face, so I carefully opened my eyes. Two large nostrils were just a finger length from my face. Was that grunter still alive? Then the nostrils spoke. “About time you woooke Mark,” said Snowfall the horse. “Martel was worried when he had to carry you up here.” I slowly lifted my head and looked around. I was in the bivouac lying down next to my saddle; Snowfall was standing over me. Martel was nowhere in sight, but I could hear him loudly talking to himself as he came up the bank from the creek. Snowfall trotted over to meet his friend who was carrying a large brown object. Martel spoke to me when he saw that I was awake, “Brought your little friend’s head up here.” He stuck the grunter’s head on a broken limb of the bole that lay next to the fire. “I thought we should have a look at that crystal without all the townsfolk and farmers asking questions.” …show more content…
I guess landing on that gravel bank had knocked me silly. “What is all the noise down in the creek bed?” Snowfall answered, “The farmers are butchering up that big grunter.” As I was sitting up Martel came to my side and went down on one knee. He lifted my chin and looked in my eyes. “You landed harder than I thought. Passed right out as we were walking up here.” I looked at the grunter’s head when Martel let go of my chin. The eyes of the beast were open and it seemed like they were looking at us! “Martel, were the grunter’s eyelids open when you carried that head up here?” “No, it is dead, so they were closed,” he answered as he turned to look at the fire. “The healer of the village made you some tea. Would you like a cup?” He was already turning toward the fire when Snowfall whinnied. “Men, that thing’s eyes just followed Martel to the campfire!” As soon as Snowfall said it the eyes shifted to where he was