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Sara gave Biroki a dark, withering look, but Hijil had placed herself in such a way that there was no way for her mother to avoid looking at her. Sara's eyes met Hijil's and the woman blinked, calming.
"No." she said, looking away from the boy even as she pushed him aside, tearing the bundles open with claw like fingers.

Hijil watched her mother carefully, prepared to take whatever might come. The question remained- what was in those bundles?

Sara took out, one by one, a series of items.
From Hiji's pack, several small wooden blocks of some sort and some fragments of what looked like pottery, but was harder and shinier than any that the earthlings had ever seen made. In Biroki's pack, there was a single, heavy tube of some sort, worn and rusted as if it had been part of a riverbed.

Hijil frowned. These were artifacts, she had seen similar things in the ruins in the jungle while gathering. Why had mother wanted them, and why had Reshel sent them?

Sara looked over the offerings, one by one, scrutinizing them as if they were all potentially dangerous. She took extra long on the tube, looking through it, over it, around it- every which way, before hissing and turnign on the boy.
"What did you do to my material?!" it had been in his bundle, so clearly whatever had been wrong was his fault!

Hijil moved towards Biroki again, trying to get herself between her mother and the boy, without being too obvious about it. She was reasonably certain that there could have been no tampering with whatever it was, since the boy had been occupied with trying to keep up with her- and she was very sorry about that. Mother was in a mood again, and that was not good.
"Ma." she said quietly, trying to placate the woman.

Obviously he had done something because this was what she had asked for, but it was wrong, all wrong. Reshel could not be at fault- Reshel was faultless- so it clearly must be this boy's doing.
"What did you do!" Sara yelled, "Now this tube is useless! you bent it, didn't you?! DIDN'T YOU?"
Well maybe not useless. It occurred to Sara that the boy might not have done the terrible thing on purpose. But of course that wasn't true. Everybody was out to get her, even this boy. Only her own daughter was on her side.

Hijil became more and more concerned. That tube looked heavy, and her mother looked like she was about to hit the boy with it. Hijil would not allow it.
"Ma. I can fix it." Hijil said, holding her hands out. If it was only bent, then surely she could do something.

Sara's sureness in her daughter's loyalty often wavered, but thankfully it righted itself. Hijil only wanted to help- she was a good girl.
"Its ruined, Hijil, there is nothing you can do" even with her strong arms.
"He has to fix his own messes." she glared imperiously at the boy. "fix it."

Sara's face contorted into a mask of rage.
"Don't know?!" she snarled, "You filthy child! You broke it, you fix it!" her eyes were wild, "Unless you did it on purpose!" oh poor Reshel, harboring such an evil child in his midsts! She would warn him, but he would be too good to believe her. She raised the metallic tube, her teeth gritted in a grimace.
"Did you do it on purpose, boy?!" she said in a half-shriek, her arm tensed as if to bring the tube down on the boy.

Hijil's eyes widened. No, her mother wouldn't. She couldn't believe that her mother could hit such an obviously innocent boy. Time seemed to move slowly as she reached out to grab and hold back her mother's hand. Her grip was gentle but strong.
"Mama, no." she said, the softness of her voice a lie to the rapid pounding of her heart.

Sara turned, startled, to look at the flame, tube still raised. Her fire had been burning merrily- why did it flare? WHY DID IT FLARE?

Hijil was also startled, but she was unsure if she shuld release her mother's hand to deal with the flame... the boy was still at risk...

Sara turned at the running footsteps and, with a scream of rage, ran out after the boy.

Hijil followed in quick pursuit, grabbing her mother gently to stop her.
"Ma, let him go. He did nothing." she said softly.

Sara's expression went blank for a moment before she turned around to strike Hijil. Once, she hit with the tube before Hijil blocked her and then she struck at her with her fist, again and again until she finally slumped, calm.

Hijil endured the hits with great stoicism.
"Lets go inside, ma." she said quietly.

Without a word, Sara twisted out of her daughter's hold and stalked back to their home.

Hijil sighed. It would be one of those nights. She was glad, though. At least only she was the only one who was hurt.