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Amalirahc tried to stop, but he tripped over his own feet and fell down, skinning his palms when he tried to break his own fall.

"Sorry," he apologized, sitting up and brushing off his hands and knees. He ignored the scrapes on his hands, scrambling to his feet just as Miyuki and River caught up with him.

River sighed. "We don't know this place like you do," she reminded him. "If we lose you we won't know where to find you."

"Of course I'm all right," Amalirahc replied, slightly annoyed. "Come on, if we just stand here we'll never get there!"

He was a rough and tumble boy, and he wasn't going to let a bit of skinned palms slow him down at all!

River sighed. "Just don't run this time," she told the boy firmly.

Amalirahc nodded and took off again - at a power walk, which wasn't a whole lot slower than his running, though it was an improvement.

River smiled ruefully and put one hand on Miyuki's shoulder as she kept pace with her.

"Don't hold it against him," she murmured. "I really think he doesn't even realize he's going so fast."

Thanks to their speed, though, it was only a few minutes more when they arrived at the field where a small group of children were kicking a ball around. There were only five or six of them at the moment, but it was still very early in the day. Many of them had chores to do before they could come out.

Some of them called out to Amalirahc, inviting him to join them when they saw him, and he ran ahead eagerly and joined them. They didn't seem to see the girls, though.

River didn't let it bother her. She wanted to rest a bit first anyways.

"What do you suppose the rules are?" she asked Miyuki, watching the boys as they kicked the ball around.

But just as Miyuki finished speaking, one of the boys hit the ball with his hands, knocking it aside before the game continued.

River just shook her head. "Maybe Amalirahc can explain," she murmured, "if he stops long enough."

Leyenda and Kelirahc caught up with the girls just at that moment. "Aren't you going to join in?" Kelirahc asked them with a grin.

River blinked at Miyuki. "You are? I thought we were waiting for someone to tell us how the game is played."

Kelirahc laughed heartily. "Then go! Leyenda and I will be here, watching over you."

River looked up at Leyenda. She hadn't said anything yet, either on the walk, or now. Still, River didn't want to say anything in case it really wasn't anything to worry about. But she couldn't help but think it was a bit strange, since Leyenda was really the one Amalirahc got his bubbliness from.

"Okay," she agreed with Kelirahc. She looked at Miyuki. "Come on, let's go see how this is played."

River grinned and ran with her towards the group of children who were playing with the ball.

As they approached the group, River called out, "Hello!"

One of the boys stopped the ball with his foot and picked it up. He looked over at River and Miyuki. Like the other boys, he had golden hair and blue eyes, and his eyes were narrow as he took in the sight of the girls.

"Who said you could play?" he demanded. "Who are you?"

"Hey, these are my best friends," Amalirahc said, running over to them. "River and Miyuki!"

"What a weird name," another boy said as all the other boys gathered around.

A guarded look appeared on Amalirahc's face, and his body tensed slightly. Before he could say anything, though, River asked, "So how do you play this game?"

"You kick the ball with your feet," the boy with the ball in his hands explained. "You're only allowed to use your hands if it's going to hit you in the head or something. You have to try kick it into the goal."

He pointed towards the space between two rocks that had been set up and painted with runes that read goal in elvish.

One of the other boys pointed at River. "She can play. She's like Amalirahc, different, but still kind of the same."

River blinked. "What?"

"Hey!" Amalirahc protested, realizing immediately what the boy had meant. "That's not fair at all! Miyuki can play too!"