The Ridgerunner in the Durgan Guild 6

Soon a smell unfamiliar to Keya's nose floats from the kitchen to the living room where the children are.

Jireh took a deep breath of the smell and looked at Keya. "I think mom's almost done. Do you think you can sit up?"

"I think so..." Keya slowly sat up and Jireh was quick to prop her up with pillows.

"I'll go get you your dish. I don't think mom would want you moving with that injury..." He replied before hurrying to the kitchen.

After a minute, Jireh and his mother joined Keya in the living room. It appeared like his mom wanted to personally make sure Keya had gotten the food without spilling so it was on a wooden tray.

Keya felt anxious as she watched the mother sit on the far end of the couch and gently set the wooden tray on the table.

"I hope you like my flabbit stew. It's one of our family's favorites." Jireh's mom smiled and handed her the bowl and spoon.

Upon receiving the bowl, Keya looked down into it realizing the smell was emitting from it. She didn't know if she liked the smell or not but with Jireh's mother watching, she took the bowl and carefully used both her hands to pour a little bit of stew into her mouth.

Both Jireh and his mom watched curiously as they noticed Keya not using the spoon that was given to her.

After testing the stew, Keya concluded she enjoyed it and began to eat it rather quickly. The way she ate made Jireh's mom seem suspicious.

"You must be really hungry." The mother reacted with surprise.

It wasn't until the stew was completely gone that Keya pulled the bowl from her face.

"This... This had totatoes!" Keya sounded excited but held her head upon stating his. Her face was a mess because she didn't bother to wipe it after gulping down the beautiful stew.

"You like totatoes? I'm glad. Some people don't like adding it to this recipe." Jireh's mom smiled and took the empty bowl and unused spoon from Keya. "Now, you rest as long as you need. I'm going to get myself some and sit in our dining room." She smiled and left the room with the dishes.

Jireh waited until his mother was gone before asking Keya quietly, "I thought ridgerunners were herbivores."

"We're what?" Keya asked quietly in response.

"Um... You guys don't eat meat usually, right?" Jireh asked.

Keya started to feel nauseous. "Usually we just eat vegetables but mostly fruit..." She held her stomach. "Ugh... Why do I feel so gross..."

Jireh looked at her with concern. "I think it's because you ate meat..."

"Well, I can't throw it up. She'll think I'm being ungrateful." Keya held her hand over her mouth. "And it was so good too..."

Keya's new friend began to worry. "I-I don't know what to do. I should get mom-"

The next thing Jireh's mom heard was the sound of a loud gross splatter hitting the wooden floor. She immediately rose from her seat and ran into the living room.

"Eww!" Jireh exclaimed with disgust. He wasn't trying to be rude, it was just his first instinct response. Some of it got on his clothes.

Keya layed on her back with one arm hanging off the side of the couch. She looked very saddened to the point of tears.

"Oh dear!" The mother exclaimed as she hurried over. "Jireh, go get cleaned up. I'll take care of Keya."

Jireh nodded and ran off to his room.

"Keya, are you alright? Perhaps you ate too fast..." Jireh's mother helped Keya sit up. "It looks like you'll be needing a change of clothes too..."

"I'm sorry." Keya started to whimper like she feared she was in trouble. "I loved what you made me but my tummy hurt so bad I... I couldn't stop myself..."

The mother gave her a hug regardless of her being messy. "There is no need for tears, Keya. You couldn't stop it if you wanted to. Your stomach must have been really upset..."

When Keya felt the arms of Jireh's mother around her, she started sobbing and hugged her back. Her head hurt terribly and she was hugging a human but she didn't care. The first thing a child wants when they're sick or hurt is their mother and Keya's mother was dead. Jireh's mom only reminded her more of this fact.

Jireh's mom gently rubbed Keya's back as mothers often do when comforting a child. "Keya?" She gently lifted her head.

Keya whined and looked up at the mother without a word.

"Dear, what's going on? Do you really feel this sick or is it something else? Perhaps both?" The mom asked.

By this time, Jireh has entered the living room again but this time with a different set of clothes on. He sees Keya falling apart and he watches from the doorway. He's even surprised to see her hugging his mom.

"M-my... My... My mom... she.. she died..." Keya whimpered and cried. "My... my... my dad... he... he keeps telling me... to get over it... I can't..."

Jireh's mom frowned and glanced at her son.

Jireh was also frowning and even tearing up upon hearing this.

The mother looked back at Keya. "Well..." She wiped some tears away from the little ridgerunner's face. "That is a lot to handle..." At this point, Jireh's mom is practically cradling Keya in her arms.

"Why... why did she... she have to leave...?" Keya asked under her sniffling breath.

Jireh and his mother were quiet for a moment before he came over with a rag and began cleaning up the mess on the floor. He looked up at Keya and his mother from kneeling on the floor. "Maybe... Maybe you can stay a little longer then?" His gaze shifted to his mom. "Can she stay for dinner too?"

"Hm..." His mother thought out loud. "She seems worse than I thought... I don't see why she can't stay for dinner, if she is still feeling bad." Jireh's mom had many concerns on her mind regarding Keya but after hearing her story and feeling how thin she was for herself, she had a heart that wanted to help.

Keya pulled away slightly from the embrace to look at her. "You... mean it?"

Jireh's mother nodded. "Now, let's get you out of those clothes." She stood up while holding Keya in her arms (she found this really easy to do) and took her to a wooden trunk in another room.

Keya allowed her to carry her. It reminded of her mom all the more¹.

Jireh's mom leaned down and opened the trunk to pull out a child's shirt and skirt.

Keya wondered, upon seeing the clothes, why the mother had them because she saw there was no little girl in the family.

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¹Similar to monkeys or sloths or any other scurring animal that can climb, very young ridgerunners often hung on the backs of their mothers for the first few years of their lives. Especially caring mother ridgerunners approved of this but more greedy ones did not.