"We're going to make bows."  I perked up, focusing on Mr. Goldlake's words a little more carefully.  I had always had an obsession with weapons.

"Everyone will be making their own bow.  And no, these won't be beautiful, perfect, ornate bows.  Bow making takes practice, so for your first try you'll probably end up with something that doesn't even work.  Still, it's worth a shot, right?  You've gotta start somewhere!"

I nodded in agreement, excitement already brewing inside me.  Tennielle looked excited, but she wasn't boiling over with enthusiasm.  Akdani actually looked as excited as I felt.

It turns out, I didn't have the patience for such an activity as making a bow.  I found a good stick on the ground quickly (which wasn't optimal, but in a national park we couldn't take live wood from the trees) and got to work wetting it and bending the ends around a log to shape it.  Then I started to cut it into the smooth shape with the small knife provided.  However, I soon got bored of scraping away to what seemed like no avail, so I set my knife down on a rock and started to wander a bit.  Since this was a "nature activity" according to the councilors, we had all spread out around camp to carve bows.  I had wanted to go to the tree by the pond, but it definitely wasn't close.

I walked around for a bit and saw Akdani whittling away quietly.  He seemed immersed in his task, so I turned away and wandered a little further from camp.  I stopped when I heard a rustle and turned to a thick patch of grass.  It was moving against itself slowly, despite the lack of wind.  Cautiously, I took a slow step forward.  Without any warning, two boys burst out with a yell.  I screeched and scrambled backward in surprise, then recovered and crossed my arms.  "What was that for?" I demanded.

They actually looked a little sheepish at first before covering it up with mean smiles.  "What?" one asked.  His most noticeable feature was his bright red hair, and he had dark brown eyes and medium brown skin.  "Can't you take a playful joke?"

I put my hands on my hips and did my best to look cool.  This was one battle I could win right now if I played right.  "I just didn't think people played dumb jokes like that after kindergarten.  Of course, that's just making a generalization based on people's average intelligence."

"Right," he countered smoothly.  "That means you're probably not intelligent enough to understand kindergarten games."

"No, it means you're not intelligent enough to realize the difference between a good game and a waste of what little brainpower you have."

"That almost sounded like an insult," he growled, balling his fists.

"That's because it was.  Good job being observant," I remarked sarcastically.  I was starting to have fun with this, but part of me also knew the danger I was in if I didn't act right.  Deciding that I was running out of comebacks, I turned abruptly.

"Coming!" I shouted before jogging leisurely away.  I tried to make it sound like I had heard someone call, but at this point I didn't really care.  A healthy nose was more important than healthy sarcasm.

I made it safely back to my rock and scooped up my knife and bow.  A footstep sounded behind me, and I raised the knife, turning.  Akdani put his hands up defensively.  "Geez.  I didn't know you were so protective!"

I grinned and relaxed.  "Sorry.  There were just some boys back there... one with red hair, one with brown... who ambushed me from the bushes."

He groaned and his face paled visibly.  "Riko and Toran have been bothering me for some time now.  They were probably waiting for me, but had to save face when they ended up ambushing you."

"That 'ambush' wasn't super scary."

"Oh, I'm sure they had something else planned, but they didn't want to waste it on you."

"I'm not sure whether to be insulted, relieved or just mad.  Do they always do stuff like this to you?"

He nodded.  "I've gotten used to it."  It was obvious from his tone he hadn't.  "It's not good you got dragged into this."

I shrugged.  "I probably would have dragged myself in sooner or later."

A bell rang, and I smiled.  "Since I'm a part of your problems now, how about you come and be a part of mine?  And right now that problem is, I'm hungry."

He grinned.  "Let's go get lunch."

As we walked toward the dining hall, I thought about the new path I was taking.  I may have involved myself in a problem, but the addition of a friend would be good, and maybe I could help him with Riko.