With all the actions and talk of war, adventure and bravery of the morning, Tsado felt a little left out. He knew that Tsami liked to talk up a good story, and admittedly he was very good, at telling stories that is. Tsado wasn’t quite sure how much of them were true, but they certainly made good listening, except when he started repeating stuff. During other stories Tsado would have to stop him and say, “Heard that one ,” and Tsami would just mutter something and go onto another story. Today however, Tsami seemed very animated and he actually was very convincing as he recounted the trip through the forest, after all, thought Tsado, all he had done that day was to clean the cave, and the only excitement was when he burnt a hole in his kettle.

“Well you didn’t tell me you were going to a war when you left, you just snuck out.” Tsado thought he had to make some attempt to justify his seemingly ordinary day.

“Err I didn’t know there was a war on when I left this morning, did I,” snapped back Tsami. Then he felt he needed to explain about the war itself, “Of course, we all know about the war, but who would have thought a battle would break out around here?” he explained before resuming his story, “I was just on my way home from mum and dad’s when fate dealt me the hand, sort of like a test…” he recounted with a far away look.

“A test?” queried Tsado.

“Err, yeah, to like ar…to see if I could handle it…you know.”

“Handle what…You’re just a fish monger, I for one certainly wouldn’t want you handling any of my stuff with your fishy hands… why would anyone want to test you? “

“Tsado! If you’ll stop interrupting I’ll tell you…anyway, it happened all of a sudden like…there we were…they were all around us…”

“Us? We? But you went to your folks on your own didn’t you?”

Tsado…!” Tsami whispered menacingly and Tsado shut his mouth immediately. “As I was saying, we were surrounded by Them!” Tsami was enjoying the retelling of the events. “Them?” said Tsado.

“Yes, them.”

“Who were them, er they?”

“Why, the enemy of course, but that’s not important now…and that’s where I came to the rescue, you see.”