Weylin and Johnny followed the girls. It was easy. They weren't even trying to be stealthy. Weylin snorted at them as they chattered and sang. Why do girls have to be so noisy? They would scare all the game away, not that it mattered this day. Weylin thought smugly as he pictured the haul him and his brother were going to make. Finally—someone to show them the entrance to the forest. He knew it was there. It was really aggrieving to not be able to find it!
They stopped to watch as the girls marched right into the middle of a tree.
"Let's wait a little," Weylin called, "we don't want to just come up on them, now do we?"
"Oh, I don't know," Johnny answered. "That little blond girl looks appetizing, now that the mane is gone and all."
"She's only a little kid! You're sick," Weylin laughed. "Now, I'll take them twins any day—two jump'n—imagine that!"
Johnny laughed as he sat in the tall grass and began to empty the bag.
"Stupid old cow, leaving a fine pie out like that," Weylin grinned waiting for Johnny to pull out the delicious apple pie. "That old widow woman should have known better than that. Foxes and critters are always stealing windowsill bak'n goods."
"It's not here!" Johnny protested, dumping out the bag unceremoniously. Weylin shoved the items aside.
"You lying horse turd!" Weylin yelled at him. "I knew I should have been put in charge of the edibles. You ate it didn't you, when I was off having fun with little Melody, you went and ate it!"
"No, I swear," Johnny denied. "It was just right here, and then it wasn't. I think them witches had somethin' to do with it. I told you we better not be tak'n from that old widow. She's a relation you know!"
"The whole bleed'n village is related to them O'Byrne's stupid head!" Weylin smacked him in the head. "I figure you might be right though, she does have that purple glint to her eyes."
"She's blind, Weylin," Johnny protested. "My own grandmother has them glazed over eyes, and she's not a witch!"
"So you say," Weylin started shoving the ropes and tools back into the bag, "Fine! Let's just get do'n what we came out here to do. The day's not lingering!"
"But I'm hungry!" Johnny complained.
"Fine," Weylin shoved an old piece of cheese at him. "Chew on this!"
"Oh man! My mother feeds me better than this. We should have just stayed in Cork." Johnny complained, but took the cheese.
"Yah," Weylin glared at him, "maybe you should have."
Weylin looked into the bag and tossed the trash aside. Johnny stood, licking the last of the cheese from his dirty fingers.
"They went right through there," Weylin pointed.
"I know where they went," Johnny lashed out at him.
Weylin just grunted, grabbed up his bag, and then headed straight into the middle of the tree.
They wandered on-and-on. It was so dark, they couldn't even see their hands in front of their faces. It was eerily quiet. There was no sound except each other's breathing.
"Watch it," Weylin complained as Johnny kicked him in the back of his leg for the second time. "Do that again, and I swear, there's going to be a body laying around here—and it won't be me!"
"Uww—I'm so scared," Johnny mocked him. "So find our way out of here already!"
"Fine!" Weylin said frustrated, "you lead then—go on!"
"Oh for crying out loud," Johnny complained as he stomped past. "Damn—I can't see."
"No bloody crap'n," Weylin retorted, "where'd them girls go?"