The brisk, stagnant air of a winter evening gently caresses the bare branches of the immense trees of a heavily forested piedmont. The resident wintering birds barely make a sound as they huddle in their nests in the hollowed tree trunks. The sun shines its last glimmer of the day on the rolling rounded hills as it creeps behind the horizon. Two malnourished adolescent boys sit on the ground leaned against a pedestal shaped dead tree in a clearing next to a pristine blue pond.
"Beautiful ain't it, Ed?", an olive skin toned boy with dark hair yawns as he stretches his lanky arms above his head. The other boy, a pale blonde, seems not to notice his friend's question.
"Ed?", the first boy impatiently repeats dropping his arms to his side.
"What?", Edul finally responds.
"The sky and the clouds. Ain't it beautiful?", the dark haired boy inquires again pointing to the sky then cutting his eyes back over to his friend.
"Yeah it's nice, Dee.", Edul answers rapidly in a dismissive tone. "The sun is going down. We should get back to building ten before they notice we're gone. Togo and Shred will be by in an hour for 'lights out'.", Edul continued in a panicked tone. He quickly gathered his small wooden fishing spears before standing. "C'mon.", Edul says nudging his friend with his slimey dirt covered bare foot. Darrius had become acutely aware of the fear contained in Edul's words.
"Okay. Okay. I'm going.", Darrius replies. He springs to his feet and grabs his fishing gear as well. A black rubber snorkel, a few thin wooden spears and a heavy gray cloth bag are snatched up from the gritty pond bank and the boys quickly head toward a white gravel trail nearby. Darrius didn't have the same fear of Togo and Shred or of the Dvenin that Edul did. He didn't seem to fear much of anything as a matter of fact. But Darrius also hadn't seen the...