Snippet #2495507

"You should stop smoking," Uncle Tamuz said for the second time that day. Zayed looked at his Uncle pointedly.

He didn't know what had come into Tamuz lately. Everyday, he seemed to be getting older. Sure, he was fifty and old to begin with, but he had always been a younger man at heart. He had always had a joke for Zayed, or a new trick. These days, all he seemed to do was criticize Zayed's habits.

They were under a tree by the side of the road to Menaria, taking shade from the heat. Zayed had his hat pulled low over his eyes and was smoking a clay pipe, dozing in that half-conscious way with his back to the wide trunk. Tamuz had been scouting the area, setting traps for rabbits.

"I will stop smoking when you stop smoking," Zayed replied sleepily, puffing away. He chuckled to himself. Tamuz would sooner give up smoking than give up gambling. And he would sooner give up gambling than he would give up pinching barmaids. And he would sooner do that than die.

"If your parents were alive they would-" Tamuz began but Zayed cut him off.

"They would be shocked that I am still alive. Stop pestering me, Tamuz!" He had passed the stage when he called him Uncle. In fact, Tamuz had insisted on being called by his name. Perhaps he didn't want to be seen as a relative to a clearly poorly-raised boy.

The older man sighed and settled down, uncorking their last bottle of wine as he did so.

"You better go easy on that," Zayed warned. "We haven't got any till we reach Elband." Tamuz waved his hand airily.

"Some merchant train is bound to pass us by," he said, sipping appreciatively from the bottle. "Maybe I will show you my broke-merchant-ruse." He grinned looking at Zayed's face light up.

Suddenly, they heard a distant growl. Tamuz was up like a whip, a knife almost magically appearing in his hand. Zayed still hadn't perfected the move, but he too retrieved hidden knives from under his coat and stood up.

"Wolves," Tamuz breathed. "Not coming towards here, though."

"This close to the city?" Zayed asked.

"Things must be worse up in the mountains for them to come down here," Tamuz agreed, looking quite worried. "If it is a large pack, we better get away from here."

"We can climb a tree," Zayed muttered, looking in the direction of the sound. He could only see trees blocking his vision.