I dipped my head once more. "Let's go then." I held my spear in one paw, walking upstream with Zaida, watching the water level slowly widening and getting deeper with each minute. Soon a pond formed, shallow enough to wade up to your waist in but deep enough to support an ecosystem with fish, plants, and rodents. "I'm not particularly hungry right now, but if you haven't eaten I suggest you hunt for yourself while I can collect sticks to use for tools or firewood. We need to keep up our strength." I paused, tucking a lock of silvery-white hair behind her ear. "Of course, it's up to you to hunt, but I'm going to collect branches," I quickly added. I didn't want to boss Zaida around but at the same time I wanted to get some things done by nightfall.