Breakfast

Eoin cracked open one eye as the sunlight slowly filtered over the plain, his shoulder sore from sleeping against the rocks. He reached his hand to the back of his neck and pulled in an attempt to work out the knot, his muscles stretched and the pain faded into a dull reminder of the rough night. Even with the sun just peeking over the horizon he could feel the temperature rising quickly, it was going to be another sweltering day. He grabbed his spear with both hands and pressed it into the ground to help keep his balance as he rose. He reached down, grabbed his pack, and slung the bag over his shoulder. A large black beetle scurried away from its hiding place under the pack and disappeared into a burrow under one of the boulders. Eoin threw his pack and spear to the ground, straddled one of the smaller rocks, and gripping the underside pulled as hard as he could. This feat would not normally be so taxing, but in his weakened state he became aware of every muscle in his leg and back as he strained to lift the stone. Slowly the dirt around the rock gave way and his side lifted like on a hinge. His heart was pounding hard in his chest and he was breathing heavily and rapidly through gritted teeth as he turned the stone over. As the boulder fell, he collapsed to a sitting position for a few seconds then crawled quickly to where the rock once rest. It was as he had hoped, hundreds of insects inhabited the space once protected by the sheltering rock. He grabbed a large beetle, and as it thrashed in his hand, bit it in half taking little time to chew before he tossed the rest in his mouth. It was not the best meal he ever ate but it would do in these lean times. Another dozen of the undersides inhabitants met the same fate, the rest scattering to new hiding places among the rocks. Eoin was not full by any means but he felt much better than he had in a few days. He pulled his water pouch from his pack and drank a mouthful, he had only a little water left and knew it was best to save it as long as he could. Eoin stood up, dusted himself off, gathered his belongings and started for the distant mountains.

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