arrived too late at ultimate uncertainty

He had thought girls tended to like horses, but perhaps that was just something on his world. Or simply a stereotype; it wasn't as though the Hollowed Grounds had many examples to show off, after all. The horses were as stunted as everything else, and large and finicky enough to be a rare breed, those few that had survived the centuries. Hardly the magnificent creatures of childhood dreams.

Then again, he was undoubtedly biased in their favor after living with Rory for a year.

Further talk was curtailed by the confrontation with the first cucurbit, and he grinned with sharp amusement as she caught it up while it chattered with rage at such manhandling. The chattering was silenced in a sudden crack as Freina squashed the squash with extreme prejudice. He should probably be more understanding of the local flora fauna?, but there was no denying that they were annoying pests, and occasionally dangerous in numbers.

"You're welcome," he called, chuckling as he followed in her wake. There were another trio a short distance ahead, and a larger wave beyond them, just cresting a small hill to roll towards the outskirts of the settlement. They might not be able to catch them all, but they could certainly thin their numbers!

"You take the one on the left, I'll take the one on the right, and we'll meet in the middle," he called to her as they came up on the trailing trio and he headed towards the rightmost goose-necked gourd with fire blossoming around his fist.