Ermos remembered back to the week before, when they had only just left the cavern. He'd complained about having to carry both Mane and Pash, but it had not been long until Fingers had stepped in to relieve him of that burden.
As price for that though, Ermos had made Mane promise not to give them over for their bounties. Mane had gone even a step further than that – he had ensured that their bounties were removed entirely. Besides Mane, no one truly recognized them, and the children were clever enough to know that mentioning the boulder hound would only bring trouble.
But all the while, as he had sat by their beds, throwing nuts into his mouth, playing the role of the good and caring companion, the only thing that had been on Ermos' mind was his gold. Maybe there as a little concern for his apprentice in there as well, but he refused to admit that to himself. Ermos Windbreaker was not a man to feel too much, he thought.
