The trees closed in completely, cutting off the last trace of daylight.
A rhythmic series of three sharp cracks crushed the dry leaves and shattered the stillness of the lake west of Stone Village.
Splash!
Water burst into the air. Bare-chested, Dazhuang clapped his arms together. A red-tailed carp thrashed its tail and slipped between his fingers.
"It got away again! Did you grease your hands?" Ermeng yelled from his perch on a rock.
"If you're so good, get down here!"
"I'm in charge of directing!"
Snot Boy hugged the fish basket and laughed, while Hu Niu rolled up her sleeves, ready to plunge into the water.
Suddenly, Ermeng's voice caught in his throat as he stared at the dense woods to the west.
Three figures stepped out, trampling the shadows beneath the trees.
The youth at the front was plastered with dried, dark-brown blood. His short beast-hide outfit was torn, exposing skin of a deep, inky black.
A huge black pot was strapped to his back. Several feathers from a ferocious bird spun in the wind along its rim.
A black pig crouched on his right shoulder, bony spikes bristling all over its body and tiny, bean-sized eyes gleaming.
A little toddler followed on his left. Half his beast-hide shorts were torn away, a golden ball of fur sprawled on his head, and he dragged a beast bone behind him, his every step stirring the wind.
At the rear trailed a scrawny boy gripping a wooden stick. A savage scar slashed across his face.
Ermeng narrowed his eyes.
That black pot.
"Skinny Monkey! Skinny Monkey and Little One are back!"
Dazhuang sprang onto the bank, and Hu Niu snatched up her clothes and ran. Seven or eight children raced toward the village entrance, shouting at the tops of their