Diane didn't even bother jumping up on the truck as they started moving. I was glad that she planned to jog most of the day. Todd climbed off the trailer roof to start jogging. That action was earning him a great many odd and disbelieving looks.

Amber was riding her horse beside Diane and me. She also had an incredulous expression as she watched Todd. Amber noticed my questioning look and shook her head, "Todd never jogs. He usually picks the easier tasks that don't require effort. His horse is barely ever ridden since it is easier to nap on top of a trailer or drive a truck. I doubt he can actually jog a kilometer without collapsing, regardless of how hard he tries. I think Diane's coffee might have fried his brain..."

I examined Todd, he was full of energy. I tilted my head as I examined an idea and rolled it around. We had lots of greens left from this morning, enough for lunch. There wasn't any sense in picking more at the moment since they would be wilted by the time we stopped for supper. We had all afternoon to pick greens. I was somewhat bored and felt like having a bit of fun.

We would be on the road with this group for several days yet and it might be nice to have someone to play with. There weren't any kids in this group, but Todd acted more like a 12 year old than a young adult. He was the youngest one in the group, both physically and in behavior. He may act like the older kids I occasionally played with, but at his age, he should be much faster.

I took a deep breath to build up my courage and resolution. Diane glanced at me, somehow picking up my nerves. I gave her a quick grin before I jogged forward and snuck up behind Todd. Todd was oblivious as he chatted with someone on horseback beside him.

Once their conversation was over, I darted past him and tapped his elbow as I went by, "Tag! You're it!"

"You better run! You won't be able to evade me!" His teasing tone was just as apparent as his loud footsteps.

I glanced back to see him running full tilt after me. With a squeak, I went from a jog into a run as I headed for the grass in the ditch. I didn't use the heat, nor did I actually run full out. Todd was able to mostly keep up.

A quick ninety degree turn had him scrambling to catch back up. His long legs were good on a straight stretch, but that meant his cornering abilities were hampered. We ran around in the long grass as I dodged Todd's numerous attempts to actually catch me.

"Agh! Just missed! If I catch you, I am going to tickle you until you plead for mercy!"

I giggled as I evaded him once again. I had been right, he was much faster than any of the kids I had played with. He sure acted like a kid though. This was fun. I didn't have to hold back nearly as much with Todd as compared to other children. It was almost as if he had Heartfire energy.

A few on the road were snickering at Todd's inability to catch a child. Diane had a smirk and her eyes glimmered as she enjoyed watching me dodge Todd over and over again. I had let the kids tag me, but Todd wanted to tickle me, so I wasn't about to go easy on him.

I wasn't sure why Amber didn't think Todd could jog for a kilometer. He had been running after almost non-stop for over two hours. He was sure panting hard though. I giggled and did a couple of cartwheels, "Come on! Do a cartwheel!"

He groaned, "Do I have to?" He was still trying to catch me, but I darted off again. He paused to rest his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

I giggled and did a few more cartwheels, "Let's do cartwheels! It is easier than running. I bet I can do more cartwheels in a row than you can!"

Todd was a sucker for bets. He stood, "That one I am sure I can win."

He took two quick steps and did a cartwheel. I cheered, "Yah!"

I started doing cartwheels as well. I managed to do about two or three for every one of his slow ones. "23, 24, 25..."

"Quit counting! You are messing me up, where was I? Oh, yes. 32, 33, 34..."

I squealed, "That isn't true! You are on number 13!"

He shook his head as he did another cartwheel between gasps for breath, "Nope. I am sure I am on number 35."

I perked up, "Okay, you can start at 35 even though I know you are cheating. I will catch up to your count in a few minutes. No more cheating though! Last one to fifty cartwheels is a rotten egg!"

Even with his cheating, I would have no problem beating him at this pace. I kept counting while openly watching Todd count. He saw me watching, so he couldn't cheat as he continued to count out loud.

A few minutes later I jumped out of my cartwheel, "I win!"

Todd had stopped a while ago and he wasn't even trying to keep up with my last four cartwheels. He was still at number 41. He was soaked in sweat and was just trying to walk without stumbling in exhaustion. I watched him with a grin, I was breathing a bit hard, but I wasn't even that tired.

I couldn't resist. I ran over and tapped his elbow, "Tag! You're it!"

He tried to lunge for me, but my reflexes were honed by the Heartfire virus and I easily dodged sideways. He landed on the grass and groaned.

I did a few cartwheels around his fallen form, "Come on! Get up! We have at least 30 minutes until lunch time!"

He groaned again, but didn't move. I trotted over and gently kicked his shoe, "Todd, you can't just lie there. A zombie might come and eat you."

We had only seen three zombies so far today and none were currently in sight, but it might be enough incentive to get him off the ground.

Apparently it wasn't sufficient. "As long as they kill me quietly, I really don't care at this point..."

I bent down and grabbed his one foot before trying to drag him closer to the highway. Dragging him was a lot of work and slow going. It was a good thing that he was so skinny.

"All right! All right! I'm getting up!"

He pulled his foot gently out of my grasp before rolling over. I skipped back out of his reach just in case he tried to get revenge for me dragging him halfway back to the highway. It took him several attempts to get to his feet.

He stumbled towards the highway and I skipped along behind him. Others watched him approach with smirks, snickers, or full-blown grins. He waited as a truck slowly drove by before grabbing onto the truck box and trying to jump in. Even with the foot rest, his midsection didn't quite clear the side and his feet kicked feebly for a moment before he fell inside out of sight.

I easily skipped over to jump on the back bumper to peer inside. Todd was sprawled out on the mattress that padded the back of the truck. It didn't look as if he was going anywhere anytime soon. I jumped back down to jog over to Diane.

She was grinning at me, "It looks like you tired Todd out."

I skipped along happily, "Yep."

Amber rode on the other side of Diane. Amber spoke to me, "You can rest in the back of the truck too, if you like."

I shook my head, "No, thank you." I could have sat for several hours without problems, but I preferred to try and push my limits so I would be closer to keeping up with Diane. Besides, I really wasn't that tired.

I jogged down into the grass and plucked a dandelion flower I saw. I saw another one and picked that too. Todd deserved some sort of reward for his efforts, and what was better than a crown? Dandelions were even yellow like gold. There weren't many dandelions blooming yet, but I started to collect every one I saw.

Todd had probably passed out by now. People kept glancing at the truck with a grin. Roland kept smirking whenever he glanced in that direction. He may have lost his earlier bet with Todd, but Todd had paid the higher price.

It took me a while to gather enough dandelions for a dandelion crown. I opted to go for a five strand braid since it would look better. Braiding that many dandelions wasn't easy, but I eventually managed it.

I climbed back up on the bumper to peek at Todd. He was snoring softly while sprawled out. I snickered quietly before tiptoeing close enough to gently place the dandelion crown on his head. A few other people rode their horses closer with a grin to watch me give him his participation award.

Silently, I left him there, unaware of his new hair accessory. I watched the other people while jogging beside Diane. No one seemed to care or be bothered by the fact that we had been jogging all morning. Some rode their horses and chatted idly or just gazed at the scenery. There really was only so much you could talk about with the same people you saw day in and day out.

Some rode on trailers reading books, two were fletching arrows, a couple were tending to weapons. Most were actually doing some sort of knitting, crocheting, or sewing. No one in Dave's group had ever knitted while traveling. Diane was jogging beside a truck watching a lady inside of it doing something. I was too short to see over the side of the truck.

I decided to try and be adventurous. I jumped up onto the bumper and cautiously slid over the side to sit in the back corner to watch the lady. She smiled at me before turning her attention back to whatever she was knitting.

I pulled off my shoe to remove a tiny pebble that had recently snuck into my shoe somehow. The lady continued knitting while I put my shoe back on. She paid me no mind and I found it easier without her trying to drag me into a conversation.

She was knitting a sweater. It took me some time to see it, but her fingers practically made those needles fly as it took shape. The lady glanced over at Diane, "This particular stitch leaves no gaps that most knitted objects have. Takes longer, but it is worth it in my mind. Ever try knitting?"

Diane was still watching her in curiosity, "I did it once or twice. Nothing fancy. I just can't sit still long enough to do it and I need a detailed pattern with pictures to manage anything."

She shrugged, "Each to their own. I can't fire a bow to save my life, but I can knit, crochet, and sew very well."

Diane chuckled, "True enough. I will lead your share of zombies away and catch your share of rabbits if you will do my share of sewing."

She grinned, "Sounds good to me. Although I do need some squirrel fur for a trim on a coat I am also working on."

Diane responded in a teasing tone, "How many squirrels?"

I grinned silently. Diane also got bored of just running along a road with nothing to occupy her mind. We had all day to collect greens and she usually let me do that, as it gave me something to do. Diane enjoyed helping people, and if someone was after squirrel fur, there was a very good chance that a few squirrels would make an appearance. There were lots of spruce trees and lots of squirrels to boot.

The lady responded in a similar teasing tone, "Fifty or so hides would give me enough trim for the entire coat."

I snorted quietly. Fifty squirrel hides were almost enough to sew an entire fur coat, not just provide trim for one. Diane and the lady also knew that and burst out laughing at her joke. Diane stretched her arms, "I will keep my eyes open."

Roland was listening with interest from the other side of the trailer, I could just see him around the edge of the trailer. Diane had occasionally cooked squirrel for us on the trail, they had a light nutty flavor and were very good if rolled in flour and fried.

Right on cue, several squirrels started chattering in the trees nearby in a territorial dispute. Diane glanced in that direction and tilted her head. A growing grin appeared on the knitting lady's face. Diane glanced back at her, "Squirrel, you said?"

She grinned, "Yes, please."

With a responding grin, Diane grabbed her bow from her backpack and started jogging towards the trees. Other watched her go and started asking those near them if they knew what she was after. The last time she had disappeared into the trees, she had brought down a deer. They were understandably curious.

Word of the squirrel trim joke spread like wildfire within minutes. Just as quickly, people started making bets about whether she would manage it or not. This group had travelled together for weeks without seeing anyone else, so anything new caught their interest immediately.

It took Diane almost fifteen minutes to return, but she had five squirrels to show for it. The knitting lady laughed, "Looks like I am finally going to get that squirrel trim after all!"

I smiled as Diane grinned.

I passed a bundle of plants to Amber when Todd sat up. He was finally awake! It was already 7pm, we were still looking for a good place to camp. With a grin I skipped over to the side of the truck, "You're awake! We are just about to make camp."

He blinked sleepily at me and groaned as he stretched his arms, "Ugh... My muscles are so stiff and painful after all that running. I am going to be regretting this for a few days..."

Todd wasn't used to very much exercise at all and he had run almost nonstop for over four hours. His muscles were probably giving him a lecture. I remembered how stiff and sore my muscles were the morning after Diane had given me the Heartfire virus.

"If you move, your muscles will loosen up and not hurt as much."

He groaned and flopped backwards out of sight, "I think I need to find the undo button..."

I tilted my head and spoke to the young man I couldn't see, "You do know that you don't have to take every single bet or dare that people come up with, right?"

"Now she tells me..."

I giggled and went back to collect more greens for supper. 59 people could eat a lot of greens. Todd wasn't going to be doing much for a while.