Lloyd glanced over at the woman but he couldn't see what Boyce was talking about.
All he could see was Grenadine leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and her eyes staring straight ahead.
Lloyd walked away from Boyce and soon was helping her climb up the rungs towards the branch where the nest was resting.
Boyce watched them climb. He was disturbed when Lloyd never came back down to get his pack.
Boyce put both packs on, one around each shoulder and he slowly made his way up the tree and then swung his legs astride the branch when he reached it.
Lloyd and Grenadine were already reclined in the nest when Boyce took the packs and set them inside the nest with them.
From his pack Boyce took out his cape and electric light. With a little food and his water sack, he made his way to the butt of the branch and sat against the trunk of the tree.
With the final particles of light scattering through the forest, Boyce scanned the area to make certain that no animals were in the vicinity. He looked up into the clouded tree tops and wondered about the lore of the gremlin kingdom and whether or not it was true.
It was dark now; pitch and silent but for occasional sounds of night-birds whistling through the trees and, at times the sounds of rocks being overturned by large and hungry animals looking for grubs.
Many hours had passed since Boyce took the first watch.