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Gale loked quickly at Kya, wondering if she would help. Probably not. SHe would want to watch the others. SO he didn't offer to help, instead leaning against the cabin wall.

"I'll help!" Maddy said.

"Wait..." Said Sumi, realizing something. "What are we going to burn? We don't have anything."

"We'll go gather some sticks in the forest," Rue said. "And there's a bunch of dry grass for kindling."

"You can burn sticks and grass?" Sumi echoed in disbelief.

"If we make a spark," Rue said, cocking her head.

"Don't you know how to make a fire?" Maddy asked, confused.

"Of course I know how to make a fire," Sumi retorted indignantly. "I've just never used sticks or grass to fuel it."

"Then how do you fuel it? With paper? Gasoline?" Maddy asked.

Sumi grimaced. "Seal fat." he explained quite simply.

An expression of disgust crossed Maddy's face.

"Ew!" Tess cried. The thought of hurting seals to get their fat to make a fire was horrifying and disgusting to her.

Sumi shrugged. "It's not that bad." Kya caught the looks of horror on Tess's face. "We don't just kill them for their fat," She explained gently, "We use all of them, so it's not like we kill mercilessly. We also use the meat for food and the hide for clothing and things around the house. Seals are very useful animals."

The look of shock faded slightly, but Tess, thinking seals were quite cute and, if she could hug one, probably cuddly, still thought that wood was a much better fuel.

"Just think," Kya continued, "Using wood for fuel is as weird for us as using seal fat is for you."

"I guess so," Tess said.

"Weren't we going to make a fire?" Rue broke in.

"Yes, we were," Agreed Setsuko. "Sumi, why don't you help Rue gather some fuel? Kya, you can help too, and maybe Yuumi can go with you, if he wants to tag along." Sumi grunted, but nodded his head gruffly, walking out of the cabin in silence. Kya followed. "Come!" Said Yuumi, running after his older sister.

Tess practically skipped out, happy as the sun hit her face. Rue followed her, and a small smile crossed her sparsely freckled face as she saw Gale slip outside too.