He deliberately let Tino walk farther than was necessary until something he had not tasted before chanced to brush across his face. “Here,” he said, tearing leaves from the sapling that had touched him. “Don’t cut that tree, but you can cut any of the others.” Tino put him down and grinned at him. “May I?” he said. “I like this one,” Akin said. “When it’s older, I think we’ll be able to eat from it.” “Eat what?” “I don’t know. I’ve never seen one like this before. But even if it doesn’t bear fruit, the leaves are good to eat. My body likes them.”
