He is the youngest among his friends, and to prove his worth, he must face a dare. He is nervous, but he is brave, and he wants very badly to prove this to them, and so he accepts. The dare teems, at first, simple; "Eat one of these fruits," his peers instruct him. The fruit is a small, red crescent growing off a low, thin shrub.User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.

"Be sure to chew it well," one of them says, and they stifle a giggle.

Before he can second-guess himself, he bites one of the fruit off the stem, and bites into it. A bitter, grassy taste fills his mouth, and hard on its heels is a wave of burning fire. He coughs and almost spits it out, and the group bursts into laughter. As he realizes their trick, the fire in his mouth seems to spread to his heart. With furious deliberation, he silently stares down his peers, chewing thoroughly through the pain, and their laughter slowly dies. When he swallows, they have all fallen silent. With breath hot and voice cold, he hisses, "Do I need to eat another one?" His peers stammer that no, no, one is enough.