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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 3, 2007 19:11:43 GMT -5
I laid the sticks on the small flame and soon we had a respectable fire "Things are grim that is for sure." I scowled and when the flames were going good I used the sticks to make the grate over the hole. They caught fire of course but soon I laid the moss over it and it did stink but with the grate it did not put out the fire. I held my hands over the contraption. "Feels warm enough to cook and with luck will kill them quick when we put them in so they should not run far." I stood to go retrieve the rest of the crayfish.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 4, 2007 14:25:44 GMT -5
I had not thought about them trying to run, though it was a logical assumption. "This could be a painful dinner if we end up having to chase them back into the heat," I said.
I stood ready, however. I've had worse wounds than a few angry crayfish snaps and I was not about to go hungry. I was also not looking forward to more raw crayfish.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 4, 2007 19:39:41 GMT -5
"Well just wait till it is hot enough" and with that I waited till I judged the moss suitably hot. I then began tossing crayfish onto it and was pleased to note it seemed to be instantly fatal.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 5, 2007 19:50:21 GMT -5
I watched the crayfish quickly give up their lives as Uruz threw them in. I was glad to note of it though I still stayed by the fire in case I was needed. If anything the crayfish overwhelmed the cooking moss and I found the smell appealing.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 5, 2007 23:20:32 GMT -5
I finished piling the crayfish in then covered them with the remaining moss to simmer. I then returned to the stream and drank deeply. After I was done I added "We need to come up with a way to carry water with us."
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 5, 2007 23:45:30 GMT -5
I watched the crayfish pile as Uruz took a drink. I was suddenly very protective of it. Though I hadn't heard any hint of there being any other animals near by I would be very sore if anything tried to come by and eat our dinner.
I started to think again, of what we could use to carry water. "This one will be a little more difficult," I said as I tried to think of something that we could legally gain access too.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 6, 2007 14:00:41 GMT -5
I sighed “We shall need to find a gourd or something that we can fill. Maybe if I catch anything in that snare we could even do a quick drying on the hide and stitch it up somehow. The thing is we need to carry water for when we cannot find any. You can live for a bit with an empty belly but not thirst.” I settled down by the fire as our dinner simmered.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 7, 2007 19:38:13 GMT -5
"Yes, I would hate to survive the attack of many angry Skaldias only to die of something like thrist." My hunger got the best of me I picked one of the crayfish out of the bottom of the pile, nearest to the fire. I opened it and ate out the inside, smiling in satisfaction. "Not bad at all," I told Uruz with a smile on my face.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 8, 2007 11:24:31 GMT -5
I grabbed a stick and began uncovering the rest as from the appearance of Eyvind’s crayfish they were about done. It figured since there really was not much to cook with them but I allowed any I might eat to cool a bit first. “Most forget that often as not if your enemy is forced to run ill prepared the elements will do your work for you. Sadly we find ourselves as the ones braving the elements. If this were winter we would be in serious straights.”
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 9, 2007 0:00:03 GMT -5
I ate another one, and then decided to give them a short break least I burn my tongue. It was bad enough being hungry most of the time. I did not want to be both hungry and sore.
"I guess we can thank the gods for small favors," I said with a small smile on my face. "Though I do honestly hope we never have to see them again, I do take some pride in knowing that our enemies did not succeed in ridding us. Even if they celebrated and thought as much.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 9, 2007 9:35:16 GMT -5
I shrugged “The gods help those who help themselves. We will make it through this or we will die” I looked up at him. “And if we die we were clearly not worthy of survival.”
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 9, 2007 14:34:10 GMT -5
I took a couple of crayfish and held them by their tails to cool slightly as Uruz spoke. At times I managed to forgot how straight forward my people were. I had not held back when time came to kill those who were in our way, but I did not take as much pleasure in it as some did. It was a necessity more than anything else.
Uruz and his family had showed me a kindness when I probably did not deserve it. I was not able to do anything for my own family. To me that was enough to ensure they were worthy rather the gods approved or not.
"We have gotten this far without meeting death," I said, "I have faith that we will pull through. If something will kill us it will have to be something of great strength and will. " I cracked open one of the crayfish and ate it. I then gestured around and said, "most of the wild simply lays by while we own it, mold it to our liking. If something this passive does kill us than we truly are not worthy." In truth I only felt that I was the unworthy one, Uruz was alive so I had not completely failed, but I had still done so to a greater degree.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 9, 2007 15:24:14 GMT -5
I nodded a few times and began stripping crayfish of their meat and eating myself. There was just a bite to each one but it was wonderful and many would call it a luxury. Though there is no neat way to eat this way and I did not even bother to try and soon I had bits even stuck in my beard. “True, we have made it past the worst of it and the weather is breaking right for us. Now if we can find something to tide us over and make a life as I have no real interest in scrounging for my supper for the rest of my days.” Despite my relatively good attitude I knew just how serious a situation we were in. We had absolutely nothing and no real prospects besides digging up our next meal. Death was not imminent but things did look pretty grim none the less.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 9, 2007 17:48:07 GMT -5
I continued to eat, a little in thought though I had listened to Uruz's ever word. I threw the last shell of my share in the grass, my fingers messy with the meal but I had managed to keep most of it off me otherwise.
"It is said that the d'Angelines harbor a large city with people of every status in number. We won't be amongst their greatest, but we should be able to find something in their lower class early on. If they trade a lot then they may have some foreigners who would to us as good help. At least Skaldi hasn't tried to fight everyone out there."
I then stood up and made my way back to the river, my feet still bare. I washed myself from the crayfish and then drank the water until I thought my stomach would burst. I should at least be without thirst for a while even if I would end up leaving a trail of my own behind us.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 10, 2007 19:03:38 GMT -5
I ate a few more crayfish and grunted "That is the hope. Right now a roof and regular meals sounds abut as good as any plunder one might have from going to Vike." Once I was finished I began to scrounge around. First I stoked up the fire for some warmth. Then I began to look for something, anything we could use to carry much needed water.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 11, 2007 2:03:28 GMT -5
I stepped out of the water, my feet very numb but at least they were not sore. While Skaldi is no soft meadow of comfort, my feet were still not use to the constant travel. I slipped on my boots so that I would not cut my feet on something, but kept them untied and lose so that I would not cause anything unpleasant to grow in them with my wet feet.
I started to look around for something as well, though the slight food and the mass amount of water I had drank made me want to pass out by the fire.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 11, 2007 15:00:43 GMT -5
"Here we go" I hefted a dried gourd I had found from the previous year. "A little hole and a cork and we can carry water. Not a lot but it will serve us in a pinch." With that I slipped back to the fire and set the gourd aside and gathered some more wood. The shadows were growing long and it seemed unspokenly agreed we would rest here for the night.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 11, 2007 16:02:37 GMT -5
When Uruz found the gourd I left my searching and returned back to the fire. I put my boots near it so that they would dry properly and laid out in the grass. "If this land was a little more plentiful I could almost live out here. Though I am sure winter would quickly change my mind. At least out here it's a little peaceful."
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 12, 2007 5:52:21 GMT -5
I stoked the fire and settled down beside it preparing for sleep "I imagine it is a plentiful land. We are not doing bad and it is early spring. Few realize that unless one is a grazing animal the spring is the lean time right up until the later part of the season. It takes time for things to recover from a long winter."
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 14, 2007 0:02:19 GMT -5
I stretched a little, getting comfortable. I found that the secret to sleeping on the ground was stretching and adjusting until one fit perfectly into the dips and mounds that were around naturally.
"That is true," I said after a very healthy yawn. The warmth of the fire made me quickly grow sleepy. Uruz could handle is own and the area seemed to be void of any large hungry animals. So, I let relaxation and sleep take over me.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 14, 2007 10:00:47 GMT -5
I did not respond but simply let sleep claim me. Talking our situation to death would not change it we would just have to get by as best we could.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 15, 2007 20:57:48 GMT -5
I drifted to sleep and was again plagued by dreams, though I did not remember these, I only knew i woke up in a sweat. I laid for a moment before looking around. The fire had started to die, and I knew that wasn't the cause of my sweat anyhow. I got up and moved as quietly as I could, gathering some branches and warming the fire up some. I didn't want Uruz to be uncomfortable or catch himself a sickness.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 16, 2007 20:13:45 GMT -5
I vaguely heard movement and instincts that have kept me alive among a violent people roused me to more consciousness though my eyes did not open and my breathing did not change. Another survival trait to not show you have noted something out of place even while mostly asleep. I soon recognized the movement as Eyvind stoking the fire and thus I drifted back to sleep.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 17, 2007 21:42:43 GMT -5
The fire was set and going strong without being large enough to overheat anyone or give away our presence to anyone to far away. I sat down next to it and thought of breakfast. Though variety was always nice the most obvious would be more crayfish. They were tasty enough.
When the fire was obviously going to hold I quietly snuck away and fetched any new crayfish that I could find. We had not exhausted their supply the day before so I was able to gather a decent amount. I then made my way back and set up a cooking surface similar to the one we had the day before. I threw the crayfish on it and watched them cook, images of others in a fire and screaming trying to make their way into my head. I let my mind sucomb to thought as breakfast cooked, life was most confusing and there was plenty I still needed to figure out.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 17, 2007 23:06:51 GMT -5
The smell of food roused me once more and I sat up stretching and popping my poor tired and I hated to admit aging body. I gave Eyvind a long look as I knew he had not slept much but I did not comment on it nor did I speak at all. I had long ago learned I tended to be comfortable with what ever the good willed and not brood on it even if the good in question might be Loki. And thus I drug myself to my feet and wandered off to relieve myself.
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 18, 2007 19:05:41 GMT -5
Uruz awoke and seemed to be questioning the obvious fact that I had been awake for a little while with his eyes. He did not prod however and left.
The crayfish had cooked well enough and I pulled them off the fire, leaving them in a close bundle so they would keep each other warm. I then started to eat them, making sure there were plenty left for Uruz.
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 19, 2007 10:28:16 GMT -5
I returned and settled down to eat as well as work on opening up the gourd so we could carry water “We will check the snare and then see how far we can make today. With some luck we will have caught something and that should tide us to the next village. Some mounts would be really nice but when we cannot hardly feed ourselves that is most likely a vain dream.”
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 21, 2007 0:17:21 GMT -5
I nodded. I had ate my fill and left the rest for Uruz. "At least the mounts could eat some of this grass," I said, moving my hand through some of the new shoots. It was not full spring yet, but the land was starting to recover from the winter.
"To bad there wasn't more game," I said. "I bet a well skinned pelt would fetch some money."
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Post by Uruz Teiwaz on Nov 21, 2007 9:54:10 GMT -5
Completing my task with the gourd I bent over the stream to fill it “Not as much as you might think. It is the spring of the year so the pelts are getting thin and going bad.” Finishing with the task I plugged the gourd with a stub of wood and smiled ruefully “Seems like most things are an obstacle at this point.”
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Post by Eyvind Loevess on Nov 22, 2007 22:30:30 GMT -5
I had not thought of the season, and Uruz was right. In truth I had avoided the job as much as possible, since it was a messy one. Though at this point I would have done anything it helped.
"You are right," I said. I sighed as I stood up. I brushed off any grass and dirt that had clung and started to put out what remained of the fire. I then started gathering our things and making ready to leave.
"I guess all we can do is have faith, hopefully things will start to look up for us soon."
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