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Post by Eryk on Sept 6, 2022 21:03:51 GMT 1
Eryk nodded confirmation to the question of what dawn was; “yeah, the sunrise.”
The go-back himself liked to be up around that time, avoid others and be early on his way to the building site. He had not even really considered someone else might want to wake up as early and help.
“I’ll stay in the cave complex for the nights, at least until I get some cover here. I’ll get you when I wake up, if you want.”, Eryk offered. At least they would not have to wait up on each other.
He gave a wary look at the disgruntled wolf and nodded in understanding about the beast’s hopes to pull instead of carry. “Sorry about all of this, I promise I will get this rock stuff done as soon as possible. After that we need to haul lots of logs.”
He was mainly speaking to the animal and a little bit of himself, to keep himself on track of what they needed to do.
“Couple of more stones?”, he asked, and then remembered to go and fill the water skins, too.
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Post by FarSight on Sept 7, 2022 0:39:49 GMT 1
FarSight nodded in agreement. "That might be the best idea... since I can't really tell what time it is..." he will have to adjust to sleeping at night for a while. But then most here seemed to prefer being awake during the daylight hours so he might as well, too.
"I suppose these rocks won't carry themselves and I did promise him a leg of meat so let's get this sack filled and get them to your camp."
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Post by Eryk on Sept 7, 2022 17:47:21 GMT 1
“A leg, huh?” Eryk said and added a little joke: “hopefully not mine.”
He filled the skins with water and then readjusted the sacks, taking some stones out to even the balance. He tied the water skins around his belt and then picked up the basket with a little smaller stones in them.
“Yeah, there is a lot to do…”, he said, unsure of if he was feeling weary or happy about it. “I just hope I get everything done before the next winter, but maybe my chances are better now that I have help around.”
There was genuine thankfulness in his tone of voice as he hefted the basket of stones and headed back toward the building site.
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Post by FarSight on Sept 7, 2022 18:16:43 GMT 1
"We'll get it done. One thing my tribe is good at is making shelters." He motioned to the wolf who began to follow along behind them, possibly closer to Eryk than the white-haired goback might prefer but in time all elves would learn he really had no interest in aggression. He enjoyed elf-friend company even if it was just lounging around. But if they hitched him to a sled, he was the happiest wolf alive!
"I thought of making my own den, too... but I figure... we all got ripped from our lives... being alone all the time isn't going to help anyone. But it is still strange being... well somewhere that gets hot for part of the year."
To him it was hot. Of course the other elves might still need a jacket and extra layers. But to him, he was happy to not be in his warmer outer wear. He was thinking he may need to make himself something new for the warmer months.
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Post by Eryk on Sept 7, 2022 18:43:26 GMT 1
Eryk mused on the discussion of dens and such.
“My hut won’t be too big, but it can be expanded if you want a room.”, he then offered, as if his list of things needing to get done was not long enough. He could always offer his bed (which he had not built yet) and sleep in the wood shed himself if needed.
He noted how close the wolf got to him, and he took a step away, only to notice that the wolf took another step closer whenever he stepped away. Eryk rolled his eyes and sighed, and then decided there was no point wasting energy in sidestepping.
“Edgerunner’s horse is in my thoughts. You think animals get lonely?”, he asked FarSight, who had a bond beast and more likely a better insight in these things.
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Post by FarSight on Sept 7, 2022 20:43:37 GMT 1
"They do. I would be surprised if Frostbite wasn't missing the pack. But he is watching the cubs so there's that. Do you want to make a pen for the horse then? I dont know how to care for those... the humans herded branch horns but you said horses were different. They also didn't have a pen for them..."
FarSight pursed his lips in thought. "A room you say? I mean... if it isnt imposing... and if you don't mind wolves hanging around. I'm hoping one of the cubs becomes my first bond." He didn't actually share a bond with Frostbite, the wolf just followed commands. Given the wolf's personality, he didn't fight or ignore them often.
"I might enjoy something that resembles home a bit more though... think... think an underground room can be made...?"
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Post by Eryk on Sept 8, 2022 11:01:31 GMT 1
"I don't know how to take care of horses either, but how different can it be from elk? I mean, HOW hard can it be?", Eryk mused and thought about the pen.
"Maybe a pen, or fence or some shelter -- even if the horse might not get caught, I could try and tame an elk or other steed...", he thought out loud; it never hurt to be prepared. His list of things needed to get done kept on getting longer and longer, but at least he had no time to worry about his folks home, now that he was making a new home.
The grey-haired carpenter was surprised that the stranger was actually considering the idea of their own room. He made a wary look again at the wolf, but then nodded; "I don't mind the wolves around, my chief's mate was a wolfrider and an animal caller at that, so... There was usually one or more wolves around. One of them liked to pick up my tools, for the sake of picking them up. I guess it tried to be helpful."
Eryk gave a thorough thought about the underground room -- well, if he was already planning on a cellar nearby, maybe another cellar-made-for-living was not that impossible of an addition.
"We'll have to figure out where the entrance is," he then said, "I mean, we would not want it to flood during rain, so should there be an entranceway to an underground room inside my cabin?"
He had not yet finished the floor, so it would be easier to dig a room underground NOW rather than later.
"And do the wolves know how to get up and down the ladders?", he asked then, because making the room accessible was another question.
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Post by FarSight on Sept 8, 2022 18:37:54 GMT 1
FarSight listened to Eryk's descriptions of steeds and mounts. "My folk use the sleds. We are wolfriders and can ride but the sled has just become how we travel. You could always ride one of the wolves couldn't you? I mean when the cubs are big enough."
He had never considered that an elf wouldn't want to ride a wolf... but then other elf tribes were unknown to his tribe. They'd simply never encountered them.
"Wolves can't climb ladders, no. They can use stairs or slopes. We had a slope heading down near the hot springs for the pack. As for flooding? We never had that issue. Water was usually frozen. If it wasn't in the spring or our cookpots."
He considered the problem. "And on a mountain I would assume water would flow downhill so as long as there is a barrier to the path down in, raised so that the water would be directed around..."
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Post by Eryk on Sept 10, 2022 16:54:13 GMT 1
"We will figure something out.", Eryk promised -- a chance of getting a more talkative neighbour other than a sable was a welcomed idea. Also FarSight probably would ask before rummaging the storages and did not steal meat or fish. Or at least Eryk hoped so.
"I gotta fell down more trees, for more structure, but ... Hey, your room could be also connected to the cellar, and kind of be another route out, if needed."
This place had proven to be somewhat benevolent for the elves, but one never knew about the possible enemies. An emergency exit was never a bad idea.
He gave yet another wary look at the wolf as an idea of him riding one of the wolves was mentioned. He had always ridden an elk, never a wolf, but the carpenter then said: "I'll think about riding a wolf, IF I don't get another steed. Where I come from, the wolves only bond to Wolfriders, and not many other elves ride wolves like they do."
He was about to say that he was a Go-Back, but then swallowed his words in troubled silence.
WHAT was there to go back to?
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Post by FarSight on Sept 10, 2022 20:39:37 GMT 1
"Wait, another route to the stores? You don't keep them attached to the... lodge main room?" Considering how his people lived underground they had everything connected to lower risk of freezing outside.
Then Eryk mentioned wolfriders and their ability to ride wolves better. "This is all truth but Frostbite is the most patient wolf I've ever met. I wouldn't be worried if a cub tugged his ears or tail. He even let a human cub ride him once during one of our trading meet ups. The cub was wandering away from the group and he brought the cub back."
He sighed slightly. "I'm sorry... I keep forgetting most elves here have had negative experiences with humans... I mean we have too, and I suppose if we hadn't saved the life of the Human chief's cub, things might be different..."
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Post by Eryk on Sept 10, 2022 20:56:25 GMT 1
Eryk mulled over the thought of cellar and storages and maybe a loft up near the roof of the cabin.
“Alright, this is going to take a little while to plan and think out…”, he said “I’m thinking a main room with a way to an underground room, underground storages and a back way exit in case of an emergency.”
He wanted to live above ground — no doubt about that. The thought process got caught when the humans were mentioned.
“Hah.”, he said a little awkwardly, “so it is always humans… I mean, they have always been out to get us, but then again… Legends say it we were not actually native to the land. There was not an immediate threat of humanity where I am from though.”
Trolls were a more of a threat to his tribe, but… even that threat was conquered.
“Tell me more about the lives you lead. The endless night and whatchamacallit.”, he requested, actively trying to ignore the idea of riding a wolf. No matter how much Frostbite was praised for being patient, Eryk rather kept his distance than made a closer acquaintance with the jaws of the wolf.
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Post by FarSight on Sept 11, 2022 20:35:30 GMT 1
"Well, what do you want to know? It was a frozen waste.. Snow and ice covered the land year round. Very rarely did we actually see the ground unless we went toward the mountain or into the forest to the south. We know that where we settled is an old firemountain. It keeps the cove area warm enough that Spotfins would stay almost year round. And there were stone tubes carved out by the firemountain that led to underground springs of water and kept things warm. The Long Night and the Long Day are basically how it was. Half of a year would be night and the other half day. But... Not like this." He gestured to the sun. "The elders told a story to us that the Day Star and the Moons were fighting for who got to shine over our world. When the Long Night would end, for a few hands of days the Day Star would try to conquer the Long Night until finally it stayed on the horizon and continue rising until it was in the sky about there," He pointed toward where the sun would be around 9:00 in the morning. "It would stay there but the Long Night would push back against it and then the Night would win again and the Day Star would be pushed down over the horizon and it would be gone, but it wouldn't leave without a fight. It'd keep pushing back and rising only to be pushed back down again until finally it couldn't come back up for a long time. The elders tell it better than I do..."
He shrugged and tossed a small stick aside. "When the Day Star is in the sky we do hunts out on the vast deep for slapfins, spearfins, sharptooths and spotfins and tuskfins. It'd also get warmer... Almost as hot as it is now, but not quite. The snow wouldn't really melt. We could grow some root vegetables in large boxes we'd build and fill with dirt but we mainly ate meat and mushrooms and some of the sea plants like sea grasses." What else could he tell Eryk about his home? "We'd... We'd go meet up with the humans and trade... they'd give us meat from the spikehorns and branch horns and we'd give them white bear furs and slapfin meat and fish... We'd sing and dance even if we didn't understand each other, much... and... Sometimes we'd trade things we made, like my arm bands. They taught us about snowshoes and the sleds at first. Things were getting a little tense though... Some of the younger humans didn't like us much. Kept saying <Demon> when they saw us, but most called us <Spirit>. I'm not really sure what those words mean... Just one was good and the other not."
He shrugged. "Then when we'd get back to our village we'd celebrate some more for another peaceful meetup and..." He trailed off and slowed his steps. "Continue living..." He said the last part softer. Yep, homesick. It hit him now. He would never see his friends or mother again. They would think him dead, but he was right here. Right here! Just out of reach! He wanted to call out, to see if they'd answer but he knew. They wouldn't. They wouldn't even go looking to see what happened to him. They'd follow his trail to the meetup area once the sun did fully rise, find out that the humans never saw him. They likely wouldn't suspect anything since things hadn't grown hostile. Or would they think the humans had killed him? There wouldn't be tracks to follow that long after he left. His scent would be gone. He completely stopped moving. Did his disappearance lead to a possible war? Tan as he was, his face paled, eyes widening. "I... I have to go back... Somehow... I have to get back..." His voice cracked slightly.
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Post by Eryk on Sept 12, 2022 17:37:19 GMT 1
Eryk listened to the stories of trading and dancing despite the differences in culture and language. It did sound nice… maybe if the races concentrated more on the things in common and not in the differences, then maybe…
His trail of thought stopped as he noted the crack in FarSight’s voice.
“Oh brother…”, he mumbled, recalling the same kind of crack in Danik’s voice when he was upset or distraught. The carpenter placed the basket down and hoped the wolf would stop too.
Hesitantly, Eryk placed his hand on FarSight’s shoulder.
“Maybe the tribe figures out a way to activate the Beacon?”, he tried to comfort the other, but noticed himself lacking any in-depth comforting words. Eryk did not understand magic, like, at all.
Some tribemates had disappeared during the winter; but had they been sent back their respective homes or someplace else? What if they were sent somewhere where rain rose from the ground toward the sky, birds flew underwater and fish swam across the sky? The possibilities were endless, and simply NOT knowing what had happened to the others was gnawing Eryk inside.
“Maybe the magic users could figure something out?”, he suggested, “I… I only know how to chop down trees and do carpentry.”
~*~
OoC: No one tell Eryk about penguins.
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Post by FarSight on Sept 12, 2022 18:36:07 GMT 1
Frostbite chuffed when Eryk stopped. He glanced back at FarSight and tilted his head. He could feel the anxiety but he wasn't sure what was causing it. He glanced back at Eryk who didn't seem anxious. Sniffing the air, he found no noticeable threat. So he plopped his rear down and waited. A moment later, he lay down. Lazy wolf, indeed.
FarSight took a moment before he realized Eryk's hand was on his shoulder. He glanced first at it then up at the taller elf. "What if... what if they think the humans killed me? They won't find a wolf pelt or the sled... ours are smaller than theirs... but what if they think the humans are responsible? They'll follow my trail to the meetup... it's the same trail every year... but they won't find any trace of me..."
He was rambling, he knew. It was the growing panic of realization that he truly was gone from where he had come. That he may never go back. Maybe he had just been in denial for the few months he'd been here. Weeks? How long had it been? He wasn't even sure.
"Will they... start fighting again? We've been at peace for a long time but... would this be enough to break it?"
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Post by Eryk on Sept 12, 2022 18:57:41 GMT 1
Eryk frowned at all of the questions and decided to answer truthfully: “I don’t know, FarSight, I’m sorry.”
He gave his new friend’s shoulder a squeeze and a shake, trying to find some clarity in the situation.
“Your folks won’t start another war, if they are wise. War is not the answer.”, he said, but it felt false to him, considering how eagerly his tribe retaliated against the troll kind, and how many songs they had of their ‘noble cause’ and how ‘justice was their reward’.
But what it mostly caused, war wounds, losses and dreams one could not always escape. But then again, what choice did they have in the situation when another was so keen on wiping them out?
“I want to believe that they will assess the situation accordingly, with clarity and calmness… but you know your folks the best.”, he said, soon releasing the shoulder, and grabbing the basket again.
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