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Post by Brandwyn on Feb 4, 2013 9:52:32 GMT -5
(OCC: This takes place in Heatherwood Downs in February in the year 659 after the Yuletide Formal Ball in Araluen. Open to anyone to join)
"Oh drat!" Heather groaned. "We are out of almost everything and the worse thing is that we have just enough coffee to make one pot but no sugar to sweeten it."
She and Enya had gotten back to the ranger cabin in the dead of night, half frozen and a bit hungry. They had been out for three weeks on patrol around the fief of Heatherwood Downs. Even though the fief was on the east coast and south of the usual winter freeze line, this winter had been unusually cold and the Downs had seen its fair share of snow and ice. It was now only a week before Midwinter and the normal festival held down at the coast on the other end of the fief, but the celebrations this year were likely to be very slim.
People were still hiding in their homes in fear of catching the plague and food was scarce at best. Although they had rooted out the biggest part of the bandit problem back in the fall, there were still pockets of the forest that hid some outlaws. It seemed there were always more people running to join them as they fell on hard times in the villages.
Upon their arrival at the cabin, Heather had expected to find the cabin well-stocked, a fire on the hearth and the place swept clean. She had paid a local farm woman to take care of the place and expect them back yesterday. However when they arrived, not only was the cabin dark, cold and dirty, but their store of foods was gone and the door had been cracked open with an ax. Someone had broken in and stolen food and clothing. Heather wasn't sure what else was missing, but had immediately checked her hiding place where she kept her valuables. The tiny trunk was still safely hidden and locked, its contents safe.
Exhausted, they just went to bed, deciding to deal with the mess in the morning. And now it was morning, late morning and she was trying to make breakfast with nothing but a handful of dried up potatoes and a few coffee beans.
"Looks like trail rations for breakfast, Enya." Heather sighed. She was sick of eating the same thing they'd been eating for the last week. "It also looks like we are going to have to go for supplies, either to town or to one of the farms."
Neither prospect held out much chance of success. People were hoarding what little food they had. The town markets were pretty bare and no one seemed to have money for trade anyway. Fortunately she had saved a few coins and the robbers hadn't found them, so she could buy food - if they could find any.
"You know, I bet my parents have stores of food. Perhaps we'd be better off to ride over to my old home and pay them a visit. It's another two days on the road there and back, but we kind of skipped that section of the fief in our rounds and it would be good to check on it." Heather mused as she put the pot of well water on the hearth to heat it up.
"I wonder what happened to old Nora. She promised to look after the place while we were gone this time." She picked up a broom and began to sweep the fallen leaves that had blown in the broken door back out onto the porch as the water heated. "Enya, you better go feed the horses. Hopefully they didn't steal the hay and grain we had in the shed back there."
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Feb 10, 2013 18:14:49 GMT -5
Enya moaned " no sugar!?.. " He said shaking her head " so no coffee??" she asked. The black hair apprentice said sighing sadly. Enya was sick of cold nearly tasteless food. She had really been looking forward to getting something hot to eat for a change, but after what they came home too she knew that was not going to happen.
She blinked when Heather menchened her family they probably do.." she said with a soft smile as she stepped to the door already thinking of feeding the horses before she was told to " Was on my way to do that now" She said before walking outside. Walking to the stables her black horse greeted her with a soft snort " Hello Storm" She said patting his nose. She then feed them, thankfully there was still feed for them.
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Post by Brandwyn on Apr 12, 2013 20:45:07 GMT -5
While Enya fed the horses, Heather threw the wrinkly potatoes into a cast iron pot along with a few strips of lamb jerky and some herbs and onions. She then poured some water over it all and set it on the fire deep in the coals so it would cook faster.
She studied the broken door for a few minutes to determine the best way to repair it and then set about pounding another board onto the mangled plank. She adjusted the latch so it would work and tried her key in the lock. Fortunately the lock hadn't been damaged so they would be able to secure the cabin again.
She took the handful of coins she'd been saving from the little trunk and hid them on her person in several different locations, leaving 2 silver pieces out for Enya. "Here, take these and hide them on you someplace. That way you will have something in case we get separated. When we get our pay from Crowley you can give them back if you haven't had to use them yet."
The meager stew she'd concocted took nearly an hour to cookm, but once she served it up she dug right into it. She split the last of their bread with Enya and wished they had some mild yellow cheese to go with it. "At least it is hot and warming me up on the inside, even if it doesn't taste like much." Heather commented.
"Are the horses doing okay? The feed was untouched by the bandits, I take it." She asked as she sopped up the last of her breakfast stew. "You think they are ready to hit the road again already?"
Now that she had made up her mind to go visit her parents, Heather was impatient to get started. "We have to go check on Nora first. I sure hope she didn't catch the plauge."
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Apr 28, 2013 22:46:29 GMT -5
" there was planty of feed, it was not touched" Enya replied running her hands threw her long hair. " Storm pretty tired though" she said with a soft sigh " but he should be up and ready to go soon" she added with a bright smile " But i think hed be fine to go again. And as for our food, that sounds fine to me.. at lest its something to keep us from starving to death" she said smiling brightly
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Post by Brandwyn on May 8, 2013 18:36:54 GMT -5
"And as for our food, that sounds fine to me.. at least its something to keep us from starving to death" she said smiling brightly
"This is true, and that is saying something in this day and age," agreed Heather. Too many people were starving this winter with all the food shortages because so many had died from the plauge no one was able to plant and harvest crops. The prices were very high on food because most of it was being shipped in from overseas.
Heather ate her breakfast, meager though it was, with a grateful heart and then cleaned up the cabin and repaired the broken door. This gave time for the horses to graze in the pasture for a bit and rest up before they set out on the road again.
With her savings tucked into her clothing and the empty chest hidden in the floor again, she and Enya saddled up the horses and headed off to find out what happened to Nora, the lady that was supposed to keep the cabin clean while they were gone.
"I sure hope she didn't get the plauge," Heather mused on the way.
When they got to the little farm about an hour's ride from their cabin, the place was silent. There were no animals in the fields and no people running around doing their daily chores.
"This doesn't look good." Heather rode up to the gate and inspected it and the doors of the buildings for the dreaded black X indicating plague victims. There were none. She looked at Enya, "I guess we are going to need to take a closer look. Ride down there to those buildings on the right and I will take the ones on the left and meet you at the farmhouse door. Let me know if you find anyone or any animals and see if it looks like they packed up and took stuff with them or if the place has been ransacked and burglerized." Heather instructed her apprentice and then headed off to the chicken coop to their left that was eerily silent.
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on May 16, 2013 20:27:25 GMT -5
Enya nodded and road off to a barn ~this really dont look good at all~ she thought hopping off her horse and pulled the door to the barn open. A huge dog growled at her and she slammed to door back, her eyes slightly pail ~ its just a dog but still, there kin to wolfs~ she thought with a shiver... After cheeking the other building she road to the house to meet brandy at the door.
when she did get there Enya told her what she had found, and the dog in the barn. " IT growled at me like it was rabid or something, and its eyes where bloodshot" she added with a soft shiver.
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Post by Brandwyn on May 18, 2013 19:46:29 GMT -5
The hen house was empty. There were no eggs in the nests and no sign that the birds had been attacked and killed. They were simply gone.
Heather found the same thing at each of the outbuildings. The cows, pigs and sheep were gone. The door to the root cellar in the side of the hill was open and it was completely empty of all food but it didn't appear to have been broken into. "Looks like they packed up and left for some reason."
Heather made her way to the farmhouse and Enya caught up to her at the door and told her about the dog in the barn. "It growled at me like it was rabid or something, and its eyes where bloodshot" she added with a soft shiver.
"Curious." Heather glanced at the barn and then turned her attention back to the house. "No one answered the knock so let's see if it is locked." She turned the doorknob and it clicked and then opened. With her hand on her saxe knife, Heather pushed the door open and peeked inside.
At first glance it looked normal. All the furniture was in place and nothing was broken or tipped over. In the kitchen there were still dishes in the cabinets, but all the food was gone. There were no weapons anywhere in the house either and it looked as if some of the clothes were gone, but most of the family's belongings were still in the house and undisturbed.
"It almost looks like they left in a hurry and could only grab food and the essentials and took the animals with them,"Heather mused. "If that's the case, there should be tracks they left behind or some sign." She led them back outside and began to circle the outskirts of the farm. She didn't find any tracks. "Very strange... although if they left quite some time ago and went by the road I suppose their tracks could have been covered up by other people."
She heard the dog whine and scratch at the barn door. "We better go see what's going on with that dog." Heather looked at Enya and noted the apprehension in her face. "You might want to get up on Storm and be ready to ride out of here if it attacks."
Heather found an empty bucket and went to the well that supplied water to the livestock's trough and filled the bucket up. The dog was working himself into a frenzy now. Seeing that Enya was on her horse and a safe distance away, Heather took a strip of deer jerky from her saddle pack and set the bucket of water on the ground just in front of the barn door where it would be the first thing the dog insdie could see. She stood to the side, with her horse a step away behind her and her saxe knife in her right hand. With the left holding the dried meat, she eased the barn door open just enough for the dog inside to see the bucket of water.
The dog lunged at the door, knocking it open and dove for the bucket, lapping the water up for several minutes. Heather got a good look at him while he was wolfing down the water. His sides were sucken in just in front of his hips and you could see all the ribs and some of his backbone. He was obviously being starved and his lack of food had to have started before Heather and Enya had spoken to Nora three weeks earlier.
Then Heather noticed 'he' was not a 'he' at all. She was a female and it appeared she was nursing puppies. Heather pulled the barn door back a bit farther and saw five puppies crawling around in the straw in a corner. They were not in very good shape and one of them wasn't moving. Anger began to grow in Heather, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She wondered how anyone could shut a mother dog and her pups up in a barn to starve like that though.
Still not sure if the dog was rabid or not, Heather took a step and held out the beef jerky. The dog eyed her and growled, backing away to keep herself between Heather and her pups. Heather slowly knelt down to one knee and turned her head slightly as she tossed a small piece of the jerky at the dog.
"She's not rabid, she's just trying to protect her babies," Heather said softly to Enya. The dog snatched the piece of meat and retreated. Heather offered her another piece, trying to coax her closer. "Easy there now girl. I just want to help you." Eventually she got the dog to take a piece from her hand and slowly stood up and stepped into the barn.
There were no other animals and it looked like the puppies were just barely two weeks old. "I bet she was too close to having those pups and they didn't take her with them because of that." Heather's blood boiled again. They coudl have left the dog in someone's care instead of locking her in a barn so she couldn't follow them and leaving her to starve. "I can't believe they locked her in like that though and then just left with all the rest of the their animals. I wonder where they went."
The dog was now back with her pups and they were trying to nurse. Heather doubted the mama had any milk left in her to give to her puppies. They were going to need some immediate attention. She was close enough to see now that one of them was already dead.
"So what are we going to do with them now?" Heather asked more to herself than to Enya, but she would welcome any suggestions. "We can't leave her here or they will all starve."
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on May 28, 2013 10:43:06 GMT -5
Enya sighed " well, i guess we should take them with us. I cant let a helpless animal die." she said " and besides, maybe helping them will help me over come my fear of wolfs and dogs. Running her fingers threw her hair she jumped down off the horse " wish we had more food for her" she added looking over at the dog and her pups.
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Post by Brandwyn on Aug 28, 2013 20:47:31 GMT -5
"See if you can find a basket or crate or something to put the puppies in," Heather suggested as she began to gather up some old worn out burlap sacks. "We'll have to put them up behind one of the saddles. Probably better for you to carry the puppies and I will carry the mother in my lap. She looks too weak to walk on her own very far."
Heather still didn't know what happened to the people but maybe they would find some answers out in the woods. There could be a trail or should at least be some signs if an entire homestead with livestock moved through the trees.
"The mother should be able to make it until we get to my parents place without any food. It's not terribly far away." Heather answered Enya's concern for the dog. "I didn't know you are afraid of dogs. Did something happen to you that caused your fear?"
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Sept 14, 2013 20:16:36 GMT -5
Its not dogs, its wolfs i'm afraid of.. one attacked me not long after i lost my memory" she said sighing. "its not fun being afrad of them.. there beautiful creatures." said the young Apprentice with a soft sigh "I think i saw a basket just outside" she said turning and stepped outside picking up a basket by the door.
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Post by Brandwyn on Oct 4, 2013 20:34:09 GMT -5
Heather looked after her thoughtfully. 'Perhaps having the puppies would help her get over her fear of wolves,' she thought.
She helped Enya scoop up the puppies and put them in the basket after they had placed some straw in the bottom of it for bedding. She then some of the burlap sacks and made a cushion of them behind Enya's saddle and placed the basket on top of them and tied it in place. She put one of the sacks over the puppies who were now starting to settle down for a nap. The mother dog wined and tried to jump up on Enya's horse.
"Easy there, girl, we aren't hurting them." Heather waited for Enya to mount and then she lifted the mother up and let her sniff the basket for a moment. When the dog seemed satisfied that her pups were okay, Heather lifted her onto the front of her saddle where she had already placed a pile of burlap sacks for padding. Steading the dog, Heather jumped up on Shasta and settled it in her lap. She hoped she wouldn't have to use her bow in a hurry because she wasn't sure how the dog would react to having a a bow twanging right over her head.
With a last look at the little farmstead, Heather led Enya on down the road, keeping her eyes open for signs of tracks. "Keep your eyes open, Enya. I think the people must have come this way, but it has been long enough that the storms have pretty much obliterated their tracks or others have travelled here."
After a little while a thought occured to Heather. She had been looking for tracks from a sheep or cow herd. "Maybe we are following their tracks," she said suddenly. "What if they didn't have many animals left because they had already eaten them? They could have went looking for more food."
She scanned the horizon. "If they did, then I bet they are heading down to the coast. They may think there is food at the ports."
To pass the time as they rode, and take Enya's mind off the basket of puppies riding behind her, Heather tried to get her to think of good things. "So if my Mom were able to make you any food you want, what would you choose? Do you have some favorite foods?"
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Dec 3, 2013 21:16:21 GMT -5
"Well, i will eat pretty much anything. Said for anything with pumpkin in it, I'm allergic to it" Enya said with a soft laugh " But i love peaches, and chicken " she said " but not together or its just a mess and not fit to eat" she said smiling. the Apprentice ran her hand threw her horses mane and smiled a little, Enya loved animals and cared greatly about them, even the ones she was afraid of. " Can i give the puppy's names?" she then asked.
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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 20, 2013 0:17:29 GMT -5
"Allergic to pumpkin, duly noted!" Heather said and filed that information away so she didn't make anything with pumpkin for her apprentice. "That's a shame. Mom makes some of the best pumpkin nut bread in the Kingdom." She scanned the woods around them as they talked without making it look obvious. Her bow was out and strung as usual so she could use it at a moment's notice.
"Peaches and chicken... hmmmm I wonder how that Cardamom Chicken recipe would taste with peaches instead of apples," she pondered the idea for a minute. "I think I might try it sometime. I mean it has nuts, raisins, apples, cinnamon and cardemom in it that you drizzle over the chicken in the pan. I have made it with a few differnt things and it turned out alright."
"Can i give the puppy's names?" Enya then asked.
Heather turned her head away and supressed an 'I knew it' smile. Perhaps these puppies were going to get the girl over her fears in time.
"Sure you can! But try not to get too attached to them. We might be able to keep one, but that is it. Plus we don't own them, remember." Heather warned her. She didn't want to have the girl's heart break when they had to give up all the puppies. "Depending on what the owner's story is, and assuming we find the person, we may have to turn them back over to them."
"What names are you thinking of for the puppies?" she asked.
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Jan 10, 2014 23:14:31 GMT -5
" Well the all black one maybe midnight.. umm... The gray and brown patched one Spunk.. and the Dark Brown on .. Digs" Enya said looking at the puppys for a moment then looked back to heather with a small smile.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 11, 2014 22:01:13 GMT -5
"Midnight, Spunk and Digs," Heather repeated. "I like Digs! That is a neat name." she returned Enya's smile.
They travelled on, sometimes in silence and sometimes chatting to break up the monotony. All the time Heather kept a watchful eye on the woods ahead to either side of them and the overhanging trees. She also frequently glanced behind them, maintaining a constant vigilance. The day warmed slightly, but there was still the crisp chill of winter on the air. Hours passed and the sun started to sink to the horizon. Heather's stomach growled as she rode, but she paid little attention to it. She was trying to look for a good camping spot for the night, keep a watch on the trail they were following and keep an eye out for a possible attack.
Through a break in the trees up ahead she saw some very large birds circling in the air just above the tree tops. Occasionally one would swoop down and then one woule rise back up above the canopy of trees. "Vultures." Heather pointed to the sky. "Why do I have a sinking feeling upon seeing them?"
There were quite a few vultures circling overhead. Whatever was dead, it was likely to be more than just a cow or one horse. She got a knot in the pit of her stomach and hoped she wasn't going to find what she thought whe was going to find.
"This might be rather grusome, Enya, if it is what I think is there." Heather warned her. "Do you want to hang back while I go check it out?"
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