Chapter 11

They wore furs that itched and stank but kept them warm. Paul and Daniel had the task of cutting the branches off the trees that the other men chopped down. It sounded safer than climbing high into the trees to cut off the top of the trees. Their job also meant that they could stand well out of the way when the great trees fell crashing to the ground. It was actually one of the most dangerous jobs that the foresters did. The last two men who trimmed branches were crushed when the tree shifted and rolled on top of them. It was their furs that Paul and Daniel wore.

Paul carried a large ax and crept up to the branch. He looked to check that Daniel was clear then swung the ax against the branch. Even though this branch was thicker than Paul's arm, it snapped like a twig and thumped onto the forest floor. The sharp scent of pine filled the air, but Paul didn't notice it any more, not anymore that he did the sore places where his hands stuck to the ax with sap.They had a potent smelling liquid that removed the sap at the end of the day. It was too precious to use more than that once. Paul envied the toppers who had tight fitting leather gloves to protect their skin. The Boss had just laughed when Paul inquired about them.

He moved to the next branch and repeated the swing. Daniel moved in closer and trimmed a branch that stuck out the other side. As long as they worked steadily, the Boss wouldn't tell them to hurry up. If they stopped for too long, he'd yell at them and they'd find themselves hacking at branches without regard for the danger. It was a balancing act between the danger and the need to keep the Boss happy.

Oddly, Paul enjoyed the work. He knew exactly what was expected of him, and he didn't need to struggle with alien concepts. There was a branch. He chopped the branch. There was another team behind them who would use a saw to cut the broken ends close to the trunk and trim the branches that stuck upwards into the air. That was almost as dangerous. The log could still roll and crush them. That's what had happened to the cook. He had hobbled around on his wooden leg for so long that he was quicker than most of the men with two good legs. Paul was getting stronger from swinging the axe and moving branches with the other crew. While Paul stepped back to let Daniel clear some branches on the other side, he daydreamed about Diana. He was careful to never lose focus, but thoughts of Diana kept him as warm as the furs he wore.

They reached the end of the log and looked for the next log. Daniel speculated endlessly about how the foresters would move the massive logs from the forest to the city.

The air was cold, but without the rain coming down it was dry and easy to keep warm. Snow fell and turned the forest white, but it didn't make them wet, so they didn't get cold. The harder Paul worked the warmer he felt. He only shivered in the morning between blanket and clothes when the chill air raised goosebumps on his skin.

Some shouting ahead signaled that something different had happened. A log had hung up in another tree next to it. The Boss was peering up at it. He wore the sheepskin cloak like king's robes. He didn't look like a happy king. Paul walked over to join the other men looking up at the tangle.

"Paul, take a rope and run up the log. Tie yourself off to the standing tree, then start trimming the branches that are holding this beast up."

Paul snatched a rope from one of the men standing around watching and jumped up on the log. He wished that the Boss hadn't said run up the log. His legs didn't wait for him to plan a route but carried him in leaps and bounds up the sloped log to where the two trees tangled. Once he was there he stopped and assessed the situation.

It was a mess. If he hung over the outside of the log it could tear him loose and throw him to the ground when it broke free. If he went inside it could crush him between the falling log and standing tree. He thought that Boss had sent Daniel up to do this. Daniel was a lot smarter than he was. He needed to hurry or the Boss would be yelling at him. What if he tied himself on the other side of the tree? That way if either he slipped, or the log slipped he had a chance of getting out of the way. He clambered through the thicket of branches to tie off to a large limb that was free of any of the fallen log's branches. That done, he climbed down underneath the log to see the fork in the tree that had caught and held the log.

He hoisted the ax off his back and made sure it was roped to his waist. Then he started chopping. He'd watched the other men doing ax work, and they took slow powerful strokes. Paul tried to match his swings to that. He was soon in a rhythm and cut a deep notch into the part of the trunk that held up the log.

The only warning he got was a sharp crack. Paul pushed away from his position and let the ax go. He held onto the rope that was tied around his waist and tried to control his swing. When he hit the tree on the far side he clung to the bark. The entire tree was shaking and creaking, then the log's weight pulled it away as half the tree's top fell to the ground.