Ch 4 Part 3

{{For those who do not know what a fairy den is, here is an explanation. A fairy is a tree with a rotten core that had been struck by lightening at some point, and the core of the tree was burned hollow. Depending on the type of tree it is, this can actually make a solid building of sorts, and can still grow and live for decades after. Some trees strength can actually be beefed up due to the heat from the lightening strike because of the tensile strength matching most metals. Cedar, cotton woods, and larch fur are types that gain strength from heat, also known as curing the wood.}}

Before Arlynn had realized it, Tarai was gone, leaving her to stay by herself. It was then Arlynn finally remembered that the goddess had taken their wolves and suppressed it, leaving them only the ability to defend themselves. With no way to really smell Tarai anymore, she picked up her pack board and began wandering aimlessly. Arlynn kicked herself in the ass for not paying attention more the trackers teachings, after all, it was requirement for all tribe members to learn it. The moon was plenty bright enough to see all around her, but Tarai's tracks had disappeared before she realized it. The wind had kicked up, blowing the dust from the trail all over making what tracks were visible vanish before her very eyes. She sighed heavily as she looked around. Taking another deep breath, she readjusted her things on her back and walked down the road instead. Still unsure of where she was going, she only hoped that no feral wolves would be near, that faint hope was her only solace as she trudged forward. Looking up at the moon, she cursed the goddess's name and herself for her own failure to kill her sister.

By this point in time, Tarai was already quite the distance from Arlynn. Following her instincts and the moon itself, she came upon a small grove that she had once recognized on a hunting excursion with her father. This was the outskirts of the tribes territory. She got excited as she realized that this grove had one of the biggest fairy dens she had ever seen. With a smile upon her face, she walked at a slightly quicker pace as she followed the animal trail along the side of the mountain. Within ten minutes or so, she came upon the patch of trees that contained the big tree. A beam of light from the moon appeared to fall upon a single large tree, the goddess is truly showing mercy. She got excited as she walked into the hole of the tree. Setting her pack board down, she looked around the inside and nodded with satisfaction. This would be perfect to use. Walking around the inside, she picked up all the stray debris that had been blown in or dragged in by smaller animals.

After about an hour, it was finally picked up enough. Heading out of the hole, she walked around the tree, noticing that it was near a good-sized creek. She looked up at the moon thanking the goddess for providing her with a home and fresh water. Her stomach began to slightly growl as she unpacked her fishing pole and proceeded to try and get herself some food from the creek. After roughly an hour, she had enough fish for a good meal. Cleaning the fish carefully, she took out all the bones, saving the thickest ones to make some needles out of. Lighting a small fire, she cooked the fish and had dinner. It had been a long day; her next task tomorrow would be gathering enough resources to make herself a makeshift bed. But for now, the woven grass roll out on her pack board would have to suffice. At the very least, she found enough large bark chunks to cover some of the sides of the fairy den to block the wind at least.

The next morning, Tarai got up, remembering what the goddess had said, she made herself a makeshift offering table with some rocks and a piece of bark. She decided that she would make a better one later. The goddess did say that it did not have to be an animal, just so long as something was offered to her. Scouring the area, she found some berries and mushrooms, taking part of a fish from last nights catch, she placed them upon a flat rock and set it on the offering table. Kneeling down, she clapped her hands together and softly whispered the prayer for the offerings. When she finished her prayer, she felt a lightly warm feeling upon her chest. She smiled, nodded her head, and carefully got up. Walking along the creek bank, she found several rocks roughly ten to twenty centimeters tall and almost as big around. Taking them in one at a time, she set a makeshift base in place. Next, she went out, using the axe her father had packed on her board when no one was looking, she walked out of the den again and started gathering small branches and hew grass. Roughly three or four hours later, she had enough things prepped that she began to weave a base that she could lay the roll out bed upon. She even gathered enough hew grass to weave an extra blanket to cover the one she had been given. By the time even had come, she was quite tired, she went out and gathered more berries for the mornings offerings and set them inside. Heading to the water, she fished for dinner once again. She knew she would be tired of fish after about a week, but for now, she dealt with it. She had once again cleaned and cooked her fish and laid down on her newly maid bed covering herself up with the hide and weaved blanket.

That same day, Sachi had slept till noon. Still exhausted from all that had gone on in the past seven to ten days. Madoc and Zayeden were a little annoyed but understood completely. But they were amazed to find their family had a medicine to recover from most things. They began to wonder if their family had something similar to help the injured or sick heal like this. Shaking their heads at the thought, they pushed the thought to the back of their minds. Adie had made good on his word to send his best horse and messenger to the Crimson Lunar Tribe with a message to meet them in their village in two days' time for a proper meet and greet of the families. All they could do now was wait for them to arrive. There was not much else they could do. The next few days would be quite interesting to say the least. They only hoped they would not be imposing to much.

The following morning, Tarai woke up with a big stretch as she yawned big as she prepared to start her day. Today, her goal was to take the den and make proper walls around it using nothing more than packed mud and straw. She built a crude makeshift oven from several rocks and built a small fire underneath them. Gathering a large number of dead hew grass and other grasses, setting them in a pile next to her. In a small scooped out hole she made in the creek, she scooped out mud and began mixing it inside a bark bowl she had made. They were not neat bricks, but they would do. Each one she made, she put into the makeshift fire oven to heat up and cure. After about four hours, she had a good-sized stack going on. That would be more than enough to fill in the one hole in the tree. Taking several smaller branches, she lightly weaved them together to create a wall base. Taking some of the bricks that were done, she packed them to one side of the den on the outside as she fitted the branches, she weaved inside of the hole toward the back. This one would be able to finish curing by baking in the sun itself.

Tarai could only be thankful that there were only three areas she had to fill in. One of which would be holding a fireplace. She decided to make the fireplace first. After all, it would be nice to be warm at night. Finding a rather nice slate slab, she pulled it into the den and placed it in the corner that she wanted. She then took a large, rounded chunk of bark and used it as a mold. Filling it with the thickest mud from the creek, she made an extra thick piece that would act as the backside of the fire place. Placing a large hole that would act like the vent section. She had no meatal skills to make a pipe, so making it out of two half rounds chunks of narrow bark would have to work. Taking the makeshift kiln, she made, Tarai added more slabs to it to make it longer, it would be the best way to make the pipes for the fireplace. Placing more mud into her narrow molds, she placed them in the longer makeshift fire kiln. While those three sections were being cured in the makeshift kiln. Taking more mud, she formed them into bricks and placed them in the kiln after checking how many she would need. They would sure be done before the three largest pieces. she took the bricks she had made already getting an idea of how she wanted them placed. The side she chose had the second largest opening. This would make it easier to make and give her the ability to put ventilation holes in the side. She carefully placed the bricks along the bottom and stacked them accordingly. In between each of the first three layers, she laid a layer of mud to act as a mortar.