Solo Counting the Days

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

Timestamp: 23rd Day of Winter, 514 AV


Seirei woke with a soft groan of discomfort when she felt her unborn child pressing down on her bladder. She got up as quickly as her bulging belly would allow her to, and took care of her pressing need. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Seirei had long since forgotten what it felt like to be free of pain and discomfort. She had been told that this was natural, and that things would get better once she gave birth.

And she wanted to believe that. She really did. But it was hard when she was exhausted because a good night's sleep was little more than a fading dream of the past. These days, she was lucky if she got more than a bell of sleep at a time spread out throughout the night with long stretches of time between them. During these times, Seirei would lay awake, wishing that she could sleep. Often, it was only when exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she passed out from it that she got any significant amount of rest.

That left Seirei feeling very irritable most of the time. Irritable, and moody...and too frightened of Lian, and what he might do if he got angry to ever lash out at him as she wanted to. And that only made her feel worse. Bottling up her feelings only made them stronger. Which led to the need for a distraction. If she was too busy working on something to dwell on her bad mood, it would often fade after a while. This was especially true if she was doing something she loved; like working with wood.

Seirei was currently between projects yet again. It was an increasingly common occurrence this far into her pregnancy. The strain that her pregnancy put on her body got steadily worse the closer she came to the end of it. This meant that she needed to rest frequently throughout the day. She had any number of projects to choose from. But her need for frequent rest breaks made some of the more involved projects difficult for her to manage. Especially when exhaustion made it hard for her to focus on what she was doing.

After giving it some thought, Seirei decided to make some cooking sticks, They were a practical item that most people in Endrykas needed. Traders often were interested in them, as well. Both for themselves, and to sell. So there would definitely be a market for them. Seirei even had a plan that might allow her to sell her finished product to Drykas instead of just traders. Most Drykas were unwilling to buy anything a captive made, believing that a foreigner's work would have to be of poorer quality that a Drykas's would. But Teisaia was a Drykas, and her family were of the Ruby Clan. Like her, they were crafters. It wouldn't look strange for them to be selling something made out of wood. As her friend, Teisaia had already agreed to try and sell things for her to the Drykas. The mizas that were earned from any sales would be given to Seirei in full. Instead of taking a fee for selling her work, Teisaia wanted a couple of the cooking sticks for herself. Seirei was happy to agree to her friend's request.

Having chosen a project to work on, Seirei gathered up several long, thin branches. Using her knife, she began stripping the bark off of the first one. The bark was set aside to be used as kindling for a fire the next time she needed to cook something. Slowly, but steadily, Seirei worked on stripping the bark from each branch.

When she'd finished getting the last bit of bark off of the last branch, she moved on to the next step. Gripping the branch she had been working on firmly between her knees, Seirei began using her knife to sharpen one end of the branch into a sharp point. Every once in a while, she would test the point with her finger to see if it was sharp enough. Once she was satisfied that it was, Seirei flipped the branch, and began sharpening the other end into a point as well.

One by one, Seirei turned each of the branches into a cooking stick. When she was finished, she had nine in total. Two would go to Teisaia as a favor for forgoing the fee she could have charged her for being willing to sell the cooking sticks. It was a way to sell her goods to the Drykas without encountering the difficulties that came with her being a captive, and the remaining seven would be sold; this way, the people who bought her cooking sticks wouldn't ever need to know that a captive had made them. It rankled Seirei that her work wasn't considered to be worth buying...wasn't good enough...just because she was a captive. She knew that she had a long way to go before she became a master carver. But she also knew that her work was good. She put a lot of effort into everything she made. In some ways, her finished products were her children. Part of her didn't want to sell anything to the Drykas. That part of her insisted that if they didn't think her work was good enough just because she wasn't one of them, then it was their loss. But she was too practical for that. It didn't make sense to sell only to traders if she had a way to sell to the Drykas. She would be severely limiting her options that way.

Seirei felt a sharp pain in her abdomen as the baby kicked. She rubbed the spot absently as she examined her work, wishing yet again that the baby would hurry up and be born; she was sick of being pregnant. Now there was just one thing left to do. Seirei set her knife aside, and took up her smoothing cloth. Then she began rubbing the cooking stick, all up and down its length. She wanted to make sure that there were no rough spots that might form splinters that would then get caught in someone's food.

As she worked, she would stop every so often, and run her hand along the wood. In doing so, she was testing her progress, and searching for rough areas she had missed. Each cooking stick was subjected to the same, slow process. Seirei refused to move on to the next cooking stick until the one she was currently working on was completed to her exacting standards.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

aaa

Finally, she was finished. Once again, it was time to pick another project to work on. Seirei eyed her newly completed cooking sticks thoughtfully. The trade caravan she had grown up with had been a fairly prosperous one. Even during the streak of bad luck that had ultimately resulted in Seirei's being abandoned, they had always had enough to hire several caravan guards to protect them. Some of those guards had used spears of javelins as their chosen weapons.

As a child, Seirei had watched them practice sometimes after the caravan had set up camp for the night. Sometimes they used real weapons when they practiced. But sometimes, they used practice weapons. And those practice weapons had been made out of wood. In fact, some of those practice weapons looked a lot like her cooking sticks. The biggest difference was that they had only been sharpened at one end, and the points had been hardened by fire.

Seirei glanced at the cooking sticks again. She knew nothing about spears or javelins. But going by what she remembered of how the practice weapons looked, she thought she could make one. At the very least, it was worth a try.

With a new project in mind, Seirei looked through her remaining branches. Spears and javelins were long, and straight. Since one was meant to be thrown at an enemy, and the other could be, Seirei guessed that the size, and the shape of the weapon were very important. With a cooking stick, the branch needed to be straight, but it wasn't as important that it be perfectly straight. If there was a slight bend or curve in a cooking stick, it could be used. But Seirei wasn't certain that the same thing could be said for a spear or javelin.

So Seirei carefully selected the branch she wanted to use, keeping this in mind. The branch she finally chose for this project was as tall as she was. It was also perfectly straight. There were a few knots in the branch, but those could be removed. Having made her choice, it was time to get to work.

Just as she had with the cooking sticks, Seirei started removing the bark with her knife. But this time, she had to be especially careful. Each scrape of the knife had to be made carefully. If she bit too deeply into the branch, it would leave an indentation in the branch. In a cooking stick, that might not matter so much. But in something that had to be perfectly straight, it was a flaw that would have to be evened out. Doing that too many times would either alter the shape of the branch, or leave her with a final product that was too thin to be usable as a spear or a javelin as she had to remove more wood than necessary for correcting the flaw in order to keep it straight enough. On the other hand, if the knife's strokes were too shallow, bits of the bark would be left behind.

Removing the bark off of the branch she was working was a painstaking process, due to the need for absolute concentration on the task at hand, and careful positioning of the knife each time she removed another strip of bark. As a result, it took her longer to remove the bark from this one branch than it had all of the others she had turned into cooking sticks combined. When she was finally finished, she lay the branch across her lap, and examined her work critically. There were a few spots she had missed. They were clustered close together, suggesting she had had a lapse of attention as she worked on that one area. Seirei frowned, trying to figure out what had happened. Then she realized what had distracted her. The baby had made its presence felt once more, with yet another painful kick. Seirei had paused until the pain had passed, but she must have skipped over a small area when she had begun working once more.

Seirei removed the last bits of bark with her knife, then set it aside. She studied the end she intended to sharpen for several chimes, picturing what the point would look like when it was finished firmly in her mind. Then she picked up her chisel, and positioned it several inches below the end of the branch. This was where she wanted the base of the weapon's sharpened end to begin.

With slow, meticulous strokes, she used her chisel to shave off strips of wood. These were placed with the bark, and would be saved for kindling when she needed to start a fire. When she had made her cooking sticks, she had used her knife to sharpen the ends into points. But the chisel offered her more control over her work, so this is what she used now.

Every so often, Seirei would pause in her work to examine her progress critically. Only when she was satisfied that she the point was taking shape the way she wanted it to, did she continue with her work. Seirei stopped to test the sharpness of the point periodically, as well as examining the shape. When she was satisfied with her work, she set the chisel down, beside her, and picked up her smoothing cloth.

With well practiced, circular motions, she rubbed the cloth along the length of the practice weapon. She started at the base, and slowly worked her way up to the very tip of the point. When she had finished, she rubbed her hands along the full length. There were several rough spots, so Seirei began again. As before, she started at the base, and worked her way up slowly.

There were still a few rough spots left when she examined her progress a second time. This time, rather than starting from scratch, she simply rubbed the cloth over the rough areas until they were smooth, too. A third test proved that her work was done. All that was left was to try and harden the point so it was less likely to break when used. For that, she would need to build a fire. But she was weary from her efforts. Seirei was at a good stopping place in her work, so she decided to rest for a while before continuing.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

aaa

After a lengthy process of trying to find a comfortable position, followed by a short nap, Seirei was ready to get back to work. She went outside, and started to dig a fire pit. There was no snow on the ground, but it was harder than usual to dig, because the dirt was hard from repeated frosts. Her task was made harder by the fact that she didn't have any kind of proper digging tool. Rather than risk blunting any of her carving tools, she retreated into the tent briefly, and returned with Lian's eating knife.

She stabbed into the ground over, and over again. When she'd managed to break up some of the hard dirt, she would scoop it out of the pit with her hands. Then she would repeat the process. By the time she was done, the knife was somewhat worse for the wear. Maybe if she washed it really well when she was done, he wouldn't notice? The blade looked as though it had been blunted by her efforts, but that could be mistaken for normal wear and tear...couldn't it?

Seirei set the knife aside, and lined the fire pit with a layer of bark that she covered with bits of grass. She struck her flint and steel together several times, until they produced sparks. She blew on the sparks gently. At first, she thought that they would catch, but a sudden gust of wind blew then out. Seirei sighed, and tried again. This time, she was successful, and the sparks turned into a small, fragile fire as they began burning the grass and bark within the pit. Ever so carefully, Seirei began adding more bits of grass and bark until the fire grew stronger. When it was strong enough, she added a few thick knots of grass that were bound so tightly that they would take some time to burn.

Once the fire was ready, Seirei stood, and picked up her practice weapon. She held the point of the weapon over the flames. It was close enough that the hungry flames licked the wood eagerly, but it did not catch fire. Slowly, the sharp point began to turn black. Seirei kept a close eye on it, and she removed it from the fire before the wood could begin to char.

Seirei eyed the "weapon" in her hand. It was probably more of a javelin than a spear. She knew nothing of either weapon beyond the fact that a javelin was meant to be thrown while a spear could be, but that wasn't its primary use. The practice weapon was light enough that it seemed like it could be thrown easily. But Seirei had no idea if it was strong enough to be used as a spear. For that matter, she didn't know if it could be used as a javelin either.

After a while, she decided that she would ask Teisaia the next time she saw her. Her friend probably didn't know anything about spears or javelins either, of course. But unlike her, she could show it to someone at the Hunter's Allegiance, and ask them if it was worth anything. If it turned out that it was useful, Seirei would have something else she could sell to the Drykas other than beads. Not directly, of course. Seirei was under no illusions that any Drykas would be willing to buy a weapon from her, practice weapon or not. But if she offered Teisaia a percentage of the money she earned from each sale, or possibly an exchange of services instead, Seirei was confident that her friend would be willing to act as a go between of sorts.

Seirei stared at her finished practice javelin thoughtfully for several chimes. It looked strangely familiar to her for some reason. She wracked her brain, trying to think of what it reminded her of. Then it hit her. Last fall when she had gone foraging with Teisaia and Rytira, they had come across a group of boys returning home after a successful fishing trip. Some of those boys had had fishing spears that looked a little like her "weapon."

Some of the fishing spears had had metal blades attached to wooden handles. But not all of them did. Some were wooden sticks with a sharpened point to spear the fish. They were shorter than the javelin Seirei had just finished making, but Seirei was confident that she could make a fishing spear as easily as she could a longer practice weapon.

With that thought in mind, Seirei began looking through the branches she had left. Some were too thin, too fragile. They would be good for making beads out of, but they would likely break if used as a weapon. Some were too long. They could be cut in half, perhaps, but most weren't long enough to get two fishing spears out of them if she resorted to that. Seirei hated the thought of wasting precious wood, so those branches were discarded as well.

Finally, she found a branch that would be ideal for her project. Long enough to have a decent reach, but short enough that it could be used easily. Thick enough that it wasn't likely to break easily, but thin enough that it could be gripped comfortably. As before, Seirei began by stripping the bark off of the branch with her knife. It was a slow, methodical task that could become boring if Seirei allowed it to. Especially when she had already worked on a number of other very similar projects today. But boredom led to becoming distracted. And distractions led to making mistakes. Often stupid mistakes that could have easily been prevented. Sometimes, it could even mean ruining a perfectly good piece of wood, or even injuring yourself with your own tools. Seirei wasn't willing to risk that, so she forced herself to pay close attention to what she was doing.

When she was done stripping the bark off of her branch, she set it aside to be used as kindling later. Then she paused to examine her work. She hadn't left any bits of bark clinging to the branch, so it was time to start the next phase of her project. Seirei set aside her knife in favor of her chisel. Using the chisel for this type of work gave her more control than using the knife would. For that reason alone, it was worth taking the extra time to use it. But it also was the sign of a true carver in Seirei's mind. Anyone who took up carving as a casual hobby could use a knife to whittle a simple, rough figurine, or sharpen a wooden point. But a real carver...one who had true passion for their work took the time to use the right tool for the right task. And carving was no mere hobby for Seirei. It was her life.

Once the point of the fishing spear was sharp enough to satisfy Seirei, she exchanged her chisel for her smoothing cloth. Using slow, even circular motions, she carefully smoothed the rough areas away. Every so often, she would pause, and examine her work to make certain that she hadn't missed any spots. As with the task of stripping the bark off of a branch, this was a simple task that could often lead to boredom, and distraction if one wasn't careful. And in this case, distracting could lead to missing a spot, which in turn, could mean that the person who tried to use the fishing spear would end up with a sliver of wood buried deep in their hand.

Seirei eyed her work when she was finished. It was a very utilitarian tool. Practical, but plain. In some cases, that was for the best. A cooking stick that had designs carved into it would be harder to clean after each use. And if the carved design caused a rough spot to form, one could end up with splinters in one's food. None of the weapons Seirei remembered seeing the caravan guards use had ever had any kind of decoration on them either. That led Seirei to believe that a carved design could damage a weapon in some way.

But a fishing spear was neither weapon, nor cooking stick. It wasn't something to be thrown. Nor was it something that would have to be cleaned after each use, except for the point. So Seirei figured that it would be safe to create a design for the spear as long as she left the point of the spear alone.

With this thought in mind, Seirei stared at the fishing spear for several chimes, imagining what several different designs might look like. When she had decided what she wanted to do, she picked up her gouger, and began using it to carve narrow lines into the handle of the spear. Gradually, those lines turned into the basic shape of a fish. Once the basic shape of the fish was finished to Seirei's satisfaction, she used her pick to etch more details into the design. These were simple curved lines that gave the impression of scales.

Seirei carved several more fish designs into the handle of the fishing spear when she was finished with the first. These were alternated with a wave design that ringed the handle in several places, separating the fish from one another. Detail work like this was something that Seirei truly loved doing. It was a challenge for her as a wood carver. But it also allowed her to stretch her imagination. And it was a way of taking something useful, but simple...like a fishing spear...and creating a work of art out of it.

When she was finished with her design, she examined her work critically for several chimes. She couldn't find any obvious flaws, so she set it aside, labeling it finished in her mind. There was still several bells before Lian was likely to return. Seirei had time to work on at least one more project. But working on the fishing spear had taken a lot out of her. Feeling drained, and weary, Seirei decided she needed another rest break before starting anything else.

Word Count1701 words

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

aaa

Seirei was unable to actually nap this time, because her unborn baby decided to make itself felt by kicking her several times as she tried to rest. But simply closing her eyes, and allowing her mind to drift aimlessly into a hazy fog for a while seemed to help a little. She didn't feel as rested as she would have after getting some actual sleep, but it did restore her energy a little. After a while, Seirei gave up, and decided to get back to work.

She had had the idea of trying her hand at making a walking stick for a while now. They could be as simple, or as elaborate as a carver wished to make them. And they were something that could be sold to traders, and Drykas alike...if she could find a Drykas willing to buy from her. Or more likely buy from her through Teisaia acting as a go between of sorts. That way, the Drykas would never need to know that they were buying from a foreigner. In some ways, it was a little like getting revenge on the people who scorned her. If they liked her work, and were willing to buy it from a fellow Drykas, she would have the satisfaction both that her work was appreciated, and that her tormentors were being tricked into using something made by a dreaded foreigner. Walking sticks were most common among the elderly, of course. But some used elaborately carved ones as a statement of style rather than out of need; not in Endrykas that she had seen, but in other cities. And they were useful for someone with a leg injury, as well.

Since she had spent the morning making several very practical, but plain things, Seirei wanted to try her hand at something more complex. Striders, and horses were very important to the Drykas, so a walking stick carved in the image of a horse might be appreciated. But for that, Seirei would need a reference drawing. She knew what a horse looked like, of course, but having a drawing to use as a reference would make it easier for her to get the details just right. And while she could draw a horse from memory, the same principle applied. Seeing one as she drew the reference picture would help her get the details down accurately. Fortunately, there were plenty of horses and striders around. Seirei would not need to go far to find one to use as her model.

Seirei went into the tent briefly to get her sketch book, and her charcoal stick. Then she walked into the city in search of a good model. She needed the exercise, anyway. It was for that reason that she didn't simply pick the first horse she saw. As she weaved her way through the crowds, Seirei noticed that she drew a lot of stares. She knew that it was because she was a foreigner. But she was very obviously pregnant, so other than wary, or scornful looks, she was left alone.

As she walked slowly through the city, her attention was drawn by a large crowd gathered around a small, golden tent. At first, she thought that it might be connected to the River Flower in some way, since it was near the tent where the healers worked. But no one in the crowd looked injured, or wore the types of clothes that several of the healers she had seen seemed to favor. Another thing that stood out in this crowd, was that there were several foreigners mixed in with the Drykas.

Moving closer, Seirei learned from overhearing a number of varied conversations that this place was called the Raised Sun, and that it was run by the Topaz clan. That made sense, given the golden color of the tent. She remembered learning that gold was one of the colors associated with the Topaz clan. She also remembered learning that it was the Topaz clan that was responsible for making and enforcing the laws, and social standards of their people. Was this a place where people could go when they had a dispute, then? No, listening further told Seirei that these people were seeking work in the city. Seeing foreigners like herself in the crowd made Seirei wonder if she would be given a job if she came here asking for one, too. Would the Drykas be more willing to buy from her if she got a job from this place? It was something to think about in the future.

For now, it was time to move on. There were no horses for her to draw here. After a while, Seirei came across a place where there were a lot of horses she could choose from. Several people, Drykas, and foreigners alike were milling around, looking at all of the horses. Hearing bits of conversation around her, she learned that this place was called Steeds and Yves. But when someone approached her, asking her what kind of horse she was looking to buy, Seirei backed down quickly. Explaining that she wanted to draw a horse, not buy one got her odd looks from the man who approached her. Nervous that she might get in trouble if he decided that she was a thief, Seirei quickly thanked the man, and left.

It didn't take her long to find another place that had potential. At the edge of the city, she found a large purple pavilion that served as a stable. When approached, Seirei learned that it was called the Guided Horse, and that it was run by a woman named Kelna Nightrider. Seirei explained that she was looking for a horse she could draw as a model for a project, and asked if she could draw one of the horses kept here. After getting permission, she quickly got to work.

For her purposes, one horse or strider was very much like another. So she picked one of the ones that were grazing as her model. Remembering that it was best to start with basic shapes, Seirei what looked something like an elongated oval positioned at an angle for the horse's face. But instead of closing the oval, she extended it, drawing lines to transition into the creature's neck. Triangles leaning slightly to one side became the ears. Seirei was going for a slightly tilted look, as though the horse in her picture was listening to something. And it looked like she had hoped it would...sort of. A small, horizontal oval was drawn for the eye. And last, but not least, Seirei drew lines on the neck for the mane. It was a very rough drawing, but it would serve for her purposes. Seirei thanked the person who had allowed her to draw the horses, and made her way back to Lian's tent.

Once there, it was time to select the branch she wanted to use. It had to be large enough that an adult could use it comfortably. And it had to be thick enough to be sturdy, but not so much so that it couldn't be gripped easily. When she had chosen the branch she wanted to use, it was time to get to work. Once again, Seirei began stripping the bark off of her chosen branch. As she worked, the baby kicked sharply, causing Seirei to gasp softly at the pain it caused. Seirei rubbed her belly gingerly for several ticks before continuing.

After the last bits of bark had been removed, Seirei used her smoothing cloth to smooth away all of the rough areas. Then came the more challenging part. Seirei stared at the branch for several long chimes, trying to picture then end result of what she hoped to do. Every so often, Seirei would switch her gaze from the wood, to the page, and back again.

When Seirei had a firm idea of what she wanted to do in her mind, she began using her chisel to shape the top of the branch. Gradually, the curve of the horse's neck began to take form. With one careful scrape after another, she shaved off bits of wood to form the face and ears. It was slow, painstaking work, but Seirei loved every chime of it. Under her patient hands, a simple branch was slowly transformed into a walking stick that was both practical, and in her eyes, beautiful.

Once the basic shape was finished, Seirei set aside her chisel, and used her gouger to create the eyes. Then that tool was set aside in turn in favor of the pick, which was used to create the details of the mane. After she finished, Seirei admired her work. She was truly proud of the way it had come out. She used her smoothing cloth to smooth away the rough spots that had been created as she carved the design. And then it was finished.


Word Count3186 words

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

A delicate bloom

aaa

Seirei was starting to feel tired again, but she also felt strangely energized at the same time. She felt an almost giddy rush of emotions flooding through her. It took her several chimes to realize that what she was feeling was a sense of pride and accomplishment at having completed a challenging project, combined with the sheer joy working with wood always brought her. It disturbed Seirei to realize that she hadn't felt this way in a long time. Although she loved working with wood, she had been so depressed over being a captive, and being pregnant that not even carving could bring her out of her depression completely. It had taken a real challenge to give her that rush of pride and accomplishment in her work. Realizing that, Seirei decided that she would try to push her limits as a carver, and keep herself challenged in the future.

There was still some time left before Lian was expected to return, and Seirei wanted to prolong this feeling as much as she could. She didn't have enough time to begin a truly challenging project, but she did have enough time to make some beads. It wasn't a challenge in the same way carving the horse head design on the walking stick had been, but delicate work like the kind required for making beads would demand her full attention. There would be no room for depressing thoughts and fears to sink in.

Seirei looked through the willow branches she had left, selecting several. These were set aside so that they wouldn't get mixed up with the ones that were being saved for another time. Then she grabbed one, and began cutting it up into pieces that were slightly larger than she wanted the finished beads to be. That way, if she made a mistake, she would be able to correct it. One by one, each branch was cut into pieces in a similar manner.

When she was finished cutting the branch into pieces, Seirei took the smallest bow drill she had, and began drilling out the pulpy center of each piece. It was slow, time consuming work. The slightest distraction could, and did cause her to break the piece she was working on. But even so, most of the pieces she had cut survived the drilling process.

Seirei carefully set her newest beads out to dry. Then she put her drill away, and pulled out a pouch of beads that were ready to be shaped. She pulled one bead out at a time, and shaped it with her chisel. Most of the beads she made were either oval, or round. But she made some square and triangle shaped beads as well. They were more of a challenge to make, but when Seirei succeeded in shaping one properly, the feeling she got for doing so was more rewarding than the one she got for playing it safe, and sticking to the easier shapes.

She finished the last bead just as it was starting to get dark. Seirei quickly cleaned up her mess so that there would be no signs of it when Lian returned.

Word Count3708 words

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Seirei

Experience

• Carving: 5
• Organisation: 3
• Endurance: 2
• Observation: 3
• Weaponsmithing: 2
• Planning: 4
• Mathematics: 1
• Wilderness Survival, Plains: 1
• Logic: 2
• Foraging: 1
• Drawing: 1

Lore

• Pregnancy can make sleep uncomfortable
• Work to cure a bad mood
• Carving: Cooking Sticks
• Organisation: Following a process
• Carving: Smoothing down rough wood
• Carving: Crafting a weapon from wood
• Mathematics: Size and Shape
• Carving: A spearhead
• Carving: A fishing spear
• Carving: Decorative designs
• Carving: A walking stick
• Drawing: Basic shapes

Notes

You covered a lot of different projects in this one which kept me interested. Enjoy the rewards!