[Bronze Woods] Worms (Sam)

by **Aedai** on June 4th, 2010, 1:56 pm

His question wasn't answered and he didn't want to seem like he didn't know what a petching berry was so he didn't ask again, he thought he might ask someone else instead another day. He didn't want to look inexperianced the first time going out into the wild with someone else. Instead he followed Sam's example and gobbled down the stew using the remaining bread the wipe the bowl clean. He covered his mouth and said, "Iff wa guu". He tried to make a smile while his mouth was full and close. It came out a little silly, he didn't mind because he had made a good friend today.

After he swallowed down the bread and before taking another bite he said, "Want me to take first watch?" He knew the forest could still be trouble even in such a peaceful night there are always shadows lurking about.

by **Sama'el Sunsinger** on June 4th, 2010, 3:52 pm

"If you like," Sam agreed, pouring a little of their precious water into each bowl, swirling it around, and cleaning out what little detritus they hadn't consumed. He wasn't exactly tired yet, but Aedai was probably right. The earlier they went to sleep, the earlier they could wake and press on to the cottage to bury his father.

He put out his bedroll and laid his scimitar beside it just in case something crept up on them in the night.

"We'll take care of your father," he promised as he got settled. "Don't worry."

by **Aedai** on June 4th, 2010, 10:07 pm

Aedai drank the water that was shared between the two of them. He wiped his mouth clean and said, "Sure I don't mind". He set himself a little more comfortably and wrapped the cloth he had. He grabbed a dry brance and tossed it in the fire. He was glad he had collected as many as he could, he noticed a few nearby.

He watched Sam unroll his bedroll and got into it comfortably. His words reached Aedai and brought out some relief that he wouldn't have to face it alone. "Thanks Sam your a good friend", he said, "even though we just met I feel like we're already good friends". He raised his little finger keeping the others closed into his palm as a sign of approval. Something his father and mother would do with him around.

by **Sama'el Sunsinger** on June 8th, 2010, 2:02 pm

42nd Spring, 510 A.V.

Sam awoke after midnight to find Aedai looking awfully tired and he grumbled to him about not waking him earlier. Once the younger lad was asleep, the watch passed peacefully. Sam had Horse's senses to rely on as well; he usually smelled, heard, or saw danger before Sam did. If he had been a strider, Sam might have trusted him to keep watch while they slept, but he was content to have the heightened senses to borrow.

When dawn came, he was already cooking breakfast. If the journey was going to take them so long, it were best to begin early so as to have more light for burying Aedai's father. It wasn't winter anymore so the longer the body stayed out, the worse it would smell. In addition, unburied bodies sometimes carried contagion. Well, it was a risk. Hopefully scavenger animals hadn't gotten to the corpse. That would surely set Aedai off...

He began to whistle softly, an aimless, ambling tune, waiting for breakfast to be ready and for Aedai to wake up, or whichever came first.

by **Aedai** on June 9th, 2010, 3:37 am

The rise of the sun's glare, the smell of breakfast, and the soft whistling woke Aedai. He had fallen asleep quickly as soon as Sam had relieved him of watch. It was a nice sleep, he was comfortable on the hard floor. He had grown accustomed to it whenever him and his father would have to camp out.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned as he stretched his body. He rose up and look to Sam mumbling, "Hmmm whats for breakfast?" He knew the lake was closer to where they were than the cottage, deciding to take Sam there first to refill their waterskins. He was excited though for what breakfast could be, he always is.

by **Sama'el Sunsinger** on June 9th, 2010, 7:23 pm

There was no way Sam was going to carry breakable eggs in his saddlebags, but he had diced up some potatoes and salted pork into an approximation of hash browns and bacon. He wasn't the best cook, but he did try. Thankfully he kept some salt and a few spices around for sparing use. They could get expensive, after all.

"Um... it's... breakfast?" he offered dubiously. Aedai had been kind enough to eat everything he cooked the night before without comment, and most likely would for breakfast. They were both young men, with young men's bellies, which were usually bottomless and famished.

"There's plenty, I think. It'll be ready as soon as you have a bowl handy..."

by **Aedai** on June 11th, 2010, 1:06 am

The smell of the food, the sigh t of it, made Aedai anxious to eat. He reached for the bowl that was given to him yesturday which was a bit clean from when they poured water from the waterskin. He had tried to put it away somewhere clean although he couldn't find anywhere he could. He hadheld on to it till Sam gave his post up from the bed roll and it was his turn to sleep in it. He felt bad that he had forgotton most of his camping gear, it was very unwise and not at all following what his father had taught him. He could almost hear him scolding him now.

He stuck his hand out to give to Sam and smiled, "breakfast looks good". Before Sam took his bowl Aedai added, "We can head for the lake first, its the closest then go for the cottage".

by **Sama'el Sunsinger** on June 12th, 2010, 6:48 am

OOCI'm going to get them nearly to the cottage just so whoever reads this doesn't hunt us down for it being so long.

After the humans and the horse broke their fast, they followed Aedai's lead to the lake to replenish their water supply, and then from there toward the cottage where his father still, hopefully, lay. Sam did his best to learn the trails and the landmarks from Aedai, also asking questions about hunting and the like. If he was going to come back in this direction, it would be good to know what he could expect.

When Aedai informed him that they were nearly there, he almost wanted to mount Horse and run ahead, but he merely urged Horse on with a few words of Pavi, those with which he had trained him over the years.

"Perhaps we can gather some herbs after we finish taking care of your father," he suggested. "Bring something back to Syliras to sell for some extra money."

by **Harlequill** on June 13th, 2010, 3:39 am

There are many reasons that people do not live in the wilderness of Sylira in any great numbers. These reasons, for the most part, are similar all across Mizahar no matter what locale you seek. Unfortunately for these two intrepid adventurers, they were about to encounter one of the rare deterrents to wilderness colonization that is unique to Sylira. The Syliran Kriital.

The senses of Horse would notice that something was wrong as they approached the cottage. As if that was not enough warning that something strange was afoot, the door to the cottage had been left hanging in splinters. Either thick claws or stout axes had been used to force entry into this home and something or someone had been inside. All of the delightful stench which accompanies two week old death and decay wafted into the clearing from inside.

Something moved in the shadows that was difficult to discern immediately. It was soon still. These young men may or may not be worldly enough to realize that they had been spotted. Even so it was difficult to leave the home one had once known, along with the rotting corpse of one's father, without attempting to investigate.

by **Aedai** on June 13th, 2010, 4:52 am

They had eaten breakfast, strapped on their things and continued towards the lake and his old home. Aedai felt a sense of nostalgia the closer he got but with it came dread. He didn't know what he would find and couldn't figure what he hoped he would find. Once the cottage was in plain sight Aedai approached it as hastly as Sam was, ready to get this over with.

It was the way the door looked that caused a wave of emotion pass over Aedai as he suddenly stopped approaching the cabin. His heart was pounding, he couldn't figure why the door was left that way. He looked at Sam with his mouth left open in disbelief. Did I leave it open? Did mother destroy the door in anger? Did that man come back to steal from me? Several wild ideas flowed into Aedai's mind, he approached with caution. He thought it would be possible that his father's corpse had already spawned maggots as his mother explained when she wrapped him up in more than one layer. So that the maggots did not appear on the outside. The stench of the corpse filled his nose as he raised his hand to cover himself from the stench.

He coughed and kept approaching silently, he had forgotten about Sam and was instead anxious, curious, and even hopeful to see what was inside the cottage. To see what was left, and why the door was left in the state that it was in.