Another lesson

[Viridae Kabre]

Timestamp: Day 82, fall, 500 AV
Location: Kalea wilds, outside Kalinor
Purpose: Survival training

Viridae crouched along side the stream, rubbing the sand gently with his hand. It was wet, signifying that the water level was dropping.

"You wouldn't camp here," Dimidae said sternly, arms crossed, looking over the young Symenestra with those peircing fuscia eyes that Viridae most commonly associated with a hunting hawk. It wasn't so much the color, but the strong shape of his father's brow. Viridae stood and shrugged to him lightly.

"Because the water level is bound to rise, correct? It'd ruin our gear," He replied, attempting to avoid his father's eyes. Lately, Viridae could not bear Dimidae's lessons. He felt as though he was constantly being judged, and that he was bound to disapoint his father.

"Correct, Bittadae. The only advantage that comes with camping near water is the easy availability of a watersource. However, if you have a waterskin, or any other container for that matter, you don't need to be that close. The disadvantages are astronomical. Predetors seek water because prey tend to rest near it. Theres the possibility of flood. The tempurature is typically lower, and other things. Show me a better place."

The sun was approaching the horizon rapidly, and before long it would reclaim the light it had givin to the world in the early hours. He had to think quickly. Viridae slung his backpack and trudged in a path adjecent to the river. As they approached a large spruce tree, Dimidae stopped, and gestured to it.

"You nearly walked right past it, Bitta," He said with a smirk. "Advantages of camping in or beneath a tree?"

"Ummm...." He began, biting his lower lip. He hadn't remembered much of what he learned in the summer, but he did know a little. "Cover from rain?" He said raising his thin brows. Dimidae frowned in frustration and leaned against the thick trunk.

"Much more. Cover from rain, protection from the wind, conceilment from predetors, the list goes on." Dimidae unslung his backpack and unbuckled his heavy belt, before unslinging his bow. "And you'd want to camp in the tree, unless you're in a storm. Wind isn't much to worry about if its not enough to sway the tree, but lightning strike is a definate possibility."

[Viridae Kabre]

After spending nearly half a bell learning to tie the cacoon shapped silk tent into the tree safely, Dimidae and Viridae began to construct a wind screed from pine branches. The finished product was a wall of pine needles, stretching about six feet from the trunk of the tree.

"Gather some tinder and wood, Bitta," Dimidae said grumpily. The frustration of teaching was beating down on the man like waves against a stone. Viridae nodded silently and paced around the immediate area, collecting dead branches. He pondered what to use for tinder. This area of the forest was too alive to find anything dry and easily flamable. He walked back to the wind screen and dumped the wood next to it, frustrated, tired, and grumpy. Dimidae gave him a long look.

"Where is the tinder?" He asked.

"I couldn't find anything," Viridae said stupidly, kicking a nearby log.

"Its all around," Dimidae said, rising to his feet slowly. He walked to the base of the spruce and searched the ends of its lower branches for a moment. When he turned back around, he had a handfull of course black hair. "I call it horse hair," He said, dropping it on top of the wood. "Its a type of fungur that grows from pined trees. You can find it anywhere, even in the winter, usually on lower branches. Pull some bark for kindling, and I'll teach you to start the fire."

Viridae pulled the bark in carefull chunks, then dropped it on top of the wood. Satisfied. He crouched near the wind screen next to his father, awaiting further instruction.

[Viridae Kabre]

"come closer, Bitta," Dimidae said, as he grabbed a handfull of tinder and bark. He picked out a few of the smaller sticks and set all of it down in a seperate pile. Then he used his hands to dig a small pit, and placed the tinder in the center, surrounded by a tepee built of small sticks and bark. Pulling flint and steel from his pocket, he sent a stream of sparks into the hair like tinder. The spark transfered, and he blew on it quickly, curling his lips into an "O" shape. Soon the sparks had become a small flame, which spread to the surrounding sticks. Viridae noticed the flame was much hotter at the tip than the sides. After the sticks were lit pretty good, Dimidae arranged logs into a cabin shape around the tepee, then pushed them closer together, closing the box on the small structure. "Opening the box will make it cooler, closing it, hotter."

Viridae nodded and stared into the orange flame. Dimidae's voice cut his dreamy gaze short, and he once again cut his eyes back to his father.

"If it gets cold, enclose the pit in rocks. they absorb heat and radiate it back out."

Viridae nodded and continued to stare until the sun had sunk into the skyline.

[Viridae Kabre]

The Rest of the evening went by quickly. Dimidae taught Viridae to boil water and stock together to make soup, and even explained how to make tee from pine needles. "The trick is to use the light green terminal buds on the tips of the branches," dimidae had said, dropping them into boiling water and mixing in a bit of fruit syrup from a jar of preserved strawberries.

The moon was high in the sky when Dimidae stomped out the fire and told Viridae to move the ashes over the coals to keep them alive, in case they needed the fire again in the night. He did, just before they both climbed into seperate cacoons and nodded off to sleep.

Packing up the next morning did not take nearly as long as Viridae had expected. After they slung their packs over their backs, Dimidae led them both back to the small stream. "Pull out your waterskin," He comanded. Viridae handed it to him quickly and crouched beside Dimidae at the stream's shore. Dimidae dipped it into the water, collecting it in the sack. As he lifted it, he adressed Viridae carefully. "This water is not clean, Bitta."

Viridae tilted his head. It looked clearer than the water in their home. He did not understand. "It looks clean, father."

"Oh, but do you not remember seeing the dead wolf on our hike downstream yesterday morning?" He inquired, raising a brow. "Just because it looks clean doesnt mean its safe. Dirty water can make you very ill, and out here alone, you could easily die without reaching help in time." Dimidae pulled a small vial and dropper from his belt. The liquid inside was dark red, and when he opened the bottle, it smelled of alcohol. Viridae crinkled his nose.

"This is Iodine. It makes the water safe." And with that he put a drop into the watersack, and shook it for about twenty secconds, before handing it back to Viridae. "Remember, if you don't have this, boiling the water is better than drinking it straight."

the hike home was long, and Viridae was a little more confident in his ability to survive in the wilds, but also felt a strange nagging worry in his stomache. Someday, he would be here alone. Dimidae would not be able to correct his mistakes. He gritted his teeth. Let the day come, and meet its end.

[Poison]

Skills: Wilderness Survival: 2

Lores: Don’t Camp near Water, Advantages of Camping in or beneath a Tree, Using Horse Hair as Tinder, Making a Fire Pit, Making Soup, Dirty Water can make you ill, Iodine makes Water safe

Notes: This was another enjoyable thread. Since your PC was mostly listening, you get a lot of lores, but few XP.

As always, if there are any issues with the way I graded your thread, send me a PM!

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