Fall 29, 516 AV
midday
With the recent rains passed, Syna's light returned to warm the earth and those who lived upon it, the traveling city had reinvested in its autumn activities with a vengeance, the better to make up for lost time. The bounty of fall would not wait for their convenience, after all. As the only resident Dawnwhisper without children of her own, Khida found herself in the thick of nearly every task requiring hands -- whatever it might be. Today, word had come of a harvest to be gathered along the banks of the nearby Zeis River -- and so she had gone to collect what the Dawnwhispers might claim... along with most of the rest of the city's inhabitants.
So it seemed, at any rate, with people scattered about in clumps at this thicket or that stand of trees, dogs and children running around underfoot. Not theirs, thankfully, as the Dawnwhisper children remained ensconced in camp under the watchful eyes of Seirei and Taerin; nobody she had to pay attention to, except to ensure neither she nor her horse stepped on them. Chatter rose around them, background susurrus louder than any birdsong, more patterned than the murmurs of the rushing river. It was strange, to be away from the city proper yet among so many; a striking contrast to the solitude of her hunts.
Sephra hung close to her rider as the Kelvic woman moved down the long, shallow slope into the river bottom. Most of the foliage belonged to plants she couldn't identify, and didn't even look familiar as potential food -- nothing she could recall seeing in the Endrykas markets. But then, it wasn't really leaves the Drykas had turned out to gather. Ripe fruit stood out from the surrounding greens and yellows -- here a thicket dotted with deep red berries, there a small tree with reddish-orange fruit. She even saw one adventurous Drykas youth scramble up a taller tree, plucking something small from amongst the branches. Squinting, Khida thought she could make out black berries in the heights.
Casting about, Khida looked for... whatever might be advantageous for her to gather. Or just plain not yet set upon by someone else. A small clump of shrubs back up-slope caught her eye -- sparsely dotted with red, they stood apart from the rich riparian growth, and had probably been passed by for exactly that reason. Gesturing for her Strider to wait, rest as they approached the shrubs, Khida considered the plants. They wove together in a tangle of wild growth, leaning slightly to one side in a wind-sculpted curve. The leaves were tiny and toothed at the edges, dark green above with pale undersides; the dark red berries hung in clumps, none of them larger than her smallest fingernail. Stripping berries from one clump into her basket, Khida split one open between her fingers. It was nearly the color of old blood, on the verge of black, and the flesh around its single seed spattered juice on her skin as if from a butchered rabbit.
Bitter, bitter juice, as the Kelvic discovered when she tested it with her tongue. Or... not bitter, exactly, but it made her lips thin and her tongue curl. The flavor, though, seemed familiar; it reminded her of dried fruits they had bought in the market in seasons past. Certainly, if the others were picking it, it must be an edible thing -- but a kind that perhaps needed to be cooked to become palatable. Khida regarded the split berry dubiously before tossing it to the ground. Then she continued with her harvest, while her Strider passed the time grazing a few feet away. She had a basket to fill... and if she took too long about it, someone else might see their opportunity in her lapse. Just because the shrubs had been passed by before, didn't mean they would stay that way.
At least the berries came off easily, dropping into her waiting basket at the slightest pressure. The patter of their fall was oddly satisfying.
plantsChokecherry (Prunus virginiana), common persimmon (Diospryos virginiana), netleaf hackberry (Celtis occidentalis).
midday
With the recent rains passed, Syna's light returned to warm the earth and those who lived upon it, the traveling city had reinvested in its autumn activities with a vengeance, the better to make up for lost time. The bounty of fall would not wait for their convenience, after all. As the only resident Dawnwhisper without children of her own, Khida found herself in the thick of nearly every task requiring hands -- whatever it might be. Today, word had come of a harvest to be gathered along the banks of the nearby Zeis River -- and so she had gone to collect what the Dawnwhispers might claim... along with most of the rest of the city's inhabitants.
So it seemed, at any rate, with people scattered about in clumps at this thicket or that stand of trees, dogs and children running around underfoot. Not theirs, thankfully, as the Dawnwhisper children remained ensconced in camp under the watchful eyes of Seirei and Taerin; nobody she had to pay attention to, except to ensure neither she nor her horse stepped on them. Chatter rose around them, background susurrus louder than any birdsong, more patterned than the murmurs of the rushing river. It was strange, to be away from the city proper yet among so many; a striking contrast to the solitude of her hunts.
Sephra hung close to her rider as the Kelvic woman moved down the long, shallow slope into the river bottom. Most of the foliage belonged to plants she couldn't identify, and didn't even look familiar as potential food -- nothing she could recall seeing in the Endrykas markets. But then, it wasn't really leaves the Drykas had turned out to gather. Ripe fruit stood out from the surrounding greens and yellows -- here a thicket dotted with deep red berries, there a small tree with reddish-orange fruit. She even saw one adventurous Drykas youth scramble up a taller tree, plucking something small from amongst the branches. Squinting, Khida thought she could make out black berries in the heights.
Casting about, Khida looked for... whatever might be advantageous for her to gather. Or just plain not yet set upon by someone else. A small clump of shrubs back up-slope caught her eye -- sparsely dotted with red, they stood apart from the rich riparian growth, and had probably been passed by for exactly that reason. Gesturing for her Strider to wait, rest as they approached the shrubs, Khida considered the plants. They wove together in a tangle of wild growth, leaning slightly to one side in a wind-sculpted curve. The leaves were tiny and toothed at the edges, dark green above with pale undersides; the dark red berries hung in clumps, none of them larger than her smallest fingernail. Stripping berries from one clump into her basket, Khida split one open between her fingers. It was nearly the color of old blood, on the verge of black, and the flesh around its single seed spattered juice on her skin as if from a butchered rabbit.
Bitter, bitter juice, as the Kelvic discovered when she tested it with her tongue. Or... not bitter, exactly, but it made her lips thin and her tongue curl. The flavor, though, seemed familiar; it reminded her of dried fruits they had bought in the market in seasons past. Certainly, if the others were picking it, it must be an edible thing -- but a kind that perhaps needed to be cooked to become palatable. Khida regarded the split berry dubiously before tossing it to the ground. Then she continued with her harvest, while her Strider passed the time grazing a few feet away. She had a basket to fill... and if she took too long about it, someone else might see their opportunity in her lapse. Just because the shrubs had been passed by before, didn't mean they would stay that way.
At least the berries came off easily, dropping into her waiting basket at the slightest pressure. The patter of their fall was oddly satisfying.
plantsChokecherry (Prunus virginiana), common persimmon (Diospryos virginiana), netleaf hackberry (Celtis occidentalis).
Khida space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi
other space Common | Pavi
