Completed An End to Rumbling Stomachs

[Karyk]

Spring 70, 517 Karyk looked out over the rolling hills in front of him, seeing one of the scouts way out in the distance atop his horse. Karyk was fairly certain the scout was a woman named Loria. The scouts often rotated positions, keeping fresh eyes and positions. This wasn't his idea, rather one of the older scout's, who'd done many of these journeys as well, a woman named Fildred. He looked down next to him, and placed his hand atop the mop of red curls there, rubbing it playfully. Sharay giggled loudly. There was a big bend around the forest ahead, so Karyk began calling to the oxen, "Gee! Gee!" He could see Bobertha pulling to the right as she was supposed to, but Susannick kept forward, the two working against each other. A bit louder this time, "Gee! Gee!" But still, Susan kept straight, and Bob kept turning. He handed the reigns, which were mostly pointless Karyk had been learning, to Sharay. These oxen would only respond to verbal commands. Karyk slid down and hopped off his cart, jogging up the nigh side toward Susan. He pat the stubborn bull on the flank to let him know he was there, and immediately began saying, "Gee! Gee!" as he walked alongside the pair. Susan began to turn and Karyk wondered if he was hard of hearing, or just stubborn. Or maybe just trained to respond while his driver walked with him. When giving commands from the rear, Karyk often found him to be only halfway reliable. But he didn't have to give too many commands, just the occasional turns and stops, so it really wasn't too big of a hassle. Once they came to a straight away, he commanded "Here!" so that they would maintain the course, and they did. He heard Sharay shout 'Here' too, while shaking the reins, which were tied uselessly to the yolk. Karyk looked back at her while walk, waving, "Good job Firebug!" The little redhead beamed and kept bouncing the reins. Karyk patted Susan on the shoulder, "Good boy, keep at it." He didn't know why he'd never looked into a pack animal earlier in his life. These creatures would be able to haul so much wood for him, he could work on more projects, even sell off things. They were very mild tempered and still had several good years left. And were pretty easy to care for. When he got to Syliras, he was definitely going to get some land with a house, and a barn for these two. Maybe near some water, grow some crops, spend afternoons fishing, building his own boat. Feed himself and his family. Everything would be much better in Syliras, the land of plenty. Surely it would be. The rolling grass way they came upon led back into the forest on a wide game trail. The entrance was off to the left of them, so Karyk began calling "Haw! Haw!" The pair began pulling toward him, and he moved away to keep the same distance. Once he felt they were lined up properly, "Here! Here!" and they straightened up. Karyk was sweating from the intense heat right now, grateful for the upcoming shade. But at least it wasn't a terribly humid heat. Just incredibly hot. The oxen moved into the forest, and the lead scout dropped back, just to stay within sight as was the agreement. There were other scouts all around the caravan, seen and unseen. They kept a moving perimeter, keeping an eye out for dangers, obstacles, looking for places to make camp and find water, and on the rare occasion finding food. But the trees and bushes were unusually bare, and as Karyk had heard, and himself having said, it was Morwen's fault. When that frigid bitch neglected her duties, she cursed the lands. Karyk wouldn't know all the effects of it, but a lack of food was a rather obvious one. The forest was loud in its sunpoked shade, with locusts and other insects in massive droves, mating, spelling disaster for crops all over the land. Karyk continued to 'gee', 'haw', and 'here' as was needed, but it wasn't terribly necessary. The trees and brush were so clumped together that they really had no choice but to follow the path. But Karyk did it, to help train them to his voice. As they pressed forward, a scout on a horse came back along the path. He dismounted, giving the reins to the lead scout, and ran back toward Karyk along the tight path. The young man reached him, "Hey Karyk, we found..," stopping to catch his breath, "a great place. You need to come see it. We might want to stop and rest for a while." Karyk nodded, and the young man left, giving the information to the lead scout. The caravan continued to move forward, but then moved a bit off path. The scouts made sure to pick stable path for the carts and animals. Bob and Susan had no issues moving through the brush, twigs and branches breaking and bending in their wake. Karyk looked back to Sharay and the carriage, and saw that while it was a bit of a bumpier ride, it was good and stable. Karyk kept close to the pair of beasts, continuing to feed them commands, since the route was less straight forward. Eventually they broke from the forest proper to a massive pond, or lake really. It was ringed with fruit filled trees, the water clean and crisp looking, the air smelling pleasant with the blossoms of the later trees. Karyk spoke to the scout, "Is it safe? Are many of these trees fruit bearing? We've not seen much of anything so far." The lake was picturesque, he could see himself spending a lot of time here, if not for the many people relying on him to get them to Syliras. "Very safe, we've found no dangers in or around the water. The apricots and cherries are sagging from the branches and ready to be eaten, and much of the game that's been hard to find seems to be more abundant here. Whatever Morwen did, didn't touch this place as heavily as everywhere else. We've been traveling hard Karyk, we've not had any proper rest. We're just past halfway to Syliras, and if the rest of the land is as barren as it has been, this may be the best and only time to stop, rest, and restock our supplies." Karyk looked out over the picturesque lake, thinking about if they should stop or not. It would delay them a few days, but really they didn't have a set time to arrive. Just the sooner they got there, the less likely people were to get hurt. But.. They were making good time, and had been pushing it hard. And it might be good for morale to take some time off, relax and replenish. The scouts had given a good report and recommendation and he was going to go off their judgement. "We will stay here today and two more days, then leave at first light. Get everyone here, set the perimeter and watch. Let's take a few days." The young man nodded, "Yes, Karyk."

[Karyk]

Once the scout left, to pass the word through the rest of the caravan that they would be stopping early, as well as staying for a few days. Karyk guided his oxen team along the shore, loving the smell of the flowers and fruit and crisp pond air. The air had only smelled hot, dry, when it should've been full of floral scents. Another thing to blame on Morwen. At least this place seemed nice. Karyk led Bob and Susan over to the lake side, between a few fruit trees. He then began undoing their yolk. It didn't take much, a few unlatches and untyings here and there, and the two lowed gratefully. He rubbed them both behind the horns, "Go get some food you two," he then slapped Susan on the haunches. The two began wandering off, to feed, drink, and rest. Karyk walked over to the carriage, and before he could put his arms out, Sharay jumped onto him, crashing into his head, holding tight. Karyk quickly extricated his niece and set her down on the ground. "Don't go far missy." She immediately went to the water's edge and began wading, kicking at the water. Karyk walked around to the carriage, opening the door, getting wafted by the stale, humid, stinky air of four people huddled together. "We're at camp, gonna be here for three days, so make camp, get comfortable. We're halfway there." He couldn't keep track of who was in which carriage anymore. He assumed Tollivant and Hortense were in there, but as for the other two, could be anyone. Salara would be by eventually to grab her pack he was sure, and Oleander would be somewhere in the back with that amusing donkey of his. Karyk turned back to the front of the carriage and climbed on up into the driver's seat. He grabbed the first pack, probably Tollivant's, a heavy mother petchin' pack, probably full of books or something else useless. He climbs down and set the pack next to the wheels, closer to the pond. He repeated the process lugging everyone's gear down. He kept Salara's bag up in the driver's seat, since she was probably going to be later to gather her belongings than the rest of his passengers. Karyk considered setting up his tent and getting a fire going, but he did have quite a bit of the day left to do so. He wanted to relax. He looked out over the pond and knew the best way. He trudged over to the water's edge, removed his shirt. He touched at the pink scars on his chest and left bicep, still not used to them. They didn't hurt any longer, and the doc stitched them up well, but he knew they'd always be raised and prominent. He sat down in the soft grass, and unlaced his boots, setting them next to his sloppily lain shirt. He stuck his bare feet in the water, finding it just slightly cooler than the air. Perfect swimming temperature, and it brought a smile to his face. He stood up, untied his breeches, and dropped his trousers and small clothes and walked into the lake. The mud squished softly beneath his feet, and he waded until he was waist deep. Soon there was a giggling, and Sharay was splashing after him, and it only took a few chimes until the pond had many naked people in it. For the first time on this journey, he'd heard plenty of laughter. Moments like this were always worth it. It wasn't long until his sister and the rest of her brood had caught up with Sharay and they were all playing with one another. Karyk waded deeper until the water came up to his chest. He then spread his arms out in front of him, pushing the water back as he lifted his feet from the lake bottom, and swam forward. He swam in what his mother called frog style, arms and legs kicking out wide, and propelling him forward slowly. He was by no means an expert swimmer like every Svefra seemed to be, but he was a Zeltivan. Everyone swam in the bay. He continued swimming about, searching the edges of the pond, just to see what was there. As he continued his bouts, he watched as later members of the caravan parked along these sides, unpacked, and many jumped in as well. He stopped out in the middle, constantly moving his arms in slow circles, lightly kicking his feet as he floated upright. This place was paradise. Part of him wanted to just call it quits, build a cabin on the lake's edge, and live out his days here. But it was fleeting, he knew that was a farce. His future was in Syliras. And the thought brought his mood down a bit. The bit with the wolves, this journey so far, this place, they were some of the most excitement he'd had in his life. He didn't want to just stop and try to take up farming or something. He definitely wouldn't work on the Knights' "navy". Their ships were pathetic, poorly designed and executed, at least by Zeltivan standards. And ugly as sin. He leaned back, floating on his back, soaking up Syna's smile on his body, wondering what exactly he'd do once he got to Syliras. Get his sister and her kids settled, as well as the rest of the caravan. But could he go back to a boring city life? He chuckled, shaking his head. He doubted it. Even if he lived in the Knights' city, he'd always be out, exploring with Bob and Susan, with Salara and Oleander and Kesh. Except... Would they even want to stay, or even with him? He knew Salara and Kesh were more in tune with the wilds than him, and seemed to greatly prefer them to civilization. Oleander definitely hadn't seemed too interested in returning to the city he'd just left. He wondered, that if he were to go elsewhere, would they come with him? Just to stay together, in these wild lands? He smiled. He hoped so. It was a pleasing thought. He was learning how to survive out her better and better every day, and his group had many useful skills to compensate for each other's weaknesses. They worked well with each other. Kesh, like an older brother, Oleander, a younger one. And Salara. They hadn't had much contact since they departed Zeltiva. He'd expected to find her with the carriage when they first left, but only found her pack. He knew she took her guard and scout duty seriously, for it was serious, but he wished just to have her nearby again. Things felt... distant. He missed her. Plain and simple. Karyk slowly swam back to shore, and dressed in his trousers and boots, flinging his shirt over his shoulders, stomach beginning to rumble, his eyes constantly scanning the people for his kelvic friend. But he never found her.

[Karyk]

Karyk's stomach grumbled loudly, he hadn't eaten all day. It had been a while since he'd had fruit, nearly all of the rations they brought from Zeltiva were soup stock and dried fish, and kelp, lots of kelp. He walked back over to his carriage and climbed up on it and grabbed several woven baskets, bought before the trip, for the specific purpose of gathering supplies in the wild. Unfortunately before now, that hadn't been an option. There just hadn't been enough food available. He started toward the first tree, when Sharay showed up, dressed but still wet, beaming as she always did. She stamped her foot, and Karyk smiled and sighed, knowing she was going to be the exact same as her mother. He stooped down and picked the child up and put her on his shoulders, and handing her a basket, which she held balanced atop his head. He approached the first tree, an apricot tree, full of small, but ready for picking fruits. Karyk was looking through the branches, checking for any animals or beehives or any other threats. Not really seeing any, he got closer so that Sharay could reach the first one. "Ever had an apricot Firebug?" There was a quiet little, "No." He watched as she reached up and plucked one from a low hanging branch. She bit into it, and Karyk immediately groaned as he felt juice drip down into his hair. She chomped into it loudly, clearly enjoying it. "Careful, there's a big, hard seed in the middle, and your mom will murder me if you lose another tooth on my watch." When she finished she threw the seed on the ground. Karyk bent down at the knees, keeping his back straight so as to not tip the girl forward, and picked it up. "Let's keep these missy. Who knows, maybe you can grow your own tree?" He tossed the pit into one of his baskets. "Alright, let's get you up into the tree, you pick some, I'll pick some. And try not to break your arm this time." He lifted her off his shoulders, held her out briefly at arm's length while she reached for a big branch. His arms were nearly beginning to shake from the effort when she finally grabbed a hold of one and scrambled up in it. Karyk hooked a basket on a branch for her as she began chasing down the fruits. Karyk set down two of the baskets, keeping the one with the pit. While Sharay worked on one side of the tree, he moved to the other. He reached up, and grabbed hold of the lowest branch. Most of the fruits were good, only a few here and there riddled with bugs or rotten. He plucked the first one, finding it nice and firm, knowing many of these would ripen fully soon. He had a preserving kit back in the carriage, and it sure was hot enough out, he could half them and dry them in the sun, on top of the carriage. They'd last a lot longer that way. He set the fruit in the basket, plucking the branch half clean. He knew better than to take all of it. The tree needed to spread its seeds, and other animals, and people, would need to eat as well. He started hearing thumps on the ground, followed by swears, and he smiled. She was definitely her mother's daughter. He walked over to her side of the tree and picked up the apricots that had fallen. As he stood up, one bounced off his head, "Oy, child, get them in the basket." Sharay just giggled and continued getting to work. Karyk sighed and set his basket down and just waited beneath the youngster. He saw a fruit starting to fall, and snatched his hand out to catch it, just missing as it bounced off his forearm. He picked it up and put it in the basket. As he stood up, another was already falling, and once more, his arm shot out, palm finding it. But he didn't get a clean grip on it, and bobbled it several times, before getting it pinned to his chest, smiling triumphantly. This went on for a while until both baskets were full. "Get down here now firebug, I heard there were cherries here too." She jumped down into his outstretched arms, and he caught the youngster, oofing slightly from the impact. She scrambled back up onto his shoulders. He rounded up the baskets and made his way back to his carriage, putting Sharay up on top. He handed her the two full baskets, "Grab some cheese cloths from that kit in my bag there. Cover the baskets, don't want bugs eating them do we?" Once she'd done that, she climbed back onto his shoulders, and he took the two remaining baskets. He could hear her munching on an apricot above him, probably from the basket. He walked back to the trees along the shoreline, reaching up and grabbing an apricot as he passed, biting into the juicy flesh. The juice streamed down into his beard, and Karyk savored this. Sweet tasting things were only for rich folk in Zeltiva, those on east street rarely had the chance. Karyk couldn't even remember the last time he'd had fresh fruit before now. Dried fruit, sure, that was more common, but fresh not nearly as much. Karyk walked through the apricot trees, along the pond's edge, listening to the laughter and splashing of everyone. He wondered where his latest companions were. Salara probably roaming the perimeter, Hortense probably bossing around Orleander to some task, Kesh and Tollivant exploring and discussing things well over Karyk's head. Sharay pulled at Karyk's hair with one hand and pointed with the other, "There's the cherries Uncle!" He knew she was excited since his father called her his little cherry top, and she'd never known what a cherry was like. Arriving at the first tree, "Those are more black than red..," she said, sounding a bit disappointed. "But they are just as sweet as you, Firebug." She did a raspberry at being called sweet, Karyk knowing it annoyed her to no end. "I'm tired..." Karyk smiled, figuring that was coming. He lifted her off his shoulders and set her against the tree, setting a basket in her lap. "Guard this for me okay? Don't want a cherry bear to steal our spoils do we?" Her eyes grew big, more in excitement than fear, and clutched at the basket, guarding it her best. Karyk took the other and hooked it on a branch. He then grabbed a sturdy branch, right at the base where it met the tree, using both hands. He the bounced at the knees, once, twice, and on the third, he jumped up. Not nearly as high as his pride would've liked, but he managed to hold his weight close to the underside of the branch. He hooked and elbow over, twisting and kicking, as he pulled himself up slowly, an inch at a time, until he got his other arm over. A bit more grunting and twisting, slightly scraping up his chest on the branch, he pulled himself up and over it, shaking the tree a bit, sending a hale storm of cherries down on Sharay, "Oy petcher, watch it." Definitely her mother's kid. Sitting on the branch now, he pulled himself up to standing with the help of another branch. He started gently plucking at the cherries, fairly indiscriminately, being so numerous and small. He could sort them later when he was cutting them for drying. It really didn't take long to mostly fill the first basket. He balanced carefully as he slipped down on the branch, to a straddling position. He laid down over the branch, and hung the basket down, "Sharay, trade me baskets, and pick up the ones that fell." She rubbed her eyes and complied, handing him the empty. Karyk picked and picked until the second basket was full as well. He hooked it over a low branch, then slid off landing a bit hard on his still healing left leg, hopping a bit until it stopped stinging. He took the basket down, and looked down to see Sharay snoozing, her face and dress covered in cherry juice. He stooped down, picked up her basket first, then scooped the sleeping girl up in his arms. He cradled her against his chest, the baskets hanging from each elbow. He walked slowly, doing his best to keep the trip smooth for her, so as to not wake her. He arrived at his carriage, knelt down and slipped his niece underneath it in the shade, to let her nap in peace. He then climbed up on top of the carriage, to begin the process of sorting and preparing the fruits.

[Karyk]

Karyk sat down on the top of the carriage, leaning back against his keg barrel of kelp beer, which he'd bought for when they arrived, to celebrate a journey well traveled. He pulled all the fruit baskets near to him, and pulled out his cooking and preservation kits. His cooking kit was a small rectangular box with several thin boards acting as lid and cutting boards. They totaled five in number, so he set four of them aside, with the fifth between his outstretched legs. He knew he wouldn't be able to convert too many of the fruits through the drying process, for a lack of space. Maybe he'd cut some more boards or boxes before they departed. He'd hate to be forced to eat more when not especially hungry. Better to save for when they are needed. He pulled out his knife, and grabbed the first apricot. He twisted off the leafy stem, and flicked it off the carriage. Then he held the apricot down firmly, but not so much as to bruise it. He set the knife in the top of it, aligning with the natural grooves, ensuring his fingers not in the down stroke of his knife's cut. Then he began sawing down through the firm flesh. When he reached the pit, he began rotating the fruit, continuing to saw, until his cuts came together. Then he rotated the knife sideways, and one half of the fruit separated from the pit. He set that half on one of the other boards. He carved the pit free from the other half of the fruit, setting the pit back into the basket, adding the second fruit half to the board. He whistled a tune that he didn't fully remember the words to while he worked, processing one basket of the apricots, and filling two boards with the halved sections. He covered them with cheese clothes, and set them off to one corner of the roof where the sun could beat down on them. Then he started on the cherries. For these, he used a trick he saw his mum use for a special treat back when he was a kid. He pulled out a veiner from his woodworking kit, a thin v-shaped gouging tool, for carving grooves and doing smaller, more intricate shaving work. He inspected the tool, pleased to not see any rust in the stem or cracks in the wooden handle. He grasped the first cherry, and twisted off the stem, and just like before, flicked it over the side. Then he took the veiner in hand, and pushed it through the stem hole. He felt it hit the pit with the grooved end, and he pushed it on through to and out the other side of the cherry. He then cut the pitted cherry in half, adding them to their own boards. He tossed the pit into the basket he was drawing from. And for the next bell, he processed one of the cherry baskets, leaving behind many pits. Satisfied, he set the cherry boards aside, covered them, stood up and stretched, enjoying all this time resting under Syna's smile. He grabbed his water skin and drained it, looking toward the lake, seeing Natya and her crimson haired brood coming toward him like a family of ducks. "Oy, where's my other cub?" Karyk smiled broadly, "Hibernatin' down below. Want some fruit? I've extra." His sister looked down under the carriage, seeing Sharay therein, then cast him a look wondering why he even needed to ask. He grabbed the basket of apricots and lowered it down, and she grabbed a fruit out for herself and each of her non-sleeping children. Karyk then grabbed the two baskets of pits, and dangled them over the side, "Could ya do me a favor, Nat?" She looked at him suspiciously, then sighed, nodding, "Wash these for me?" She sighed and took the baskets. "I want some of those cherries later, ya petcher." Karyk laughed, setting everything back in their places. He then began unloading the tents, his own pack, and his axe bundle. Only now did he notice that Salara had come by sometime and gathered her own pack. He looked out over the people, tents, and campfires, looking for the wild, long mane of wheat colored hair, but couldn't seem to find her. Knowing her, she was probably on the fringes somewhere. He leaned all three tents against the carriage, knowing that of the two larges, one was reserved for Tollivant, Hortense, and Oleander, another for anyone else that needed shelter, and his own single tent. He was about to begin setting up his own, when he saw a group of people a good distance off, gathered around a cart. Curious, the shipwright wandered over. Upon arriving, it didn't take long to see what was going on. One of the wheels on the cart was cracked and warped, and a newly carved wheel was laying nearby. The owners of the cart had just finished unloading it and were getting ready to change out wheels. Karyk offered help, and they readily accepted another strong back's help. All the lifters gathered around one side and the read of the cart. The owner counted down, and on one, everyone grunted, and lifted. Karyk lifted with his legs, hands curved around the corner of the car, back straight. They held it suspended while two worked took a mallet to the damaged wheel, knocking it free from the axle. Karyk and others strained under the weight of the heavy cart as they brought up the new wheel. They hammered it in place, and once satisfied that it was straight, they told the group to set it down lightly. Slowly the cart was lower and the wheel held. Karyk nodded at everyone, grabbed his shirt from where it hung in the waist of his breeches, and used it to wipe the sweat from his chest and brow. He turned to head back, and that's when he saw her, finally. And she was walking toward him. He heard Salara speak, his face breaking into a large grin as she asked him to help with her tent. Grader : This is finished, but story being continued immediately here

[Karyk]

 

Karyk

Skills
Driving: 1
Childcare: 2
Observation: 2
Leadership: 1
Swimming: 1
Foraging: 1
Climbing: 1
Cooking: 1
Food Preservation: 1
Bodybuilding: 1
Lores
Driving Commands: Gee means go right
Driving Commands: Here means stay on this direction
Driving Commands: Haw means go left
Location: Priskil's Pond, halfway between Syliras and Zeltiva, a pleasant respite
Swimming: Frog Style
Wilderness Survival: Ensuring a tree you're picking from doesn't have bees or animals
Cooking: Coring Apricots
Cooking: Coring Cherries
Miscellaneous
3lbs of Dried Apricots
3lb of Dried Cherries
Cherry Seeds
Apricot Seeds

 

Notes and Comments

CS Checkmarked: ✓
CS Reviewed by Me: ✓
Previous Season Expenses Paid (Spring 517): ✓