.
To any pathetic observer of Karin's uninteresting life, one might wonder why the pale-haired young woman would choose to try and cut and prepare her own lumber when Syka's sawmill had finally opened it's doors for business and would quite possibly welcome her trade. To most, the answer would be incredibly stupid, but to Karin it was a simple matter. Like most of the things she inadvertently put herself through, this was yet another test of her own self-determination. So much of life in Syka was about seeing if she really could survive here, without cities, family, or friends to help her. Much of it was a terrible challenge that she struggled with. Those who had met her in her younger years would see a noticeable change. Her skin, once soft and pale was now calloused and tanned. Her eyes now held sleeplessness and her frame was tense and lean from hunger and exercise.
Yet, despite these things she felt more free than she had ever felt during her short life of eighteen years. And it was why she was hefting a newly purchased axe in her hands and striding into the thick branches of the jungle. She always felt like the two worlds- the rainforest and the beach, were two different worlds. She felt the same now as she submerged herself into the green, light-dappled world that seemed to pulse with life. The Svefran woman still hadn't grown accustomed to it, but each time she entered the jungle she felt herself acclimatise to it just a little, and that was enough for her.
Still, there was a lot for her to learn. She had never felled a tree. In theory, it was a simple task. Find a tree, chop with an axe, and drag it home. But as she trod softly on the loamy ground, pushing aside trailing, yellow-flowering vines tentatively, she started to note the difficulties. The ocean-child would first have to find a suitable tree for building a boat from. Something not too gnarled, but not too thin and spindly that it wouldn't be substantial enough. Then she'd have to chop it down. Then she'd have to carry a presumably heavy tree through the rest of the overgrown jungle out onto the beach.
She groaned, and thought of giving up and buying from the sawmill... No! No matter what the consequences were, she would at least try. So she continued to traverse the ground, slowly scanning every tree. To her surprise, there was a lot more variation in the boughs than she would have initially realised. Of course, she knew that different woods had different properties, but she'd never really thought, or understood what that meant. But some trees had springy branches, and some had easily snappable ones. Some were tall and straight, and others intensely knotted. The blonde-haired woman was stuck for choice, but figured she needed the practice. After continued searching, she found a decent-sized tree that seemed large enough to make a canoe from. The Svefra scanned it with an appraising eye, and then dragged the axe into position. She swung...
84th Spring 517 AV*Provisional date
"Speech"
"Others"
"Speech"
"Others"
To any pathetic observer of Karin's uninteresting life, one might wonder why the pale-haired young woman would choose to try and cut and prepare her own lumber when Syka's sawmill had finally opened it's doors for business and would quite possibly welcome her trade. To most, the answer would be incredibly stupid, but to Karin it was a simple matter. Like most of the things she inadvertently put herself through, this was yet another test of her own self-determination. So much of life in Syka was about seeing if she really could survive here, without cities, family, or friends to help her. Much of it was a terrible challenge that she struggled with. Those who had met her in her younger years would see a noticeable change. Her skin, once soft and pale was now calloused and tanned. Her eyes now held sleeplessness and her frame was tense and lean from hunger and exercise.
Yet, despite these things she felt more free than she had ever felt during her short life of eighteen years. And it was why she was hefting a newly purchased axe in her hands and striding into the thick branches of the jungle. She always felt like the two worlds- the rainforest and the beach, were two different worlds. She felt the same now as she submerged herself into the green, light-dappled world that seemed to pulse with life. The Svefran woman still hadn't grown accustomed to it, but each time she entered the jungle she felt herself acclimatise to it just a little, and that was enough for her.
Still, there was a lot for her to learn. She had never felled a tree. In theory, it was a simple task. Find a tree, chop with an axe, and drag it home. But as she trod softly on the loamy ground, pushing aside trailing, yellow-flowering vines tentatively, she started to note the difficulties. The ocean-child would first have to find a suitable tree for building a boat from. Something not too gnarled, but not too thin and spindly that it wouldn't be substantial enough. Then she'd have to chop it down. Then she'd have to carry a presumably heavy tree through the rest of the overgrown jungle out onto the beach.
She groaned, and thought of giving up and buying from the sawmill... No! No matter what the consequences were, she would at least try. So she continued to traverse the ground, slowly scanning every tree. To her surprise, there was a lot more variation in the boughs than she would have initially realised. Of course, she knew that different woods had different properties, but she'd never really thought, or understood what that meant. But some trees had springy branches, and some had easily snappable ones. Some were tall and straight, and others intensely knotted. The blonde-haired woman was stuck for choice, but figured she needed the practice. After continued searching, she found a decent-sized tree that seemed large enough to make a canoe from. The Svefra scanned it with an appraising eye, and then dragged the axe into position. She swung...
