8th Summer 517
Merevaika squatted in her tent, thinking as she pushed through her belongings in search of a machete. There had been bamboo style coops in Endrykas, she remembered them clearly - and only let herself dwell on that city for a moment, before pushing it out of her mind. Large half-circles, they were made from twisting bamboo across itself, forming a weave pattern. She knew she could do it herself, if she tried. After all, she had spotted bamboo shoots back where she had first seen the jungle fowl. And what equipment did she really need to have?
Finally finding that machete, she slung it into her belt and pushed out from the shade of her tent into the sun. It wasn’t midday yet, but it wasn’t exactly weak, burning her skin as she moved out. She’d have to do something about that, she realised, remembering the flaking from the other day. Staying out of the sun wasn’t an option - so there had to be a better way.
Thankfully, the jungle offered plenty of shade, and she moved into it gratefully. Where the plants and trees clashed with the sand, it was easy to move, striding as normally as she would anywhere. But then the plants started building up, and Merevaika gave a sigh, ready to duck and jump over the branches masking her way.
The path was well trampled, the woman following the same route she had taken many times. It wasn’t hard to miss: the foliage was slashed at where it had been particularly thick; the branches were pushed back and a few even hooked out of the way; and the mud still held her footprints. It made it easier, travelling through the rainforest, so she stuck to it closely, letting herself focus less on the route she took and where she stood and more on everything around her, on the lookout for dangers. Shadows watched her closely, and she stared back, trying to see danger in any corner.
None came to surprise her, and the short walk to the brook was uneventful.
The machete found her hand, and she felt the weight, testing it for a second, before approaching the cluster of bamboo and taking a pick. She wanted some thinner pieces, that she’d be able to bend to form the overall form. And some thicker ones, to split and weave between those thinner ones.
But there was so much bamboo, varying from the brightest greens to a dusty brown, and it was impossible to decide where to start, especially for someone who had no experience in it. Deciding to go with one that sat in the middle of the spectrum, but just about the right size, in her mind, for what she needed, she pushed through towards it, and ran her eyes along it. Big. Would make transporting it hard - but they were all big, and it saved cutting several pieces when she only needed one.
Bending over to be near the base, she bit her lip, trying to figure out how and where to cut it best. After a chime in that squat, she realised there was no point thinking about it - she didn’t know. Readjusting her grip on the machete, she brought it up and into the stalk, hearing the chop slice through the air. The blade caught in the bamboo, slicing slightly at an angle, and it took a foot against the base of the shoot to heave it out. This time, trying to put more force behind the blow, she pulled the machete up higher, above her head, and let the weight pull it down. It dug in harder, but missed the first mark completely, hitting just above.
So with strength, she lost accuracy. She had to keep that in mind, and kept her blow more steady for the next one. Although it didn’t cut enough, leaving the bamboo hanging from one side, it sliced straight through that second cut, with almost perfect accuracy.
She wished she could say that about her next few cuts, that maimed the stalk horribly. With her latest blow, the bamboo had started to split too, something she didn’t want to see. Merevaika gritted her teeth, not letting bamboo of all things defeat her. Knees sinking into the ground, she held the blade over the deepest cut, letting herself take tiny blows that would definitely it. The bamboo shook as she chopped, ready to topple at any second, but wasn’t showing any sign of actually budging. With an annoyed fist, she knocked against the shoot, and the whole thing tipped away.
Not only away, but down, and she let out a smile, sawing at the few fibres that still connected it and letting it lie flat on the ground.
It was hollow? Why had it been so hard to chop through then? But it was down - only a million more pieces left!
What Merevaika tries to make
Merevaika squatted in her tent, thinking as she pushed through her belongings in search of a machete. There had been bamboo style coops in Endrykas, she remembered them clearly - and only let herself dwell on that city for a moment, before pushing it out of her mind. Large half-circles, they were made from twisting bamboo across itself, forming a weave pattern. She knew she could do it herself, if she tried. After all, she had spotted bamboo shoots back where she had first seen the jungle fowl. And what equipment did she really need to have?
Finally finding that machete, she slung it into her belt and pushed out from the shade of her tent into the sun. It wasn’t midday yet, but it wasn’t exactly weak, burning her skin as she moved out. She’d have to do something about that, she realised, remembering the flaking from the other day. Staying out of the sun wasn’t an option - so there had to be a better way.
Thankfully, the jungle offered plenty of shade, and she moved into it gratefully. Where the plants and trees clashed with the sand, it was easy to move, striding as normally as she would anywhere. But then the plants started building up, and Merevaika gave a sigh, ready to duck and jump over the branches masking her way.
The path was well trampled, the woman following the same route she had taken many times. It wasn’t hard to miss: the foliage was slashed at where it had been particularly thick; the branches were pushed back and a few even hooked out of the way; and the mud still held her footprints. It made it easier, travelling through the rainforest, so she stuck to it closely, letting herself focus less on the route she took and where she stood and more on everything around her, on the lookout for dangers. Shadows watched her closely, and she stared back, trying to see danger in any corner.
None came to surprise her, and the short walk to the brook was uneventful.
The machete found her hand, and she felt the weight, testing it for a second, before approaching the cluster of bamboo and taking a pick. She wanted some thinner pieces, that she’d be able to bend to form the overall form. And some thicker ones, to split and weave between those thinner ones.
But there was so much bamboo, varying from the brightest greens to a dusty brown, and it was impossible to decide where to start, especially for someone who had no experience in it. Deciding to go with one that sat in the middle of the spectrum, but just about the right size, in her mind, for what she needed, she pushed through towards it, and ran her eyes along it. Big. Would make transporting it hard - but they were all big, and it saved cutting several pieces when she only needed one.
Bending over to be near the base, she bit her lip, trying to figure out how and where to cut it best. After a chime in that squat, she realised there was no point thinking about it - she didn’t know. Readjusting her grip on the machete, she brought it up and into the stalk, hearing the chop slice through the air. The blade caught in the bamboo, slicing slightly at an angle, and it took a foot against the base of the shoot to heave it out. This time, trying to put more force behind the blow, she pulled the machete up higher, above her head, and let the weight pull it down. It dug in harder, but missed the first mark completely, hitting just above.
So with strength, she lost accuracy. She had to keep that in mind, and kept her blow more steady for the next one. Although it didn’t cut enough, leaving the bamboo hanging from one side, it sliced straight through that second cut, with almost perfect accuracy.
She wished she could say that about her next few cuts, that maimed the stalk horribly. With her latest blow, the bamboo had started to split too, something she didn’t want to see. Merevaika gritted her teeth, not letting bamboo of all things defeat her. Knees sinking into the ground, she held the blade over the deepest cut, letting herself take tiny blows that would definitely it. The bamboo shook as she chopped, ready to topple at any second, but wasn’t showing any sign of actually budging. With an annoyed fist, she knocked against the shoot, and the whole thing tipped away.
Not only away, but down, and she let out a smile, sawing at the few fibres that still connected it and letting it lie flat on the ground.
It was hollow? Why had it been so hard to chop through then? But it was down - only a million more pieces left!
What Merevaika tries to make
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