Eiyuu Kishi Den

Zaole impaled the chunks of rabbit meat on some sticks from nearby and passed them around to her companions. Her skin was pebbled with gooseflesh, but she did what she needed to first. Wiping her hands in the moss of the rock, then rinsing with the smallest amount of water she felt she could spare, she cleaned her hands of blood, or at least clean enough so she wouldn't leave bloody hand prints on everything. She took her white cloak again and wrapped herself in it, then sat in front of the fire with a shish-kabob of rabbit meat.

"I keep hearing people say that food is scarce around her," Zaole said, and chuckled to herself. "To me, this land is rich. I think I'd pass out if I saw how things were when food wasn't scarce."

Smolgar thanked Zaole for the food and started eating one of the chunks. After tasting it he said "It's not bad." He pulled his backpack with the stick he had and opened it, taking a bottle of wine so he would drink some with the food.

"They speak more of grain. Grain used to be a very high producer here in Moss. But recently, the land has been running a little dry, and the grain is not well off. Many farmers are having trouble pulling out enough to sell to have good money and feed themselves." Terelyn sighed. "Cities are hurt worse by this though. The poorer of the people, like us, practically lived on bread. But the price is higher now, and so it is harder to get."

Smolgar hears Terelyn and said "That's right, and many of Moss's towns are farming villages, that don't have anything else to trade and become poor, well, Terelyn explains it all, you can find out by yourself how the problem goes." Then he made himself comfortable, if you can call resting on the grass comfortable, and started drinking some wine. Smolgar usually drank, but he hardly felt the effects of the alcohol, he would more easily fall asleep than being drunk.

Zaole shook her head and pulled her rabbit out of the fire and tested it with her fingers. "I was speaking of the hunters I have met," she said. "I know grain is in short supply." She knew enough. Even the tough grains they grew at home weren't growing well. They withered without the sun. She stuck her meat back into the fire. The problem was not alien to her, as they seemed to think it was. Zaole sighed inwardly, trying to think of a topic to talk about.

Zaole finished her meal, took a shot of the fiery liquor she had in her pack, then went to preparing her bed, which wasn't much work. She propped her pack against a rock and straightened out the ground she was to lay on so she wouldn't get a rock between her ribs. Then, she covered herself beneath her cloak and curled her body up slightly beneath it.

Zaole drifted to sleep, a light sleep. She was still alert to the outside world for a few hours until her body gave in and slept deeply.

Terelyn sighed. The silence was annoying. Zaole was turning into bed. She wasn't surprised. Everyone was tired, including her. She hadn't gotten a good night's rest in a while. "Good night both of you," she said as she let herself fall back into the grass. She looked up at the stars for a moment, then grinned, and closed her eyes.

Smolgar heard Terelyn and replied, "Good night," as he was falling asleep. He could feel his back getting wet because of the place where he decided to lay on, it was better to sleep on his back anyway.

Terelyn awoke in the morning. Her eyes were blurred, her hair and clothes were damp, and her body cold. She held her hand out to the place where the fire was. She was about to restart it when she noticed the wood was too wet to light. OF all her abilities, she couldn't think of one to solve that problem. She brushed her hair with her fingers, trying to make it at least sort of in order. She stayed sitting, awaiting the others to get up.

Smolgar woke up and stayed in the same place for some seconds, then slowly stood up, that was one of the worst places he had laid on, but it wasn't a problem anymore, he saw Terelyn was not sleeping and said "Hello, so, when are we leaving, Terelyn?" Smolgar noticed something behind him, he turned his face slowly, it was his backpack. As always, he took one his bottle of ale and kept drinking.

Terelyn grabbed the sides of her neck and cracked it. "Maybe. I say we eat first. Keep our energy up."

Smolgar thought of it for a moment. He asked himself "Why not?" He wouldn't lose anything, and time wasn't so important, it wasn't like if they had a job or something they must do. "I agree, let's eat before we move."

Zaole had woken to Smolgar and Terelyn's voices, but opted not to move just yet. The morning was chilly, as it was wont to be in Moss in the fall, and she was still not acclimated. She was very much looking forward to meeting this tailor friend of Terelyn's. Zaole's cloak was keeping in just enough of her heat. She felt her back locking up from her curled position she'd taken. She was getting too old to sleep like that now.

Finally, she sat up sorely and leaned back, hands on her lower back. The popping was loud enough to draw Terelyn and Smolgar's attention if her movement hadn't. Zaole winced slightly, then the expression faded. She stood up, wrapped her cloak around her and stretched a little more. "You should always eat breakfast," Zaole mentioned, then looked at the two. "Do we have any meat left over, or should we split my rations?" She certainly wasn't ready to go hunting unless it was absolutely necessary.

Terelyn grinned. "Meat may be ok for the evening, but I can't eat that every time." She pulled the small sack she had with her. She pulled out some bread. She was never given any of the bread actually. She had taken it from some foolish soldiers back in the town behind them. Three small loaves. She tossed one to Smolgar and Zaole. "It may not be the best, but its better than using up the rations early. We should save them until when we are in real need of food."

Taking his loaf Smolgar said "That's right. If you want you can drink some ale," Smolgar pulled his backpack and took out a bottle to drink. Then he said, "This is my last bottle, I forgot to take some from that inn where we used to work, heh." He looked at the sky and thought Today is going to be better than yesterday. After some seconds he remembered he had some food and started eating the bread Terelyn gave him.

Terelyn took the bottle, nodded to Smolgar, and swig the bottle like a dwarf would. She had Smolgar teach her how to drink like a pro. She drank with the best of the men, and usually was able to hold off going out cold for a while. "That's good ale." She held it over to Zaole.