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Failed Farmstead: The Harbinger of Wrath
Chapter 13: Dogs Don't Eat Bread.

Chapter 13: Dogs Don't Eat Bread.

"Dogs don't eat bread."

I'm fairly certain Lord Harbinger was talking to himself, but Raiah must have heard the statement as well as I did.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I imagined Raiah looking up from her desk. My understanding is that she was working out various business models. I guess I'm saying that I had no idea what her job was, but the first statement makes me sound like I know. I was cooking breakfast outside because we still didn't have a kitchen. There was now a roof on the stone tower though and it was nice to have it. When finished, the tower would supposedly have three floors. Right now I slept in a corner under where the staircase would be. Corner being a nebulous word for a round building. Suffice to say, it was out of the way.

"I'm not exactly sure." Lord Harbinger admitted. "At first I thought it was a metaphor, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if she meant it literally."

"Are you suggesting we stop feeding Neesha?"

That sounded terrible. Fortunately Lord Harbinger wasn't that cruel.

"Essentially, yes."

I stand corrected. He is that fucking cruel. I turned my head to see his yellow eyes staring at me. I quickly snapped back to my work.

"She does need to lose weight." Raiah said from just beyond my line of sight, not that I was looking with my master staring at me and plotting to starve me.

"I'm going to run an experiment with your pet. You'll have to cook for the next few days."

Raiah swore. At least I think the harsh foreign words were swears. She had an odd accent that I couldn't even begin to place and sometimes used words that I think would hurt my throat if I ever tried to say them. He said nothing more as I finished the cooking, he still stared at me the entire time. It was unnerving.

"None for you."

The words fell like a hammer. I was afraid he was going to say something like that, but part of me held out hope that he wouldn't.

"Take this." He said, handing me a small pouch of what sounded like coins. A lot of coins. More coins than I had ever held in my life. At any one time that is, I've held more in total.

"Go to the general store. Do you remember where that is?"

I nodded. It was a dark brown building on the left side of the main street.

"Purchase a set of six fishing hooks, a spool of fishing line, three bobbers, a small knife, a fire striker, a sling, a single person closed tent, and a blanket. Repeat that back."

I repeated the list back correctly. He nodded and continued.

"Bring back the change. To Raiah if I'm not here. Understood?"

"I understand Master." I said automatically.

"Now go."

I hesitated. "Don't I need written permission to purchase items?"

"Seriously?" Lord Harbinger looked at Raiah who shrugged. "If they ask, tell them Lord Harbinger said he didn't have time for that shit. Now go."

I went.

Traveling the couple miles to town on an empty stomach sucked. It was a nice day though with a gentle warm breeze, the aroma of flowers, and a sky full of lazy white clouds that cast slow moving shadows on the world around me. Most of the farmers ignored me and the ones that didn't merely stared for a moment before returning to their tasks. The townsfolk on the other side of the river also mostly ignored me. I waited for my turn at the counter of the general store and said to the Hornless. "Lord Harbinger sent me to purchase…" I rattled off the items and wondered what would happen. The clerk stared at me for a moment, shrugged, and said, "al'ight." I was expecting more push back. That last town I was in required written permission for the Horned to buy anything.

Carrying a tent plus the other items sucked. The thing was stupid heavy and I was instantly tired. The rather pleasant walk down took three times longer going back up. I had to take several breaks and was a sweaty mess by the time I returned home. I leaned against the cool stone walls of the tower and tried to catch my breath. "That goes outside." The master said and I almost glared at him. I moved the damnable thing outside along the wall and returned the leftover coins.

"Where would you like the rest of the items, Master?" I asked, still out of breath.

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"They're yours."

"Mine?" That was weird. What was I supposed to do with fishing stuff and the other things?

"Go to the river, preferably in the forest. Find some worms and try to catch some fish. Figure out how to use the sling. Your job is to catch things and eat them. Dogs sleep outside, hence the tent."

I stared at him. I'm going to die. I'm going to starve to death.

"Shit. Do you know how to tie a hook?"

I shook my head.

Lord Harbinger sighed. "Okay I'll show you that first."

I made my way through the forest. It was a little creepy, but it was going to save me half the walking and I wouldn't have to force my way through thick brush or walk over a farmer's field. Once I made it to the river I searched under some rocks and logs for worms. Hook baited and line attached to a long green stick just as I was told, I sat down on the bank of the river and willed something to bite. Nothing happened.

I'm not sure how long I sat there. Except for the gnawing hunger it was rather pleasant. I didn't need to do anything. Just sit and wait. The bobber dipped below the water. I stared at it as it jerked around under the surface. Oh, I guess that meant I had something. I grabbed the line and pulled in the fish. Just a small trout of some sort. I should have gathered some firewood so I could cook it. What do I do now?

I thought about it for a while. Re-bait the hook so maybe another fish can find it. Gut the fish so it can be cooked. Then get firewood. I only made it to the gutting part. I'm not sure what possessed me to cut off a piece of the meat. I found myself hunched over the bank of the river, scrapping the firm pink flesh off the inside skin with my teeth until the taste of fish slime forced me to stop. Was I that hungry? That starved for food? I hadn't eaten since last night. I've seen Hornless go much longer. It's no wonder the Hornless call us uncivilized. I washed my hands and face off in the river. I would cook the next one. Probably would taste better that way.

I did catch another fish and this one was cooking on a flat rock in the center of a small fire. I shoved fat white grubs in my mouth as I searched for worms. Hook baited again and fish ready. I sat on the hard ground and picked at the flaky white flesh of my lunch. I need spices. Onions and butter for sure. I contemplated what to do next. Lord Harbinger said I need to sleep outside so I should probably go home and figure out how to set that up. What about the fish line though? It would probably be fine.

Setting up a tent was not easy. It was only five sticks, some twine, and a long triangular canvas. I was certain I had it assembled correctly. The sticks created a frame to which the canvas was tied to with leads sewn to the fabric. What was the twine for? And why did the damn thing keep falling over? I thought about it for a good while before coming up with the brilliant idea of turning the tent so the top pole could fall against the stone wall of the tower. I shoved my blanket into the tent and examined the sky. I could probably make it to the river and back, but I was tired. I crawled into my cozy little shelter and fell asleep.

***

My eyes opened in a sudden burst, my mind fully awake and trying to pick out the noises. I was freezing cold, had to piss, and was completely blind. Something was moving around in the woods behind the tower. I fumbled around for my knife. The tiny blade didn't fill me with confidence. I tried to open a small slit in the front flap as quietly as I could, but the damn tent fell on me. Whatever was in the woods started tearing through the forest loudly, causing my heart to leap into my throat, but it was running away. I spent the rest of the wretched night awake, freezing, hungry, and more than a little terrified. I tried to soak up the sun when it finally came out, but the chill that ran deep into my bones didn't recede. I took the long way to my spot by the river to avoid the shade of the trees and once there I rekindled yesterday's fire and tried desperately to warm myself up. The fishing line was gone. I considered the hook and line I had lost while trying to get feeling into my fingers. Once warm enough, I tied and baited a new line, and fell asleep by the fire.

It was near noon when I woke up, mostly to hunger and the need to pee. I had caught another fish, but had to dig through the guts to find the hook. Today, despite hunger, I cooked the damn thing and came to the sudden realization that there was absolutely no need to have only a single line in the water at a time. I decided on three lines and I watched two Hornless men on a raft made of a hundred or so logs float lazily down the river toward town. They paid me no attention as I ate, solely focusing on guiding their product downstream with long poles. I needed a plan for tonight. Firewood for sure. Last night's cold was unbearable. It was as if the hard earth below me was sucking the heat away. And the forest, terrifying. Fire was a necessity, but that meant I wouldn't be sleeping as much. I would be tired. I was always tired. I would be more tired.

I lost another hook. What was I going to do when I ran out? Would I have to beg Master for more coins? Would he say yes? I couldn't make more. Shit. On the other hand I managed to catch four more fish today. I was full. It was a weird feeling. I can't say that I've ever actually felt full before. I’ve felt stuffed, but not full. Like the ever present rock in my stomach was somehow smaller. I moved the tent away from the tower and tied the back of it to a tree. It shouldn't be able to fall on me again tonight. Firewood was ready, a small circle of stones for a fire pit, and I was full on fish and water. I sharpened some sticks to function as small spears for just a little more protection. I was ready for the night. I slept. I woke, stoked the fire, stared out into the darkness and repeated the actions several times until morning. I didn’t freeze. I wasn't starving. I wasn't miserable. I was tired, but no more than usual and I was looking forward to my nap in the sun by the river.

***

Day four. It was noon. I sat on the riverbank picking bits of meat off a particularly large crayfish and considered the four decent sized trout I had. I was down to tree hooks. I wasn't hungry. Like, I wasn't hungry at all. The rock in my stomach that I had assumed had been there since birth was gone. Pains that I had thought just meant I was alive were gone. I wasn't tired at all. I've never been not hungry and not tired and not in pain. Also, I don't think I've ever thought this much. My mind was a never ending flow of thoughts. About the fish, about my life, about what I wanted to do next with the energy I've never had. Should I take a walk? Why should I take a walk? Where would I go? Why do I have the urge to do something? Maybe I'd take the fish to town and sell them for coins to buy more hooks. I need more hooks. I should also build a wall around my tent. If I move it into the woods, I could use the trees to my advantage. I bet the twine for the tent was for staking the upright parts down so it didn't fall over. I need to wash my clothes, they're getting kind of dirty. Wow, that's a lot of dialogue in my own head!

Two round copper pieces for four fish. One hook for two round copper pieces. The Hornless further down river will pay three round coppers for four fish if I tell him the guy upstream will pay four. I practiced with the sling, but I couldn't even hit the river, so no rabbit for me. I'm getting tired of fish. Traps are expensive. What to do for a different food source? What to do?