Chapter 35

Astrid

Day 25

Population of Thornhill - 53

I wandered over to the outhouse as the morning sun began to rise, ready to start my daily routine of tending to the hives. With the help of Bianca and Orion, we made three clay hives, and using two and a half clay jars, I harvested some honey. I gave one jar and several blocks of honeycomb to the warehouse, and in exchange, they compensated me with three copper coins. I saved the other jars for myself and brewed some firecracker tea, drizzling the freshly harvested honey into it.

After that, I headed to the farm and mess hall with a basket to collect trimmings for the pig feed. I gathered peels, fish heads, fruit rinds, cores, and stalks, wrapping it all in wild grass before placing it in the pigs' clay feeding bowl. My little piglets had grown quickly—from the size of guinea pigs, they were now about as big as raccoons.

In the forest, I dug up some worms with a rock and mixed them with berries to feed my scarlet fowl chicks. They were also growing fast, with red feathers beginning to appear in their yellow down.

From the area where Slate was clearing acres of trees, I gathered sticks, bark, and various woody plants to put in the elk calves' pen. After filling a large watering pot from the river, I topped off their water bowl.

The elk calves were growing rapidly, but paced restlessly, their heads drooping low. They barely ate when I offered them a green fruit, and they even shied away from their water bowl. When I tried to lasso one for a walk, it resisted, scared to leave the pen.

Elk are herd animals, and these poor creatures aren’t adjusting well to being alone. They had been separated from their family.

During a talk with Bianca, she mentioned it would take a month to prepare for their trip to the nearest town. I knew I needed to get my elk some company, so I had to speak to HIM again.

My hands clenched into fists as I thought about asking him for help again. Why did it always have to be him? I hated relying on him. But my babies were lonely.

“They’re herd animals. We need to breed them anyway, so why not capture some more?” I said to the cook, who was chopping up live lobsters into segments and tossing them into a copper wok.

How the heck did he get lobsters? Mmm... they smelled amazing.

By midday, a line had formed at Orion’s stall. He set out six plates on a plank in front of where he was cooking. On his massive cutting board, he chopped wild garlic, some fragrant yellow root, and long, flat chives. He threw all the ingredients into the wok. A Firewielder card appeared in his hand, and flames wrapped around the wok as he tossed the ingredients in the air. The scent of lobster, garlic, and green onions filled the air, making everyone’s mouth water. Mushrooms and some leafy green that looked like spinach went in last, along with another cube of pork tallow.

Two plates of wild garlic lobster stir fry were served, and the two people at the front of the line each paid two coppers. This process repeated twice more until all the plates were gone, and Orion finally gave me his attention, pocketing the coins.

Orion gave me a sidelong glance, his lips curling in a small smile. “I’ll do it, but I expect to be paid.”

“You’re already getting a mount!” I was starting to get annoyed.

Pay me this, pay me that. I was already working hard enough, and he was making plenty of money from his cooking and dungeon runs. I give him a pot of honey every week, and now I had to train his mount too. And now he wanted more?

Why I oughta...

“It’s no big deal. I just want you to figure out how to make increase milk production from the elk. I’ll pay for the milk, but you’ve got that skill for selectively breeding animals, right?” Orion said with a greedy smile as he cleaned his station.

“Yes…”

“Okay then. Breed them so the bulls are good for riding and the cows are good for milk.”

“I guess I can do that… but you’ll need more female elk if you want a decent milk supply,” I replied.

“Sounds good. I’ll bring my brother to help,” Orion said, tightening his apron.

When Orion invited his younger brother, Cass, to join us on the trip, Cass freaked out and ran over immediately. He had been in the middle of foraging berries with Anika and Aaliyah, but he dropped everything to come along.

Before we set out, Orion grabbed several lengths of rope from the warehouse and asked Cass to gather rocks. Orion paid three coppers for the rope, which Larry, the warehouse manager retrieved from storage. The warehouse operated like a library, lending out items with the promise of getting coppers back when items were returned or replenished. When Larry handed Orion the rope, their awkwardness rekindled a possibly old drama.

At the front of the warehouse was a stockpile yard full of raw material that everyone was free to use that Slate had gathered. I saw several children run up to grab small pieces of planks and other pieces of wood before retreating into the shade of the trees nearby where an elderly woman sat and babysat them.

The children of the village had this new hobby of carving tiny wooden figurines into animals, which the elderly teacher, I think her name was Kathy, instructed them to do as a fun activity under close supervision. They chiseled the wood with obsidian knives donated to them, using rocks as hammers. Where they sat in the shade of the grass, tiny wooden figurines of horses and dogs littered the ground like toy soldiers.

The warehouse was at the heart of Thornhill, and like its heart people came to supply themselves there either by using the supplies left for free in the stockpile or withdrawing them from the warehouse. Like my busy bees in my hives, people buzzed around with activity. Molvin, the town carpenter, looted the carpentry supplies from the ship and was busy making cabinets for people who were willing to pay him the steep price of 5 coppers, taking pieces of Slate-sawed planks for his projects. Marek and his sons were wheelbarrowing gravel dug out of his home and then two workers, Michael and Gabriel would take the gravel to build the base of our main road that stretched from the Beach Shelter to the River Shelter.

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Later, when Cass came back with rocks of a suitable size, Orion used his Crafting skill to make bolas, tying rocks to the ends of each cord. Cass copied his technique, and together they made three bolas. Orion handed me one to inspect.

Bola - D

Deals 20% less damage to animals

Orion planted wooden sticks in a line for us to practice on. Both brothers were naturals at it. I knew Orion had a throwing skill from his knife-throwing skills, but I couldn’t explain how Cass was so good at it. After about an hour of practice, I gained Level 1 in Throwing Weapons and was getting closer to hitting my target. Orion took my bola away, saying he would handle the two we needed since he didn’t think I was ready to use it on the elk.

Before we left, Orion made a double-lasso from more rope, intending to capture two calves and drag them back.

With food, rope, bags, and our bolas ready, we headed north toward the elk watering hole.

On the way, Cass and Aja were inseparable. Aja was protective of the young boy. It was hard to believe Cass and Orion were related—Cass was bright and inquisitive, while Orion was intense and focused. Sometimes Cass would disappear into the forest and return with bugs for me to identify. He also pointed out honeybee nests, knowing I would find them useful and wasp nests for me to avoid.

One thing Cass loved was watching me use my abilities to identify creatures.

“Look, Astrid! These caterpillars eat leaves and turn into moths,” Cass said, showing me a gray worm.

I pulled out my Animal Keeper card and used Identify on the caterpillar.

Ribbon Moth Larvae

Meat - F

Dye - F

Other Products - Silk (C)

“Silk…” I murmured. “Cass, can you find more of these?”

“Really? You think they're useful?” Cass’s wide eyes sparkled with amazement as he stared down at his find.

“I think they’re silkworms. We could probably start a silk farm.”

Cass immediately disappeared into the woods, leaving Orion to look on in frustration. But before he could get too upset, Cass returned. Orion pulled a jar from his bag, ate something from it, and then handed the empty jar to Cass. Cass carefully placed several leaves and worms inside, leaving the lid slightly ajar before handing it to me. Aja barked as if to thank him for me, and I playfully pinched Cass's cheeks, making him pout in annoyance.

At the watering hole, we found a herd of elk numbering in the forties. It was calving season, so there were plenty of young elk calves to choose from. I felt guilty about taking calves from their mothers, but it was necessary if we wanted more elk for breeding and companionship.

Near the water’s edge, four calves nibbled at the weeds, their small heads bobbing in unison, unaware of the world around them. A nervous cow lifted her head, ears twitching as she scanned the surroundings, while a bull grazed a few paces away.

“Can your dog herd?” Orion asked.

“So so. She’s been practicing with the piglets and has gotten better,” I replied.

“We’ll need her to herd the calves toward us so we can bola two of them. Cass…” Orion whispered, signaling his brother, who looked ready for action. “Sling a rock at the mother and the bull, try to separate them from the calves. Don’t hurt them—just a pinch on the backside.”

“Got it,” Cass said, pulling his sling from his back pocket.

Following the plan, I circled the watering hole with Aja. We startled the elk, pushing them toward Orion and Cass. Cass slung a rock that struck the cow on the rear, causing it to buck and bolt past us. Another rock hit the bull’s antlers, sending him charging west toward the hills. The confused calves ran toward the dense forest, right where Orion and Cass were waiting.

Cass and Orion threw their bolas, entangling the legs of one calf, causing it to stumble and fall. The other calf turned sharply, trying to escape, but Orion quickly reached for another bola. He missed, but Cass reloaded his sling and struck the calf’s front legs. The young elk whined in pain before tripping and landing on its face.

Orion lassoed the fallen calf and dragged it over to its restrained sibling. With a double-ended lasso, they tied both calves together. I hurried over to calm the babies down, using my Charm Animal skill to soothe their panic. Once they were settled, Orion untied them, confident they were calm enough to handle.

The four of us then worked to get the calves back on their feet and started leading them toward camp. The one Cass had hit with his sling was limping, struggling to navigate the uneven ground.

“I’m sorry,” Cass said, noticing my concern. “I had no choice—it was going to get away.”

“It’s okay, Cass. We can fix it up,” I said with a reassuring smile.

“It’s a male, so it might not be good for riding anymore. We might have to put it down. Could make some good elk veal,” Orion remarked casually.

“No!” I shouted, punching him in the shoulder. “We’ll get Ethan to look at it.”

“He’s a doctor, not a vet,” Orion grumbled.

“And you’re a butcher, not an animal keeper,” I shot back.

We slowly made our way back to camp, with Aja herding the new calves into their pen. When the elk noticed the newcomers, their ears perked up, and they quickly came over to sniff them.

After Orion and Cass left, I asked around for Ethan. When he arrived, he carefully examined the injured elk, tossing a card onto its leg to assess the damage.

“It’s just a fracture,” Ethan said after a moment. “We’ll need to splint it. Keep the calf off its legs so it can heal.”

Ethan gathered some sticks and fashioned a simple splint. He then used Anesthetic Touch on the restless elk to put it to sleep, and with my help, he applied a poultice and tied the splint in place.

Ethan adjusted his glasses, his hand lingering on the calf’s leg with a careful gentleness.

“Try to keep it from moving too much,” he said, cleaning his glasses on his shirt. “Tie it to a fence or a stake to limit its movement.”

“Thank you so much. I know you’re not a vet, but really, thank you,” I said. My face felt flush.

“It’s no problem,” Ethan blurted, finding it hard to make eye contact with me.

“Here,” I said, handing him the jar of honey I’d harvested, still half-full. “Consider this payment.”

“Wow… is this honey? You didn’t have to,” he said, sniffing the jar.

“No, I like really... I appreciate it. It’s nice to know some people around here care about animals.”

“I’m not—” Ethan stammered. “I mean, I do eat animals. I just prefer they don’t suffer before…”

“Oh, yeah, me too,” I laughed lightly. “I just meant like treating them kindly.”

“O-okay,” Ethan said, nodding awkwardly before making his exit.

As Ethan’s figure got smaller in the distance, I let out a heavy sigh.