Darzen watches his boys as they finish up the meal in thoughtful silence. As far as he hoped, he as a father was just nouturing his plants. They pack up, the day gets late. Coming into the gravel bench, an odd formation littered with dead machines. Darzen figured it may have been a mine from the prior civilization. Seven deer, and a mutated stag wander the small spring that leaks from the stone face near a collapsed tunnel. Darzen looks to his boys, Aleway is already gone, Samuel nods pointing to a tracked rusted hulk. Alway's silhouette can be seen under it, worming close. Darzen folds his arms watching, making a motion to Samuel. It is their hunt after all. Samuel moves just south of Aleway cutting off escape. Darzen watches hand signs pass, then a finger count. One arrow thuds into a fat young doe. It pieces her lungs. The herd panics, running west away from Darzen, the doe in panic staggers south. Blood drips from her muzzle, Samuel steps out putting a final arrow into her chest. The doe falls, a couple twitches. The boys are on her, Aleway slitting her throat with the ivory steel blade he got for his birthday from the Smith. Samuel guards as Aleway bleeds the doe and preps her to hang and pack. Darzen chuckles walking up "Good team work my son's, and good pick." He pats both on the head. Aleway says his thanks, then kneels by Samuel to say thanks to the doe for her life and nourishment. Darzen helps the boys hang the doe from a outcrop of a rusted hulk. He steps back. Watching as Samuel and Aleway skin and part the deer out. Holding his spear close, feeling uneasy. He won't show it for his boys sake. Night is starting to come as the boys finish filling the meat packs. All three are brimming with fresh meat, a good but dangerous thing. Darzen picks up his meat pack, glancing to the north then scanning west, it's dusk. He looks at the boys "Going to be a moonless night my sons. Where should we set camp?" he asks testing them. Samuel looks at his brother Aleway who nods. Samuel answers "We should camp away from the kill 8ncase of predictors, and hang the meat high away from the camp as well dad." Darzen smiles nodding "Good idea." he replies letting the doe down and recovering his rope "I know just the spot, come on." Samuel and Aleway had never spent a night in the shelf, they follow their dad. Samuel nudges Aleway, then points at a rust heap "Hey, look at that." Aleway looks at the heap, a big wide front followed by a long flat bed behind it. Aleway shrugs "Yeah, it's something old world." a light sigh, still annoyed with his dreamer brother. He loved Samuel, but the whole smarts thing ground his nerves. Samuel looks at Aleway unphased "It's a truck, the old world and the domes use them for supply delivery." An excited look "We could be rich merchants if we had one.. Imagine what we could haul." Aleway gives his brother's starstruck look a side glance, and a light shake of his head. Darzen Shakes his head, for barely seven they have quite the mind and attitude. Yet he reminds himself they get that from Lilly. The boys are quiet following him, it's an old warehouse he leads them to. There's a silent shoving match as they race in to explore. Here the rust heaps are actually recognizable. Darzen watches Samuel inspect each one, seeing gears turning in his head. Glancing over he watches Aleway strateguzing, looking at ins and outs, perches, and a place to rest. Darzen knows they will need a fire, he calls his sons to him "Come here boys, we need to set up camp." Aleway is there 8n moments, Samuel arrives playing with some device that flickers. A hand crank lamp, Darzen watches. Samuel holds it close looking between his dad and brother for instruction. Darzen looks at Aleway "What's your opinion?" Aleway points up some ramps "High, windows, and one way in one way out." Darzen nods to his son "Good thinking, let's hang the meat and set up for the night." Aleway sets his device by where they set their bed rolls. The family hangs the meat high, then gathers wood. Soon a fire is burning and the boys are in their beds. Darzen tells them the grand and sad stories about his childhood, the storms, and plagues. Aleway and his dad take turns on watch, something samuel wasn't able to do.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Morning comes and a wolf is sniffing around in the room they Hung the meat in, they sit and watch. Aleway watches, his bow knocked. Darzen puts his son at ease.

The wolf soon leaves, stopping to give them a curious look before scurrying off. Samuel notes it's a rather fat female "It was a girl wolf dad." Darzen nods "It was, and she was carrying pups. Wolves help and hurt us." The boys nod. Soon they have the meat down and are headed home. Samuel playing with the crank that makes the light come on, after a look from Aleway he hangs it on his pack. Samuel hates this part, packing. He was strong, but it hurt his feet and annoyed him, but he bit his tongue under the lesson of every man can be good at one thing, but a man good at many things can survive. Samuel looks at Aleway, a bit of guilt knowing his brother took the heavier of their packs. The family marches on, afternoon comes and they are approaching home. Darzen looks up, a oddly dark cloud in the north, followed by a harsh thundering noise. A storm maybe? His heart stops, it's smoke. One of the domes is openly burning as its glass shell has imploded. Darzen having froze checks on his boys. Aleway and Samuel stand side by side on a rock watching, pale with fear. Samuel has pulled his looking glass, but puts it away. Darzen moves close to them "Let's move boys, this isn't good." Both boys nod and double time wordlessly. Upon reaching the village things are in a state of alarm.

Darzen sends the boys home and meets with the counsel of leaders. It's decided they should move towards the mountains incase it is war.

Up in the hut above the village Emry gathers his things. He heard the boom, the air smells of fire and decay. The songs of the dead ringing in his ears, he slings his most important items in a pack over his shoulder. A look to the north "God have mercy on our souls." before he heads down to join the evacuation.