Novrus’s nose tingled with a hint of frost bite. He rubs the icy fur of his arm across it. He felt like a lover or mother had just nudged him awake. He rolled to one side seeing the forest glistening in the morning start of sun. He felt like he had been in a dream or was in one now. He rolled to the other side to escape the brightness. His eyes lock onto the ice clad corpse of the red foe just within arm’s reach.
The battle had been no dream.
Cracking the ice of his own sheathing Novrus rose. He was warm himself. He felt more than safe but pleasant. Like someone had watched over him while he slept. Had his eyes opened at night to peer at a wind dancing at a woman? Had it been a dream? Which was real and which was unreal?
Rising to his feet Novrus continued the funeral rites. Two trees rolled together. Spruce for smoke and concealment. For pyre goods Novrus left Red foe what food he carried and one of the rocks he had fought so long with. The fire lit. Novrus skied off.
Novrus thought to back track a distance on Red foe’s trail. Soon though the trail was lost. Swept away by last night’s wind with drifting snow. So Novrus circled around the mire and peered out over the frozen lakes. No sign of large game nor of the so called red foe war party. Going home he went to look out hill finding again no sightings. He descended and skied home.
Rain barrel’s ice yielded to cold water beneath to fill his waterskin. A bird’s hide was advanced in tanning stages. In the ceremonial grove he started a smoky fire leaving a turnip for a sacrifice. Birds from the traps were skinned then butchered. The sauna-smoker house chimney stones still felt of warmth from the last fire. A stew of bird meat and turnips flavored with sorrel was started. A portion of the meat set to roast on a stone for earlier consumption. He returned outside to tan those new bird skins into leather. Such is the life at a homestead.
The next day two more bandages were assembled from scraps of torn clothing. The punctures were healing well. Still he felt it wise to wash the bandages, wash the wounds then restore the bandages. The bruise on his calf was smarting. While there wasn’t anything to clean Novrus remembered his mother treating bruises from fight practice with a compress. Novrus wrapped it round that it might support the wounded area so that it had that little bit less to do while healing. He regretted not having left a bandage at the Point’s cave. He hoped to remember next time he was there.
(Note: Washing bandages is part of my mod Brygun’s added items. Some disagree with the practice. I contend that since you need a new bandage every 24 hours for full healing and clothes are a valuable commodity you should have the choice to reuse them. Reuse coming after a preparation such as washing the bandages.)
Afternoon chores consisted of repairs to his furs he wore for clothing and armor. The knife stabs had gone into wound him and there was other damages too. Some from battle, some from falls, some from caught on branches these damages are good to be repaired from time to time.
Over these days chores included making pairs of knitting needles. Novrus decided he should carry one set for leather working or for searching wounds for debris. He made two sets as household tools and another for leather working awls at the smithy.
Novrus also fashioned another stone hammer. One might ask why. You see the shape is the thing. A flat iron hammer does a lot of work yet for some tasks you can benefit from a different shape. A well stocked smithy would have several hammers of different weights, shapes and faces.
Over other days the large herding fence was raised. On the east side a channel of fencing controlled movement to a gate door in its middle. There would be various ways of securing the channel to block movement when desired. One being to set temporary fencing on either side of the gate.
One day it would be good to build a half building like the smithy to shelter animals. If they could use less energy to survive a storm that meant more into their growing meat, hide or wool. As he wasn’t expecting to get any animals this winter that could wait. As it was it was good suitable for constraining many types of animals. For now spruce twigs were spread out as a basic bedding for whomever would be first to live here.
Novrus pondered the problem of watering. Simple enough if someone was here to ferry from the lake or rain barrel. If he was away for a long time how could he leave enough for them.
Day 1 of the 9th week before summer season
Winter was in its deepest coldest depths. Ice on the rain barrel was thicker each morning than in the previous months. Novrus had finished eating the smoked elk. Now he was starting on the bear that had killed Nilla. There seemed to be a harmony to think of adventuring now at this change of meat. It also wise to hunt for meat before the meat stocks run out. The likely targets were the bear to the north or the one months ago north east of Flower Wild.
In respects to Nilla a companion should be taken up. The impoverished adventurer at Flower Wild came to mind. Novrus could now outfit him with with bow and arrows. He was good with swords but Novrus had melted the spare scimitar to forge the broad axe. The one scimitar left was Novrus’s first capture making it dear to him. He could fashion a spear with bone from the elk for the, as they say, the pointy end. That should do.
Novrus reviewed his own weapons. With its close tie to him and recent slaying Novrus chose the broad axe over his family’s woodsman axe or the family spear. Spears throws hadn’t been that reliable so far. For a second axe he chose a hand axe won in battle for a little more heft than his carving axe. The latter had only made shallow cuts in that recent battle.
There would also be a host of knives: a broad knife for hideworking and good for battle; hunting knife for a second fighting knife and his small knife which was convenient to carry.
There was of course going to be the Flower Wild laminated bow with a mix of arrows. However, in skiing he couldn’t use the bow. That is why in general he thought to use his broad axe as a second though short ski pole. It would be ready for melee if a bear jumped them like it had Nilla.
Novrus shuddered remembering the fateful day. He didn’t have a clear angle as the bear smashed on Nilla. As he took a few steps to reduce the risk of hitting Nilla the bear had pounded his friend into the ground.
Novrus took a breath. That is why he was taking an adventurer not a peasant this time. One to be equipped with bow and spear. Fetching from the cellar food for two he left for Flower Wild.
As he skied along he turned around pines into a pair of reindeer, maybe more! Four at least.
The herd was alert bolting almost as soon as he had seen them. Something possessed him to throw his broad axe. It twirled through the air striking into a snow bank. What was he thinking! Its not a spear. It did have a graceful beauty as it twirled along. Striking the snow it was undamaged. Novrus didn’t think he should do that very much if at all.
The stalk was on. It took time for a decent arrow shot which missed. Again stalking for an arrow to strike a pine. Hiding in dells then emerging let the reindeer get closer in their winter feeding. The reindeer he expected to shoot was obscured by a dozen pines. To the south another emerged. The arrow loosed.
It struck into the reindeer’s foreleg. Stumbling on a ruined limb this reindeer could hardly make way. This then would be the kill. It managed a bobbing run disappearing among the trees. The tracks of the herd obscuring which was the wounded one. Following the majority Novrus was figuring that in thinking like a reindeer they would regroup somewhere.
Soon a small reindeer was seen moving in the cluster of tracks. Stealthy stalking for minutes more brought the injured reindeer into view. He had to admit for a reindeer with an arrow through a leg it was moving pretty good.
Minutes later the affect of the arrow proved the value of its flight. The reindeer no longer could keep up with the herd nor out pace skiing Novrus. The finishing was delayed by the comedy of fighting uphill on skis. Buttocks to the snow Novrus got up while the deer managed a short dash of little more than a stride. A back of hand axe crack knocked it out. A hunting knife to the throat give it a clean passing. Novrus skinned, butchered and sacrificed before the sun had set.
Taking stock of the location Novrus figured he was a half hour from Flower Wild. He carried the hide and quartered meat over. He began make trades for non-perishable goods like squirrel hides. However when it came to exploring they were still short handed since hardworking Nilla had passed away. Novrus found a place to sleep by himself in a small kota.
Returning to the homestead Novrus set out what was left of the reindeer meat to dry in the cold winter air. He did want leather for projects so he set the hide to de-hair at the lake. It was noon now. Novrus decided to start for the Owl village to the north.
At Gruelfen no one of skill was up for a long time away from the village. He did see to trading for a broadknife for furs and arrows. This being a weigh of reducing the weight of his trade goods. From their Novrus moved northward across his hunting range supported by his homestead to the south and the Point cave to the north.
He was starting to get sightings in the far distance of elk. Farther behind the elk was another Owl village.
Out on the mire into the woods, onto the mire into the woods. A few shots. Hours of pursuit. Come noon the trails looped back onto themselves dozens of times. Novrus decided to disengage and make to the new village.
“Borderpeat” they called their holding. They had stocks of winter furs, arrows and common goods. Novrus tried to recruit a woodcutter named Jussa. Jussa said winter was when the village his firewood the most.
Late afternoon Novrus found one of his hunting camps. The shelter stood nestled in among trees. Traps desprung awaited retriggering to catch game or sound the alarm on intruders. Firewood was waiting too. With a bit of daylight left Novrus skied on.
Darkness came faster then he had thought. Between two mountains he made a quick camp. A loop snare noisemaker guarded the way to where he hid the shelter. It was gathered up in the morning. A mire received the drainage from the mountains. Just the sort of place to find bog ore once the ice melted. It turned out he was only few minutes from the village of Wolf’s Tip.
At Wolf’s Tip Gealbu, an Owl hunter, explained Aksel needed help traveling. He wanted a guide back to Reemi lands. As smith of the north Norvus had plans to be in this for the winter weeks ahead.
Asking a few of the men and one woman it was Hiege a woodsman who agreed to join Novrus’s adventures as smith of the north. Heige showed excellent skills with his axe and was decent with spears. Novrus gave him a fur mittens and face shield. He was also given the wooden roundshield Novrus had made and first used months ago. The bone spear was passed over too. These, Novrus explained, were also toward the payment for services. Heige already had a bow and few arrows. With a split of the food they were ready to leave.
(FYI: Journal passed 50,000 words a little while ago)
<Novrus Heige the Henchman>