Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3117127" data-attributes="member: 35788">Across the camp, Charis was busy collecting food donations gathered from the heads of the village households.  The food collection was slow in coming at first, but as the night progressed the pace picked up.  Most of the villagers greeted Charis with a warm greeting.  Often she was welcomed with hugs and exclamations at being able to see her again.  It turned out that most in the village assumed she had been captured for use in some sort of slave trade, perhaps even demonic in origin.  While the truth had been intentionally hidden from them by their dragon father, they were nonetheless happy to know she was safe.  Most were even more grateful for the sacrifices that she had made in coming back to help them escape the torment that the lives of the villagers had known under the dragon father’s wrath.While Charis played the face of the party with respect for the villagers, Ischarus and Xando went through the surrounding woods with some of Xando’s axes.  They weren’t looking to cut down any trees, but they were certainly interested in taking the limbs off of any that happened to fall on their own.  Ischarus knew that the most efficient manner for getting the vast quantity of food to the underground tunnels would be to have sleds that the horses could drag behind them.  These sleds would be useful in the tunnels as well for carting the food from the storage place to whatever cavern in which they decided to wait out the dragon’s wrath.  He looked for tree trunks that had substantial enough diameter to support the weight of the collected food but small enough diameter to be easily bound together without increasing the weight of the sled substantially.  Fortunately for Ischarus there was plenty of soft pine in the area.  The pine was not only lighter in weight but also easier to trim and drag to where he needed them.At the end of the first night of collection they had enough food to require two trips for the full compliment of four horses – each with a sled in tow.  Most of the staples donated were flour and grain products.  The villagers knew that the next few days would require more gathering and grinding of wheat products as well as nuts and even some berries.  They also expected a few men to go on a hunting expedition simply so that the village had meat for the first few days.  Any more meat than they could consume in a few days without salting would be too rancid to eat.  They would only be able to cook and smoke so much without drawing suspicion from their dragon father above.When it was clear that the last villager had come for the night, Xando spoke a few words of direction.  “Ischarus,” Xando advised, “I think the villagers are done for the night.  Why don’t you and Charis take the first load to the caves?  I’ll keep watch here and make sure nothing happens to the store.  Then you can return and I’ll head to the caves with you and help with the horses.”Charis helped Ischarus finish tying together the last of the sleds and rose to her feet.  All of their shirts were soaked in sweat and Charis felt a quick chill of the night air as a breeze blew past her bare arms.  She rubbed her arms vigorously and walked over to where she had placed her traveling cloak.  She drew it up over he shoulders and nodded to Ischarus.  “Xando’s right, Ischarus.  I’ve no doubt daylight is only a few hours off by now.  We’ll need to get this food moved before daylight or it’ll be easily spotted from the father dragon’s perch up high.”Ischarus also stood, stretching out his aching back.  “Yeah.  I suppose we should.  Time for us to start walking and these horses to do some work!”  He took a few steps so as to be under Elistra’s neck and he reached up to give her a loving pat on the neck.  After ruffling her ears he walked over and grabbed the first sack of ground flour.  “Sacks of flour on the bottom.  They’ll crush everything else.”Charis and Xando quickly followed Ischarus’ lead and before too long half the goods were loaded onto the sleds.  Charis and Ischarus led the horses away from Xando, who looked as though he might spend a bit of time napping while he guarded the reserve pile.  Neither Charis nor Ischarus thought anything of it, however.  Xando would surely wake if anyone approached and the next day would prove to be grueling without some sleep.Ischarus and Charis easily unloaded the sled once they arrived at the mountain tunnels and found an appropriate cavern that looked large enough to hold the supply yet was far enough into the tunnel to keep from being an easy target for the dragon father.  Most importantly, the side cavern only had one entrance.  Before too long Ischarus returned to the food store back near the village and he smiled as he was forced to wake Xando.  The pair of men worked hard loading up the last of the food supplies.  When they were done, Ischarus directed Xando to catch the last hour or less of sleep before the sun would rise.  “I can manage the horses; and you’ll need your sleep, Xando.”  The village elder offered up no objection to the suggestion in spite of his earlier offer to help with the horses since Charis was guarding the supplies of food on the other end.Ischarus arrived back at the mountain tunnel just before the sun rose above the mountain tops to the east.  This trip of the horses took much more time since he had to guide all four along the trail by himself.  Eventually Charis heard Ischarus at the entrance to the underground tunnels and she left the storage area to help Ischarus with the rest of the journey.  The unloading process took less time with the both of them working together.  The coolness of the cave helped each of them fight off the wave of fatigue that was now taking its toll.Once everything was unloaded from the sleds Ischarus offered up a plan of action.  “Why don’t you stay here in the caves and take the first watch of the food store?  You can free the horses from their sleds while I make my way to the place where Semeion and Rhema are so I can make sure their night went well.  I’ll return quickly and give you time to sleep.  We’ll trade off shifts until nightfall – saving our strength for tomorrow.  At least we won’t need to rebuild the sleds.”Charis nodded in approval.  “True.  And if Xando is available to help again tomorrow night, one of us can run the horses in shifts moving food throughout the night rather than save it for all the horse to move together.”Ischarus silently agreed with a nod to the affirmative.  He headed for the exit where the cavern joined with the regular tunnel.  “Stay safe until I return.”  Charis smiled at his concern and watched him leave the tunnel.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]Across the camp, Charis was busy collecting food donations gathered from the heads of the village households. The food collection was slow in coming at first, but as the night progressed the pace picked up. Most of the villagers greeted Charis with a warm greeting. Often she was welcomed with hugs and exclamations at being able to see her again. It turned out that most in the village assumed she had been captured for use in some sort of slave trade, perhaps even demonic in origin. While the truth had been intentionally hidden from them by their dragon father, they were nonetheless happy to know she was safe. Most were even more grateful for the sacrifices that she had made in coming back to help them escape the torment that the lives of the villagers had known under the dragon father’s wrath.While Charis played the face of the party with respect for the villagers, Ischarus and Xando went through the surrounding woods with some of Xando’s axes. They weren’t looking to cut down any trees, but they were certainly interested in taking the limbs off of any that happened to fall on their own. Ischarus knew that the most efficient manner for getting the vast quantity of food to the underground tunnels would be to have sleds that the horses could drag behind them. These sleds would be useful in the tunnels as well for carting the food from the storage place to whatever cavern in which they decided to wait out the dragon’s wrath. He looked for tree trunks that had substantial enough diameter to support the weight of the collected food but small enough diameter to be easily bound together without increasing the weight of the sled substantially. Fortunately for Ischarus there was plenty of soft pine in the area. The pine was not only lighter in weight but also easier to trim and drag to where he needed them.At the end of the first night of collection they had enough food to require two trips for the full compliment of four horses – each with a sled in tow. Most of the staples donated were flour and grain products. The villagers knew that the next few days would require more gathering and grinding of wheat products as well as nuts and even some berries. They also expected a few men to go on a hunting expedition simply so that the village had meat for the first few days. Any more meat than they could consume in a few days without salting would be too rancid to eat. They would only be able to cook and smoke so much without drawing suspicion from their dragon father above.When it was clear that the last villager had come for the night, Xando spoke a few words of direction. “Ischarus,” Xando advised, “I think the villagers are done for the night. Why don’t you and Charis take the first load to the caves? I’ll keep watch here and make sure nothing happens to the store. Then you can return and I’ll head to the caves with you and help with the horses.”Charis helped Ischarus finish tying together the last of the sleds and rose to her feet. All of their shirts were soaked in sweat and Charis felt a quick chill of the night air as a breeze blew past her bare arms. She rubbed her arms vigorously and walked over to where she had placed her traveling cloak. She drew it up over he shoulders and nodded to Ischarus. “Xando’s right, Ischarus. I’ve no doubt daylight is only a few hours off by now. We’ll need to get this food moved before daylight or it’ll be easily spotted from the father dragon’s perch up high.”Ischarus also stood, stretching out his aching back. “Yeah. I suppose we should. Time for us to start walking and these horses to do some work!” He took a few steps so as to be under Elistra’s neck and he reached up to give her a loving pat on the neck. After ruffling her ears he walked over and grabbed the first sack of ground flour. “Sacks of flour on the bottom. They’ll crush everything else.”Charis and Xando quickly followed Ischarus’ lead and before too long half the goods were loaded onto the sleds. Charis and Ischarus led the horses away from Xando, who looked as though he might spend a bit of time napping while he guarded the reserve pile. Neither Charis nor Ischarus thought anything of it, however. Xando would surely wake if anyone approached and the next day would prove to be grueling without some sleep.Ischarus and Charis easily unloaded the sled once they arrived at the mountain tunnels and found an appropriate cavern that looked large enough to hold the supply yet was far enough into the tunnel to keep from being an easy target for the dragon father. Most importantly, the side cavern only had one entrance. Before too long Ischarus returned to the food store back near the village and he smiled as he was forced to wake Xando. The pair of men worked hard loading up the last of the food supplies. When they were done, Ischarus directed Xando to catch the last hour or less of sleep before the sun would rise. “I can manage the horses; and you’ll need your sleep, Xando.” The village elder offered up no objection to the suggestion in spite of his earlier offer to help with the horses since Charis was guarding the supplies of food on the other end.Ischarus arrived back at the mountain tunnel just before the sun rose above the mountain tops to the east. This trip of the horses took much more time since he had to guide all four along the trail by himself. Eventually Charis heard Ischarus at the entrance to the underground tunnels and she left the storage area to help Ischarus with the rest of the journey. The unloading process took less time with the both of them working together. The coolness of the cave helped each of them fight off the wave of fatigue that was now taking its toll.Once everything was unloaded from the sleds Ischarus offered up a plan of action. “Why don’t you stay here in the caves and take the first watch of the food store? You can free the horses from their sleds while I make my way to the place where Semeion and Rhema are so I can make sure their night went well. I’ll return quickly and give you time to sleep. We’ll trade off shifts until nightfall – saving our strength for tomorrow. At least we won’t need to rebuild the sleds.”Charis nodded in approval. “True. And if Xando is available to help again tomorrow night, one of us can run the horses in shifts moving food throughout the night rather than save it for all the horse to move together.”Ischarus silently agreed with a nod to the affirmative. He headed for the exit where the cavern joined with the regular tunnel. “Stay safe until I return.” Charis smiled at his concern and watched him leave the tunnel.[/Sblock]</blockquote>

Verification