12-21-2010, 08:00 PM
Nian trudged through the snowy forest, ducking under low-hanging branches as he made his way through the trees. The woods were fairly still this morning, although he could hear the sounds of birds chirping to one another somewhere in the distance. He almost felt bad about how much noise he was making... He winced when he recalled his rank within the tribe. As a young scout, he should almost certainly be moving in a much more silent manner than he was--but he would challenge anyone else to be quiet while lugging a pile of long tree branches behind them! Although he could drag the branches behind him on top of the snow, they were still long and unwieldy, and he kept managing to strike tree trunks on his way by. This produced a loud crack! that could probably be heard all the way on the other side of the territory. Grumbling, he just rearranged his grip on the branches and kept on walking.
All of this for a warm place to live... He could probably have found a hut to share with another wolf, but he felt that it would be much less trouble to just build his own home. On the bright side, once the thing was built he'd have a permanent residence set up, but for the moment the best he could manage was a few bare branches that had fallen from trees during the snowfall. He wasn't a craftsman by any means, but a few months of living by himself in the wilderness had taught him how to construct a half-decent lean-to. Maybe if he approached one of the tribe's hunters or craftsmen he could acquire a nice leather tarp for the outside too. Then he could keep out the winter chill that currently just ripped through the temporary root-laced dugout that served as his current den.
Just as the thought of a warm den brought a smile to his face, the branches caught abruptly on a raised tree root. Nian, still caught in the momentum of mid-step, was jerked back by the sudden halt and fell on his rump into the snow. After sitting there blinking for a few seconds, he got up, grumbling all the way, and dislodged the tree branches. He really needed to find a more efficient way to carry these, or else he would have to fight the landscape all the way back to the village bounds. No house was worth this much effort!
All of this for a warm place to live... He could probably have found a hut to share with another wolf, but he felt that it would be much less trouble to just build his own home. On the bright side, once the thing was built he'd have a permanent residence set up, but for the moment the best he could manage was a few bare branches that had fallen from trees during the snowfall. He wasn't a craftsman by any means, but a few months of living by himself in the wilderness had taught him how to construct a half-decent lean-to. Maybe if he approached one of the tribe's hunters or craftsmen he could acquire a nice leather tarp for the outside too. Then he could keep out the winter chill that currently just ripped through the temporary root-laced dugout that served as his current den.
Just as the thought of a warm den brought a smile to his face, the branches caught abruptly on a raised tree root. Nian, still caught in the momentum of mid-step, was jerked back by the sudden halt and fell on his rump into the snow. After sitting there blinking for a few seconds, he got up, grumbling all the way, and dislodged the tree branches. He really needed to find a more efficient way to carry these, or else he would have to fight the landscape all the way back to the village bounds. No house was worth this much effort!