Gale carried a bundle of twigs and long sticks. They were tied together with tough, dried grasses, as their purpose was merely for keeping the bundle together. It was for his home, the home he was building for his niece and himself. His mistress, Siv, had nothing for him to do that day and she was no where to be found. Often times he was not very needed, so he kept himself to working on the home. So far, he had asked the slave pointed out to him for the wood, though it was mostly ruined and boards from fragmented homes. Nothing spectacular but he had to build Yvette and himself a dwelling before winter set in. It would grow colder here than it had ever been in Rome or in his southern English village. Snow would fall heavy and Yvette was young enough to be susceptible to the weather.
The twigs poked roughly into his belly, but he huffed and ignored the discomfort as best as he could. Yvette trailed behind him, a few small lengths of wood in her jaws as she struggled to keep up with her uncle's long paced strides. There already was a small pile of twigs and branches outside the ramshackled little lean-to the slave had begun. It was going to be a mixture of a construction, with some wood and the rest made of hardened mud and what clay he could find. Stones ran around the foundation of the little hut, a base for where the mud would go and where the wood would be wedged in later. It was fairly modest, but he could hardly make something bigger than his mistress' home.
The pair of them dropped their load and turned back around. He had to pass through the Ruins, where most of the pack had made their homes. Their scents were thick in the air, and some were fresh. Nose wrinkling, Gale froze at the sight of a woman, black as Siv. She did not smell like her blood, though, and knew it was someone else. So far he had met no one other than Siv and her daughter. Anyone could have easily ordered him about, even if he was Siv's. The golden ring in his nose was a symbol of his rank in this place and he knew it. Ears went back in deference, and the slave bowed at the waist as he remembered slaves did back in Rome. "Domina, a beautiful cat you have," he said simply, knowing he was out of place for addressing a superior.
Images credited to Jason Pier. Table style inspired by Kitty.
<style>.gale_01 {padding:5px 0px 265px 0px; width:500px; background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/Rtaz4.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; background-color:#f5fbf9; border: 1px solid #1c9adf; font-family:verdana;font-size:10px; line-height:12px;}
.gale_01 .inner {margin:0 20px; padding: 0px 9px 0px 9px;text-align:justify;}
.gale_01b {width:502px; border: 1px solid #000; margin:0 auto; box-shadow:2px 2px 3px #1d1d1d; -moz-box-shadow:2px 2px 3px #1d1d1d; -webkit-box-shadow:2px 2px 3px #1d1d1d;}
.gale_01 .ooc {text-align:left; color:#075fac; font-size:10px; border-bottom:1px dashed #000; }
.gale_01 .wc {color:#9fd2eb; letter-spacing:0px; font-size:10px; font-weight:bold; text-align:right; padding:0px 15px; text-transform:uppercase; margin:0px 0px 10px 5px;}
.gale_01 p {padding:0px 1px 5px 1px; margin:0px; text-indent:25px;color:#2cb6e5;}
.gale_01 b {font-weight:bold; color:#9fd2eb;}
p.gale01_credit {text-indent:0px; text-align:center; font-size:11px; text-align:center; margin:0px auto;color:#000;}
</style>
[/html]