Tender Tinder

Willam la Chemin · 09-14-2012, 02:57 PM

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Word Count → 316 :: Prompt: Gather some firewood so that the clan is well stocked for fall and winter. Pine in particular burns hot and fast and is great for starting fires, but hardwood such as oak and walnut burns longer. Firewood is stored in the mansion.

Willam was back out in the forest again. She had to say that she really enjoyed the wooded area the best. It was where she did most of her training. But that wasn't the reason for her to be out there now. She had started out with the thought to get lengths of wood to replaces those in the travois that she had crafted. She wanted to replace the ones that had started to crack before they actually ended up breaking while she had a load that was being carried back. She'd rather take preventive measures rather than getting stranded.

The large female picked up fallen branches that had broken off from the tree in order to test their length against Châtiment. She was trying to find ones that would be long enough to work with, even if she had to shorten them some. It would be so much easier to shorten the pieces that were too long than trying to lengthen those that would prove to be too short. Or such was her opinion on the matter at least. After all she knew how to break them down but had no idea how to build them up to lengthen them.

The coyote woman had started to craft a pile of wood, setting aside the pieces that wouldn't work. It was becoming quite the task to find those branches that would be of perfect length to actually work. She seemed more apt to find those that were too short and had started to stack them up just so she would know what lengths of wood she had already tried out. Sadly that pile was growing much quicker than the empty space that she had cleared for the pieces that she would be able to use. It was getting to where Willam wondered if there was even something suitable to be found already laying upon the ground.

Alma · 09-19-2012, 05:33 PM

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how to attract an alma: mention wood

Although her relationship with Ithiel had been wonderful, she also had to admit it was distracting her from her duties. She hadn't made a bow or spear in a month or more and her supply of wood was getting low. Alma did not think she had enough to build one long bow, although there was perhaps enough for some smaller items like arrows and beads. Therefore, she set out from her den with a stone axe in one hand, and a spare strapped to her belt in case it should fall apart or she should lose her first.

She wore the armor she'd obtained from the Boreas wolves, because she could never be sure she wouldn't be attacked or harassed when going outside of clan borders, and she preferred not to cut down the trees in the clan's own territory when searching for wood. Alma left her bow and quiver at home, but took a combat knife and strapped to her belt, as well. Any enemy she might find would probably attack her in close combat, so it was likely that she wouldn't have time to use her bow.

The orange coyote was not far into the forest when she realized she was not alone. A tall, grey and tawny coyote caught her attention; she appeared to be gathering wood - perhaps the same task that Alma had set out to do, except she was gathering from the ground instead of chopping down a tree. "Hello," she said, and approached her - standing a bit off so as not to get in her way of her search. "I don't believe we've met before. Are you new to Inferni?" Her eyes fell upon the pile wood. "If I might ask, what do you need the wood for?" It was not that she desired any of that wood - it was unsuitable for her purposes; she was simply curious. "Do you need any help?"

Willam la Chemin · 09-28-2012, 10:04 AM

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Word Count → 502 :: Heh, so Alma likes wood?

Willam was entirely reluctant to start chopping away at trees. She's really rather find something that had already fallen to use it instead but the task seemed almost futile. She seemed almost entirely unable to find anything that would be passable. Though perhaps she needed to broaden her search area. After all her discard pile was becoming far larger than the nonexistent pile that had been created for pieces that would be proper for the task that she had in mind for them. Still she refused to give up. She had made her first travois from fallen limbs so she knew it was possible to find something. It just took hard work and dedication to the task in order to find the appropriate pieces. And well, Willam wasn't one to give up on a task halfway through. No, she refused to give in but to complete what she had set herself to instead.

The large female looked up as she was approached and spoken to. "No. Not so new." She responded with a shake of her head. She would no longer say that she was new since she had spoken with leadership now and had settled herself into a den as well as into tasks within Inferni. She had pledged herself to the clan and was now introduced as being of Inferni so she would no longer say that she was new. "I have been here for a couple months or so, so far." She didn't know the exact length of time but it hardly mattered. She had done enough to get herself settled in and had met a good number of Infernians. Or at least she believed that she had. There were some frequent faces that she had seen over and over again. That was enough for her.

"It is for a travois. I'm trying to find pieces that would be long enough to work for repairs. The one I have now is getting old and I want to replace some pieces before they break and make it unable to be used. If you wish to help than you may. I need something long enough to reach Châtiment's back to be able to be dragged along behind him. I'm trying to find branches that have already fallen instead of trying to cut anything from the trees." Willam went over what it was that she was trying to accomplish. "I thought I would bring back whatever doesn't work to add to the pile that is in the mansion." She wasn't entirely certain what that pile was for but she figured that it couldn't hurt to add to it. After all, she had taken from the storeroom before and so she wanted to end up giving back to it. She might not be replacing exactly what it was that she had taken but she was at least adding something to it. It wasn't exactly the same but it felt better than to just be taking only and never giving back once.

Alma · 10-14-2012, 02:55 AM

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Yep. No one has made any obvious dirty jokes about it yet. I'd be surprised if Alma didn't hang around serious people so much.

"You'll have a hard time finding anything suitable on the ground that will last. If it's off the tree means something has chewed it off, or there's some weakness in the wood that caused it to fall." Alma replied. She thought looking for usable wood on the ground was a futile thing. It was possible, maybe, but it was not something she would have done. "Why don't you cut something down? Not these, I mean," she gestured to the trees around her, "but out there, beyond the borders?" She pointed vaguely in that direction. "I have an axe if you need it and..."

She paused. It occurred to her that maybe she was afraid of using an axe - although, from her build, she didn't seem like a stranger to hard work; perhaps she was afraid a tree might fall on her? "I could even cut it down for you, if you want. I'm heading out there myself, anyway." She probably wouldn't have suggested such if she knew it would make the other coyote uncomfortable. There was another pause - shorter this time as the orange coyote glanced at the pile of unsuitable wood. Her gaze was thoughtful. "If you know how to use a travois, do you know how to use a cart?" It was not an idle question; she had an idea that would be both to her and Inferni's benefit - it would make hauling the wood back to Inferni easier and save her from having to take multiple trips to carry everything back.

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