resourceful.

Dixie-May Jackson · 10-31-2011, 01:06 AM

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can anyone guess what her little brain is cooking up? xD anyone can join, no more than 2 plz.

Word Count → 537

During their travels all over North America, Dixie had become adept at making baskets. It was something that her mother taught her to do when she was a tiny girl, unable to ride the horses for fear of getting hurt. Previously she’d had no way to transport them, and no reason either, so they had only been made as gifts for friends in passing. Now though, with the wagon in their possession, she had made a lot! The poor girl was easily bored, but weaving was soothing and time consuming, therefore Wayne would shove a handful of grasses and threads into her hands when she was stressed or too hyper, and she’d get to work. After making them so many times she had become pretty damn good at making a tight weave, some of the baskets were mostly waterproof even.

Problem was…neither of them had much of an idea of what to do with the things. The ranged in size, the smallest being the size of a fat watermelon and the biggest was a little over a foot deep and maybe two feet in diameter. They would be good for picking fruits and vegetables, perhaps fishing and collecting other small materials. Of course they wouldn’t be useful if there wasn’t anything to pick or catch, which was something that Dixie was beginning to believe. The biggest creature besides the horses and the canines that she’d seen inside the walls of the fort was a plump little squirrel. Obviously not enough to feed even her own tiny self. Frustrated with the lack of substantial game within reach, she began pacing and weaving at the same time. There was already a stack, thirteen baskets high, leaning against the wall in the corner of their basement bedroom.

Huffing and stomping her little foot, she tossed down the half woven thing and crossed her arms tightly over her chest, glaring at it. A few moments passed before she realized what it was that she was looking at…the partial basket had landed atop her other materials…covering them almost completely. Idea! She made an awful squeally noise and darted to the corner, grabbed as many baskets as she could carry, and ran towards the stairs. Getting to the ground floor was challenging, but not impossible. Once outside, she howled very softly, head tossed back and jaws parted slightly. Ears flicked forward just as the call ended, waiting for anyone to respond if they thought she was calling them, but really listening for the hoof beats. And there they were. Duke came round the corner of the Court House at a slow trot, prancing slightly as he approached.

There was rope inside, so Dixie set the baskets down and grabbed some of the rope, tying them all together and then pulling herself up onto the patient stallion’s back. He tossed his head and shifted a bit, moving his body to accommodate hers as she leaned over to pull the basket string up. After wrapped the rope around her waist and chest, she curled one hand into Duke’s mane and rubbed her heels on his sides, cooing softly as he began walking at a contented pace. They were good friends, those two.

Image courtesy of PNNL@Flickr; table code by the Mentors!

Anann Kelevra · 11-19-2011, 11:45 PM

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/ +300

Anann pulled the mattress off the bed and flipped it over as she looked for mold or any other damage, smacking her elbow on the sagging ceiling of the failing structure as she did. She gave out a swear as she gave the ceiling a glare. Stains were unavoidable; whether they came from the humans that had once used them or the decay of the world they had left behind it hardly mattered and Anann preferred not to think about it. Water and rodents was usually what rendered them unusable. Satisfied with the mattress’ condition Anann quickly dragged out and piled it with the other she had found. It took more than a couple to make bed that comfortably fit the large bodies of both Anann and her mate. Though it was beginning to appear that she might have found enough.

Content with her findings for the day, Anann began the jog back to Kingsbury. She would come back with the horses to haul her findings back to the courthouse. She wanted to have a proper bed ready by the time her mate made it back home. Anatoliy had gone to fetch his boat from Cour des Miracles and he would have to sail around the southern portion of Nova Scotia to bring it into the harbor and the coastline of their new home. A trip that Anatoliy had told her to expect to last a couple days at the least. She was trying not to worry or at the very least to not let her worry show, but it was hard for Anann to be the one left home to worry; knowing that she would be helpless to help her mate should the worst happen. Anann refused to let her mind to dwell on all that might possibly go wrong. Instead forcing herself to think positive whenever her thoughts started to drift towards the worrisome.

She was nearing the fort when saw Dixie riding Duke out through the gates. She seemed to be headed of towards the timber and was carrying something with her. Not that there was anything wrong with any of this, but it caught the Luna’s attention. Letting out a whistle, Anann started to follow after Dixie knowing that Rem would be there shortly and then she would be able to catch up in no time.

Hi there, Dixie. What are you up to? Anann asked as Rem brought them up along side of the other pair at a easy trot and slowing his pace to match the other. Hope you don’t mind if we tag along. Anann hopped she wasn’t imposing, but hoped to get to know the smaller female a little better, especially if she was going to be helping the Luna with her horses. Besides, it was pleasant distraction to hopefully keep her mind away from her worries.

Dixie-May Jackson · 11-21-2011, 02:18 AM

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sorry for the wait. in texas for the week, crappy internet connection.

Word Count → +3

Duke was such a gentle gaited horse. His body seemed to flow into each step he took with perfect ease, letting his rider sit still and comfortable on his back. Dixie was small enough that her legs didn’t hand down too far, and balancing on him was super easy. Once again she was riding without tack, instead opting for a bareback ride on a horse that preferred no saddle or bridle. He was so much more obedient without a metal piece in his mouth, making him grumpy and constantly distracted.

Dixie heard the whistle from a ways back and glanced over her shoulder, seeing the beautiful golden Anann jogging in their direction; quickly followed by the huge beast of a companion she called Rem. The small girl’s mouth parted in a grin and she watched as the Luna pulled herself up onto Rem’s back and easily caught up. Her head bowed slightly in a respectful greeting, and Duke whickered softly to other stallion. They had become friends, the girl thought, as her horse was so laid back and generally got along with everyone. He didn’t go around antagonizing the other horses and didn’t bother the mares, there was no real reason for Rem to not like him…other than the fact that he was a stallion.

”Well…I’ve got all these darn baskets just sittin’ there in the room…collectin’ dust and such. Didn’t really know what to do with ‘em till a few minutes ago.” She grinned proudly and patted one of the larger weaves that hung down at Duke’s side. ”Gonna see what kind of small game we got around here, make some traps. Her smile never faded as the excitement grew from just talking about the possibly successful idea. Of course she had no idea if the baskets would make good traps, but nothing was ever gained without trying first.

” If I get anythin’, I was thinkin’ about maybe makin’ us some stew. Wayne found some old pots in one of the houses the other day. There are a few real big ones that’ll do good for squirrel or rabbit stew.”

Image courtesy of PNNL@Flickr; table code by the Mentors!

Anann Kelevra · 12-02-2011, 10:24 PM

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Sorry I made you wait so long for this sorry reply :x / +300

Neither Rem nor Duke seemed bothered by the presence of the other. Though Rem had always been one to generally keep his manners about him, Anann had not known what to expect from the other stallion quite yet. Anann hardly knew most of her new found pack. A rather odd feeling, considering that she was one of the leaders of the rag tag group that was largely made up of loners. She had to admit though, that so far she was rather impressed with Dixie and her friend (or whatever it was that their relationship was) Wayne. The two were hardly the type Anann had imagined that they would have recruited into their ranks, but they had certainly put forth their share of effort. Hell, they had even started working around the fort in preparation before the pack had even banned together. Already they were proving to be valuable members Anann owed it to them to try and get to know them a bit better. Even if it was only Dixie at the moment.

Anann had noted the string of baskets, though what Dixie was planning to do with she never would have guessed. Raising a brow as the smile white woman made mention of making traps. She had her doubts at how successful the venture would be depending on what it was that Dixie had weaved the baskets from. Interesting idea, though you’ll want to be sure to check your traps often, else whatever you catch might chew it’s way out. A trapped squirrel or rabbit would waste little time setting its teeth to the task of freeing itself from the trap if Dixie did manage to catch anything with her baskets. Still it was with a try and she hoped that her comment hadn’t deterred Dixie.

It had been quite awhile since Anann had last tasted a stew. Just thinking about it practically made her mouth water. Well let me know if you do. I have a few seasonings left and I think I still have a few root vegetables. At least with the ocean so close they could always manage to find salt.

Once they had reached the tree line, Anann dismounted and offered Dixie help with her load of baskets. Do we need to find a game trail, or do you already have a plan for your trap line? Anann asked as she already began to take note of the various trails that cut through the undergrowth.

Dixie-May Jackson · 12-03-2011, 09:53 PM

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bleh

Word Count → 272

Anann was a relatively laid back woman, calm and collected at all times, from what Dixie had seen of her so far. She was good with horses and obviously could fight, if her stature and weapons were any hint to that. Of course the Luna was right when she mentioned the little creatures possibly chewing their way out of the traps. ”Well…yeah that’s a good idea. Most are made with leather strips in ‘em, but not all.” She smiled up at the bigger female and handed the light string of baskets down before getting off of Duke. The smaller stallion nudged her shoulder and turned to Anann, stretching his neck out to sniff at her for a few moments before deciding she was okay. He flicked his tail, turned around, and trotted off to find some good grass.

”Seasonings…yes, I imagine we’ll be needin’ some of those, else it’d taste kinda bland.” Her smile only grew, happy that the female leader was interested in the things that she was doing. Finding time to bond with pack mates was slightly difficult with all of the chores that needed to be done. Most of her time was devoted to her horses and Wayne. She began walking; leading the Luna through the trees to a spot she thought would be okay. It wasn’t too far in, but not at the edge of the woods, either. ”No game trail, just random for now. I haven’t wandered around enough yet to find good trails. Soon, though.” She nodded and began taking the baskets from the rope, trying to figure out how to make them into traps.

Image courtesy of PNNL@Flickr; table code by the Mentors!

Anann Kelevra · 01-01-2012, 07:49 PM

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I am so so soo sorry for the wait on this :x but I found a trap! http://www.instructables.com/id/Paiute-Deadfall/ / +237

Baskets in hand, Anann followed after the much smaller female as she made her way into the timber. The string of baskets was rather cumbersome and slowed the Luna’s pace as the underbrush attempted to grab hold of the weave of the baskets. Some so stubbornly that a few baskets were left adored with bits of stem and green as they were pulled loose. Dixie didn’t go too far in, which wasn’t a bad idea for a test line. There were signs of small game in the area. Their small trails cut up the undergrowth was there was at least a chance they might catch something.

Anann started looking around the area and picked up a fallen limb from the ground. It’s branches were stiff and brittle and in this instance that was not at all a bad thing. Anann snapped off the branches who’s thickness suited her. From there she quickly broke them into workable sizes. Have you ever set traps like these before? Anann asked as she tossed a glance up to the white wolf dog from wood she was working with. Trapping was not a skill that Anann practiced, though she had been taught how to make and set snares and deadfall style traps. You didn’t happen to bring any string, or twine perhaps? They would need just a short piece for each of the traps they set.

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