A job complete, a job to begin.
#1
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Word Count :: 300+ Day time, Liliya in Optime, Borgata Tecolotl bay overlooking Isle Haute. Liliya has just finished building the dock.


Done…? It was… done. She exhaled a deep sigh of relief, standing at the bay side staring at her creation. Over a month in the making, the small dock was finally rooted to land and jutted out over the water. It reached deep enough into the sea to dock just a few small boats, but it was better than what Salsoa had before… nothing. It was a good foundation, one that would work as a good start and be possible for the pack to expand upon in the future. Liliya set her hands to her hips and nodded once, proud of the construct before her. Her hands had salvaged and put all of this together, just a moment ago the last nail went into the final beam and her dock was done. It was a beautiful sight…

Except… there was one major thing missing. The boat.

That was another task entirely. The dock was built before the boat, and ironically some of the supplies for the dock had come from a dismantled sailboat. Now there was another task, to build a sturdy rowboat that could transport the pack from this dock to the island across the way. The boat needed to be large enough to transport many Luperci and possibly some cargo, yet lightweight enough to be pulled ashore, for there was no dock on the other side yet.

“Hmm…” she hummed to herself as she stared out over the crystalline water, her eyes fixated on the island across the way. What treasures did it hold? Was it a mystery land full of useful flora and fauna, or was it just dead, useless rock? The thought thrilled her. She was eager to know, yet still there was much to be done. Maybe, if she was lucky, when she began to search for supplies to build the boat out of she could find many pieces already constructed. Or, just to hurry things along and get the first expedition out there she could build a raft, just to get them by for now.


Image courtesy of mnshots@Flickr; table by the Mentors!

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#2
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Not sure if you have a plan, so I had Sal bring a horse :>

While she often travelled with four legs, Salvia was a creature of habit. Habit was what kept her training even though Tlanti had grown too sick to participate. Pandemic had picked up her role easily, though he was busy and talking of some grand plans that she did not find herself a part of. Still, it was good—her brother needed to become a more talented creature. He could not rely on his size alone to get him through life.

Her own size had changed some, she had realized. Salvia boasted the body of a woman now, though she lacked the supple softness found in her mother and the others. She was broad shouldered, broad-hipped, and made of sharp definition hidden by thick, tawny colored fur. Sections of it had begun to darken for the winter, though Salvia was glad her hair still held onto summer’s golden colors. It would no doubt soon become the brown hue she saw in her pelt, but she would survive. The scabs on her face were nearly healed too. That damn coyote had done a number on her face, though it would not scar. Wisteria had fixed her up well enough to prevent such a thing.

Mounted atop her father's horse, Salvia traveled quickly through the landscape. She had completed her practice early in the day, and now rode for the pleasure of it. The young woman slowed only when she came upon the newest member of the pack, as well as the newly completed dock. Had she done all that by herself? Riding nearly to the base of the structure, Salvia admired the wooden thing plainly. “You work fast,” she complimented, surprisingly honest for once.


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#3
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Word Count :: 400+ Good idea, maybe they can go looking for parts and have a stroke of luck? Smile


A sound cut through the air and broke Liliya’s reverie, the coy-wolf woman looked over her shoulder to receive the interruption. For once she didn’t mind the disruption. In fact, she was downright excited to hear someone coming up the sandy beach behind her, the horse hooves clopping softly on the shore. Someone was here to appreciate her handiwork! She would be happy to have her pack see what she has done and hopefully spread the word about the new dock. The figure she focused on was that of a girl – no, a woman, just a very young woman – she knew as one of her pack but did not have a personal relationship with yet. They might have known each others name… Well, no, Liliya couldn’t recall hers… Drat.

She nodded welcomingly to the woman who rode towards her. “Greetingk,” her Russian patois mutated the word, but she was growing skilled enough with her English (despite her lack of desire to speak any language except Russian) to where she was understandable. Her eyes turned back to the dock as the woman mentioned her work.

“Thank you, it does not feel like it was that quick. Especially not to my hands,” she wrung her hands together, gently massaging one with the other. A soft chuckle filled the air as she looked at her triumph. The work had taken a lot out of her, but she had been prepared for the job and by the looks of her only benefited from her efforts – her body filling muscle in in various places during the weeks she had been working on the dock. Her eyes trailed over to Salvia and she wondered if she noticed the blinding problem with this situation.

“Is no boat yet, though,” she stated the obvious, though Salvia could probably see. “That is another few weeks in the makingk... At least, if I can even find materials. I am feelingk like it was hard enough to collect all the lumber for dock. Ha-ha! Vhouldn't that just be my luck, eh? Make dock, no wood left for boat!” She laughed at the thought, though it was actually a very real fear of hers. Of course they could always harvest more wood from somewhere, but it was still a slow going task. The Dark Lady just might let her utilize the slaves for it, though, as she had for some of the dock construction.


Image courtesy of mnshots@Flickr; table by the Mentors!

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#4
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I will try not to fail at spreeing :|

There was something raw and delightfully foreign about the way the woman spoke. It was like an unfamiliar spice that she could not name, but pulled at familiar heartstrings. It was like speaking to Axi, or even Rowan, but there was a guttural twang that was reminiscent of her own German father’s voice. Perhaps that was why she enjoyed the sound so much.

While she considered dismounting, Salvia enjoyed being taller. She liked having others look up to her, and quite liked the fact that she did not need to demand it in such a fashion. Sirius’ lessons when it came to the subtleties of persuasion were taking hold; if she did not demand, and allowed others to fill in gaps regarding their rank (below her, of course) then they would settle into a pattern.

“That’s a shame,” Salvia said, genuinely upset that they didn’t have a boat. How silly, to have a dock but no boat. As she eyed the wooden structure, her green eyes brightened sharply. “What if we go looking for some? The Coatl has a lot of old buildings…” The Family member mused, though she was unsure if any of those were claimed for residency or even use.

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#5
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Word Count :: 224 Me too. X.x Feel free to pp their traveling and what not.


It was like music to her ears! From time to time the pack did help her with the dock. A lot of support with getting supplies was from her peers, and much of the labor came from the slaves. But a lot of the initial excitement of her endeavor had subsided and finding material was growing increasingly difficult. So now that someone offered, she sprang to take her up on it.

“That vhould be wonderful!” her face lit up in a flash of bright emotion, a look that was rare for the Russian. Her gray eyes flicked to the horse. “Can horse help? Maybe if we get rope or my net it can haul very much wood back here?” She beamed at Salvia, the girl seemingly just as sincere about the project as her. She began walking, passing Salvia and assuming that since she made the suggestion she would follow on her horse.

“Some of wood for dock came from there, but just the very old buildingks that I knew Salsoa could not save if it wanted to. There might be a few more places like that still. If we could bringk back big beams to be lashed together a raft could be made very quickly and then we vhill be at island even sooner. Boat… that will be takingk long time to shape.”


Image courtesy of mnshots@Flickr; table by the Mentors!

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#6
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The woman spoke quickly, and while her thick accent would have made it difficult to understand, Salvia’s linguistic talent was natural. She adapted to the sounds easily, attributing them to words and translating the thick and peculiar pattern. Russian was decidedly foreign to her—it lacked a Latin base and thus was not one she comprehended as quickly. Still, the throaty pronunciation was somewhat similar to German and thus easier for her. Salvia smiled at the mention of the horse, and the idea of using rope to pull wood. “Horse can pull wood. My father used her to help build the barn,” she added, and turned the big mare.

They stopped only once, to gather a large bundle of rope. This was piled onto the back of the saddle. Salvia rode while Liliya remained on foot. It suited her well enough, though she was abuzz with questions regarding this new construction project. “Why does a boat take so long to make?” She asked, genuinely curious. She had never seen a boat, and wondered what one would resemble. A raft was an idea she could grasp; she had seen enough floating pieces of wood to understand that, though not anything resembling a constructed ship.

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#7
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Word Count :: 400+


The power the steed gave Salvia was not lost on the lowly associate, and as they traveled to salvage the materials she felt the weight of that power over her. But Liliya didn’t resent the girl for her stature, even if she coveted it. Walking beside a horse made one realize just how insignificant they were. Salvia had that power, the power of that mount, because she was stronger within the pack ranks. Liliya wanted to be like that, too, even if she didn’t have much of an affinity for horses.

Though she felt small next to Salvia and Horse she did not let it get the best of her. All the while she clearly showed the higher ranking pack mate the respect deserved of her rank, but there were ways in which she treated her like an equal, too. Namely because the two were linked now by Salsoa.

“Ah, then she is experienced animal that will serve us well. You are smart in ridingk her,” okay, well, flattery could get you everywhere, and she wasn’t above using it. Not that the compliment wasn’t true.

She paced next to Salvia, moving through the lands among a variety of landscaping. They made good time, Liliya was fit and able to keep up with Horse without begging for a break – but the quick pace, even if Salvia slowed the animal – was still quite brisk.

“Boat is hard because boat has round lines. You have to take something straight like planks and shape them into curves. It requires lots of cuts and nails, and precision if you vant her to float. There is flat-bottom boat that requires less crafting but is not so stable and quick as regular hull. Is better for swamp, not bay. But raft, oh, raft… you just tie a few trees together and raft vhill float! Maybe you are not wanting to go very far, but it vhill float for a little while, at least.” She chuckled. Her raft would be far more useful than that.

“There is much you need to think about this, you know. Is not just ‘I need boat’ and one is there. There are many kinds to choose from, and you have to be consideringk time, water, range, and exactly vhat you want it for. A larger, deep bellied craft much better for Salsoa. Dark Lady wants to use the island for goods, farming and such.”

She prattled on as they came up to the village, and her gray eyes went from wandering the countryside to focusing on the buildings before them. She made a gesture with one hand. “I have already taken all there is from zhat buildingk. Everythingk else there is sick with rot. Maybe another one will be nice…”


Image courtesy of mnshots@Flickr; table by the Mentors!

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#8
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+3

Even though her current standing gave her little weight when it came to the politics of Salsola, Salvia was the first-daughter of its Queen. She was the first pupil of the Thistle King. Every part of her was groomed and trained for the rules and the realm in which she resided, and as such, she judged the quality of a member’s character with the same sharp-attention she used when studying prey animals. Liliya was wise enough to know her place, but that did not mean she was soft. Salvia could see pride in her step and hear it in her voice—she liked the woman, she decided then, and would make a point to echo this to her Lords in passing.

Like her uncle, smooth compliments were taken with pride. Salvia’s eyes half-lidded at being told what she already knew, glad others recognized her skill. It was not surprising, of course. She was a very smart girl, even if she had a rather awful temper.

This was why, as the Russian explained about the boat, that Salvia grasped the concept quickly. She could not have constructed one, but she saw the shape in her mind and understood that it was not something done by amateurs. A short nod was given at the mention of the purpose, well aware her mother had her eyes set on the island. Tlanti had mentioned the mushrooms growing there to her before, though Salvia had no desire to investigate herself.

Bright eyes turned to the building, and Salvia finally dismounted from the horse. She used her father’s tack, and the loose reins were long enough for her to guide the mare behind her as she went. Sniffing at the wood, she quickly identified the “rot” smell; it was a wet, unpleasant thing that was sickly-sweet and flowery (at least, in her mind; Salvia’s knowledge of plants was very limited). With fast, cat-like steps, she began scouring the nearby buildings and sniffing the air as she went—when she found an area that lacked the stink of mold, she advanced. It was a small building; likely a shed of some kind. A tree had managed to shield it from the worst of the rain, though it was likely the humans themselves had done further work to aid this; while it had since been stripped by time, some sort of treatment had been applied to the wood to keep it safe from insects.

“Would this be enough?” Salvia asked, looking back towards her companion.

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