Aellisia gazed up at the palisade wall as she ran her hand over the rough-hewn logs. This place was a symbol for her, a mark of humanity in a place of nature, taming and claiming it for themselves. Shifting this forest from its own nature to one that better suits their needs, slaughtering Eahlswith's pack because they stood in the way of what they wanted. She clenched her hand and felt her jaw tighten, she knew that not all humans were selfish, that not all cared for nothing but what they desired. Zilia was a perfect example of this, but Mathio was a representative of the other side of that morality, and those who had come here, taken this place, and killed those who were family to her closest friend were aligned with that arrogant worldview that cared little for others if they could get what they wanted. And yet still she wondered to what extent would she see this duality of nature when she arrived at the town. As she walked along the palisade towards the gate her thoughts swam with worries, and about whether her own actions would have to be tempered with violence or peace. Finally arriving at the rugged gate she let out a breath and centered herself, her eyes focused on the massive chain that sealed it, for a moment she was stumped, she had come this far, and yet the sight of its imposing metal links caused her to pause, unsure on what to do next. She glanced over at Zilia and Eahlswith and saw the human woman shrug at her, sighing she stepped back and looked critically at the gate and a thought occurred to her as she looked at the logs on either side of it. Her eyes took in the massive logs, and also the ropes that secured them as she reached to her hip and gripped the knife that she had secured there, rolling her eyes she muttered under her breath as she moved forward and got to work.
Many hours had passed, and of the three knives she had collected only one had anything like an edge left but she had succeeded in the end. Cutting the supporting rope and then using Eahlswith's help they had managed to slowly lever out one of the logs, bending it out of position after hours of digging at its base and working it back and forth. It now rather precariously leaned at an angle and left a gap big enough that they could scramble over it and into the compound. The evening had settled in now and none of them wished to spend any longer outside, so Eahlswith entered first before Aellisia helped Zilia scrabble over the log and enter second. As she joined her friends Aellisia looked around the inside of the compound, from where she stood she could see three long low buildings made of logs and one larger building with a pair of huge doors. She couldn't hear anything moving around and looked over to the other two before they both nodded and moved towards the nearest of the buildings. Her eyes darted over the rough ground, the grass had grown through, and from the look of the building they approached there hadn't been any humans here in some time, shutters were sealed tight against the elements and as she moved around to the side of the building she saw a single door with a wooden bar across it to seal it. Moving quickly with her dagger out she approached the entranceway and without hesitating she hauled the bar free letting it land with a bang. She waited a moment whilst listening before nodding to her companions and unlatching the door letting it swing open before hurrying through. The sight before her eyes was row after row of bedframes with small boxes at the foot of each and in the center of the room, a simple firepit lay, its ashes cleaned out and awaiting someone to relight its flame. The faint smell of damp wood seemed to permeate the space and driven by her curiosity she checked one of the small boxes, her eyes widened as the lid fell to the side as she beheld cloth inside it, excited she rooted through the cloth and found that it was a shirt and beneath that a pair of leather boots.
"We should check the other boxes in this room for supplies, I'll get a fire started and then we can camp here for the night. The beds look serviceable enough and we can use our furs for covers, and after we shut the doors we should be alright not to post a watch tonight."
Her voice carried strangely in this empty bunkhouse and as she straightened up to move to the fire she saw Zilia nod to her in agreement.
After they brought some firewood in from a shelter attached to the side of the building and got a decent fire going the rest of their evening passed quietly. They ate a simple dinner of berries and meat that they had kept from the last prey that Eahlswith had caught for them before they sealed the door and settled in for the night. The mattresses of the beds were simple things stuffed with straw, as were the pillows, but they found that doubling them up from the other beds and laying their furs over the mattress made for a quite comfortable bed and so they each found themselves drifting off to sleep, the first time in an actual bed for Aellisia. When they awoke the next morning they checked the other boxes and found a few other small goods that had been left behind, some trousers and boots and even a whetstone. By mutual agreement, they decided to check the other Bunkhouse they had seen and then gather everything they found in the building that they had decided to stay in to go over later. Their looting and searching took most of the morning, and by the time the afternoon had rolled around Eahlswith had decided to leave the way they had come in to find food for them whilst Aellisia and Zilia went through everything they had found. Truthfully there wasn't much, some clothing here, a few tools there.
"I fear that there won't be much more to find here."
Aellisia's voice carried a faint note of resignation as she sorted through the meager offerings in front of them both.
"Aye I agree, but if nothing else we've found enough clothes that you should be able to wear some of them, it might make for a better reaction when we get to town."
Zilia flickered her gaze over the hide and fur clothing that Aellisia currently wore, truthfully she didn't mind the look, a very primal and savage look that counterbalanced the almost unnatural beauty the woman otherwise possessed. But she knew that if Mathio had made it back first then she unfortunately would look like the 'Wild Savage' that she just knew the man would make her out to be.
"I suppose, however, I will need to make some adjustments for it to fit me."
Aellisia's voice sounded dubious, but she was no fool, and if Zilia had suggested something may help when they reach her home she would listen.
By the time that Eahlswith returned with her catch, she found them both in the original building they had occupied, Zilia had retired to the side room to wash herself and Aellisia was working quietly and quickly with a set of needles they had found to adjust a shirt. Beside her were another pair of shirts she had finished with and two pairs of trousers. It made for an almost idyllic scene as she worked close to the now-reborn fire that they had stoked earlier before Eahlswith's return. As her friend padded in, slowly Aellisia's attention began to surface and she focused on her friend, her face blossoming with a warm smile.
"Welcome back, I see your hunt was successful."
Eahlswith dropped the brace of rabbits near the door and fixed her with a pointed look.
'Indeed it was, I see you also were successful in your search.'
Aellisia's smile never faded as she glanced at the clothes by her side and simply shrugged as she began finishing up her stitches.
'I believe that if we are to journey to my Packs home, we should depart the day after tomorrow, the air smells of a storm and snow, I would not be surprised if the weather turned over the night.'
Aellisia paused for a moment and tilted her head in consideration, before nodding and resuming her work. At the other end of the bunkhouse, the door creaked open and Zilia emerged looking greatly refreshed. One of the things they had discovered about this place when they had explored during the day was the fact the two bunkhouses had separate rooms for people to wash in. The water was stored in huge wooden barrels designed to hold rainwater that ran off the roof and its discovery was a great relief. Filling the wooden tub in the side room had taken some time, but the metal buckets they had heated over the fire meant at least the water had been somewhat warm and as a result, Zilia looked more relaxed than she had been for a long time. Her leg had almost completely healed by now, the poultices and splint she had worn had done their job admirably although she still walked with a slight limp.
"The water is still warm if you want it?"
Aellisia turned and felt her cheeks warm slightly as she took in the sight of Zilia's still-damp hair, and the clothes that adhered slightly to her form. Clearing her throat she busied herself putting the shirt she had been working on away, alongside her sewing kit before standing and stretching.
"I'll help prepare the rabbits and then wash afterward, I see no point getting clean, just to get dirty again."
Zilia gave a slight smile as she detected the awkwardness in her friend's tone and simply nodded. She had dressed herself in a clean shirt and trousers, they had both decided that they would wash and clean any clothing they had after dinner so that it had a chance to dry overnight by the fire. To dry herself after washing they had found a few blankets in the other bunkhouse to serve as towels. It wasn't ideal, but the lure of a bath and getting properly clean for the first time in weeks had been too alluring to deny. Sitting herself by the fire Zilia pulled her wooden comb out of her pack and began brushing her hair, watching as Aellisia picked up the rabbits and exited the building to dress them for dinner.
