[Bronze Woods] The Fall of Summer (Telrin)

[Krahe von der Nebel]

Krahe smiled, feeling the dark tone of the conversation switch back into one of pleasantry. A warm smile broke on his lips as the human spoke with a gentler tone and a relaxed form. The idea of being able to share a fire with someone excited him to no extent. It would give him a chance to listen to whatever tales the boy chose to divulge with him. Maybe stories of grand adventure. Or of quiet, personal meditation and finding knowledge within. Or just a telling of a pleasant day with pleasant people. In the end, he would be happy simply having company. "If you want, there's a river that runs not too far from here that lies between two clearings. I have a camp set up in one of them, and if you want to have your own space then I could point you in the direction the other is in. Or, if you'd rather, I'm sure there's plenty of room to pitch a tent in the clearing I've already taken." He paused before adding in earnest, "Strength in numbers". It was true, in his animalistic mind. That, and his desire for social interaction was more or less driving his motivations. Along with his desire to get the dead rabbit on his shoulder onto a spit and in his stomach in the shortest amount of time possible. It had slipped his mind, but he had forgotten to introduce himself. Something he noticed moments after his previous suggestions. "Oh! My name is Krahe, by the by. Kelvic. You might also see me as a crow." He extended a friendly handshake, smiling brightly.

[Telrin]

The Kelvic regained his ease in response to Telrin’s own, returning to the lackadaisical demeanor he had borne earlier. Telrin considered the offer, torn between the prospect of a good campsite and the remaining bits of irritation. The man didn’t seem to have said his words out of maliciousness, and had certainly been quick to discredit them when he discovered that they were not well received. And he was a Kelvic, after all––or at least he said he was––which incited the boy’s curiosity in ways he couldn’t quell. Whatever the outcome, it surely couldn’t do any harm to look, at least. “... Alright,” Telrin said after a few moments of contemplation, nodding. “I will come see.” He turned on his heel, alerting the Windrunner to his intent. She shifted her weight just as he hoisted himself back into the saddle, but within moments both were comfortable. Telrin looked at the man… the Kelvic… at Krahe. “I am Telrin,” the boy stated simply. “I will follow you to the river.”

[Krahe von der Nebel]

Krahe gave him a thumbs up. He waited patiently for the boy, whom he could now call Telrin, to mount his steed before progressing any further. The Kelvic had thought of getting a mount of his own, but he had always enjoyed the mobility of his own feet as opposed to relying on another animal's hooves. Less room for error. Even if he did have to sacrifice the ability to move much more quickly. Once the boy was snuggled into his saddle, Krahe began his trek back into the thick woods. The wind was starting to pick up now, the trees providing little protection from the relentless chill. The leaves were thrown into the air with each passing gust, blowing them either into or just past the traveling duo. It was surprising how painful the near-weightless leaves felt against chilled skin. It got to the point that the Kelvic had to pull his hood inwrds towards his face to protect from the spiteful barrage. It became increasingly difficult to visibly distinguish the difference between the trees he had passed minutes prior as the wind poked at his eyes, fearing that they may be spun in circles due to his hindered sense of direction. However, they managed to reach their destination within just 10 minutes of walking. The camp was fairly simple; resting against a wall of thick trees was a leather tent pinned to the dirt floor with huge nails. Near the closed entrance flap was a rack of hanging fish surrounded by many makeshift traps to ward off or collect any animal brave enough to try and take the food for themselves. Opposite the hanging collection of sea food was a pile of lumber wood and several crates that contained whatever excess supplies he had managed to find while exploring the forest. Which was, at this moment in time, a couple of spare torches and an assortment of shiny objects. A few feet from the large tent was a small firepit with ashes of burnt logs and driftwood. A tree stump peeked up from a comfortable position near the campfire with a long log at the opposite side providing more seating. To finish it all off was an elaborate training post that bore wounds from arrows and daggers. "It's no mansion, but it's my little slice of heaven. Please, make yourself at home. I'll get the spit if you wouldn't mind setting up the fire." He said, already making his way towards the tent.

[Telrin]

Krahe waited patiently for Telrin to situate himself before turning and walking into the thick of the woods. Telrin nudged to horse to follow, and after a minute or so of walking she figured out that she was supposed to follow the Kelvic and needed little more direction. The wind picked up, tossing leaves into the air and rattling the trees. It was still early into fall, leaving only the barest tips of the foliage discolored, but within a few weeks Telrin was sure they would be ablaze with the brilliant hues characteristic of the season. He had yet to spend a fall in Syliras, but so many of the trees here were the same as the trees in the Zeltivan mountains and their valleys. The aspens he had been a bit surprised to see when he had arrived, but now he looked forward to the reds and golds they would yield. They weren’t here, not yet, but they soon would be. Krahe led him through gusts of leaves, and Telrin had to tilt his head to avoid the wind. It wasn’t particularly pleasant, but it was nothing compared to the Bonesnapper he’d endured at home. No wind in the world could quite compare to that viciousness. The twelve year old couldn’t help a bit of impatience at the man’s slowness of pace, though he didn’t protest since he had a horse and the man did not. It seemed strange that someone would live in the Bronze Woods for any amount of time without a creature to give them added speed and the ability to carry more weight, but each had their own methods of doing and living. Telrin himself was hardly one to judge. The sound of rushing water reached his ears before the camp reached his eyes. It must have been the river Krahe had spoken of. The wind had died down, though it still tugged playfully at the boy’s hair as the human and Kelvic came into sighting distance of what could only be Krahe’s camp. It was a modest camp, spartan in functionality but well-kept. Things were a bit bigger than Telrin was used to, but he attributed that to the man’s maturity and subsequent larger size. Krahe made his way towards the solitary tent and the rack of fish before it, tossing a request over his shoulder. Telrin nodded, though he doubted Krahe saw it, and slid from his horse. He took her by the reins and made a loose slipknot around a low-hanging branch before moving to do as had been requested; it was still early, so no harm could come from a few minutes lost awakening a hearth. Telrin approached and squatted next to the hearth in question and poked at the ash, soon realizing that it was empty. He looked at the firepit for another moment, then stood and returned to his horse to snatch his flint and steel. Upon retaking his place by the firepit, he couldn’t help but remark upon it as he gathered tinder in the form of the leaves around him. “You do not bank your fires?” he asked.

[Krahe von der Nebel]

Krahe returned shortly with the tools needed for the roast: two metal Y shaped rods and a long piece to be balanced between them. He pushed aside the flap and returned to the clearing with an innocent smile and a bounce in his step. It was more than obvious that the Kelvic was giddy about having a guest. Almost childishly so. For good reason, as well. Despite his older appearance, the man was not really a man at all. He had but 6 years of experience in this world, and there was so much beyond the forest alone that would make him stagger. He was truly a child at heart. Which is why he was confused by the question asked. "Bank... my fires?" he asked with utter confusion. If it was ever obvious that Krahe was not the greatest survivalist in Mizahar, it was now. It had never occurred to the Kelvic that he might NOT have to deal with the fact that his fires would be blown out by the wind. He had heard of banking before, sure. It was something in the cities... right? He drew upon his memories of talking with strangers. A bank was a place they store money. And other people could take some out if they needed it, and payed it back later. Or if they didn't want to lug around a lot of Miza. But why in earth would someone put a fire in a bank? Fire only lasted for so long, so it would be pointless to store it for later. Plus, they were nowhere near a city. He was missing something here. "No... I... don't visit the city often. At all, really. So I cannot put my fires in the bank." He said with a great deal of hesitation, his face contorting in heavy thought. He still felt like something was going over his head.

[Telrin]

Telrin’s forced nonchalance broke, and the boy actually laughed out loud before clapping a hand over his mouth. “I’m sorry…” he said, trying his best to suppress giggles even as they slipped between his fingers. “I… I wasn’t talking about, er… a bank bank…” He bit his lip and pointed at the firepit. “I meant, you don’t, um…” he searched for a good alternative. “… cover up your fires?” He gestured with his hands over empty space, implying the embers that lingered at the bottom of a blaze. “Fire, when it dies down and turns to coals, you do not save them? Cover them up with dirt so they are still hot in the morning to start a fire again?”

[Krahe von der Nebel]

Krahe's cheeks turned an interesting shade of rosy pink. A sheepish smile stretched across his lips as Telrin started to laugh, making it clear that something indeed had gone over the Kelvic's head. An idle hand starts to scratch at the back of his neck, his other slipping into one of his pockets. There was no use hiding the Kelvic's complete embarrassment. He avoided eye contact with the boy as he explained the misunderstanding. The idea of saving his coals was not one that had ever crossed his mind before. He was use to starting his fires from scratch daily. It was an arduous effort, but he had just assumed it was one of the many hardships of living without a proper hearth. But upon hearing of the idea, his eyes seemed to light up. "That's... brilliant! I don't know why I would never have thought of that..." He could not entirely overwhelm the feeling of utter stupidity, but he did take a mental note. From there he swiftly set up the roast with the rabbit. All that they required now was the fire. "Welp... guess I still have a lot to learn about life in these woods. I guess you never truly learn everything, really"

[Telrin]

Telrin looked back down at the firepit, now turning his energy towards gathering tinder and sticks into a small pile. “It is one of the first things I learned to do,” he said as he struck the firestarting tool. “I wasn’t allowed to learn how to hunt until I learned how to keep a fire. He always said that fire was life in the wilderness.” The tinder caught, and Telrin leaned close to blow into it. The bright spark flared, inching onto the dry leaves and bits of bark around it. Within moments, a tiny flame had sprung into existence, weaving violently in the wind. Telrin fed it a small twig, then another, moving onto bigger ones as the flame grew in strength. “I need something larger,” he said, voice urgent. If he did not get something quickly then the flame would die and he would have to start over. Perhaps he should have retrieved more fuel before starting. “Where do you keep your firewood?”

[Krahe von der Nebel]

Krahe smiled as the boy worked on the fire, watching his methods and mentally comparing them to his own. Perhaps he would learn something else that would make his stay in the forest much more bearable. He knew all too well how eager the woods were to end his adventure. And he had no plans on moving to the afterlife. At least not for a long time. Heck, he had yet to see the city of Syliras, and that was on the top of his bucket list. He curiosity was piqued when the boy mentioned being taught such a technique. The Kelvic wondered why this, of all things, would be something his own nest-parents did not teach him. Of course, they themselves seemed a bit incompetent when it came to the more human-oriented methods of survival. Krahe was the only of his kin to enjoy being in human form. That, and he only one who spent most of their time in it, much to the dismay of his family. These thoughts were cut short by a request from Telrin. "Firewood? Ah! Yes, here" he rushed over to a tarp next to the crates. The fabric looked to have withstood quite a bit. The fabric was thin at places where the wind had pulled at it, rain having soaked into the fibers over the years and weakened the bonds, and marks from some sort of creature on several patches. Underneath was a pile of dry, cut wood. He hastily carried 4 of the pieces in his arms and set them down by the boy. "Thhhhhere we are" he grunted as he leaned down to drop them on the ground.

[Telrin]

Krahe hurried off at the mention of firewood. Just as well; it would be very difficult to carry on a conversation as well as make sure the miniscule fire didn’t die. It didn’t take long for four logs to be dumped by his side. Telrin gave them a quick assessment, then plucked the smallest of them from the ground. There were some branches sticking out from it, and it was one of these that Telrin dipped into the flame. A gentle breath and a prayer layer, the bit of branch was burning, allowing Telrin to let out a small sigh of relief. He set the log down gently, piling more twigs around it and lighting them with a few leaves. The fire spread, and the bark on the log began to smolder. Seeing his cue, the boy leaned down once more and breathed into the firepit once again, sending the glitter of heat spreading until the log began to actually burn. He moved it to a more desirable position with another one of the logs, then put it on top for the fire to reach when it was ready. There would have to be more later, but this would do for now. The boy leaned back, satisfied with his work. His job was done; what Krahe planned to actually do with the fire was now up to him.