Setting Up, Hunting & Gathering

Posted on Tue Mar 19th, 2019 @ 10:25pm by Staff Sergeant Rhiannon O'Connor & Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Corvus & Civillian Shae

Mission: The Lost Boys and Girls
Location: Campsite Near the Altar
Timeline: Current

Isbeil and her whole tribe now (Matina and Rigard had joined them moments after their arrival) watched the visitors set up their camp as they set to their own work. They weren't necessarily all that bad at it. The red-haired on, Shae, she was was quite good at it. The other two...were passable...barely. Still, with a silent nod from Estin, Trestana, Felimid, Matina, and Rigard went flitting about and setting things to rights when the one called Crow wasn't looking. Morgaine and Sanicios stood watch with their bows. Soon they would hunt for dinner.

Jeremy returned from updating Asher on the status of the camp and the plans for the remainder of the night, unbuttoning his uniform blouse as he did so. He'd had it off for camp setup and only donned it again to make the report. Next item on the agenda was worrying about dinner. He knew that he, O'Connor and the rest of the military on the team carried sufficient supplies for at least three days, but he wasn't sure if the geeks carried anything more than their slide rulers and didn't want to interrupt their work to ask. Three days was longer than anyone here had, the extra could be used to help feed the geeks if it came down to that. But, the fresher the food, the better and MREs were full of preservatives and chemicals.

He stopped by one tent to make some minor adjustments concerning his uniform and noticed the knots on the guylines were not what he used when he set up the tents. They seemed to be holding and, it wasn't his tent anyway so he didn't think it mattered.

"Shae, O'Connor," he called out, "huddle up on me." He put his tunic on one of the guylines to his tent and checked that his rifle and gear were still where he left it. It seemed a million years ago that he was advocating that they try to make friends with the 'kids' and now he was suspicious they wouldn't wait until he was dead before robbing him.

Shae had just finished setting up the fire pit with the help of the two youngest 'children' when she heard the call. She politely excused herself, bowing slightly out of habit, then rose to join up with Ree and Corvus. "Did you need something?" Shae asked as she approached the medic.

Ree was practicing her Gaelic with Felimid and Trestana as they corrected her 'mistakes'. At first she was sort of offended, but after a few seconds she realized the kids knew more than she did about surviving in these woods.

"Ní maith leis an duine ar a dtugtar beanna go mór linn, is é sin an trua," Felimid said. (The one called Crow doesn't like us much, more's the pity.)

"Anois cén fáth go bhfuil sin chomh aisteach?" Trestana said. "Leath an ama, ní maith liom thú! Ach ní thaitníonn sé liom, ach sin aisteach!"

(Now why's that so strange? Half the time, I don't like you either! Not liking me, though, that's just weird!)

Ree laughed and replied in their language. "Ná bí buartha faoi bheanna. Tá sé buartha go bhfuil sé chun bás a fháil agus go gcuirfidh a mháthair talamh air don saol eile!"

(Don't worry about Crow. He's just worried that he's going to die and his mother will ground him for the afterlife!)

The two 2010 year-olds laughed, then, with the subconscious coordination that comes only from long and intimate association with another person, they both became subdued at once.

"Ní cosúil go bhfuil tú chomh buartha sin faoi do chás, do chasúr," Felimid said.

(You don't seem so worried about your situation, lass.)

Ree's expression grew somber and she sighed. "Más é seo mo chuid ama, is é mo chuid ama é. Troidfidh mé chun mo shaol a chrochadh chomh fada agus chomh crua agus is féidir liom, ach más é seo mo chuid ama le dul, ansin sin é."

(If this is my time, it's my time. I'll fight to hang on to my life as long and as hard as I can, but if this is my time to go, then that's that.)

Ree centered herself, thanked the--it was so difficult not to think of them as kids! She was pretty sure that was part of Crow's problem. He couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that people in the bodies of children might be more qualified at something than he was. Ree thanked the kids for their help and went over to join Crow and Shae.

"What's up, Crow?" Ree said.

Jeremy crossed his arms against his chest with his feet splayed slightly more than shoulder width wide. It was his 'i'm going to be sure to listen to every word' stance but now it had to serve as his "doling out assignment" orders. "Here's the deal, I'm pretty sure the four of us brought the standard three days of rations and supplies, but I don't know if those three did. Even if they did, what've we got? MREs? Full of processed carbs, sodium and other processed deals? We have to give our immune systems every chance to fight off this infection. That means fresh meat, fresh vegetables with lots of vitamins and beneficial minerals. I don't know bull hockey about this planet." He glanced between the two as he spoke. "Shae, do you think you can get the kids to take you hunting? Show you what's going to be healthy to eat?"

"I can ask them, but what is 'bull hokey'?" Shae asked. She knew what a bull was, obviously, but she had no idea what hockey was or what it had to do with cattle.

"It's what comes out the rear of cows," Jeremy said, absently. He put his hands out to form a circular shape about the size of large dinner plates. "But let's not waste time on that. O'Connor, you seem to be getting along well with those two, do you think they can get us vegetables, fruits? Anything like that? We have multivitamins we can hand out, but our bodies are going to need good fuel to go with it. You think they'll do that for you?"

"Actually," Ree said. "Wouldn't bull hockey, aka bull feces come out the rear end of bulls? Cows are female bovine, bulls are male bovine. It would be damn strange if cow feces came out of the rear end of a bull, wouldn't it? Never mind. Sure, I can get them to help. Trestana is a little brat, a 2000 odd year old brat, but a brat nonetheless, but Felimid's a flirt. If I bat my eyes at him, he'll help me, but only if Trestana will let him, which she will because Isbeil ordered them to help...I think. I can't quite follow her Gaelic. Felimid mentioned to me that she was a Pict, which I think is a kind of Scot. Her Gaelic is different than what I sort of know how to speak. Anyway, Felimid will help so he can practice his flirting, and Trestana will follow, both to keep an eye on him and to get fodder for teasing him later."

"You're going to..." Jeremy said, shaking his head as he tried to unobtrusively shimmy to take care of a 'problem' before it became evident. "Never mind, no time. Okay, if push comes to shove we can work on stews or soups, but I'd prefer not to have that if we can get enough to have actual meals. We can supplement with MREs if necessary, but I'd rather we work on fresh and not processed." Jeremy glanced over to where some of the 'kids' were gathered. "Let's see if we get enough to feed everyone. Any questions, comments, concerns?"

"Nah," Ree said. "I'm good. Laters!" Ree walked over to Felimid and Trestana. Felimid grinned and said something cheesy and Trestana rolled her eyes and said something snarky, then all three of them laughed. Trestana and Felimid went and got a small sack each for themselves. Trestana eyed Ree suspiciously, then grinned and handed a sack to her. Then the two eternal children grabbed Ree by the hands and tugged her off into the woods to find vegetables. Fruits required baskets, and while the Lost Children did have some at their own campsite near the altar, where they also stored plenty of preserved supplies, they didn't plan on telling the 'grown ups' about that site. The Regression Infection got messy at the end and dead bodies were heavy. The Lost Children had learned that the hard way early on when they'd cared for some strangers in their camp. The strangers befouled the camp site and then died, and the Lost Children had to dig a fire pit near the camp and burn the bodies, because they couldn't move them far enough away by themselves. Ultimately, they had to abandon that site and pick another site to be near the Altar, in addition to their site nearer to the gate, as well as others they had set up throughout the forest.

Shae was thoroughly confused; seriously, what did cattle excrement have to do with anything?! But she had her task and was grateful to escape, especially since Corvus smelled like he wanted to rut with whatever willing pair of legs would have him. Turning away from the man, she walked over to the Lost Children, smiling with amusement as Ree was dragged off into the forest to go foraging. Shae sought out Morgaine and Sanicios since they seemed to be the resident archers of the group. She had no doubt that the others could probably handle a bow just fine, and there were plenty other ways to hunt without a bow anyway, but it seemed easier to go out with the kids who seemed to prefer the same methods that she did, and together they ventured out where the pair could show Shae where and what to hunt.

Jeremy watched as the two moved away from their impromptu meeting, heading off to the assignments he gave. He continued to watch, his gaze slipping lower and lower until it stopped, fixated on..."Ah, holy grail!" he muttered as he did a funny little turn, casting around to see if anybody was watching him in his embarassment. She was a coworker! And...the other one turned into a dog!

He thought he heard a stream nearby which could provide a good source of water for the group, depending on purification. They would need good, clean drinking water, as well as water for cooking and cleaning. He guessed, since he wasn't that great at hunting anything that wasn't human and Ree had some skill with speaking the language, it left him to gather water. He took another look at their departing figures. The swish of their walk. "Can of a biscuit," he swore, hoping the stream would be extremely cold.

Morgaine and Sanicios moved perfectly together through the woods as they stalked game. Isbeil and Estin were strong enough to pull slightly more powerful bows, but they were nowhere near as accurate with them, and Morgaine and Sanicios were their best stalkers and trackers. Sanicios had taught Morgaine, and so she often let him take lead. Sometimes, as she watched her partner move through the woods like an animal stalking its prey, a smile would play across her lips. Sanicios stopped and hand signed for Morgaine and Shae to stop. Morgaine stopped and then stuck her arm out across Shae's chest. Then she turned to Shae and put her finger to her lips, an apparently universal sign silence. Sanicios motioned them forward and Morgaine led the way. She was impressed by the way Shae could move so comfortably through the woods. Sanicios was crouched near the ground. He pointed out the trail signs, and indicated where the trail seemed to be leading. He looked at Morgaine, who ruffled his hair with a grin, then nodded. Sanicios grinned at his partner. He motioned for Shae to follow him, while Morgaine took off ahead.

"Tar, a bhean," Sanicios said in An Ghaeilge, the tongue of the Eriu, which he knew Shae spoke and understood. "Déanfaidh mo bhean rian ar fhianna na miúil agus é a thiomáint chugainn nuair a bheimid i riocht. Ansin feicfimid an féidir leat an bogha sin a úsáid!"

(Come, lady. My lady will track the mule deer and drive it to us when we are in position. Then we will see if you can use that bow!)

Shae loved the hunt because it appealed to the wild animal in her. Foxes were not generally known for their ability to stalk and take down significantly larger prey, but her kind were not like usual foxes, and so she reveled in the experience. She was careful not to give away her other nature and how keen her senses were to the creature they were tracking, and she followed along with the pair. She was impressed with their level of efficiency and speed, barely gesturing to one another and yet they understood each other so effortlessly. And their ability to track rivaled her own even though she had a clear advantage over them in the form of her sense of smell and hearing, yet she still gauged them to be the better hunters! She had much she could learn from them, if only she had the time...

Shae hunkered down with Sanicios, waiting for Morgaine to drive the deer back in their direction. Sanicios already had an arrow on his bow, but Shae did not, which must have seemed strange to the elder hunter, but Shae was not just a hunter. When the deer came their way, Shae felt her body spring into action out of pure reflex; in the time it took Sanicios to raise his bow, draw back and aim, Shae drew two arrows and let one fly, and the second arrow was already on her bow and drawn back, ready to go in case her first shot missed, but it did not. Her draw was quite unusual, vastly different from the way Sanicios drew with his bow arm straight and rigid and the arrow pulled back to his cheek, but Shae didn't have to fully extend her arm before drawing, and even used that extension to generate extra force when she released, meaning she did not have to draw back on the bowstring as far. And speaking of the bowstring, she did not draw from the string, but held onto the arrow itself. It may have been a stark contrast to Sanicios' technique, but she had learn to shoot from many worlds, including worlds were bows were used for combat, and so she had developed a truly unique technique by combining them all, and it proved to be quite effective as the deer darted off with an arrow in its side and then fell a short distance later.

Sanicios whistled his appreciation. "Fiú amháin le Estin agus an ceann dúr mór ó do ghrúpa ag cabhrú, ní dhéanfaimis é sin a tharraingt siar go dtí an campa. Chomh maith leis sin, mheallfadh sé sceanra cairéid."

(We'll have to butcher it here. Even with Estin and the big stupid one from your group helping, we'd never drag that back to camp. Plus, it would attract carrion eaters.)

Sanicios pulled out out a kit he'd been carrying for just that purpose, then started removing his weapons and undressing. Morgaine started doing the same, with out the slightest pause for modesty.

"Beimid ag cur búistéara ar an mbeithíoch. Ar mhaith leat tine a thógáil? Is é an t-ae an chuid den Hunter. Déanfaimid cócaireacht air ar bhataí agus ithefaimid é, an triúr againn, chun do mharú a cheiliúradh! Gheobhaidh tú an chéad greim, ar ndóigh!" Sanicios said as he finished removing his clothing and folded it neatly.

(We'll butcher the beast. Would you mind building a fire? The liver is the Hunter's portion. We'll cook it on sticks and eat it, the three of us, to celebrate your kill! You'll get the first bite, of course!)

Without waiting for an answer, Sanicios picked up his kit and joined a now equally naked Morgaine. They began to butcher the beast.

Out of respect for their traditions, Shae simply nodded with a smile and built a fire. She was definitely surprised to see her hunting companions disrobing to begin the job, but after a moment of consideration she realized that what they were doing was quite ingenious! Normally, hunters would raise their kill, typically with ropes in the trees, to bleed out the beast to make the butchering cleaner, plus being off the ground generally made it easier as everything was more accessible. But bleeding their kill would take time they didn't have as twilight drew near, so removing their clothing was the easiest way to return home clean without having to wait for the beast to bleed dry.

(Clever, I never thought to try something like this,) Shae said as she watched the pair work with frightening speed. When Sanicios handed the fresh liver to Shae, she bowed her head in thanks and then set it over the fire to cook while they continued work. Gazing down at the liver, she could quite easily gobble the whole thing up raw, but she had learned the hard way that not all cultures appreciated that kind of thing, so she would refrain until she could share it cooked with the 'children'. (I cannot disrobe like this where I live, far too cold, but it's still quite clever.)

(It is only cold here at night,) Sanicios said. (There were winter seasons on our old world, but here it is hardly ever more than cool during the day. Evenings, nights, and early mornings, depending on the season, can get chilly, particularly the nights. But not unbearable if you have plenty of blankets and furs and a warm partner to hold you close. Do you...do you have...snow on your world? We haven't seen snow in...a very long time. Sometimes we miss it. So much so that during the rainy season, we have mud ball fights and build mud people to try and remind ourselves of what we are missing.)

(Oh yes, there is plenty of snow on my world! My companions and I played in the snow just the other day, it was as high as my waist!) Shae declared. She wanted to offer that maybe one day they could visit her world, but it was highly unlikely that Shae would get to show them herself. (Later, I will show you the symbols to have the gate take you there, that way if someone can find a cure for this illness, you will be able to visit my world and enjoy the snow. But be careful, you will need many, many furs to keep you warm!) she offered instead.

(Thank you,) Sanicios replied. (But Morgaine and I would rather travel there with you, so we hope your friends can solve the mystery of the Thing.)

After going back to the camp and finding a large thick branch and anything he could find to hold water, Jeremy trudged down to the large stream. He watched as it sparkled in the strong light of this world, burbling over rocks and running quick but smoothly. Despite trying not to, the camp was too close to the obelisks and, try as he might, he couldn't help but sneaking glances. He hated himself, hated the way his body lusted after Andrews when every rational, decent part of him knew she was the type of person he would really dislike the more he got to know her. Her narcissism alone was enough to make her repugnant, but add in the 'better than you' attitude and he knew anything happening would make him regret it for the rest of his life. Not when he had the chance with someone kind and decent, like Ginny.

"Oh, heck!" he said as he dropped the branch with the pots and containers. He took a look around and there wasn't anyone around which was great. He'd already left his blouse and pack back at camp, which meant it was a quick job of removing his cover, then the boots went quickly, followed by t-shirt and pants. He thought of chucking his boxer briefs but didn't want to be too naked, not now. Not in the condition he kept finding himself. Instead, he gingerly made his way to the river and stuck a foot in. Immediately he caught his breath at the first burning shock of cold. Then, forcing himself not to think about it, he drove himself in deeper and deeper, until he felt the strength of the current and the water was up to his chest. The absolute cold of it was a definite shock and he hoped...prayed to every god he ever knew that it would alleviate the problem.

It took awhile, but Morgaine and Sanicios finished butchering the beast. They took a moment to eat the cooked liver, built a travois, and loaded the meat on it. Still covered in gore, Morgaine whispered something in Sanicios' ear. He grinned.

(Lady,) he said. (My lady and I going to wash off in the pond just the other side of those trees. You are welcome to join us.)

Shae chuckled. (That is very generous of you, but I should get this meat back to the camp so that everyone can eat. But feel free to take your time and have fun, I will make sure to save plenty for both of you,) she said, smiling warmly.

Morgaine looked disappointed, then shrugged and grabbed Sanicios by the hand and ran for the water with him. Soon they could be heard splashing and laughing and Morgaine squealed as Sanicios picked her up and dunked her.

After coming out of the water, dripping wet and his shorts soaked, he let himself dry for a bit as he filled the containers. Then for a bit longer. But he was worried. He remembered his teen years and how hard they were. But he had the time then to adapt and overcome, to find ways around the urges. Now, every hour he was going back into that, having the testosterone and hormones dumped into his system like Niagra fornicating Falls! It was already causing problems with the confusion he had over Andrews and now it was hard to even consider the others on the team without...

At least he bathed and was relatively clean at the moment. He dressed again, picked up the branch and containers and headed back to camp, hoping to keep his back to the obelisk and those working there while he prepared for whatever the others brought back. He was really hoping for meat, sufficient that they could cook up big chunks of it, bloody and raw.

With another chuckle, Shae took hold of the little sledge they had constructed, now loaded with enough venison to feed them all for many days, and began to pull it towards the encampment. It was quite heavy, but she was used to pulling these kinds of hauls, even more sometimes. She brought the meat right into the middle of the camp, right up to the fire pit.

"Has Ree come back yet?" Shae asked Jeremy as she set some meat in a pot with some water and then set it over the fire.

"What the blazes are you doing?" Jeremy asked, grabbing the pot and dumping out the water. "Look at what you brought back! Those are good steaks, thick! You want to boil it?" He didn't realize he was standing, nearly shouting, the one fist clenched, the other holding tightly onto the pot with the meat still inside. "Rabbits would have been stew, birds would have been stew this is...what the pleeb is this?"

Shae stared at him like he had grown a second head. "Since there are many of us, I planned to roast some as well, but I like stew, so give me back the pot!" Shae demanded. She didn't know why she seemed so short of temper right now, but she felt the urge to turn fox and bite him! Of course she didn't, but she wanted to. "And where is Ree? We should have vegetables for the stew and to roast."

Ree, Felimid and Trestana walked into camp with bags of tubers, just in time to see Isbeil lose her shit.

"Sàmhchair!" Isbeil bellowed. "Bidh an fheòil a ’tiormachadh fhad’ sa tha thu nas slaodaiche. Seas gu aon taobh, Crow. Bidh Rigard, Matina, a ’cuideachadh Rhiannon leis na glasraich. Marimid, Trestana, faic an fheòil nach eil feum aig Shae air a stiw. Morgaine, Sanicios, na faire. Faodaidh fàileadh na feòla a bhith a ’tàladh eòrna. Is e seo mo dhùthaich. Is e seo mo thoil. Thèid mo dhìcheall a dhèanamh."

(The meat spoils while you bicker. Stand aside, Crow. Rigard, Matina, assist Rhiannon with the root vegetables. Felimid, Trestana, see to the meat that Shae doesn't need for her stew. Morgaine, Sanicios, stand watch. The smell of the meat may attract carrion eaters. This is my land. This is my will. My will shall be done.)

Felimid quickly translated for Ree and Shae.

"Oh, shit," Ree said. "Crow, she's really pissed. Hand the pot to Shae and stand the fuck down. She's the chief, her word is law here, and her word is that you back the fuck off, now."

"When she gets to be part of my CoC then maybe I'll care!" Jeremy said turning on O'Connor. "And have you ever considered you'd come off as less like a whiny, judgmental, little bitch if you just had some class instead of talking like a trucker straight out of the trailer park all the damned time!" He tossed the pot to the ground glaring at her but he heard his own guilty words echoing in his own head.

"Ah holiest of holy grails!" he said, covering his face. "Why am I so upset! There's nothing to be this upset over!" Doubling his fists he pounded on his forehead. "I'm sorry, O'Connor, that was uncalled for. I..." he looked around, hearing his heart pounding in his ears, the shallow bellow of his breathing. "I'm sorry." he said before he stalked away, headed to his tent. He grabbed his rifle and pack and then looked to the area he'd previously chosen, underneath wide spreading branches of what resembled an Earth pine crossed with a sycamore. There he dropped his equipment again and unstrapped the trenching tool from his pack. Counting off by paces he measured, forming a groove in the sod at the four corners. It was more a guesstimate but he measured it out: seven foot long by three feet wide. Back home he needed it to be three feet deep, but judging from the piles of bones, he figured three or four feet deep would be enough.

He got to work on rolling back the top sod first, revealing the rich, moist earth below.

Shae just stared in slack-jawed astonishment. "What... just happened?" Shae asked warily, her gaze turning to look at Ree, so utterly confused that she almost couldn't form any further words. She did, however, manage to safely retrieve the pot and refill it with water, then started to set up a spit to roast a nice chunk of venison. Her eyes kept darting to Corvus as she worked, curious as to what he was doing, but she wasn't so curious that she was willing to go ask him.

"Isbeil just laid down the fucking law," Ree said. "And Crow? He may be wicked ripped and kinda hot, but, like, one day he's a clown and like, other days he's one step up from a cave man! Why do boys have to be so dumb! Still, if he promised not to talk while we were getting it on, I'd totally hit that! Of course, with my luck, he's got an undersized wang and no staying power," Ree caught Isbeil glaring at her. "Oops! The HBIC told me to get the vegetables taken care of with Rigard and Matina, so I'd better get to work. Man, those two kids are wicked creepy!"

Ree joined Rigard and Matina, the two 2000 year olds in the the bodies of eight year olds, who weren't far from Shae. While they did communicate with Ree in An Ghaeilge, the Eriu tongue that Ree spoke fairly well, they took great pleasure in teasing her in languages she didn't understand. To really frustrate her, they alternated between Gaulish, Matina's native tongue, and Manx, Rigard's native tongue. Sometimes Rigard would say something in Manx that Matina would respond to in Gaulish, and sometimes Rigard would speak Gaulish and Matina respond in Manx. They frequently laughed at each other's jokes. They did, however, deign to speak An Ghaeilge frequently enough that Ree wasn't totally left out.

Shae gave Ree a funny look. "Why do you Tau'ri do that? You use so many words in ways that make no sense to me! I think I understand the Lost Children better than you sometimes!" she said, her attitude quickly turning sour. Then she stormed over to where Ree, Matina, and Rigard were preparing the vegetables and she grabbed a few, then returned to the pot, all the while muttering her disgruntlement in her native tongue. She was feeling exhausted; she really liked Ree, truly she did, but Ree was constantly on high energy and Shae just couldn't keep up with her sometimes, and being around so many people and doing all this translating wasn't helping her energy levels. Add to that, Shae felt this really strong urge to go fox, and fighting against that feeling wasn't helping matters.

Ree somehow convinced the creepy kids that she would be back in a second and went to Shae and hugged her. "I'm sorry Foxy Chick! I didn't mean to upset you! I think I'm getting a little younger already. I was wicked wild when I was younger, if you can believe that!"

"Yes, I believe you to be both wicked and wild even now," Shae grumbled, but after a moment she did lean into Ree's hug as a means of accepting the apology. "I suppose it is safe to assume that this illness is affecting my temperament as well. I am finding myself growing increasingly agitated, I don't want to be around so many people," she offered in return as she dumped some sliced vegetables and herbs into the little pot. This anxiety was making her feel all twisted up inside, and the more she stared at the stew pot and the roast over the fire, the less and less she wanted to even try to eat anything. "Can you keep an eye on the food and make sure everyone gets something to eat? I think I want to be alone for a while."

"Sure thing!" Ree said. "Uhm...be safe, okay? If you go out foxing...be sure to come back, okay? I, um...I'd really miss you if you didn't."

Shae gave a little huff. "Like I can really go anywhere..." Shae replied, then rose and collected her things. "Do not hesitate to call for me if you or anyone else needs anything." Then she spoke to the children, thanking them kindly for their assistance, once again offering a small bow out of habit, then she walked out of the camp to find a place where she could be alone.