Grizzlybeard"I couldn't think of any real solution. Father, did you think of something?" Asked Senith as everyone gathered at the construction site.
Sithalin shook his head. "I couldn't think last night. We'll just have to cut down more trees."
So the group of workers made their way to the edge of town and started working on chopping down some of the taller trees. The trees were difficult to work with. Their taller stature made it harder to manage which way they fell, and it also made dragging the trunks around more difficult. These trees seemed to also have more branches and bigger crowns, which only wasted more of their time.
By midday, they had amassed a reasonable pile of logs. Now, they had to figure out how to get the logs to the top of the walls. The walls were simply too tall for most of the methods they could come up with. Some of the workers climbed to the top of the walls, but it did little good as they didn't have the strength to drag the logs onto the walls.
After a few hours, they had barely managed to drag the first log to the top. With the help of some vines, a few workers on the ground, and a couple on the wall, they managed to slowly drag the log onto the top of the wall. They quickly tied it down with the vines, fearing that it might simply roll off.
The second log proved to be almost as difficult to drag up as the first. From then on, however, the task grew easier as more walking space was created with the logs. It still took them many hours of effort, but they did it. The cabin was complete. Everyone cheered happily and yelled their victory, some running and dancing in circles. A crowd of villagers had gathered to admire the finished results.
"We did it, son," Sithalin said happily, proudly patting Senith's shoulder.
-
"Took us many days," Senith said tiredly to his father. They had celebrated with the rest of the village until the last rays of sunshine disappeared from the sky. They had retired to the new log cabin already. It would be their first night sleeping inside.
"It did," Replied Sithalin, "I think the next ones will be faster. We know how to do it now."
"Maybe," Yawned Senith.
Just as they getting ready to sleep, the door's leaf curtain was brushed aside as one of the hunters stepped inside.
"Sir," The hunter greeted Sithalin, his fists against his heart. "I plan to go out with a hunting party tonight. I want your permission before we depart. We will be taking supplies."
Sithalin looked at him strangely. "You have a lot of explaining to do. Why tonight and not the morning? Where are you headed that you need to bring supplies?"
"We simply want to move quickly, chief. We're headed towards the swamps south of here. Where the kryan was found. We won't stop there, however. We want to explore, see what's beyond the swamps. We want to see what its like, and what kind of animals may live in those lands. We're not sure for how long we'll be gone."
Sithalin sat there quietly, pondering it over. "Interesting. Very well, go. I can understand why you would want to do this. Our people hardly go through unexplored lands anymore. Bring back news, tell us what you saw."
The hunter smiled with relief. He bowed his head. "Yes, chief, I will. Thank you."