Welcome to Gaia! ::

Verosh studied the familiar golden landscape with a thoughtful frown. While he had spent his childhood in Sauti it still felt weird to see how autumn changed the landscape in comparison to Jahaur which seemed to always be in the same season while the outside countries constantly shifted as the years progressed. “Almost.” He murmured to Zira, glancing at her with a soft chuckle leaving his lips. He had warned his daughter that it would be colder since it was autumn but she was determined to tag along with him anyway. Now she was bundled up in a warm scarf with more clothing that she was accustomed to wearing, the girl constantly tugging at the long sleeves of a sweater that covered her wrists. “When we get there you’ll have to help with cutting the wheat. Do you think you can manage?”

[Verosh 1]

“Not exactly.” Verosh smiled as he watched the fields coming closer, the wagon going up and down over a few bumps as they crossed further into the valley where his family lived. Some of his cousins still preferred to wander as traders while others had set up here because it was a good spot for growing some crops with a stream cutting across the back of a valley and feeding into a forest full of prey for hunting. “You used a curved tool called a sickle and you have to cut the top of the wheat off in a certain way, I’ll show you.”

[Verosh 2]

“You okay?” Verosh jumped off of the wagon after Zira, the hybrid offering her support as he waited for her to gain her bearings. “We’ve been sitting for a while so you should have taken it slower.” He advised with a slight frown. She was always reckless like that, no matter how many times he chastised her, and Verosh wondered when she would ever learn to slow down. Verosh took a few steps away from Zira before reaching for his own belongings, swinging his bag over his shoulder and then turning to survey the fields. “Also, we don’t simply eat freshly cut wheat. The others will grind it into flour and can show you the process once we harvest everything from the field.”

[Verosh 3]

“They should be! Just be careful!” Verosh yelled after his daughter, a rare chuckle escaping his own lips at her playful antics. It was insane to see how the prickly man was actually warm-hearted towards his children, especially Zira who always had a bright personality and smile for everyone. Such a reaction even had his own cousin blinking in surprise as he greeted the pair by the edge of the wheatfields, the golden stalks swaying gently behind him and reminding the pair of his own golden hair and tan skin. “Zira! Ash!”

[Verosh 4]

“Trel.” Verosh nodded his greeting as he watched his daughter interact with his cousin. “Is Milly, alright?” He found himself asking, a rare hint of concern showing from the normally reserved hybrid. Already he saw several earthlings walking across the fields and Verosh was relieved to see that the fields seemed to be thriving here in the valley. He remembered when his family first settled here when he was only a youngling and the surrounding area had just been loose rocks and dirt. After lots of hard work the group of earthlings had turned it into an area that could actually hold and produce crops, the families learning how to rotate their crops so that the soil could grow richer over the years with a little extra help from those who knew magic. Of course his family had relocated to Jahaur when he was a teen so he only had a few years here, but the memories he held were nice until the reality of his place as a hybrid had slapped him in the face whenever he tried to join the ranks of Sisters in Jahaur. Verosh was thankful for the trials though since he felt like they made him stronger, the weak child from Sauti was no more save for in the affection that he held towards his family that still lived here.

[Verosh 5]

“A child?” Verosh found himself smiling as he reached out to pat his cousin’s shoulder in congratulations. “I know you’ve been trying for years, so I’m happy that you’ve been blessed.” Trel and Melly had always wanted a child but Melly hadn’t been able to carry a child easily, his own father had wanted to come visit despite his inability to walk far distances with the lame leg but could only send herbs over the last couple of years to help. “I’ll let father know when I go back to Jahaur. He’ll want to try and make it next year to see for himself.” Verosh straightened his shoulders and placed his belongings in a safe spot with other tools before grabbing a sickle and an empty basket. “We should try to hurry then with this gathering so that we can catch up with each other.”

“I mean we can always talk in the fields.” Trel replied with a happy grin, following his cousin’s lead to grab tools and a basket. “For Zira.” He gestured towards his younger cousin. “We’ll show you how to hold the wheat and gather it properly with the sickle. Once we’re done we can bring it back and others will grind it into flour and we should have plenty to eat by tomorrow evening. It’ll be a grand event with lots of ale and whatever else we have since there’s been plenty of crops and everything this season.”

[Verosh 6]

“Almost.” Verosh raised his sickle and went to a stalk of wheat next to Zira so that he could demonstrate. “You want a slight angle to help make the cut. It’s swifter and once you grow accustomed to it you can fill up a basket quickly.” He advised with a small smile, the hybrid watching his daughter a few moments more to make certain she was doing okay before starting on his own basket. Verosh was prone to getting caught up in the moment and he quickly started filling up basket after basket while chatting with his cousin and daughter. So far it seemed like this had been another successful harvest indeed and he was glad that he could come visit and share the moment with his family.

[Verosh 7]