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 Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:29 pm
ooc: Note this rp starts retroactively being when I first came back to being active.  IC: It happened again. Kurt woke up back in the room of stone pae. He had no idea how much time had passed this time. He did have the sad realization that his foggy memories recalled this happening before. As he shook off the dust and flexed his wings, the angle rolled his shoulders and started walking forward. This wouldn't happen again, he had to find a way to stop it from happening again.
Short flight over the floating city of Telrunya City reviled a lot as much as it didn't. From the Swiss cheese wholes in his memories, he just knew this island was a lot bigger than it used to be. It was also not floating like it once was. He couldn't recall if he was floating the last time but was sure at one point it had been floating. From his solitary perch he felt more alone and disconnected from the world then he could ever recall.
He had to do something, become something more than what he was, a relic from the days of blobs and floating worlds. The HQ was the place to start, it had always been his second home. If he went there the maybe he could figure out what he wanted to do. Working with animals was certain, he'd always had an affinity for them.
Launching from his perch, he flew like he had never forgotten how. He remembered it was near the landing pad and from what he had seen, he believed it to be on the other side of the now even more massive island. Some land marks were relatively easy to find, Tuatha'ri Lake for instance was still the center of the island land mark. At least he believed that was what it was.
Passing over the water he didn't look down. He didn't see strange pae swimming and completely missed the pink lady sitting on the sand playing with shells she had collected. All he focused on was flying until he couldn't see land in the horizon.
It happened sooner then he would have liked. He found the landing pad, he even found a strange place, a Trading post of all things. What he did not find was the HQ as he expected. There was mound of something that nature seemed to be reclaiming but he didn't understand that it was the remains of his hopes.
Further exploration along the coast line proved to be empty of the promise he was looking for, no HQ. Stuck now with no place to go, unable to find either home, he had to figure out how to start with nothing.
Turning he went back to the way he came, looking more at the ground then he had before. Now the path from the area he was to towards the water he had passed over before became more apparent. In addition, he noted large swaths of land that appeared ripe for growing anything. Trees lined up behind and a Marsh framed the other side. Forward held more trees that appeared to be part of a nice forest. This area was good enough to stake a claim to.
Plucking a tree branch from a tree bordering between the cliff side and the land. he placed the branch down as his little flag. A large tree could proved shelter until he could figure out how to build something of his own.
Set that this was the path he would take, the determined angel started to work. From the cliff he started taking small rocks and using them to outline an ambitious house plan and an equally ambitious barn next to it. What ever he was going to raise would need a barn. From there he went out and marked out the swath of land he would use for his ranch. Not greedy in the least he only marked out what he thought he would need.
All in all it seemed like a good start to the adventure. He gathered it was some time in late season but the island was still comfortable in temperature. It may have been too late to start anything this season, but he could get the ground work laid for spring time.
He had no idea how to build a house or a barn. He also didn't know what he wanted to raise. There was some inspiration at least. As he watched the clouds float by as the day ended he saw a fluffy one that reminded him of animal. Names floated through his head until one stuck, Alpaca. That was it. This would be an alpaca ranch one day. For now it was a ranch of stone.
Looking at his large 'house' he started to think. Without electricity, how would he keep things cold? The answer was a hole. He figured if he dug deep enough he could make a door over it and the ground would keep things naturally cooler. Might not reach freezer cold but just maybe it would keep milk and cheeses from spoiling.
Trading post would be his trip tomorrow. Maybe he could get a temporary job there, work for supplies to build his dream and learn about trading for when he had his own ranch.
Flying up the the large tree behind 'his' land, he took refuge among the branches as he thought about tomorrow. He could catch food, not the best at it now that he couldn't shift, but he could make due with a sharpened stick and timing. Maybe, he considered, he could catch for him self and trade the rest as he worked his way up.
Shifting in his makeshift nest of leaves shielded by branches, the angel fell asleep with dreams of alpaca dancing in his mind, the grandiose house and large barn stood completed in his dream world of master craftsmanship and care.
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:53 pm
Rising in the early sun light, Kurt began to work on making his dreams a reality. The first part was getting food. He had a basic idea of how to do that. Taking off from his perch he headed towards the rocky area behind the trees. There he gathered fist sized rocks and found a larger rock.
In his mind this was easy, hit the fist sized rock against the larger rock and a piece would break off, then he just would flip the rock and hit again making the other half break off. From there he would have a workable rock knife to make a spear out of. Easy peasy.
Reality involved half a day, busted knuckles and dozens of broken rock fragments. He had managed something of a success but it had taken far too long and far too much energy to be a viable option should this product break.
Now he needed a spear. As it turns out, green wood still on the tree was not as easy to break off has he imagined. One pretty good candidate branch wasn't breaking off like he planned. Not wanting to risk his one semi-sutiable sharp object, he had planned on using gravity and his own body weight to get it down.
The idea seemed sound. Holding on to the branch, he wrapped his feet around it hooking his ankles for better grip. When assured he was secure, he stopped flapping his wings. Without those gravity had come to call and the branch did bend. Bend as it might, it did not break.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, he unhooked his ankles thinking that might help. It didn't. From there he tried swinging his body back and forth. This induced a bouncing with the the branch but didn't cause it to crack. So, he tried his wings, flying towards the tree and further bending the branch. He earned a lot of strain from it but got no where. Losing his grip, the branch went flying out of his hand and back up. For his troubles, the branch flew back down and smacked him good on the head before wobbling enough to stabilize back where it belonged.
That looked like five or six branches from his spot sprawled out on the ground. He was knocked out of the air and out of his senses from the whack. Once the world stopped spinning he was able to pull himself upright, head pounding and ego bruised.
Picking another branch and using another rock, not the precious mostly sharp one, he was able to bludgeon a decent branch off . The affect wasn't neat and he plead a small section of extra bark from the tree as he got his branch.
In victory he took the branch, the workable rock and flew back to his 'house. Sitting in the part that was the outline of the living room, he started stripping the bark and trying to ignore the growl in his stomach. The wood was softer to his hands than he expected and rather aromatic . It was also green and didn't take well to the rock attempting to whittle a pointy end.
At that point he admitted defeat.Placing the stick to dry out. The angel did the only smart thing he could, made his way to the Healing house. He'd been there before and by full night fall he found it.
That was where he managed to get his first meal since he awoke and a comfortable place to rest. Tomorrow it would be back to work. Maybe then he could get the branch idea to work. If he could then hunting would be possible, with hunting came his own food and possible barter supplies. Getting a barn was first, he could manage to get alpaca if he had a barn. Well, a barn and a fence to keep them in and predators out. He needed a lot of wood, and a lot of help. One thing he felt he could manage with trading, help might only be a Guardian looking out for him. As the tree taught him today, that guardian could well be Strafe.
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:41 pm
The next day came and he left the Healing house thanking the fairies for helping him. He was still in good spirits thinking of what he could do with the spear he would make. The flight back was quicker now that he was healed of his head injury and of the hunger.
Theoretically it could be quicker, in his haste he was making good time. However, he spotted someone and stopped to investigate.
Sitting in the sand, a pink angel played and collected shells. When she was lucky she'd catch a wondering crab. The occasional oyster or claim helped her diet. Beyond that, she had little to eat and despite her dress doing a pretty good job of hiding it, she looked well underfed.
Kurt noted her condition and the paternal instinct came out again. Stopping to find out how she was, he learned that Zofie had woken up much like he had and had no where to go either.
Sharing with her his plan she had asked if she could come along. Not opposed to having help he invited his fellow angel along. With her, he gained an extra companion in her mellon, Saki. The little thing was nice enough and behaved as much like a cat and a flying monkey that it looked like.
He took her to his ranch describing the wonders that would be there.
Zofie was just a bit underwhelmed. He talked of fenses and a large house with plenty of room for her. There was a large barn with lots of alpaca and she could start growing something of her own. Cotton would be nice, she liked the material. Even started thinking of where she would put it and how she'd keep the alpaca out of it. What she saw as empty land and rocks everywhere. From as low as she was on the ground it looked like nothing at all. "Um..where is everything?" It felt rude to point out that there was nothing there there but..there was nothing there!
Kurt shook his head and took her hand to guide her high enough in the sky to see the dream. "I am going to build it. There is a port and I think I can get a job. Between hunting and working I hope to earn supplies to build everything. I could get in the animals and they would be ready for shearing being of next year." Hunting reminded him of the stick he was working on.
Proudly he flew down and took it in hand. With the rock he worked on half a day he struck down to strip the first side of the stick. Immediately the rock broke in his hand and the stick remained unphased with just a groove to show it was hit with his hard work.
Calmly he stood up, stick in hand. Pulling back his arm he launched the cursed piece of wood as far as he could. It landed with a thunk yards away. He half expected it to come back and strike him. "Plan B, I'll go to the port and just work, no hunting." He started to go on his own when he heard a voice.She'd watched him, eager to see how the piece of stripped wood would become a hunting tool. Hunting wasn't something she liked the idea of, harming another was distressing. However, she knew they had to eat and that was one method.
It was an effort not to laugh at his whole reaction to his plan failing. Saki on the other hand had an idea. The Mellon flew to the stick and happily retrieved it. He flew back and held it over Kurt's head intending to give it back to continue the game.
Zofie paid no mind to her mellon's actions instead she offered, "I'll help you. If we both work we'll get the supplies faster." As she finished speaking, she watched in small horror as Saki dropped the stick right on the unsuspecting pae.
Kurt was in the process of forming a word, it started with t. However, the stick he had launched and tired to forget about fell right on his head. Again he seemed calm as he grabbed it, only this time he decided not to throw it. Holding it high above his head, he jammed it down into the ground at his feet. It lodged it self into the dirt enough not to fall over.
Taking a deep breath through his nose, Kurt started talking as if nothing happened, "Thank you, we better get to work. First thing should be getting books on Alpaca's and your cotton. I doubt it would grow this late in the season. Next I want to see a barn kit. If we have the supplies and can build the barn then we'd have shelter and could start getting a herd together. Fence posts next then the house." There was no telling at this stage how long it would take to earn the items they needed. How long it would take to build would be longer.
Still he had a dream, a goal and he would reach it. Zofie seemed eager to help. With only midday by this point they took off. He found work at the docks and she took a job in the market.
End of first day rewarded them both with books and a steady job. Zofie was eager to start reading, Kurt needed sleep and a soak as his under used muscles screamed from the work.
The good news was they could earn pretty good food, and between the two they would have the barn kit earned in two weeks or so. The bad new was Kurt wasn't sure his limbs would stay attached long enough to build it!
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:56 am
A long shorpae he was not meant to be. Nearly three weeks had passed and they had given up trying to teach him how to tie any knot more complicated then a slip knot or a stopper knot. Lifting he could do, Kurt got stronger and a little more able with each passing day.
Zofie fared a bit better then Kurt. She was friendly and helpful getting along great with the marketplace crowd. Her outgoing personality earned her a warm spot that they didn't seem to mind her skills as a bartering pae were almost non existent. Thats when her tasks changed to fetching things, communicating with the merchants and showing others around. She'd never be a master at bartering but she was picking up things here and there.
With the end of the third week he had earned the supplies needed for the barn. Even more so, he had earned the help in order to build the structure. Granted he had to do most the work, as was fair, but there was help to make sure the structure didn't fall over and cause any harm to the eventual animals. A small herd was on its way, five Suri Alpaca's all in their first year. By shearing time they would produce decent fiber. He was more looking to the long term that each year it would get better.
A soon as the barn was completed and structurally sound, He and Zofie moved into the loft space and began to fill their weekends with preparations. Kurt used the post hole digger he borrowed from work to start progress on making pastures. He had to make a few separate areas so that the herd didn't re-graze the same patch before it had time to grow back. This day he was managing two correct holes every ten minutes. There were several incorrect holes made slightly out of line. He had used the string trick but still managed to be out of line by enough that he had to fill the space back in and make another.
Zofie took the job of collecting. Flying over the tree tops, the angel would stop at every tree with wide, long leaves and collect a few per tree. Palm leaves were the preferred choice. With luck she managed to find banana leaves.
Now overloaded with too many the angel had to turn back and go to the Ranch. She watched Kurt work for a while before setting about the task of laying the leaves out and placing rocks on each. There was plenty on the rock farm as she called it. Here they could start to dry out so that they could be used as bedding for the animals to come. Saki tried to help, the poor thing, as he carried a small leaf with great pride in his efforts.
With a smile she kissed the mellon on the head and placed the leaf under a rock almost the same size as the leaf. She had decided to wait on her fields until the spring season. They would need plenty of leaves saved up so off she went again.
Neither pae rested much, both intent on the tasks at hand. The only one resting was Saki, after the second leaf run the mellon knocked over the rock and took a nap.
As night fall hit, the work was done for the day. All the leaves were moved into the barn and the doors secured. From there it was time to sleep in the loft, she took one side and he took the other, empty boxes made the divider so each had a 'room'. The next day would bring mostly rest, working a half day for each then it was more reading on borrowed books.
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:15 am
Weeks more passed by and slowly the ranch was coming together. Primary fencing was put up just in time for his herd. Kurt couldn't believe it when each of the five alpaca came off the T.T.S. Phantasy. Two of the girls came pregnant though they were early in their year long pregnancy. It would be in the late spring season before the cria hit the ground. Two of the beauties were a gorgeous fawn coloration and three were pure white.
It was that day that both he and Zofie only worked half the day, taking the time from there to lead the ladies to the ranch. He had chosen his spot due to being close to a great water source, but the road was so much longer on foot with dallying alpaca's in tow. The creatures were more interested in grazing then walking.
Well nearing sundown they reached the Ranch at last. Opening the gate each of the Alpaca were let loose to investigate. Eventually he would section off pastures to prevent over grazing. For now it was just one large pasture separating the enclosure with the house and Zofie's farm. As of yet both of those things were just rock outlines.
The process was taking longer then Kurt had hoped. He expected to have everything in order much quicker then it had worked out. Even now as he stood looking at the rock outline of the huge house he picture, the angel felt a little crestfallen.
What helped was one of the Alpaca dams coming over and butting his arm with her head. They had seemed to take a likening to him, his way with animals serving him well. He took the time to pet her head, the silky fibers threaded through his fingers. They were hair like and straight a characteristic of this bred verses the other type of alpaca, the Huacaya which appeared more like fluffy bears in comparison. The dam tolerated the affection briefly before wondering off back to the herd for more exploration of the pasture and barn.
The creatures were not known for loving attention, but Kurt would work with them as often as he could to get them used to being petted so he could keep them easier.
They were his responsibility and he would take care of them. Before calling it a night he made sure they had banana peals to eat as they were good for helping with possible parasites as well as leaf bedding piled for them to rest comfortably.
He also took the time to brush through part of their with his fingers to en sure there was nothing tangled into the fibers.
Previously he had bartered extra time for a large tub. This wasn't for his bathing but instead was filled with fresh water from the Tuatha Ri Lake.
Zofie returned from her trip to the ocean waters with pieces of kelp or seaweed in her arms, Saki carrying one piece very proud of himself. This would help provide the extra salt minerals the herd would require.
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:49 am
A day at the port and market place passed by and home they went. It was routine now, Kurt would go and care for the girls while Zofie worked on preparing the land that would be her cotton farm. Alpaca droppings made for good fertilization so when there was enough she'd take a hole to the ground and make a long line ten centimeters deep. From there she'd take the droppings on as shovel and spread them along. As she was satisfied, she would cover the area back up and place a rock at each end of the row. It was the plan to make ten rows for a good sized crop using the trench system.
When she did plant them, they would need water for the first bit then would be great on their own until reaping. Her work never took as long and she'd go and play with one of the friendlier Alpaca's, a brindle female she called Betty.
In the season she had spent with her new companion, Zofie didn't object to the decision to join him. He worked harder then she she did every day and the goal was nice. As time had gone on she had grown to enjoy his dream of the ranch and enjoy the idea of having a piece of farm to herself. For so long she was a drift, no real purpose in the world. This gave her a drive she lacked before.
Whats more, it caused no shortage of pride that her working contributed into a combined barter. While he had protested the idea at first, maintaining she should have her own things for her labor, it had worked out. They earned their food, there was nothing more she needed. Rather, she enjoyed helping her surrogate brother feeling part of a family. She knew he had his own out there but had been unable to find anyone of them.
Two pae with no one, it was natural to form a family together. The more he talked about them the more she felt she knew them. The barn was nice, but she was hoping that the house could be done and ready to welcome the family she knew by stories and Kurt knew by memory.
With the pastures fenced off, Zofie had one more job to do besides her farm. She had taken to digging in the store 'room' of the 'house'. The idea had been if they had a large hole in the ground, the area would stay cooler and things like milk could be stored there until time to take it to market and things bought that needed to stay cool would have a place to stay since they no longer had tools needed to keep things cold.
That job she had taken up upon her self to do. That meant it was taking a long time to complete. Spending her time working the marketplace, she didn't do a lot of heavy lifting so the manual labor was taking far longer then it would take Kurt but she insisted. Thus Kurt kept his animals and she worked on the cellar.
By choice they bartered for cut stone first, once the hole was built they could stone it in and it would be useable.
Kurt finished his own jobs by dark fall, things like making sure the bedding was clean and the girls were in good shape. He always took longer to pet each one and talk to them. While he couldn't understand them and doubted they really understood him, he used it as bonding time for them to be used to his voice.
He paused and looked to the 'house'. The best they would be able to do without help would be a one story house without a true roof. He'd use the same method of making a wall to make a roof. The huge house he had in his mind wouldn't come to be any time soon. What he could do was make a few rooms and get a chimney. It was an island, he didn't expect to get cold, but cooking would need a fire. By the end of the year they'd have a house then he expected things to go easier.
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:00 am
The island was cold. It was COLD! Kurt stood in his newly built house, sparsely furnished with what their labor could barter. A full seasons work was worth something though not as much as he would have dreamed when starting down this path.
He was grateful now for the chimney, as a miserable half a day of cutting a few trees provided them with heat. The wood was slow to burn as it was green and still full of moisture. What helped more was the surplus of dried large leaves that kept the fire going while the wood worked on burning.
The Alpaca's he didn't have to worry about near as much. They had a good fleece on them and seemed to be enjoying themselves out in the cold. Just to be sure, he grabbed his courage and blankets. Going back out into the freezing temperatures, he wrapped his wings as tightly around his body as he could and marched towards the girls.
After weekends and evenings, he had won the herd over and they had no hesitation of coming over to him. One by one he quickly got blankets over each, tying them around each leg and under the animals to keep them warm. He was especially worried about the pregnant two and made sure they were bundled.
The herd took to the actions by pretty much ignoring them. As soon as he was done, they were on their way back to munching on the grass that was now suffering from the sudden cold snap.
With each of his girls protected, the now half frozen male high tailed it back to the house and parked himself next to the low fire. Bundled and shivering, he wondered just what was going on with the island, it was never that cold in any memory he had of his home.
Zofie was glad that she hadn't started planting like she had wanted to. The cotton wouldn't survive this cold. At least if this happened again after a few seasons they would be okay. Bartering would be easier with the alpaca fleece and milk. Her cotton would also help, they could provide and get things made. An Alpaca blanket or sweater would be lovely with this weather.
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