|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:46 pm
It was the sun that first got Cajji's attention. She had been sitting for so long working on her beadwork that she hadn't even noticed the path of the sun until quite suddenly she couldn't see what she was looking at, her shadow having fallen into her field of vision. Blinking, she tilted her head back and looked up at the sky, looking in surprise the the sun that was now almost directly overhead. It was rather amazing, the entire morning had passed by and she hadn't even realized it!
But at least she'd been productive in her inattention. Besides the dream catcher she had almost finished, she'd completed four more feathered necklaces, some beaded ones, and a few arrowhead pendants. Quite an impressive haul, if she did say so herself; now she was all ready for the next time a Soquili came through!
Though goodness knew when that would be, given the trend as of late....
But there was no reason to dwell on the negatives. Setting the incomplete dream catcher in the basket with the others, she pulled herself to her feet and tucked the basket under one arm, then turned and started down the path to the lake. She'd left her lunch of apples and a leftover corn cake cooling in a jar in the shallows, and now was as good a time as any to eat!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:16 pm
May Horses Roam Where Dragons Fear to fly... 
By a stream off the beaten path she sat. She was a stranger to these lands, a wander lust having had filled her at the age of 14 when her grandmother, the last of her bloodline had passed away. As such she had said goodbye to her people and had begun to wander the world in search of something, but never certain what that something was.
Currently the smell of blood was in the air, as a baby doe laid slaughtered before her. Using a sharp stone and some bone shapped into the form of a knife with time, she had skinned the hide from the animal and sliced up the meat into heavy chunks. Now what lay before her in this spot was a make shift fire and a large slab of meet cooking over it on the side. Off to the side of the fire, closer to the stream a pile of woven wood lay in such a strange fashion, like a small tepee, inside that woven contraption their lay the rest of the slabs of meat as they were being smoked so that she could eat them at her leisure at a later time. In the stream lay the bones of the doe she had taken down with the bow that was set just so, next the the quiver and arrows. Legs calf deep in the water she cleaned the bones and the skin, and began to use the brains and the fat of the doe to preserve the hide, if she came upon a place she could possibly trade the fur for supplies.
This was the view that would great the one who was walking down a path, unawares of the newcomer to these lands.
And may you find me at the end waiting for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:52 am
The path from Cajji's preferred 'workshop' to the lake was a short one, merely a ten minute walk up and down a few hills, through a small copse, and around a curve. Granted, that was merely the way to HER part of the lake, the small jut out into the water that she called home and had for years. If one was determined and tenacious, they could really encounter the lake at many, many, many places; said lake was definitely large enough to qualify as an inland sea, and it would take weeks for a Kawani to walk all the way around it.
But travel had never been high on Cajji's list of priorities for her life. Ever since she was young, she'd lived in this region; first in the village as a young girl, then here on the lake shore once she'd been deemed old enough. She never strayed far from home, and consequently had come to know the surrounding territory like the back of her hand.
Which was why she was surprised to see the little trickle of smoke floating up from beyond the hills on the far side of her teepee compound. It wasn't far enough north to be coming from the village and too small to be a proper campfire (besides it being the middle of the day and therefore far too early to need a campfire. Was there another Kawani setting up camp out in these parts, she wondered?
More likely someone was just passing through on a hunting expedition, or heading out to the forest for some gathering. She, with Liz's aid, had been doing just that in recent weeks, so the timing was certainly right.
Having come to that conclusion, there was only one hospitable answer. Stopping in briefly to drop off her beading at the teepee, she tucked a few dried apples into a leather pouch and continued up the path beyond the teepee, heading towards the smoke.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:57 pm
May Horses Roam Where Dragons Fear to fly...
( I just realized how choppy and ugly my first post was, I'm sorry crying I'm usually much better than that, and so as a response to it, I'm gonna make this post a bit more cleaner, repeating some of the first post in better detail ^^;; hope you don't mind. don't worry I'll continue as well, so expect a slightly long post, hope you don't mind.)
*She had killed the doe about 45 minutes prior, almost instantly upon killing the deer she went to work. First hanging the Doe upside down and then going straight to work in skinning it. It was with trained prosession that each slice of the hand made knife was made.
First cutting from the base of the ribcage to the throat, making a point to cut from the inside out to avoid to keep the hair on the pelt, not because the hair was needed so much as she didn't want it to get in the meat on the inside. Then she cut up the front legs of the doe in a vertical cut in the same fashion the blade of the knife cutting from the inside out. Once done with that, she began to work the skin loose around the front legs and then work it loose along the plate and flank area's of the doe, pulling towards the top of the back.
Then she moved to the pelvic area of the doe and began to cut from the pelvic bone up to the ankle, and using the thumbs of her right hand to keep the flank attached to the carcass she began to pull away and down on the hide with her left hand. She continued to work the hide down and towards the back of from the cavity, what seemed interesting, if one was watching was that she rarely used the knife, instead she used her hands about 75% of the time. She was glad it had been a doe she'd killed, they were easier to skin than a buck, and the skin tended to come off easier.
Using her hands to continue to pull the hide from the dead doe she finally ended up using her knife again as she worked down the front shoulders and the neck area. That part of the animal was always a bit harder to remove the hide from, all the while she was careful to keep the meat attached to the bones and not the skin.
Eventually she grabbed her knife again and began to work down the front shoulders using her feet to step on the hide and pushing down with her foot as she got to the neck. All the while she worked up a sweat but she knew she had to work fast and carefully if she wanted to retain the meat and the hide for later use, before any of the pests of nature decided to ruin what would probably be her only source of food for the next 3 weeks, with the exception of fruits and nuts she might gather as well.
She skinned down the neck until she reached the ears and then completely cut the hide from the carcass. And then when that was done she cut through the meat of the neck and then when she reached bone she began to twist until a slightly loud pop of bone was heard and then she pulled the head from the body.
Since she was near a stream the first thing she did was go to the stream and throw the hide into it and grabbing some boulders she pinned the hide down under the water, she'd get to it when she could but first thing first the meat.
Fortunately she'd already set up a place to smoke the meat, having dug a hole in the ground earlier that day and started her fire using hard woods so as to not taint the meat when it was cooked, then she let the fire burn down to hot coals, all of this in hopes of a successful hunt, thankfully it hadn't been in vain.
Moving back to the skinned doe she checked to make sure the coals were still hot, they were. A smile stretched across her tanned complexion as she shifted the coals a bit to stir up the heat a bit more and added another hard wood to the smoldering fire.
Quickly and skillfully she grasped the knife she'd used for skinning and began to cut slices from the body, making a point to go in the same direction of the muscle. each strip was about 1 inch wide and one fourth an inch thick, she made a point to make them as long as she could so as to get the most meat smoked as possible, knowing that the length wasn't important only the thickness. Trimming off the fat, knowing both other uses for it and that leaving it on the meat would spoil the meat, she would pause only long enough to wipe the sweat from he brow.
she did this she would hang the meat over two poles that she and cleaned and straighten earlier that day for the sole purpose of smoking meat on. They hung just above the burning coals close enough to feel the lick of heat but not out and out be cooked. She made a point to not let any one piece touch the other as she strung the meat between the two trees that supported the poles.
When done she added some decayed wood to the coals to make it smoke, knowing the smoke would cover the meat in a protective coating as well as keep the birds and bugs away. The heat would also destroy any harmful diseases. These things and more she'd been taught growing up. Her father had no sons to pass the knowledge on and so before he died she had been taught like a boy would be to do such, it was the one blessing her father had left to her before he went to the great beyond leaving her with her grandmother.
When she had finished cleaning the meat and any other usable parts from the bones of the doe (something that had taken her almost an hour to do.) She let the bones drop to the ground and carefully carried them over to a pile by the main fire place she'd created for cooking, rather than smoking and set them to the side, she'd find a use for them later, but right now she both needed to clean up and then get to work on that hide.
Fortunately the creek was both near and cold the heat she'd built up while skinning and stripping the meat from the bones of the doe was almost unbearable. Stepping into the water she instantly gave a soft sigh as she sunk down and swam to deeper waters making a point to clean herself of both blood and sweat. When happy with her cleanness she moved back towards the shore of the deep creek and grasping the hide from under the water, she brought it to set out and dry over a branch. Once it was dry she would take some of the wood ash from the main fire and rub it against the fur to remove the fur from the hide, when done with that she would rub the brain against the hide to tan it. Once done with that she set it to hang over a big rock.
Fortunately she'd made different areas for all of her jobs she would be doing that day, and fortunately she didn't have to do something like this every day, it was a very tiring thing for one to do alone. Having cleaned herself of the mess from tanning and returning to the main area of her camp where an actual fire not a meat smoking area laid. There she slumped down next to the fire and taking a slice she'd grasped from the pole that had been for smoking she slung the meat over a much smaller pole and began to cook it. That would be her meal for the day, while the other meat should last her for a good 2 weeks if she stretched it out well enough.
Her quiver, and bow rest behind her as she staired at the fire loosing herself in her memories. How had she gotten like this, so isolated and alone? She really couldn't say, all she knew was that the last of her kin, her grandmother had died, and having come from a dwindling tribe she had found the need to wander the world in search of something more, and now here she was sitting and looking at a fire more alone than she had ever been.
At some point she had fallen asleep watching the fire, a loud pop had waken her from a nap she hadn't meant to take and that pop alerted her to the meat that was almost completely cooked, it was starting to burn. Quickly she sat up and pulled the meat from the fire, almost burning her hand in the process. When she settled back down she'd realized by looking at the sky that a good portion of her morning had fadded away and the sun was up high. Well at least lunch would be ready.
It was then just as she started to calm down that she heard the approaching of footsteps. Instantly she grabbed her bow and arrows and stood, alerted to the presence of something being there, but not knowing what it was.*
"Who is there?"
And may you find me at the end waiting for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:46 am
If nothing else, it was obvious that Cajji could eliminate the the theory that the smoke was the result of a hunting trip by some of the people from the village. Since she had relocated out to this part of the lakeside with all due ceremony and the blessing of her family and friends in the Kawani village itself, there wasn't one there who wouldn't have thought it was her making an appearance. Obviously it was a stranger who had caused the smoke, and obviously that same stranger was playing it cautious.
Fair enough; she herself would like likely be on edge as well if she were newly arrived in an unfamiliar area. Regardless; whether or not the person was planning on setting up permanent residence or was just passing through, for the time being they were neighbors, so it fell to Cajji as the more established neighbor to be welcoming.
So she responded calmly to the sudden query, "Cajji, of the Kawani. I saw your smoke and came to see if you were in need of any assistance, and to greet you as a new arrival to this area." She finished speaking just as she came into view of the campsite and its occupant, and there on the edge she stopped. No sense in trespassing uninvited, after all!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:36 pm
May Horses Roam Where Dragons Fear to fly...
It was almost visible, her reaction to the arriving female. Stress just seemed to flow out from her form as her shoulders laxed, and an ache she didn't realize she had, faded as the tension left her. With that tension a breath, one she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, left her lips and she smiled. Her bow and arrow, to which she had aimed with perfection preciseness upon the femme, lowered in a fluid motion as that smile slowly stretched across her face.
While by no means godly in her beauty Aponi was far from ugly, A fit specimen of her almost faded tribe. Sickness and hunger had left her a bit on the scraggly when she had first left her homelands, but the last year had found her to be stronger, and healthier than she appeared. As such her complexion had a soft glow to it, and where thin she once was, now she was toned and filled out. It was such a strange contrast to see such a specimen of female roughing it as she was, not unheard of but strange.
With that smile, and a warm inviting voice she spoke.* I apologize, I've had to be a bit more...cautious, than I care for in my wanderings. I wasn't aware I had come upon anyone else's home land. *Though she did know it was a possibility she hadn't thought there was any one to be found on this part of the world, now she'd been proven wrong. Stepping back she gestured, in a way to invite, the woman in as she did so she continued in her words to the stranger.* Come sit, Cajji, of the Kawani. My Fire is your fire.
*As she spoke she moved, setting the bow down, and slipping the arrow back into the quiver from which it had been pulled. This was her sign of acceptance and Open handed trust.* If you are hungry, I have Food, The Mother deer has blessed me with such this morning. *She began to get a bit bubbly as she spoke, all the while she moved to the fire place and gestured to the food, before sitting down, allowing the femme to follow if she choose, she wouldn't turn away company when it was so warmly spoken.*
I haven't seen another of my kind *She was referring to humankind.* In 3 moons. *While she didn't completely trust strangers, her lack of seeing anyone in such a long time made her want for conversation, and the warmth community could bring.*
And may you find me at the end waiting for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:58 pm
Aponi might have become used to scrutiny in the course of her wanderings, but it had never been Cajji's way to scrutinize or pass judgement. She herself was a sturdy, shortish girl, brown as a nut from all the time she spent outdoors and sporting a simple black braid by way of a stylish hairstyle. It wasn't dramatic, but it suited her and her lifestyle. In fact, nothing about her life was dramatic or ostentatious, be it her appearance, her habits, or her home.
But she preferred it that way, and that simplicity had helped her develop into the unaffected young woman she was. Raising her hand in greeting, she gave the other girl a smile, dismissing her apology with a shake of her head. "There is no need to apologize, you had no way of knowing. You must not have come in from the northeast, though; the main Kawani village is less than a day's walk in that direction, home to more than 80 souls. However, there are a handful of us scattered in the out regions, rather like myself."
As she spoke, Cajji had moved over towards the fire, slipping off her pouch as she spoke and flipping open the flap to reveal the dried fruit within. "It would be a pleasure to join you, if you will also share with me. The forest has been bounteous this year, and we have been blessed with apples."
Used as one might be to living on their own, there was nothing quite like having someone to share a meal with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:48 am
May Horses Roam Where Dragons Fear to fly...
*It was true, in her wanderings she'd had to deal with more than one individual casting judgment her way. Such tended to be the way of people against that which they didn't know or understand, and as an outsider often the place of blame for when strange things occurred, weather or not she played a part in the strangeness. But she didn't judge them in return, instead she blame it on ignorance, those who refused to see she was no different than them, at least in all ways that mattered, but that was fine, with time they learned, and by the time they saw the errors of their ways she was usually moving on again.
Still she'd never come across one that was so unaffected by the presence of a stranger as this Cajji of the Kawani was. It was somewhat refreshing like a peaceful dream. Perhaps she was still sleeping.... With a shake of her head she put that thought to rest, and then smiled at her Guest. as she spoke, nodding in agreement to Cajji's conclusion.*
Yours is the first sign of life I've seen since I left the far North East where the cold sleep has already fallen upon that part of the world. *Digging once more into the holding at her side she pulled the blade from her hip and cut off the best meat for her guest, making a point to offer it to her before she took any for herself. All the while listening to Cajji speak of the harvest.* It is good that Mother earth is bountiful here, and that the time of harvest has been plentiful.
*With a warm smile she handed over the choice meat.* It would be an honor to break meal with you Cajji of Kawani, and perhaps as we do so you can tell me of this place. I've not seen any place like this. You have big dog like animals, we do not have them from where I am from. Are they a dangerous demon, has the dog brother played a trick upon this valley? *She was referring to the soquili. All the while she took the fruit that had been offered her and began to eat. Very curious of both this place and this woman.*
And may you find me at the end waiting for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:47 am
With a grateful smile Cajji took the offered meat, folding her slice around a piece of dried apple for extra flavor. This was one of the nice parts of having company, someone to share food with and share conversation with that actually spoke back! Even though she wouldn't trade her peaceful lifestyle for anything, there was no reason that she couldn't enjoy the company while she had it.
Besides, it wasn't often that one had a totally foreign visitor! It was a great honor to have been chosen to greet this new person, and a great responsibility to see her suitably informed. Hopefully she would be able to rise to the occasion properly.
It was a bit of a bad start, though, when the other girl brought up the 'dog creatures'. Perhaps unique among the surrounding peoples, the Kawani had lived in tandem with the Soquili race for generations, aware of each others' existence and honoring each others' ways and, in some cases, even living amongst each other in helpfulness and companionship. They were such an ingrained part of Kawani life, so normal and logical to the Kawani mind, that Cajji was honestly at a loss to know what the other girl was talking about.
So she spoke slowly as responded, musing carefully over each answer. "I do not know of any large canines in these parts; we have both wolves and coyotes, but not in any great numbers in any of the surrounding territory. They can be dangerous, especially in great numbers, but as long as we respect them and their domain we can all co-exist in peace. Beyond that, however, I do not think I know of any possible large dog creatures. The Soquili have said nothing of any changes to the natural world, and they would know even better than I."
This was said with a fond smile; although the Kawani and Soquili verbally spoke different languages, it was not hard for them to understand each other when it came to generalities or important things. Some things just didn't need speech.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 7:40 pm
May Horses Roam Where Dragons Fear to fly...
*Keen eyes observed the manner in which her guest used the choice meat. A sliver of a brow, her right, arched briefly in curiousness. While it was not unheard of for fruit such as blackberry, and raspberries to be ground into the meats for cooking, or occasionally a topping, she'd not witnessed anyone actually wrap a slice about apple before.
Once her guest was settled in and eating, she returned her own attention to the meat that was left and sliced herself off a piece. So as to not be rude, uncertain if this was a custom of Cajji's people or not, she followed suit and wrapped her own slice of meat about an offered piece of apple, and then sitting down she took a bite.
The feel of the crunch of the apple between the slice of meat was different, She couldn't help but pause a bit as she let her senses take in the new sensation that the food mixture had created, as the juices of the meat seeped into the dry apple in her mouth, mixing with her own saliva with each chew she noticed that the sweetness of apple became more apparent flavoring the dark meat, and giving it a subtle tangy flavor. With a slight "hmm" of surprise she smiled up at Cajji and before taking another bite she commented.*
Not bad
*With that said she continued to eat while she listened to Cajji speak of the animals of the area, and then she said a rather strange word, Soquili. While yes Aponi was native American, she was obviously not of the same tribe of people, and there for some words did not hold the same meaning. Fortunately in her traveling she'd learned more than enough of the language of the people of the area to have the ability to speak the language almost fluently, however there were still some words she didn't know, "Soquili" was one of them.
As the word was so unique to her and unheard of when she heard Cajji speak of them, and of their lack of knowledge about the big dog, she frowned a bit. In her mind she assumed that the Soquili must be the shamen of Cajji's tribe, after all who else would have such intimate detail of the Natural world? So in her mind she couldn't understand how a Shamen would have not seen one of the big dogs of the area.*
How could your shamen not see the big dogs, when they tower over any of our kind easily? Plus they are all over the place, I have tried to avoid them, but they are not always so easy to avoid. Though I must say for a dog they are such oddly shaped creatures, yes very beautiful, and seem to run very fast. *She paused for a moment and then continued.* But it is good to know that the beast of the area are not to be feared. *She gave a firm nod, hoping she wasn't being rude and smiled.* When we are done eating perhaps I can go and show you one. I saw some in a meadow this morning while I was hunting.
And may you find me at the end waiting for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
