43rd of Zi’da, Arc 717
It was cold.
Such a thing was normal during the Cold Cycle, but this one was different. At least for Kesindir it was. Dj’Oriq felt it too. The hawk was buried underneath one of Kesindir’s blankets, a few stray tail feathers betraying the raptors hiding spot. Kesindir pulled the blanket, covering the remainder of his friend up, and a soft squawk, almost happy sounding, came from underneath. Kesindir smiled.
“Three Season’s my friend,” he spoke as he looked out past the opened flap of his tent. Hard to believe that much time had passed. Longer even since I left… his thoughts trailed off as a brief wind picked up and blew a biting chill through the tent. In a futile attempt to warm himself Kesindir rubbed his hands together vigorously. “Stay put, Oriq, I’m going to gather some firewood and see if I can’t get us a fire going.” The last attempt had left Kesindir more than just frustrated. Find the dry wood this time Kes. Cold soaked wood won’t give the warmth you seek.
Throwing on a thicker coat Kesindir stepped out of his tent and rubbed his hands together once more. The surrounding forest was quiet as the wind whipped through the trees. Kesindir set off westward of his camp, keeping his tent at his back, he paced out and counted each step, a habit he’d taught himself to make sure he could always find his way back. Forty two, forty three, forty four… he counted with each step, his head swiveling back and forth scanning the densely covered forest floor for dead branches, limbs, and stumps. Once he reached a hundred in his head he stopped. He’d acquired a small bundle of sticks and a few larger limbs covered in green moss.
“This should get me started at least..” his breath hanging heavy in the cold air. Turning around Kesindir began counting again, one, two, three… and so on until he arrived back at camp. A small area he’d prepared previously with stones arranged in a circle to contain the flames is where he turned his attention. Undoing the bundle he broke some sticks into smaller portions, snapped a few of the larger limbs into more manageable sizes, and set to work making a square formation with the smaller limbs. Kesindir rummaged about in the tent and pulled out a small, crude knife. Whittling down one of the smaller limbs into a pile of loose shavings, Kesindir then set about using his tinderbox to get a small coal burning in the pile of shavings. Much like the previous night, and a few others before that, nothing was taking light. It’s starting to look my luck is running out… he shook his head, striking the tinderbox again and again, sparks flying this way and that.
Just one….all I need is one, U’frek please…a silent prayer, or so he assumed at least. It’s not like he was anything special. Some Biqaj far from home and the sea, doing his best at making it on his own. Not a…what did father call them? Mortalborn? Offspring of some Divine getting their rocks off with a mortal. He wasn’t an overtly religious man either. Just a kid making it on his own, searching for his purpose in life. Right now though he just wanted a damned fire. A small spark had caught light in the small bundle of shavings as Kesindir was mindlessly mulling over unimportant things in his mind and it nearly went out on him by the time he took note. “Oh crap!” Quickly he bent down and blew gently, nursing the ember till a small flame licked up from the small pile of shavings, quickly growing.
Warmth. Finally. It wouldn’t be a long cold night huddled under every blanket he owned trying to stave off the cold from permeating his every bone. "Dj’Oriq, we’ve fire my friend,” and a small chirp reported from inside the tent, slightly muffled from the blanket the hawk still rested under. Kesindir nursed the fire, slowly adding larger and larger limbs to the ever growing flame. Once it was a size big enough to be left alone for a moment, Kesindir went and uncovered the hawk from it’s resting spot and set it on the ground nearby the fire where it, albeit oddly, walked..or hopped over closer and fluffed up its feathers and rested. Tonight would pass quickly, not shivering and awaking every twenty bits just to fall back to sleep and repeat the torturous process over. “I think on the morrow, we will ride into town. I think it’s time.” Kesindir stared into the fire, his gaze betraying the deepening thoughts in his mind.
