Arc 724, 15th of Saun
Darius watched as the small granules of dirt slipped through his fingers. They left behind a trail of brown powder, the tiny pellets cracking open as they hit the ground. His grey eyes followed the path before him, and from his crouched position, he could see just how cracked it was in places.
A dozen settlers were nearby, working hard. Many of them had shovels in hand, and were digging into parts of the road. Others had wheelbarrows, and were moving piles of dirt out of the way.
Saun's two suns had not been kind to Hopetoun's roads. The paths had been built when the settlement had a smaller population, and though they had served the locals well, they were now being used by more people and animals than ever.
Those animals included Ledas and his cousin. The latter's arrival had caused something of a stir, and he had taken some time to get acclimatised to life above ground. Some of that time had been spent walking on - or, even worse, occasionally digging up - parts of the roads. The worst parts of the roads had cracks running through them; the largest of those had grown to a point that Darius was worried a young child's ankle or a horse's hockThe "ankle" of a horse. or fetlockThe equivalent of the ball of the foot for a horse. might get injured as a result.
In the coldest and wettest times of the arc, the dry dirt paths could turn to mud, making it needlessly difficult - and potentially dangerous - to get from one place to another.
That meant new roads were in order. The top layer of the dirt paths would be dug up and replaced with sturdy stone cobbles that could bear more weight and traffic. That would mean fewer cracks and quagmires.
Jarad Bathrild, Hopetoun's senior builder, was overseeing the project. That meant despite his contemplative rest break, Darius was not in charge.
And, in turn, that meant it was time for the settlement leader to stand up, brush the last bits of dirt from his hands, pick up a shovel, and get stuck in.
A dozen settlers were nearby, working hard. Many of them had shovels in hand, and were digging into parts of the road. Others had wheelbarrows, and were moving piles of dirt out of the way.
Saun's two suns had not been kind to Hopetoun's roads. The paths had been built when the settlement had a smaller population, and though they had served the locals well, they were now being used by more people and animals than ever.
Those animals included Ledas and his cousin. The latter's arrival had caused something of a stir, and he had taken some time to get acclimatised to life above ground. Some of that time had been spent walking on - or, even worse, occasionally digging up - parts of the roads. The worst parts of the roads had cracks running through them; the largest of those had grown to a point that Darius was worried a young child's ankle or a horse's hockThe "ankle" of a horse. or fetlockThe equivalent of the ball of the foot for a horse. might get injured as a result.
In the coldest and wettest times of the arc, the dry dirt paths could turn to mud, making it needlessly difficult - and potentially dangerous - to get from one place to another.
That meant new roads were in order. The top layer of the dirt paths would be dug up and replaced with sturdy stone cobbles that could bear more weight and traffic. That would mean fewer cracks and quagmires.
Jarad Bathrild, Hopetoun's senior builder, was overseeing the project. That meant despite his contemplative rest break, Darius was not in charge.
And, in turn, that meant it was time for the settlement leader to stand up, brush the last bits of dirt from his hands, pick up a shovel, and get stuck in.
