The Forest

Twenty-Four

The days went on throughout the camp. The humans and wolf-shifters have fallen into a rough agreement of working with each other.

They were divided up into sections that would be most useful. People who could build and work wood, people who were good at tending to animals, people who could be considered healers of sort, and so forth.

With the arrival of humans from my former village more animals come with them. A lot of them had fled with their families' animals which they had kept with them. Some of them have been sold, but there is still enough to put a dent in the food we had brought with us.

Which came to one of the first tasks Court had assigned them. Building space for the animals.

It was one of the number one priority next to having houses built for us to live in. Right now, we are in a livable situation. But when spring and summer came having a house to be in would be best.

The houses keep the winter cold out. The fires also have more use when in a house. Summers and springs are also more enjoyable when you can take refuge from any bugs that may come by.

In the forest there weren't a lot, but they did tend to spawn more during summertime. 

The space for the animals is of importance as well. Any predator can be dealt with easier when we know the spot to look at. 

The horses were easier to deal with as they tend to stick together in herds. Very rarely have they broken off. Even Celeste sticks close to the herd now joined by the company of the new mare.

She is the one I am visiting today along with Celeste. All the horses needed a groom today, so I went out with some brushes and the hoof pick.

The mare Court bought caught my attention.

She is a lovely specimen, and the thought of baby horses excites me. She has a spotted pattern like Celeste but not as tightly packed and in a golden color. She is very beautiful and is the one I am currently grooming.

Celeste stood a few feet away munching on some hay as I combed through the mare's mane.

"You are going to need a name eventually." I told her.

We have yet to name her but it's safe to say Court and I have been busy. Court has been busy running his pack and working in tandem with Thorin. Thorin has surprisingly been working very in sync with Court.

Thorin looks like he doesn't work well with others, and I had seen him clash with Court before. He didn't seem fond of me when I first came and hated that I stayed with Court.

After the whole reveal of being related to him he loosened up a little but was still tense.

I assume with the situation we've been handed he's matured up to be the leader his pack needs. There is a lot more at stake now with us out in the open.

We have all left the safety that the village provided and into the hands of this cruel forest. And now a lot of us have seen what existed in it. Except for most humans.

My dad has seen though. He had seen what the wolf-shifters keep out per the old agreement we had. Now that agreement was burned to the ground with the poorly done revolution Isaac had started.

We all have to face the same thing with the same conditions.

I looked around the field where multiple horses stand grazing on hay, feed and some of the grass beginning to push up through the snow.

This field here before the forest seems to be endless. It's like a meadow that never ends. 

I'm not sure which term better determines this area. But it is beautiful in its own way. A lot more animals are in now.