Destiny's Entwined

3

The next morning you wake up and having a quick breakfast then leaving the house you fertilised the fields, grabbing the bull and the cart you hitch them up and travel down to the village, looking around you find some items looking at the shrine and the houses you bow and say "thank you, please don't go without".

Taking the items then looking at the village defences, you look at the stones laying around and smile "I will fill the holes in the wall as thanks" taking the items up to your home then coming back down you start to fill the holes in the wall defences.

Spending a few hours doing that, happy with your achievements today you bow to the shrine and go back home, sorting all the items found today "we will have to find the nearest town soon and get the winter supplies in" hearing a muffled response you look over and snicker.

He is on the floor with a wolf pup crawling all over him, taking the cart you go up the mountain and collecting firewood along with any other materials that can be used, coming back you prepare all the harvested foods, checking your supplies and making a list of what to get.

Remembering the traps you go and check the pup yips and runs with you, checking and seeing some animals you collect them and cutting some bamboo go back to make a rack to hang the meats from, making it in the storeroom and hanging the new harvest from it.

Collecting the eggs you add ducks to your list, looking around and sighing "I am happy, but I will miss them all" keeping busy you skin the animals and place the skins collected out and prepared, the feathers are cleaned ready to make winter clothing, cleaning the clothes you had brought with you at the same time.

The village awoke as you slept, they had seen what you had done to the walls and celebrated, hearing the noise but ignoring it you turn and go back to sleep with a smile, waking in the morning you look at horse and say "how did you know about a mystical village Buddy?" receiving a look you chuckle.

Hitching the cart and grabbing some money and your sword, you ride horse and lead the bull entering the village you salute to the shrine "I am popping to the nearest town to buy my winter supplies. I will buy some incense" bowing while seated you leave.

Riding out into open road you see the town ahead, paying the fee you go in looking around you find the fabric shop, then the grain store, oil is next, buying some large barrels of alcohol then you buy ducks, and some more bedding and feed, the last stop of the day you buy some incense for the shrine.

Checking all the other stores you pick up bits and pieces from them all, the cart full you go to leave as you see a few soldiers from the south, wincing you turn away and leave the town stopping regularly to collect food items on the side of the road or into the woods, along with firewood.

Knowing your being followed but since they haven't approached you know that they have decided to let you be just wanting to make sure your safe, stopping you wave them over, the lead man comes over you hand him a letter one you had written just now.

Handing it over "please make sure that reaches no one but the emperor" they look at you and salute "a message of be safe and happy was asked to be passed along" bowing and saluting you leave keeping an eye as the soldiers go the opposite way.

Reaching the village you go in and close the main gates, then placing the incense on the shrine and lighting it with a bow and a prayer, going back up the mountain to your home unhitching the bull and letting them go, also unsaddling horse.

The cart is emptied and the ducks set up in the cave, placing the cart into the cave you put the food articles away in the house and celler then the fabric comes in and the meat prepared and hung on your new racking.

Collecting the eggs from the chickens and milking the cow you take the food inside and making some butter "I am kind of glad I was poor growing up Buddy, at least I know how to do all this" stoking the stove fire as you go and collect some more water to fill the barrels in the kitchen.

Placing the butter in the celler along with the milk and egg's then checking what you had, happy you no longer had to go out to buy materials you could stay here and collect from the forest behind you. The light dims so you light the candles and sit with the fabric to make window covers for the winter.

Sitting on a cushion leaning against horse with the pup laying by your feet you spend the evening sewing and mending your clothes and bedding, feeling sleepy you place the kettle on the fire and make a tea to wake you up.

Spending the evening until late by the fire and working then you hear the village come alive, looking towards the village but not getting up to have a look, yawning you finish the last piece and bank the fire, patting horse and pup then going to our room and laying the futon, getting in and getting comfortable.

The village were having a festival the shrine had incense burned today and the rest was left along with a bag of salt and rice, the lanterns lit as they danced in the square, the music started and the bonfire was lit, smiling in your sleep at the happy sounds from the village.

Knowing you shouldn't look at what they were doing, and also knowing they meant no harm to you or yours so you would live in harmony with this strange village.