Free Book - Prequel of The Chronicles of Canes Venatici

Boreas Planet 2 (Part 1.3)

Part 1.3 – Communal Bond

In Frosthold, life revolves around the Great Hearth, and the sense of community it fosters is palpable. The people of Boreas are not isolated individuals—they are part of a greater whole, each person contributing to the survival of the group. As you sit by the hearth, watching the people interact, you begin to understand the depth of the communal bond that ties them together. In a world as harsh as this, survival is a collective effort, and every person has a role to play.

Around you, families gather, sharing meals and stories as the flames dance in the hearth. The air is filled with the smell of roasting meat and the soft murmur of conversation. Children sit at their parents' feet, their eyes wide as they listen to tales of great hunts and daring rescues. The elders of the community, their faces lined with the wisdom of years, share their knowledge with the younger generations, passing down the skills and traditions that have allowed the people of Boreas to endure.

You are invited to share a meal with one of the families, and as you sit at their table, you are struck by the simplicity and strength of their way of life. The meal is hearty and filling—thick stew made from the meat of Ice Deer, hunted on the frozen plains, and bread baked from grains grown in the geothermal greenhouses beneath the city. The family eats with a quiet reverence, their gratitude for the food and the warmth of the hearth evident in every bite.

The family consists of three generations—the grandparents, who have lived through some of the harshest winters in Boreas' history; the parents, who work tirelessly to provide for their children; and the children, who are eager to learn the skills they will need to one day take on the responsibilities of their elders. As they eat, the father tells stories of his hunts, of the creatures he has faced on the ice plains, and the dangers he has overcome to bring food back to the city. The children listen in awe, their eyes wide with wonder, while the mother smiles quietly, her hands busy mending the children's clothes by the fire.

The elders are particularly revered in Boreas, their wisdom and experience essential to the survival of the community. They are the keepers of the old ways, the ones who remember the times before Frosthold was built, when life on the planet was even more precarious. They teach the younger generations the skills they will need to survive—how to hunt, how to build shelter, how to tend to the geothermal greenhouses that provide the city with food. Their knowledge is invaluable, and their presence is a constant reminder of the importance of tradition and continuity in a world where the future is always uncertain.

As you eat, you feel a deep sense of connection to the people of Frosthold. There is a warmth here that goes beyond the physical warmth of the hearth—it is a warmth of spirit, of shared experience, of knowing that you are part of something greater than yourself. The cold outside is relentless, but inside, by the fire, there is a sense of peace, of safety, of belonging. The people of Boreas have found a way to not only survive in this frozen world but to thrive, and it is this sense of community, of working together for the common good, that has made it possible.

Future Glimpse!
As Boreas' people grow in number and strength, the sense of unity will be tested. The influx of settlers and a rising demand for resources will fracture the communal bond, leading some to question whether Frosthold can remain the haven it once was.

Olav J. Insight:
"There is something beautiful about the simplicity of survival. In a place like Frosthold, every life is connected, like the roots of a tree beneath the ice. Yet, as with all societies, it's only a matter of time before the threads of unity are strained by ambition and desire."