Orrun: *grins* A tribe?

Hakor: Hmm... Do you think after the meal we can ask?

Kedmir: *nods* And they grow on stalks? How much corn can grow on a stalk?

Tilmere: *smiles, amused* Perhaps they have a favorite food you can give them.

Rune: *grins* It's good to hear of these kinds of businesses, or trades, that have been passed down through the family.

Sulwyn: *nods*

Iola: Yes, of course we can. *smiles*

Aderyn: ...I'm not certain... four or five ears, I believe...

Lyneth: *shakes her head*

Tristram: Aye. He would be proud to know my sons will take it on one day.

Orrun: Are they animals, or people?

Hakor: *glances at Tristram with curiosity before continuing to eat*

Kedmir: How big are the ears?

Tilmere: No? Surely they have a favorite activity?

Rune: *smiles* Aye, I'm sure. What made him decide to begin raising scalebacks?

Sulwyn:

Iola: *finishes up her food and sits quietly while she waits*

Aderyn: Mmh, not so very large. *measures a distance of five or six inches between her fingers*

Lyneth: *shakes her head again*

Trevelian: *smiles and glances bemusedly at his father when Rune asks*

Tristram: *grins and takes a drink* When he was a young man, our family had very little on which to live. Those were years of quarrel among tribes, and there were many storms and famines that left the region sick, hungry, and ill-equipped to take part in trade or defend themselves from outsiders... *pauses and eats*

*the children still converse, but keep an ear out for their father's story*

Orrun: Uh... people?

Hakor: *also finishes, but tries another crayfish*

Kedmir: *nods* And you said they can be used for people to eat? I mean, turned into flour for baking?

Tilmere: Hmm... what do these peculiar creatures do?

Rune: *listens attentively*

Rousen and Jek: *look up from their food when Tristram begins the story*

Sulwyn: Noooo. Wolbes (wolves) are am'mals!

Iola: Do you like crayfish?

Aderyn: A very coarse flour... It's really only for animal feed.

Lyneth: They just creep along and eat the pests.

Tristram: The swamp is as dangerous now as it was then, but the first Scalestride was desperate enough that the hunger of his family made him foolish. He ventured into the Cubbadryt in search of food... *pauses and glaces at his captive audience before he eats again*

Orrun: Ahh. Of course. Do you see many wolves here?

Hakor: I do. They are very good.

Kedmir: With so many ears to a stalk, they must give a very good supply of feed for the animals.

Tilmere: *nods* I see. So they keep all of the bugs out of the house and away from your dolls. And your mother and grandmother's cooking.

Rune and Jek: *listening attentively*

Rousen: *what's left of his food has been forgotten on his plate*

Sulwyn: No... They have to stay away from here.

Iola: Don't they have anything like it where you live?

Aderyn: It is as abundant as any crop can be. Not all stalks produce as well as others and there are always birds and insects with which to contend.

Lyneth: *nods*

Tristram: *a grin flickers across his face again, but he keeps to the story's mood* The land on which they worked and lived belonged to a higher family. Hunting there would have been theft and they could have been turned out, or worse... So the first Scalestride kept snares in the swamp, hoping that he might catch a rabbit or two. Perhaps he could catch a goose on the unstable islands or draw fish from the dark waters. If nothing else, they might draw out frogs as the beggars would. He was cautious as he set his poor traps at the very edge of the swamp, fearing that if he ventured too far, as well he was right to fear, he may be lost to his family when they most needed him...

Orrun: Ahh. So they won't frighten the scalebacks?

Hakor: I don't know... *examines what's left of his* I've never seen anything like it in the market... but maybe they exist somewhere else...

Kedmir: *nods* How long does it take for them to grow and ripen?

Tilmere: *smiles* What does your brother do with them?

Rousen: *goes o.o as he listens*

Rune: *listening intently*

Jek: *gazing at his now empty plate, listening*

Sulwyn: No, they eat the swine and the sheep. -_-

Iola: We have them caught in the streams. There are much more in Cascata and they're bigger there.

Aderyn: A full growing season, but they keep well through the winter when the animals need feed.

Lyneth: Jus' talks to them.

Tristram: He set snares well and caught thin pheasants and ducks, and small rabbits. His family was still hungry, but better off than they were before. He kept his work in the fields with his father, but he learned some from the fowler and warrener, and soon spoke to a foreign trapper, a man from farther north who taught him to catch animals even larger than rabbits and ducks. He set his traps every morning and evening, working all day so that he could not check them until evening...

Orrun: Ahhh. Have you a lot of sheep and swine?

Hakor: Where is Cascata?

Kedmir: *nods* Is there a particular way to harvest them?

Tilmere: Does he? He must tell them how charming you are.

Rune: *listens*

Rousen: *watching Tristram* o.o

Sulwyn: Ie! All the fields and pens full.

Iola: South along the Cubbadryt. It's where the falls are.

Aderyn: No more than any other fruit of the field, I suppose.

Lyneth: *shakes her head* They're horrid. o.o

Tristram: Well, one evening, as he picked he way cautiously over the treacherous islands-

Yestin: *loudly clears his throat* Father, you bore them with this tale. It has been told a hundred times.

Tristam: -... Yes, I suppose you are right. I apologize. *eats his food casually*

Orrun: *grins* That must be quite a lot. Do you help take care of them?

Hakor: Have you been there?

Kedmir: *nods* What is your favorite place to ride in?

Tilmere: Ahhh. *glances at Rune slyly* My brother's dog can often be the same way. Mischievous creature he can be.

Rousen: *looks a tad disappointed*

Rune: *smiles* It is good it is remembered after so long. Tales of your legacy should always be remembered. *nods to Yestin* But it keeps the family history alive for the generation after.

Jek: *blinks* ....where is Tesmir?

Sulwyn: *shakes her head* We hire men for that work.

Iola: No... I've only been to Gersho, and not often. I will when I'm older, and when I'm as much grown as Aderyn, Ta might show me another town.

Aderyn: *watches her father with a grin* Oh, anywhere. The fields are marvelous for a race, but my brother and I are always discovering new places. We went to the sea once.

Lyneth: Ci. :3

*Yestin and Tristram exchange amused looks and act casual*

Orrun: Ahh. What do you think of the creatures?

Hakor: What is the first thing you want to do there?

Kedmir: What did you think of it? The sea?

Tilmere: *glaces a Tesmir's empty seat* *looks at Iola, a little confused* Ci?

Rousen: :< *looks up* Can you tell me more? Please?

Sulwyn: The sheep are wooly and the hogs are muddy.

Iola: First, I must see the cascades, then see all the things Ta will trade, and then I must buy a dress and go to the party as Ta's lady and dance with the people, then I must go in a boat and see the river. *nods knowingly*

Aderyn: :3 Oh, remarkable. I have never seen nor smelled such waters.

Lyneth: *nods* They're nice.

Tristram: Oh, it's only an old story...

Aderyn: Tell him, Ta.

Orrun: That they are. And.... your favorites are the muddy ones.

Hakor: You will be a busy young lady. High in connections and and with a good man by your side.

Kedmir: *grins* What do you like best about it?

Tilmere: *smiles and nods* Ci are dogs?

Rousen: *looks almost frantic to change his mind* Please?

Sulwyn: Nooo. You like the muddy ones!

Iola: Aye. My Ta.

Aderyn: The wind. Have you seen the sea?

Lyneth: *nods*

Tristram: Oh, very well. He made his way through the shifting land to check his traps... but in one of them...

Orrun: I like the muddy ones? I thought for sure you liked them! *thinks* No, I'm sure you liked the muddy ones. I like the wooly ones.

Hakor: But of course. A lady of such high standing could have no better.

Kedmir: *grins* I've seen the ocean. We used to live right by it when we were children.

Tilmere: *smiles* Have you any dogs here?

Rousen: o.o *listens attentively*

Rune: *chuckles at Rousen and listens again*

Sulwyn: Noo. You like the mud!

Iola: Aye.

Aderyn: Truly? The ocean and not the sea?

Lyneth: *nods* Ie.

Tistram: *speaks a little more quietly* What did he find but a young eguiterma with its leg snared and torn? He could hardly move from fright and shock of the magnificent creature said to be the mount of the strange folk.

Orrun: I like the mud? I don't believe it, I thought you did! How could I have been wrong? O.O

Hakor: I suspect you will make all the girls quite jealous of you. How far is this town from here?

Kedmir: *nods* Our parents would take us to the waterside sometimes. Tilmere has even taken Tesmir and the twins once.

Tilmere: *confused* Pardon?

Rousen: O_O

Rune: *listens, eyes somewhat unfocused on his plate*

Sulwyn: You're wrong!

Iola: Father says thirty miles. If you follow the coast of the Cubbaryt, you come to Dialla, then Jabil on the river, then you cross into Zuna and come to Cascata. Jabil is a bigger city for trade because people come up the river and from Cascata and Dialla and all over, but Cascata is big too, and Tada says it is more beautiful.

Aderyn: *nods eagerly* What is it like?

Lyneth: *hunches her shoulders shyly*

Tristram: When he could think again, he counted himself lucky that he had caught it in his trap. A creature this size had not been seen before then. So, he crept closer, slowly and quietly... He was a big man, even when hungry, so it was not hard for him... when he came closer... To strike it on the head with his hunting club and knock it to the ground!

Orrun: It appears I am... o.o You're rather clever, you know?

Hakor: It sounds beautiful. :3 Perhaps some day you can show me? When you have toured the land with your father, of course.

Kedmir: *smiles* It looks so much bigger than the land... stretching on for miles right up to where the sky seems to touch the ground. The waves crash and foam on the sand, and the water is too salty to drink.

Tilmere: *looks at Blodwyn for interpretation*

Rousen: *jumps at this development* Strike it? But--

Rune: Hush.

Sulwyn: *nodnodnod*

Iola: You could go and see it already. I have to wait a full four years before I can go... You're old enough to go and see it now. *smiles but looks a bit jealous*

Aderyn: The sea is the same... though I have heard that it is smaller.

Blodwyn: *strokes back Lyneth's hair* Go on, little Lyn. Sit up. Speak clearly.

Lyneth: Ie. We keep a few dogs.

Tristram: *gets a storyteller's grin* Aye, a creature like that was nigh unheard of. How much might it help his family if a wealthy man took a liking it's skin, claws, or head for a trophy? So he struck a firm blow and the animal crumpled to the ground.

Orrun: *smiles confidentially* I have heard, that in a land very far away, they raise wooly ones, and sometimes, children try to ride them.

Hakor: Perhaps, but I could get terribly lost... and me going with your father wouldn't look nearly as charming as you with him.

Kedmir: Oh? I don't know if we have any seas... lots of ocean, but no sea.

Tilmere: Ahh. Do you have a favorite?

Rousen:

Rune: *watches Tristram*

Sulwyn: Why are they riding the woolly ones? They're little!

Iola: You could still go on your own. Trevelian and Aderyn go out all of the time.

Aderyn: Indeed? You must be far nearer to the coast than we.

Iola: *shakes her head* They are all very nice.

Tristram: He left his other traps and dragged the beast back to his home. What a shock and a thrill his family had to see his prize! Not even a knight had faced such a creature! An honor indeed. But even more a shock when the beast awakes before their eyes!

Orrin: Aye, but these woolly ones are a bit bigger, I hear. Only the very littlest can ride them without squishing them.

Hakor: They do? It must be fun hearing their stories.

Kedmir: *nods* Murke is about a day's ride from the coast. But I haven't been in years.

Tilmere: I'm sure. They probably help your father protect you, don't they?

Rousen: :3 :3 --

Rune: *a grin slowly grows wide*

Sulwyn: But the scalebacks are for riding because the sheeps are too small. You squish the little sheeps.

Iola: Oh yes. They have so many adventures.

Aderyn: And only a days ride? I don't think I could be kept from it at such an easy distance.

Lyneth: *shakes her head again* The dogs protect the sheep and the hogs at night. Some of them are for hunting.

Tristram: Now Great-Grandfather Scalestride hasn't the heart to kill the beast again. Not when it is tied so that it can hardly move. A noble soul... Such blood was passed to my first daughter.

Aderyn: *turns a pleased shade of pink and looks a bit shy*

Tristram: He leaves it bound to three trees-oh, he was lucky it was young-and uses strong cord with metal when it tries to gnaw the ropes.

Orrun: Yes, I would squish the little ones. o.o But the scalebacks are strong. They could squish me!

Hakor: *grins* Soon you'll join them.

Kedmir: I wouldn't either, if not for work. We took the twins and Tesmir there once, long ago. They didn't remember the ocean well.... but the way their eyes lit up to see it. :3

Tilmere: Ahh. Do they have names?

Rousen: Cord with metal--

Rune: Shh.

Rousen: o.o :3