The Walled Cities

Chapter 10

Cleaning the pair of game birds turned out to be easier than I thought. At first Kaelyn wanted nothing to do with the animals that to her looked disgusting and had not needed to die.

Understanding her disgust, I had patiently explained to her what their feathers could be used for, and that we needed the food. Reluctant as the process was a messy one and she still did not agree with my decision, she agreed only if she got first pick of the feathers. Seeing it as the only way to get her help I agreed.

Plucking a bird of its feathers was not hard a hard job, all you had to do was grab the feathers and pull them out. Each pull emitted a soft but audible rip! as the feathers were removed from their homes in the skin of the bird. Some people considered it disgusting and avoided killing birds so that they did not have to hear the sound. I had no problem with the sound and hunted birds at every opportunity.

For her part, Kaelyn kept quiet as she sat next to me pulling feathers out. Despite each determined yank of feathers, I could hear the small noises of discomfort coming from her. Making her uncomfortable was something that I had to get over, as she needed to learn certain skills quickly. 

Once we had removed the feathers from the birds, I allowed Kaelyn to collect all of the ones that she wanted. Brown, black and a softer brown in color, the primary and other flight feathers were in good condition and could be used for various things. Despite being soft and of a quality that would make favorable stuffing, the down and feathers Kaelyn did not collect I left littering the forest floor. There was no need to carry them back to the house, and I had other projects that would require my spare time.

Gutting and otherwise cleaning the birds was harder for Kaelyn but she did it. I was not cruel enough to make her do the cutting or removal of the organs, as she was not ready for that. Instead I explained to her what I was doing as I took care of those steps on my own. Eventually Kaelyn would have to get do it on her own as I was not going to baby her for ever, but for now I did not mind doing the work myself. 

Having cleaned out all the viscera and other inedible parts, along with washing the blood off my hands, I put the two Quail sized birds on a Cedar branch that I broke off a nearby tree. This would not only keep them clean, but also add a slight flavor to them. Cedar smelled nice and this one had been no different as I had put the birds on it.

Needing a fire to cook to birds and for warmth, I quickly removed my fire kit from my jacket pocket and sparked a fire. With the initial fire sparked, I had Kaelyn watch it while I quickly gathered up a few armfuls worth of wood. Here in the forest wood was abundant and it did not take long for me to gather enough to last the night.

Kaelyn had stacked my first two armfuls of wood neatly by the small fire by the time I returned with the third. Her thoughtfulness and work had me smiling on the inside as I gently set down the third and last armload. Small as it was, this gesture showed me that she wanted to help and could think independently and get things done without being told. Such a quality was favorable in a partner and it reassured some of my doubts about taking her along with me.

Returning to the Quail like birds, I skillfully stuck each on a shaved stick for roasting. Seeing how I had a shelter to build, I quickly built a stand for them out of a pair of y shaped sticks. Leaving Kaelyn with instruction to turn them once they turned golden brown, I turned my attentions to shelter for the night.

Without the cold feeling accompanied by the hairs raising on ones body that came just before a storm down here in the valley,  I built a lean too structure. A lean too was a fairly simple structure to build, and required the least amount of material and time. One log was placed about six feet in the air, in the crook of a branch, on two nearby trees. This formed the bar of the roof which branches and other logs were then laid on to for a angled wall. Ferns or grasses could be added to the roof as shingles to prevent leaks. For a floor  green ferns fronds were used to form a rough mat to protect us from the cold ground. I knew it was not much but Kaelyn had kept her comments to herself after that first night in the storm.