The Walled Cities

Chapter 33

Kaelyn was near her wits end, and I did not blame her. A month of snow had passed, bringing Winter into full swing. With this snow we were doing less and less outside that was not necessary. Since it was cold all the time, we continued as we had before, spending each night in the bed and under all the blankets. Despite having accepted it as reality, I would be more than happy when Spring came.

Spring also meant more food. It had been a month since I returned from my trip to get the Frost Flower, and as I had predicted, food was getting harder to find. Most of the food we had stored from Fall was gone, we were down to small mammals and birds that my traps had caught. Today we were making the rounds along the trap lines to see if there was any animals caught. Anything would go a long way to feeding us.

Crunch! Crunch!

Snow and a thin layer of ice covering the snow, cracked and was compacted as we walked along the river bank. Since they were closer were had decided to check the fish traps. There was a slim chance that they held any fish, but we needed every piece of food we could get.

"Its so cold. I hope we get something today, I would enjoy the extra warmth," Kaelyn exclaimed.

Grunting in acknowledgement, I studied the stream looking for the stakes that held to fish baskets in place beneath the icy surface. It was not hard to find them against white backdrop of the ice and snow. Wary of the ice as it was difficult to tell if it would hold me, I directed, "Kaelyn, hold the harpoon until I get out over the spot. If I go in you can stick it towards md and I can use it to pull myself out."

"How about you just not fall in."

Faintly smiling at her reply, I edged out onto the ice. It did not make more than a single creak as I shuffled to the poles. Since I had made it, Kaelyn handed me the harpoon and I got to work, chipping through the ice.

We repeated this process at both of the fish baskets, yet they had nothing for us. This meant it was time to check the trap lines and maybe hunt any hares that were wandering about. Unfortunately the rifle we had could bot help us, as it was a deer rifle. Used against rabbits, the bullets would leave nothing for us to eat.

Just as we were about to start along the trapline, a hare broke from the cover of some willows. Flying into action I pulled out and threw a curves thick branch. The hare caught unawares stopped moving as the rabbit stick broke its foot. Not wanting it to get away I ran up to it. Grabbing it by the head, I quickly wrung its neck.

Despite her earlier comment I turned around to make sure Kaelyn was alright. Three years age difference did not mean that she could not act like a teenager when it came to death. I did not hold her feelings against her, and watched her for a few minutes to make sure she was alright. The kill had not been a clean one and I knew she heard the snap that the spine had made when I broke it.

Had it been helpful I would have apologized, despite it being the way things were. Kaelyn was trying her best to learn, and Winter was the hardest time to not only learn skills,  but accept how life worked out here. I was proud of her for how much she already knew, and killing was not something that was easy. One day she would be able to do what I did, but until then I did not mind doing the killing and the cleaning.

With the hare stuffed in a bag, we started along the trapline. There were twenty or so traps now spread out in lines and circles along camp. They took a good few hours the check but it was better than sitting in the hut.

Since I was no longer actively hunting after killing the hare, I asked, "What did you use to do at this time of year? For me I would be checking traplines around the house, entertaining the kids, and working on various projects. Cassie liked make and mend clothes during the snowstorms thar would come."

Looking at me for a second then returning her gaze to the trail, she replied, "There was little trade in the Winter, so dad spent a lot of time at home. Mom and I usually worked on clothing that we were making from furs or other material. They liked to teach me about the world, especially dad."

"Sounds like se both were doing the same things, even of we were of different cultures and raising."

My steps faltered as I stared at the creature in the first trap. Kaelyn stopped next to me and after noticing the glass eye look that the creature had, signaling that it was dead, she asked, "What is it?"

"Lynx. Food fur, sharp claws and fangs. Hunts hares and other small creatures that venture out into the snow," I replied, in shock. Getting a Lynx was a stroke of luck. The hide would make a beautiful yet warm cloak that I so desperately wanted Kaelyn to have. I could make do with being a little cold, as I knew my limits and had been in worse situations before.

Being a carnivore and a scavenger the Lynx's meat was not something I would consider eating. Yet it would serve as bait for other predators that roamed the woods, which brought the possibility of catching something else that could be turned into warm clothing. Besides whatever we did not need we could simply sell when Spring came.

Using gloved hands to remove the carcass from the trap, I decided now would be a good time to educate Kaelyn on traps. "The noose is used to cat h the animal, either around a limb or preferably around the neck. This keeps it from being able to get away or chew off its limb or through the snare itself."

The lesson continued as we after slinging the great cat over my shoulder, moved on down the trapline. Most of them were empty, but I still explained to Kaelyn there uses and designs. They were fairly simple in design as I did not have much in the way of professional traps, but still they were effective. Twice I removed hares from nooses that were attached to saplings. "Saplings are springy and when the trap is sprung the fling the animal up into the air while it is attached to the noose. The prey then dangles from the trap, out of reach for most predators that would take the easy food. This keeps foxes, badgers, bobcats, lynxes, and weasels on the ground where our traps might catch them."

By the time we had finished the trek, we had three hares, the lynx, a white fox, and three weasels. Kaelyn had brought up the fact that she could make a nice cloak out of the Lynx and line the collar with the Weasels. The Fox she determined would male a nice hat. All the while I had nodded, content that she had been willing to offer rather than have me ask. She had even gone as far as to ask If she could watch me clean the furs, a process that she had heard of but never seen.

Confident that we were strengthening our bond as trade partners, my eyes twinkled slightly for the rest of the day.