Kennels and Goodbyes

I didn't realize how thin I was stretching myself after building the healer house for my dearest of friends, Karen. When I went to build the kennels for Jennifer, I did not plan properly. The area I had originally selected for the project did not have the orientation or space I needed. I began building and tore down several structures behind the healer house. It just didn't feel right. I was in the middle of trying to re-build the kennels once again, when I fell off the one story structure. I sprained my ankle, but it could have been a lot worse. Karen ordered me to rest for a few days. After that, I grabbed my building tools and supplies. I wanted to get right back to my project. I felt it was of utmost importance. Karen caught me before I could so much as remove one wooden plank from the building I had started a few days before. I was on “light duty” for the next few weeks. She had the whole town watching me after that. I realized I must really have been getting better because I didn't mind the hours upon hours jobless and allowed to wallow in my dark thoughts. I had never been so bored and yet so restless as those few weeks of light duty. They allowed me to walk around the town, to plant flowers and the remove some weeds, but I was encouraged to sit down and talk to the women of the town (preferably with my leg prompt up and a cool beverage in my hand). After two long weeks of socializing me, Karen finally relented. I suspected that it wasn't just my ankle she was worried about. I think she wanted me to get to know others, to let them into my life, and I had given her the perfect opportunity.

One of the best things that came from being on light duty? I figured out the perfect plot of land for the kennels. I redesigned my overly extravagant and large plans, and I knew what I had in mind would be perfect for Jennifer's needs. The new plans brought me some happiness, but I would not be content until my project had been completed. I thought about the benefits of having a kennel close to the houses. The dogs that Jennifer cared for could act as an warning system. They sleep at night, so they would only bark if something were to threaten the area. Jennifer would like the kennel pretty close to home anyway. I cleared the area once I had been given town approval, and I finally started building with a clear vision. I used a lighter wood for the kennel because we had an over abundance of birch. The town had decided that the main buildings and homes of the town should be of the same wood, and the most prominent tree around was oak. Christopher was used to building with this type of wood as well, and the lumber jack we had attracted felt oak was the best quality. I readily agreed with this, but I wanted the kennels to feel more open and airy. With only the front of the kennel being open, it would be easier to get enough light in there without causing danger to the animals or putting in unnecessary windows. Jennifer liked the lighter wood and readily agreed with my choice.

I knew that I wasn't a master builder, especially after this endeavor, but I felt that it was functional if not beautiful. I got a little creative with some fences, but I liked it. Inside there was 3 main fenced in areas. One area was for the sick or injured animals. Another area was for the expectant and new mothers, and the last area was for any animal (mainly dogs would be using this kennel) that wanted a place to sleep or rest in a shaded and cool place. I made sure there was a place for fresh water, and I put in a chest that Jennifer could keep stocked with anything she might need or want for the animals. I wasn't as proud of it as I was the healer house, but I thought it would fit with exactly what Jennifer wanted.

After I finished the building, Jennifer went through it, and she seemed pleased. I felt like I had done a good job, and it was such a nice feeling that I wanted to keep doing special projects for the people of our town. I moved some of the wheat fields behind the healer house. I had planted the additional wheat originally by Steven's farm. It was awkward and everyone had to be careful walking through that area. Steven didn't mind where the wheat was planted, but he seemed to be pleased with the plot of land I tilled behind Karen's building. Karen thought it gave the view out of the back window a nice comforting view. I couldn't have been happier with it.

There was one sad thing that I noticed when I was on light duty. Our original lumber jack had decided to leave the town. He and his wife received a letter from some distant family with many woes. They had done some heavy thinking on the matter, and while they loved our town, they could not let their family suffer if they had the ability to ease the hardship. We wished William B. Williams and his wife a tearful farewell. I made sure they had plenty of bread and apples for their journey, and the other townsfolk sent them off with similar gifts. Karen hugged them both, cried while saying goodbye, and kept telling them to be safe. Jennifer was somber and held Christopher's strong hand. Luckily, one of the new men in town was a lumber jack.

William worked with him a little before he left, and he assured us that Charles E. Harris was good at his job and nice fellow. I wasn't sure how I felt about the Williams family leaving so soon after arriving here, but mostly, I felt relieved that someone was there to take up the job immediately. I did feel a little sad because I liked William B. Williams. His name always made me smile, and I would miss saying hello. Was this a bad omen that some of our settlers were already packing up and leaving? I hoped not, and I held onto that hope. After all, Karen, Steven, Jennifer and Christopher were still my family and still there with me.  

Meet The Family

I was getting better, pulling myself out of the abyss of guilt to taste the sweetness of life once again. Here was my chance at a new life, one where I could earn my place and prove myself. I was determined that nothing would be handed to me, that I would feed, clothe, and house myself. I would also protect this town and its people with my life. They were my family now, and I wanted to earn their respect.

Karen and I became like sisters, and I discovered that part of the reason she took pity on me was because of her mom. She had to watch as her mother faded away, staring off into space in some delusional dream. When she saw that I was slipping away, it twisted her heart. She wanted to prevent anyone else from her mother's fate. Karen liked taking care of others, and she was good at it. The 5 of us, from the old town, agreed that woman should take a more prominent role in the community. Karen would be our healer. Jennifer wanted to take care of the animals. I was still trying to figure out what my skills really were, but in the meantime, Karen declared us sisters. Jennifer was a littler cooler towards me, but she was mostly cool towards everyone and everything except animals. 

That was how I knew Jennifer thought of me as family. She had befriended some of the wild dogs. They loved her immediately, and I had never seen Jennifer more happy. Her dogs had a litter of pups, and she gave me Shadow,  my very first pet. I loved Shadow from the moment I held him in my arms, and he was my constant companion. Somehow, Jennifer knew that Shadow would help me heal faster than anything else. My pup was fiercely protective of me, just as protective as I was of him. 

The town thrived as more travelers came and decided to stay. They were polite, mostly, if a little uptight. They were welcome distractions from our grief. Soon, our little town was being built and plots of land marked out for future development.

Steven became our farmer. He was good at it, and hope for a future here grew in all of us. Steven was happy in his role, and he finally caught Karen's attention. Karen's betrothed had stayed behind, so she was free of the burden of an arranged marriage. Steven had always admired her. He reminded Karen of her father in the best of ways, and she realized that happiness could be found in love.

Christopher became our builder. He loved working with his hands. He was happy to plan and build the town hall, the houses and the businesses. He was quiet and strong, and it was no surprise that Jennifer, loner that she was, fell for him. I was happy that love had sprung up again. 

I was still learning the newcomers names at this point, but I was beginning to feel like we could all be happy again. My heart lifted, but I kept it under tight control. There were still many dangers that could threaten our growing family. I was determined to make sure that our hope and happiness were not in vain. I would fight for this new life. I would fight and win.

~Fiona

The Beginning

My story started out as one of tragedy and disaster. My mother had started a small town with big hopes before I was born. The settlers who came to inhabit the town depended on her for everything at first. It took awhile, but the town started to be self-sufficient. My mother finally got a tiny bit of breathing room then... enough to start a family. I was born in my family's home, a big farm house with lots of room and a wonderful kitchen. My earliest memories are of wanting to help my mom cook. We loved to make cakes together. I grew up under the care of my mom and the other women of the town, but when I was 10, my mom went out to deal with something that was threatening our town. She never came back. After that, the town voted to have one of the upper class citizens take over managing the town until I was of age. The day I turned 16, I was to take my mother's place, but that never happened. The week of my 16^th birthday, I was on duty as the defender of our town. I inherited my armor from my mom, and it was the best. I wasn't scared of the creatures of the night anymore, but fear and caution would have saved many more lives.

They came out of nowhere, silent and deadly. We had dealt with creepers before but never anything like this. There were at least ten of them that converged on the town. I had just enough time to shout a warning before it happened. Creepers, the kamikazes of chaos and unholiness, destroyed my town beyond all repair. Some of the older kids and teenagers like me were the only ones able to get away fast enough. We looked around at the devastation, the smoking ruins of our homes, businesses and town hall, and we could not process the loss. No one called out for parents who would not answer. We were all familiar with the dangers of our world even if this was unthinkable. For a few weeks, the survivors camped on the beach a short way from the former town. None of us knew what to do or where to go. Some of the teenagers wanted to rebuild where the town had once stood. Some wanted to journey far away, never to return to this cursed place marked by pain and grief. At first, they wanted to look towards me to make the decision, to be the leader I was days away from becoming. They soon came to understand that I was locked away in a prison of despair and guilt. I had been on watch. I had failed to protect my beloved town. How could I lead anyone? The group split into groups of those wanting to stay and those wanting to leave. I was still lost inside myself when one of the other girls my age took me under her wing. She was leaving the past behind, and she was taking me with her.

Her name was Karen Robinson. She was the daughter of our first farmer, Christopher Robinson. He was the one chosen to run the town when my mother died. He was wise but spoke little. The people made him a noble. His wife died not long after my mom disappeared. She was shot by a poisoned arrow and suffered from delusions. The poor woman became a recluse. She stopped eating and withered away. I always admired the way Mr. Robinson dealt with the loss, unafraid to cry for her, but glad she finally had peace. He was forced to marry another soon after to help take care of Karen. Her step-mother helped take care of me as well. Karen and I weren't friends exactly. I was being groomed to run the town while Karen was being taught the duties of being a good wife. She was to be married right after her 16^th birthday. Our society encouraged arranged marriages. Most women were treated a step above livestock, but in my life up to that point, I had not thought of how different I was from the rest of the townswomen. It was extraordinary, when I thought of all of this much later, that Karen befriended me and took care of me when I could not take care of myself.

We finally broke camp after decisions and provisions had been made. 5 of the survivors were staying to try and rebuild the town. It was decided not to build over the ruins but to move the town into the forest beside our former home. The rest of us, Christopher Smith, Jennifer Williams, Steven Harris, Karen Robinson and myself, were setting sail after careful preparation to find a new home. We said tearful goodbyes, and put the past at our backs, sailing into the sunset.

Months of wandering, fishing, searching, healing, and sailing passed. Everywhere we stopped just didn't seem right. Some places were strikingly similar to home. We couldn't even stay for an hour before wanting to continue the search. Some lands were much too flat with nothing to see. Desert, snow, flat lands, mountains... Nothing seemed like what we needed to start over. Then one day, we anchored near a beach. I went ashore first. I always wanted the possibly dangerous duties. The beach was beautiful with pristine sand, seemingly untouched by any being. Beyond the beach there were some small hills that seemed to guard and boarder the land. Then, I laid eyes on one of the most beautiful forests I had ever seen. Oak and birch grew side by side. A natural, life giving, freshwater lake gleamed through the trees. It seemed like paradise. It felt like the land was welcoming me home. I pushed the emotions aside and looked for dangers. There were several steep drops and caverns filled with the dangers the unknown inevitably brings. Wild pigs, cows and chickens could be seen in the forest. There were wild dogs as well, but they seemed friendly enough. Hope. This land gave me hope. After doing a thorough sweep of the area, I went back to the ship. I didn't know what to tell the others. How could I describe the hope and promise of a future and all the unknown and known dangers? I faced them, and words failed me. Somehow, they knew. They could see it in my face that something was different about this place, that some of my former self was awakening.

Karen, Steven, Jennifer and I went ashore with the first load of our belongings. Christopher stayed on the ship to organize the rest of the possessions and to guard the boat. As soon as they got a better look at the lay of the land, Karen, Steven and Jennifer felt what I had felt. This was home and hope. We unloaded our supplies and began the work of turning this wondrous place into a town of our own. After several weeks, it began to take shape. Other travelers came and decided to stay in our town as well. The hope that sparked inside of me when we arrived continued to grow as I searched for my place among the people. My story started with tragedy, but hope and home have saved me. This is home.

~Fiona