Foundation

Bard grunted as he lifted the wood beam into place. He watched it slide into its final spot before pounding in the wooden peg he had made specifically for this. Kai came up behind him, and he smiled as he saw the wolf wag his tail excitedly. They were nearing the end of this laborious project. Kai had made himself useful by dragging materials over here, a feat that Bard greatly appreciated. Sen worked in the forest finding trees that wanted to be used to craft things, instead of living a life as a tree. Most were older trees that had seen many things come and go and were ready to rest. But he was surprised at the young trees who didn’t want to become old and tough like the elder trees. They made excellent greenwood, perfect for chopping and molding into some of the more ambitious projects. And with the odd sun stones that Ruegar had found, the wood dried faster than normal.

His feet touched the ground, and he eagerly approached Kai to see what today’s haul was like and saw the logs that were strapped behind him along with a bundle of rocks on top.

He grinned and then petted the wolf’s head.

“Nice haul, Kai. This is perfect.” He said before moving around and unstrapping him. “You’ve worked hard, take a break or go play for a while. I’ll take it from here.” Bard watched him bound off with more enthusiasm and laughed.

Most of the problems were reduced. Many stepped up to help build housing and other critical buildings for this village. Though, there were arguments about what to build first. Since Bard had a place to sleep, he opted to building the homes of others first. This one, however, would become their home, assuming no one else came along to join Sal Shefa.

He was grateful that Elwood and Elvira knew so much about managing people and their problems. He let them handle the complex issues while he decided on a path forward for the place as a whole. This really was taking on the appearance of a small city.

He dragged himself from his musings as the crisp autumn breeze reminded him to finish sooner rather than later. Other catfolk above asked about the timber, and he shared what details he could find. Some came down from the rafters and examined it, praising his ability to learn. After building thirty of these the past couple of months, he was getting familiar. It was like craft had said. Many hands did make light work, but there was an urgency to finish quickly and finish it with some level of quality. The frame needed to be strong, but the finishings could be relaxed for speed. Next summer would see them doing more with stone work along with details. For now, they needed places for people to stay.

“Hi Bard,” Sen said as she came over. She held some water in a container. Bard graciously drank it.

“So… what do you think?” she asked, twirling around. Bard looked her up and down. She had a new dress on, one with a large apron with added pockets. Atop her head was a wrap to keep her hair under control a bit more.

“You look lovely,” he said as he leaned down for a kiss. Sen chuckled as she turned about once more.

“I see the house is coming along,” she said as she appraised the construction. “I’m glad those trees are being used for what they want.”

“Agreed. It was kind of them to offer themselves like that,” he commented.

“Don’t get too distracted, Bard!” a catfolk shouted down at him.

“Right. I’ll be there soon,” he said. “Sorry.”

“No. Don’t be. This will be our house after all,” she said with a hint of enthusiasm.

“You sure seem dead-set on that. What if someone else comes from another village.”

“Then they can wait,” Sen said firmly. “We’ve put it off for a year now and I want this one. It’s close to the forest, so Grandfather said he would set up his tree nearby.” Her little stamp of her foot made Bard chuckle. She was dead set on it this time.

“Alright, if that’s what you want,” he said as he gave her a quick hug. “I’ll see you later then,” he hummed, and she left after a second hug.

Bard rejoined the catfolk and humans who were constructing his home. They worked hard and long, finishing up for the day when the women below brought food for dinner. Other men who had been working hard came and joined them. It was a gathering feast, though most of the food was simple and comforting.

Bard found it humbling to see so many working together like this. He truly felt blessed. With the catfolk being willing and Ruegar leading the expeditions, they had procured more sunstones for light and heat, meaning this place really lit up at night. However, it meant the stars were hard to see and sometimes, it was hard to sleep. But Bard preferred these issues over the shades. Come winter, the last few Elders would join who were willing and build a song to keep the others who seemed impervious to the light unable to enter.

His attention was diverted when Sen helped some children with their food. He noted how attentive she was and engaged with them. If not for Father’s words, they would have started their family. However, he was grateful they were waiting for a bit. He stared back at the house. “Just a bit longer,” he muttered. Sen came over to him, and he guided her back to their temporary place, enjoying talking with her about what the future held in store for them.

A messenger came and interrupted them, causing Bard to be a bit upset, but this was going to be a bit more normal in his life. At least, he wished not, but being a leader meant that he would be needed more often.

The messenger passed on that the catfolk had completed their rounds and more folks had arrived to join this growing movement and location. Bard sighed. How timely that Sen had asked for this place, now he had even more work to build for. At least, he wasn’t on the road as much anymore. The catfolk being the natural diplomats and informants, were leading out and letting others know about this place.

He felt a dredge of fatigue wash over him and fought against it. He would rather be focused on building. But he was expected to meet with the refugees and make decisions. Thankfully he had been mindlessly working for most of the day, so that part of him hadn’t been worn down, but he seriously hoped that they had a chair and that the group was small.

Sen gave him a quick kiss while she hugged him from behind.

“You’ve got this. I know you can do it,” she encouraged. “And, I’m proud of you,” she whispered. Bard paused and closed his eyes, enjoying her embrace. He felt grateful for her in these situations, it made moments like this a bit more bearable. He excused the messenger and gave Sen a proper hug before leaving.

The sight that met his eyes made him want to return back to where Sen would be waiting. There were so many people, and even a few dryads who were bickering and picking fights with the humans, who just looked like they wanted a bit of relief.

He approached, and the catfolk bowed, sparking some outrage from the dryads, so he addressed them first.

With fluent Asternum he called them out of the throng. The humans were shocked, just as much as the dryads.

“Welcome, to Sal Shefa. My name is Bard, and I am the chief of this place,” he repeated to the humans. He noticed that Elvira and Amir were coming over, and some of Amir’s guards were bringing chairs of sorts for them. Bard inwardly sighed as he directed the throng to the side, allowing the workers to keep moving around unimpeded. Some were working on the wall and the busy atmosphere was impressive, but not conducive for the next discussion. With the catfolk’s encouragement, the throng was guided towards the lake, where Elvira and Amir were waiting.

At seeing the two bow to him, the crowd became more or less agreeable to his claim of chieftainship, even if some were a bit hostile to the notion. Bard was a bit jealous of Amir and Elvira. He was the figure that people could point to their problems. Amir could argue he is the voice for the dryads and the same for Elvira in regards to the humans, but he… he was becoming more ingrained in the middle and some of the newcomers were not opposed to voicing it.

They did simmer down a bit with some sharp words from the locals, but that was only a bandage on a larger wound that would need addressing. Some of that could be done with the Elders, but otherwise, it would need time to be worked through.

Days began to pass, and Bard worked on redrawing the map of the village, realizing the initial plan hadn’t accounted for so many to come in. Thankfully, some residents were taking in these newcomers, but there was a growing amount that were being put in similar tents like the catfolk and their voices and complaints were becoming louder. At the same time, Bard was working to get them to work and help in the construction and food preparation. With more mouths to feed, hunger would turn them into enemies before the houses could.

As he poured over the challenges, Amir came over and sat across him.

“Need some help?” he asked and Bard was a bit startled but sunk in his seat with a weary smile. “That bad?” Amir shook his head as if chiding Bard. He was aware of some of the challenges, but as Bard showed him the map, even his brows furrowed.

“There is a way to address some of these issues,” Amir said at length. Bard sat up a little more, hopeful to hear an answer he hadn’t thought of yet.

“The ones who refuse to work don’t have to stay in our walls,” he said, and Bard gritted his teeth.

“How is that an answer? They could just revolt or cause havoc on those coming in and out.”

“And they aren’t doing that already within our walls?” Amir scolded. Bard bit his lips. “You have a responsibility to the people who came here in unity and wanted you as chief. Those that came here because of oppression and fear of the shades, are welcome, but not all want to participate in what we are creating here.” His gaze went outwards and Bard looked out at the construction and the cooperation he saw among the residents. “They do not have to stay. We are not equipped to have a burden, and they could sabotage our efforts to protect ourselves from the shades and any hostiles. You may not see it now, but some fled from people who wanted them like slaves, even among the dryads. They are carrying a burden that we must ask if we can handle. Are we able to protect them? Should we?”

“Of course we should,” Bard countered. Amir looked at him with a wan, knowing smile. “These same people don’t work unless forced, and they just want to be taken care of. Even now, they press themselves onto people’s homes and are where they are not welcome. Some have taken to destroying some of the woods and some exploring the caves.”

“But we haven’t finished securing those,” Bard shot up. “And the forest is a sacred place for-” he stopped, realization dawning. He threw his head back and then closed his eyes, returning to his seat.

“We don’t want more shades, but these problems are also a threat to the people,” Amir said.

“He’s right,” Ruegar said, coming over. His Asternum fluent and flowing, unlike his human tongue. There was still the accent, but it was so diminished in comparison, he started to speak more and more Asternum, encouraging the other humans to join him. “Just scared off some stupid folks who thought that they could steal some sunstones in the caves. Stupid.”

“They are stealing?” Bard groaned.

“We will need to establish rules and consequences for those who break the rules.” Amir pointed out. So far, they had been able to get along because there was a common sense direction they followed, a cohesiveness that was surely dissolving as their numbers grew.

“Fine. But I want more than just us to discuss this. We should find out what everyone has been dealing with that they feel isn’t good or helpful and then draft up rules based on that and get everyone’s feedback… it’s what protection mentioned is a sound way to get people on board with a way of life… though I… sorry. I didn’t think about it in this way,” Bard apologized.

“That’s our Elder,” Ruegar said as he slapped Bard’s back with enthusiasm. Amir smirked as Bard lurched, wondering how such a small man could wield so much force. “You’re smart, and had the best instruction out of all us. We’ve got several elders here, but you got a bit of all of them.” Ruegar laughed as he left, clearly amused. Amir summoned guards and messengers to begin to get the residents feel, as well as the catfolk traders who would interact with them.

The ideas were many and several were recorded. Bard only hoped they could come to a decent consensus before someone got hurt.