46 I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger (1/2)
Snow continued to fall for weeks with no end in sight, burying the town and its inhabitants. But the goblins continued living between the grey sky and pure white ground. Smoke and his followers struggled to finish their reconstruction, but they kept doing their work while hip-deep in snow.
After one month, the snow finally seized its assault against the tribe, and Smoke finished rebuilding the town. They left the buildings to its tenants and returned to their post, guarding the tribe against the threats looming to the east. Once they reached the wall, Smoke divided them into two groups, those that stand guard on the wall and those that will venture into the forest.
Smoke stood on top of the wall and looked at the forest. He could see hunting parties return with rabbits, foxes, muskrats, and deers, and some with nothing. The snow made it harder for them to hunt, but because of it, more deers were migrating from the mountains to the valley. The hunting became difficult, but there was room for mistakes.
The goblins surrounding the gate took the animals and cut the bellies and removed the internal organs. They collected the blood in buckets and passed it around. Goblins took turns drinking the warm iron riched blood.
One of the goblins filled a cup with rabbit blood and climbed up the wall. He offered the cup to Smoke, who was standing vigilantly on wall. ”Thank you Spat,” Smoke accepted the offering and drank it with satisfaction.
”Master Smoke, me ask chief thing but me scared. Me ask Master Smoke ok?” Spat twirled his long blond hair on his pinky.
”What is it you want to ask?”
”Me want know why Chief make goblins run?”
”Run?” Smoke put his fingers on his chin, ”well its to train your endurance and stamina. The longer you can run the higher your stamina gets.”
”Really? Me think goblins born strong, that it.”
Smoke saw in the distance Stick and Rock running ahead of their followers. ”Look over there Spat. Do you see Stick?”
”Yes, me see Master Stick.”
”He was the runt of the litter. He was so weak that when he tried to claw his way on our first deer, his nails bent and broke. You will probably be much stronger than he was if both of you were at the same age. Now look at him and watch how he is ahead of the pack, second only to Rock. ”
Spat stared at the two at awe. He could not believe Master Stick, the one who held back the Former Chief and stood up against the troll along with the current Chief, was born a weakling. ”Master Smoke, you think Spat gets strong too.”
”Of course.” Smoke smiled.
”Master Smoke!” A goblin yelled at the bottom of the wall. Smoke walked over and looked down at the goblin.
”What is it?”
”Hunters come back. Say found boy slave.”
Smoke climbed down the wall and walked to the gate to meet up with the hunting party. The leader of the party was Shuja. She was standing at the concession arguing with a guard. Smoke had the two separated and asked them why they were making a commotion.
”Master Smoke, she no bring boy slave. Maybe she lie.”
”Shuja, no lie. Shuja saw slave boy. But Shuja can't bring slave boy because slave boy dead.”
”Where did you find him?” Smoke asked.