| The Good Life |
| Summary: | Ranulfr begins preparations for the winter months. |
| Date: | 1866-09-28 |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | {$npc} |
| Players: |
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The bare fields were a glorious sight, testament to months of hard work and bloody toil. Hands were grazed, knuckled bloodied and the fields were ready for when the next seasons crops would finally be planted. It had been hard work, a family effort and never had the land looked so ready for the colder months. The excess potatoes, wheat and cabbages had all been sent to the various stores. A continuous effort to keep the island fed and alongside those efforts, a good many bunches of dried ice peppers hung from the rafters within Ranulfr's home.
It had been a decent enough harvest, his Jarl would be pleased. Add to that the many jars of honey that had been harvested throughout the year and the plentiful fish that had been caught and dried and Ranulfr Raudi truly felt that he was doing his ancestors proud. The soil was his anchor as it had been his father's and his grandfather's before him.
With his Sif at his side, Ranulfr grinned and watched as his two children ran about the fallow land, his two wolfhounds both chasing and herding the children in a game that clearly had few rules and a great deal of laughter. It was at times like this that raiding seemed a world away.
With nothing but beautiful White hall land as far as the eye could see, it was a world away from all the troubles that seemed to plague everywhere. It was home and though the sea would call again soon, the fiery hearth and the smooth mead did much to keep Ranulfr at his farmstead, preparing the land for the next season, battening down his farmstead for the winter and relishing a good life.
With the two wolfhounds soon running rings about his legs as the children changed tack and sought to herd the hounds, Ranulfr moved with an ease back towards the longhouse in a way that was only slightly hindered by furry dog haunches and snuffling noses, "Come on now, children inside!" The hounds breaking off immediately as Ranulfr sought to check on the beasts that were penned within his land.
The shaggy cows mooed at the arrival of Ranulfr, the oxen rumbled briefly, the chickens clucked and the roosters strutted and settled. The sheep, woolly balls of meat in the making did little but sit against their protective shelter, while the gruff goat did little but leech their warmth. Each and all protected, the elements as yet to truly turn and given Ranulfr's family depended upon each beast as they depended upon him, Ranulfr checked each in turn.
"My thanks Siv." The words offered skywards to the Tuskanuld Goddess of fertility, his gaze lingering on the heavens as they turned ever darker and finally the battle-scarred farmadr scanned the horizon and made his way inside.