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Date Posted: 17:47:11 04/23/02 Tue
Author: Hala
Subject: ..::Awakens::..

Hala rouses herself sleepily, a shaft of light falling on her face from a small hole in the roof. ::I’ll have to fix that…:: Not liking that thought at all, Hala tries to fall back asleep, but the light continues to penetrate her vision. Grumbling angrily, she throws off her deerskin bedcover and snaps her curtains shut. Grabs her hair and lets out a slight squeak of pain. Sits back down on her bed and massages her arm until the feeling comes back. Grabs a rawhide scrap and ties her hair up with it before opening the curtain and grabbing one of the semi-warm pots into her ‘chamber’. Dunks a piece of old cloth in it and gives herself a ‘sponge’ bath after again closing the curtain. Empties the dirty water out a small hole in the wall, reminding herself that she has to fix that one as well, and also go get more water for the now empty pot. More awake after her cleaning, Hala dresses quickly and yawns again, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She steps clumsily out of her chamber and over to the fire ring, looking around, slightly befuddled as to her surroundings. Looks around again with a sudden recognition and smiles, beginning to hum an old child’s song to Mother Earth and Father Sky.

Hala steps out of the house into the bright sun, stretching, luxuriously and cat-like. Ventures out into a small grove of trees a few yards from the house and cocks her head, listening carefully to the sounds of the wildlife. Hears the cluck of one of those egg-laying things*. She didn’t have them where she was from, and they were rare here, but… maybe she should try to domesticate one. Then she could have eggs all the time… No, wild animals should stay in the wild. Sighs and picks her way through the underbrush to where the bird is. Spots it sitting on it’s nest, but with none of the male ones around, the ones that kept waking her up at sunrise. Lets out a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding. Those things were dangerous if you tried to take their eggs. Steps into the small clearing where the bird was sitting and distracts her, holding a large twig (or small branch) in her hand and waving it by the right side of the egg-laying monster. When the thing charges it, Hala quickly counts the eggs. Nine. Well, she probably would miss four, but would be too worried about the other five to attack the egg-stealer. Hala waves the branch around and grabs three of the eggs, slipping one into each pocket. Well, that used up all the pockets, and she needed both of her hands… Grabs the fourth egg and places it gently in the third and largest pocket, hoping it won’t break. Throws the branch several feet away and backs into the trees quietly, beginning the trek back to the house.

Hala steps into the River Otter House and grins. She was still the only one up. Looks around and realizes she has nothing to make the eggs on. Pokes her head back outside and looks around. There. Now she spotted it; an almost perfectly flat rock, about eight by four inches, turned up slightly at the edges. Picks it up, careful not to knock any of the eggs, and puts it down next to the fire. Hastily brushes the dirt, twigs, etc. off of it and takes just a tiny bit of water from the cold pot to scrub it down with, beginning to hum again. The rock, now clean, is placed in the hot coals as near to the fire as Hala dares to reach. She cracks one of the eggs open and spills the stuff inside onto the rock, placing the shells in small leather bag. She’d clean it later. The song ends and she starts into another one, this time about Sec and Dac. After similarly cracking the rest of the eggs and disposing of the shells, Hala begins stirring the contents of the rock gently. Places a finger on a clean part of the surface of the rock, testing the heat. Recoils quickly, and sucks on her hurt finger. How’d it get so hot so fast? Shrugs and continues stirring the eggs until they get more white than yellow and fluffy, like her mother had taught her. Quickly grabs two leather squares and scoops half of the eggs into one, leaving the other half on the fire. Eats her eggs quickly, but leaves Ketan’s cooking. A little more wouldn’t hurt them. Rummages around her little sack, the one by the water, and finds a small leather kettle, the only thing of value she had left. The leather was so hard that it seemed cracked, although it served just as well as the metal kettles Hala had heard about. Hangs it over the fire and looks around, searching. Finds the small bottle of herds that Rashi gave Ketan and dumps some of the contents into the small kettle, leaving it boiling.

Grabs some grass, roots, mud, etc. from outside the door and walks back into her chambers. Stands under the hole in the roof and patches it up temporarily, doing the same with the wall. Yawns, tired again. Now her ‘chamber’ was dark, and she was full, which seemed to make it easier to fall asleep. Hala snaps the curtains shut and tumbles back onto the mat, careful not to put her arm in a position where it would fall asleep easily. Squirms around for a while before curling up in a fetal position, the easiest way for her to fall asleep. Yawns for the final time and falls asleep almost immediately.


((Bah... even if he was sleeping lightly, he's still sleeping 'til she gets back... k?))

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