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Abandoned - Grizzly Gulch - Story 61

Started by Abandoned, October 03, 2020, 09:14:42 AM

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Abandoned

Intro


  This is the 61th story in the Smallville Series and is a continuation of story 60 Native Village.  The survivors of the ill-fated 17th expedition that left the Outskirts of Smallville by wagon train found themselves in a Native Village.  They were given supplies and advice and left the way they came intending to crossed the big river before heading west to Prairie Homestead of Story 27.  Again unexpected events had them traveling north instead.  It was autumn of year 52 SVT.


The map seed is #  110709828   Grizzly Valley,  Small,  Fair, Off,  Start  H4 deer, grouse, bear, grass


Mods activated for this map and load order are:


Map changing and Starting Mods:  Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC Light Rain, Cold Realism, EB Grizzly Valley, CC Transport, New Flora Edit, Kid Wildlife Starts

Tweak Mods:    Dried Mushrooms, Fishing Dock +25%, Hunting, Hunting Season, Increased CC, 1:1 Alternative,  Rocks Respawn, Tiny Smoke

Major or Must Have Mods:    An Empty Square, Nomads (Kid), Storage Crates, Kid Abandoned Places, Kid Old Town, Kid Westward Ho Wagons, Kid Wooden Fort, Kid Workplace Village, Mini Buildings

Supporting Mods:    EB Natural Irrigation System Deco, I See Fire, Kid Among Trees,  Kid Animal Sheds Plus (new, testing), Kid Deco People, Kid Deco Farm Animals, Kid Farmyard, Kid GrowHuntFish, Kid In Transit, Kid Market Food (update still testing), Kid Washing Mod, Kid Work Shop, Kid Yard Covers, Tiny Chopper



  I think you will agree, weary traveler, that we learned the reason we were brought this way from Outskirts and from the Native Village, just as Little Sparrow said we would.  I remember how it stormed just after we left the village, there were a lot of branches down and the big river was too high and too fast for us to cross.  We headed west hoping to find a better place to cross but a rocky ravine and another river forced us to head north instead.  Following that river we soon realized we were heading northeast and needed to cross the river in order to head west and then south.  It was still only autumn but the weather had already turned frosty.  The steep sides of the ravine forced us to head north again.  When we came to the abandoned village and heard cries for help, we realized that, indeed, we found the path we were meant to follow.

Abandoned

#1
Prologue


  Had we not come this way when we did, I doubt the 2 families we found would have survived.  They were herdsmen who first had trouble with farmers, then with Natives. They moved further west and when they came across the abandoned village in early spring they thought they found a good place to settle, until the bears came out of the forest.  The families were unloading their cart when the little girl spotted a baby bear and wanted to play with it.  Baby bear's mother didn't like the idea.  Both men were badly injured getting the girl out of harms way.  The families made it to the dilapidated shacks but were trapped.  Some of their goats and sheep were killed, the rest scattered.  They were hold up for months surviving on what little food they could grab from the cart and find in the nearby hedgerow whenever the bears moved away.  They never went far and never stayed away long.  There was only 1 bear left there when we arrived, the others moved away.

  The families were in pretty rough shape when we found them.  Although the men's injuries were healing, they were all weak from hunger and now suffering from the cold.  It began to snow.  We knew we had to get them food and better shelter soon.  We could not spend the cold winter in our wagons either.  We needed to try to save the goats and sheep.  We knew from what Little Sparrow told us that the wild foods and thatch would soon be gone for the winter.  It was a race against time.

Abandoned

#2
Chapter 1


  We immediately prepared a meal for the families with our supplies from the Native Village.  We felt bad having to limit how much they could eat but overeating after eating so little for so long could make them sick.  Small meals more often was much better for them. 

  We unhitched our oxen and gathered thatch for them and what wild foods we could find.   The sheep herders said find the sheep first, the goat herders said find the goats.  We found a few of each and gathered more thatch to fed them.  We stored extra in the shed next to the damaged barn where some prairie chickens took up residence.  We would feed them too.

  The sheep herder's 7 year old son felt strong enough to do some fishing and when a small herd of deer came by, we did some hunting.  We all kept a constant watch for the bears but when they returned and found no berries they wandered off again, leaving behind the lone bear we saw when we arrived.

  The first house built was a small shack for the young son fishing from the fishing tree.  He would need quick shelter if the bears returned looking for trouble.  A house for 6 was built next for his family, and another for the other family.  You, weary traveler, stayed with them until your house was finished next.  You were pretty upset when your toddler headed off in the direction of the lone bear.  We built an outdoor classroom like the survival school back in Smallville.   The fisherboy's sister would be school age soon and she and the teacher could watch the younger children while parents were busy.

  We were sure tired, the days were short but we got a lot done.  The families still recovering did light chores and cared for the animals.  I was sure glad to get into our warm little house in late winter.  You know, weary traveler, we really hadn't had time to even get to know each other since we left Smallville.  I'm Catrica and my husband is Drakeem, Cat and Drake for short.


Abandoned

#3
Chapter 2


  By early spring of year 2 we had a sheep shed built.  Drake was the designer and builder.  The sheep would have some outside space and protection from the weather, they could be brought inside the small shed for protection from predators.  Being confined, the sheep would need to be fed wheat, wild oats, or grass.  We would have wool for warm coats.

    A similar shed was built for the goats, we would need corn, wild oats, or grass to feed them.  We looked forward to goat's milk.  Both the sheep herder and the goat herder thought their animals should get more grass than the other one.

  If we could not gather enough grass and wild oats for all the animal we could feed the goats our extra corn.  I found seed among the supplies the Natives gave us and as soon as the weather warmed enough I planted the Three Sisters, corn, squash, and beans. 

  We still had supplies left in the wagons and would use the larger one for extra storage.  We moved both wagons closer to the covered stock piles we saw when we arrived.  There was a completely ruined building next to them, some resources could be gathered there.  We wondered if the previous residence had been trying to dig a mine in that hill.  Drake said maybe a railroad tunnel, there was talk of a railroad back in Smallville.  There was always talk of a railroad in Smallville, but as far as we knew, the one in Chattachoo back east was never extended.  A abandoned tunnel had been found some time ago up north somewhere, but no railroad.  Anyways, with 2 storage units now and 4 newborns, we decided we needed a mini Town Hall to keep records and have town meetings.  Drake and I took inventory of all the supplies we had on hand.

    We realized we needed tools and coats.  We had a little wool now but no hides.  The sheep herder's wife, Raelyne, said she had no idea what to do with all the flax from the hedgerow.  Our need for hides was fulfilled when a large herd of deer came to graze by the river.  We also needed to repair or replace the old barn.  Drake said it was better to replace it now when it was only 15% full.  The storage wagon was brought around and the barn's contents was emptied into it.  I hated moving the prairie chickens out when winter was coming so Drake built a coop for them in case the new barn was not built before winter.

brads3

oh new pieces. since you are working on this, would milk be better than goat milk? that way it can be used by the creameries already modded?
do you have plans for horses ,without them being meat?

Abandoned

@brads3  The mods are complete when story starts and final testing is being done, only rarely have we changed or added. (We are usually already working on something else)  This is remake of Animal Shed Cheese mod - with goats and goat milk. I and others wanted more of that stone texture.  I will tell you - there is also a cow shed with regular milk and a dairy that processes both milks.  :)  You will have to wait to see what else is added, sorry no horses.

brads3

i figured you had more in mind. good work. i didn't want to make a suggestion after you and KIDD finished thou.

CookieBarrel

More uses of thatch. excellent.
Yeah, I really like the brick!

Abandoned

We thought grass/thatch was good animal food and also chose what could be gathered or grown in field or farmyard and not the same for all animals.  Testing how this works, having to do some micro managing early on.

no problem @brads3 Suggestions okay, probably would not add or change, but might keep in mind if it pertains to Kid's mods.

Abandoned

#9
Chapter 3


  The building of the storage barn was delayed when a bear was sighted nearby, work resumed when no other bears showed up and the one sighted wandered off.  The tailor shed was also finished by early spring and the sheep herder's wife was making warm coats from leather and their wool.

  A family of 3 came from the north.  They saw bears but the bears were more interested in the large herd of deer.  There were no grizzlies just black bears and brown bears.  They told us a rhyme to remember when encountering a bear - brown lay down, black fight back. 

  The families were farmers but colder weather in the north had them moving farther south.  They would stay but didn't want to live or farm by the sheep or goats.  Didn't matter that the animals were confined, they'd lost too many crops to them in the past.   A house was built for them near the new barn, too close to where the bears had been sighted.  They said they would take their chances and planted a farmyard of corn, cabbage, potatoes, and berries.  They asked to have the prairie chickens moved to their yard, the chickens would eat the crop damaging insects and fertilize the soil at the same time.  They would share the eggs. 

  Well, planting those berries was a mistake.  The bears returned and came out of the forest into their farmyard despite the new fence that was built.  Old fences around town were being replaced too.  The bears ate the berries in the farmyard and the hedgerow, and made a mess of the storage cart.   And to make matters worse, the family was trapped inside their house for several days.  Fisherboy, Gloriano, was especially concerned, he was interested in the daughter, 10-year-old Hatti.

   That family  may not like sheep and goats but they did like the warm coats and goat's milk.  Their arrival caused a tool shortage but a workplace anvil set up on the other side of the storage shed rectified the shortage.  Fisherboy was the last to claim a tool, a new fishing rod.


kid1293

Pictures caught the bears nicely :)
Well, it is bear country.

Abandoned

 ;D  I wish I could say I planned that but I did not think of bears when I planted farmyard with berries and they had not come this far out of the forest before either.  The lone bear had been by hedgerow but others stayed in forest.  Love the one by the cart  ;D  Funny how things sometimes just fall into place for the story.  :)

Abandoned

#12
Chapter 4


  When the berries were gone, the bears were gone.  One bear returned in winter and came through town right up to the town hall, way too close to the school.  The bear had to be destroyed and something would have to be done to keep the townspeople and children safe.  But first  there was a lot of bear to deal with.  A large roasting spit was built and there was soon roasted meat for everyone.

  By early spring of year 4, a bridge was built across the stream.  If the bears were coming from that direction it would be best to stop them before they got to town.  Work on the sandstone road had barely begun when a family of 4 came from the north with much the same story as the last family, and they had problems with goats in the past too.  They were farmers of fruit trees.  Since the goats were confined they would tolerate living by the goats and herders. Okay then. They immediately began planting apple trees.  Fisherboy, Gloriano, hoped that the son, Lavares, would be interested in his sister living near their new house rather than being competition for Hatti's attention.

  A covered firewood stockpile was built next to the tailor shed and the new house. A small storage barn was built behind the goat shed.  It was decided that the two wagons would no longer be used for storage but as temporary housing for any more families that might arrive.

Abandoned

#13
Chapter 5


  By early spring of year 5 an area east of town was designated as a cemetery.  On the west side of town a dairy shed was built and we all looked forward to our first taste of goat cheese.  The sheep were agitated and the sheep herder reported a group of bears by the river a short distance away.  Work across the river was put on hold as we began building a fort wall at that end of town.  The building noise scared the bears away but a hunter was posted at the watch tower to keep an eye out for the bears return.  Work on the wall was then stopped so houses could be built for the 3 families who just arrived. 

  A couple with a young child moved into the bigger covered wagon and a young adult daughter moved into the smaller one, her parents, an older couple, moved into the first house that was built nearby.  They were farmers and had trouble with both herders and Natives.  They came from the southern part of the prairie where it was a lot hotter, Emma knew how to make cooler linen clothes from flax.  She had a flax garden that was trampled by sheep and eaten by goats, goats eat anything.  They do not, yes they do.   A tailor workplace was built next to her new house by the cemetery.  Emma's husband said there was a need for cool linen clothes farther south and if we built a trading post we could trade the linen clothes for leather needed for making warm coats for us.  With leather Emma could make warm coats with leather and flax.  We built a trading post.

  The young adult daughter was happy with a small house of her own across from her parents.  She would work as fruit harvester at the apple orchard.  She was embarrassed that her parents at their age just had another baby.  Emma, the flax tailor, had one too.  Grizzly Gulch now had 15 families with 20 adults, 1 student, and 14 young children.  Drake and I just wished the families could get along.

Abandoned

#14
Chapter 6


  We were all feeling a bit safer with the fort walls that were built, until the hunter on the watch tower got another bear that got too close and a wild boar.  We had not seen any boar and did not know there were any in this area.  The bear went on the spit and when that roasted meat was gone, the boar would be next. 

  By early spring of year 6 a school house was built.  There would be more students soon and we felt they would be much safer inside than at the outdoor classroom.  When the school house was finished work continued on the fort across the stream.  We planned it as a shelter for laborers who were gathering branches and wild foods outside the town area.   Can you image how surprised and dismayed we were, weary traveler, when a young child of one of the workmen wandered off and returned with an armful of baby boars.  There had to be some angry mothers out there. 

  What were we to do, try to return the piglets to their angry wild mothers?  No, too dangerous.  We decided instead to build a pig shed for the piglets to keep them confined.  We fed them some potatoes because we didn't have enough roots.  It wasn't long before 2 sows showed up to claim their babies but again to our surprise they did not take the piglets and go.  They seemed quite content to eat potatoes and feed their babies.

  It was not long after that 8 hunters and gatherers with 1 child showed up.  Like the Natives, they came to the northern prairie where there was more wild foods and game and trees.  They were used to working and living among trees and would be happy to stay and do so across the stream.

  In Autumn Reggory, a general goods merchant, arrived at our trading post.  We now had surplus of leather and didn't need anything else.  It was late autumn and had just snowed by the time the last of the newcomers moved into the last of 7 houses that were built across the river.  There were 2 couples, 1 had a young child, and there were 3 single males and one single female.  A gatherer's shed was built by the back gate.   Hatti, who was now 14 moved into the small house by the pig shed because she wanted to take care of them.  They were so cute, she said.