Abandoned - Westward Ho - part 2 - Rest Stop - Story 26

[Abandoned]

Intro 
   

  This is the 26th story in the Smallville series and is a continuation of the Westward Ho journey that began in story 25 in the Outskirts of Smallville.  The wagons left Outskirts and headed west in year 45 SVT.  The wagon train carries 6 families plus the wagon master and his family (Domington and Doree and their 3 boys, Linwoodrow, Lion, and Greggie).  They traveled through forested valleys and over steep hills and have now stopped to rest and replenish supplies.


The map seed is #  33952400        Valley,  Small,  Mild,  Disasters Off,  Pioneer Circle Start

Note:  This start condition will not be included in the release version of the Westward Ho mod.


Mods activated for this map and load order are:


Map Changing and Starting Mods:  Call of Nature Soundtrack, Banished UI Maps & UI Town Names, Labor Window, Rk Minimized Status, New Flora with Gatherer

Tweak Mods:    Hunting v3, Hunting Season,  1:1 alternative (aging mod)

Major or Must Have Mods:  An Empty Square, Kid Westward Ho, Kid Work Place, NMT Pond

Supporting Mods:   Campfire, Deco Sunflower, Idle Small Fishermans Dock, I See Fire, Kid Ghost Flower, Kid Old Fence,  Kid Washing Mod, Storage Crates, Tiny Chopper.



  Yes, weary traveler, we were all weary and tired when we got here.  It was exhausting traveling through forests so thick that the men had to stop and cut trees in order to get the wagons through.  And those hills, how many times did we have to halt the wagons and unhitch the oxen and rehitch so two oxen instead of one could pull a wagon.  It took days to get all the wagons up and over some of those hills.  Following the streams wasn't all that much better.  It was just as hard getting through the mud after days of rain.  Do you know that Domington was so exhausted that one night after dinner I sang the boys a lullaby and when I turned around I found Dom had fallen asleep at the table.  It was a chilly evening so I just tucked a blanket around him and let him nap.

  But it wasn't all bad.  We had plenty of firewood so dinner got started as soon as the wagons circled for the night, and we had fun sitting around the campfires and singing songs.  Everyone learned a lot from experience and got an education taking turns driving the school wagon or helping with the younger children while the older ones were being taught.  And the wool blankets given to us by those that stayed behind in Outskirts when we left were wonderfully warm for sleeping under on those cold nights.  We have been here quite awhile and have had a nice rest, I can't imagine what has made you so weary.  Let me think.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 1


 We arrived in this valley totally exhausted.  The supplies in our wagons were completely gone but both storage wagons still contained all the hide coats, iron tools, firewood, and potatoes that Dom calculated we would need after we left Outskirts.  The women went to get supplies while the men unhitched the donkeys and oxen.  One of the men went hunting, a deer herd was spotted nearby.  Another man got the campfire going for roast venison and set up our cookpots.  There were wild onions, roots, and mushrooms, and as we did every night when the wagons circled, we went to pick as many as we could find.  Before long potatoes and wild foods were boiling in the pots and the smell of roast venison filled the chill evening air.  Over supper Dom announced we would stay here for a while to rest and recuperate and replenish our supplies.  There was much to be done.

  In the morning a small support tent was set up for hunting.  We would not need one for herb collecting, we could collect enough herbs for our small group when we collected wild foods.  We would not need a forester tent either, we could cut what trees we needed for firewood and we would not be here long enough to see results from planting the seedlings we brought with us from Smallville.  But we did need our washlines.  We woman were up bright and early, we could not wait to have clean clothes and linens.

  The newly wed couple had their first child as did one of the other couples.  Four more babies were expected soon.  I spoke to Dom about it and he agreed, we would stay circled here in this valley until after all the babies were born and the families were ready to move on.  Everyone was happy to hear that, myself included.

[Nilla]

Just a small warning,  when you build a hunter, or any other building with a circle like that, it might happen that the hunter in some strange way can reach the opposite side of the river but gets stuck there and starvs to death. Most of the time he will stay on the right side but I usually build a bridge on such locations, just in case.

...and. ...
nice story. 

[Abandoned]

oh yes, thank you @Nilla for reminding me of that.  I forgot, I was concentrating more on getting all the grazing spots in that nice size radius and didn't think of that. 

Glad you like the story.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 2


  We would make good use of our time here.  With so many infants expected we would need plenty of diapers and since there was wild flax growing here, it was no problem for the tailor to make linen diapers and baby clothes.  For the older babies who were fussing and crying because they were teething there was wild honey to sooth sore gums.  One rainy day Dom helped me move one of the hives closer to our wagon.  Our 3 boys would enjoy a little wild honey on their wild oats for breakfast.

  There was plenty of leather for hide coats and the blacksmith would replenish our stock of iron tools after he repaired the broken wagon wheels and barrel rims.  We enjoyed plenty of beautiful mild days to pick wild foods and herbs.  Dom even managed to get away to do a little fishing from the river bank.  The nights too were still mild, many of the men enjoyed sleeping outside under the wagons.  So really, weary traveler, I just don't understand why you are so weary and tired.

  Unless it was the news the scout brought back that was disturbing your sleep.  It was standard practice for one of the men to scout a bit ahead to see what lay before us.  Sometimes the scout would take one of the donkeys, sometimes he went on foot.  There was often a hill nearby to get a bit of an overview, sometimes not.  We were surprised to learn that the land ahead of us to the west was flatter, drier, and had a lot less trees.  The scout found a very pretty little pond and beside it were 3 graves.  There were some small flowers on the graves and a few patches scattered around.  He had never seen them  before and thinking they might be some useful herb, he picked some to bring back for us to see.

  The couple that knew a lot about animals who brought us the oxen and donkeys knew a lot about plants also.  They said the flowers were called ghost flowers, sometimes they bloom and disappear so fast that you were not sure if you really saw them or not.  They grow wild in some places and are easy to dig up and transplant so they are sometimes planted on new graves.  The scout said the graves he saw did not look too recent but by the looks of the area ahead, we would be well advised to stock up on water and firewood.

  I admit, weary traveler, that was tiring work, but we all took turns filling buckets from the stream,  much easier and safer than from the river.  We were to fill every available barrel and bucket, it would take a while.  The first water stored away would be used for the animals and washing.  The last barrels filled before leaving would be used for drinking and cooking.  The scout did say there was a small stream to cross and hills beyond but better to be safe than sorry.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 3


  In late autumn we had an early frost and feared it would not be long before we saw the first snow.  We should have been heading west long before now but we did not have nearly enough water or firewood.  It was decided that we would remain here at our Rest Stop until spring.  We had plenty of hides for extra warmth and covered the openings of the wagons with them.  The cook fires bubbled with hearty soups and stews day and night, a tiny chopper made sure there was plenty of firewood.

  As you know, weary traveler, it was still snowing in early spring but already there were some wild foods growing and waiting to be collected.  As soon as the weather warmed we had more laundry on the lines and 2 more big water barrels by the stream.  We had enough coats and tools on hand now and the last of the wagon wheels were being repaired.  It was early summer, and we were all looking forward to resuming our journey west.  Everyone seemed happy and well rested as we loaded up the  wagons yesterday. The last of the soups and stews were eaten and the cookfires put out and pots stored away just this morning.   We have as much water as the barrels will hold and we have plenty of food, and we can collect more along the way.  The old potatoes from Smallville will be saved to plant a new crop someday.  The last of the barrels are being loaded onto the wagons and there's excitement in the air, we will soon be on our way.  The oxen and donkeys are being hitched up as we speak.  The donkeys?  What about the donkeys?  Flatulence?  The donkeys had flatulence?  They were tied up outside your wagon and the noise and the smell kept you awake?  Well, why didn't you say so to begin with?  Flatulence, you say?  Well, the donkeys are hitched to the wagons now and away from your wagon.  Maybe you can get some rest now.  The wagons are ready to roll, let's get going, weary traveler.


Westward Ho

To be Continued.