(Open) Fields are a Canvas for Life

Belril

Every day's a challenge
But I always seem to get through

A small, lone figure was walking towards the scattered plantlife in the area, a bucket of water in one hand and a bucket with soil from another area in the other, from the direction of the domiciles. Breathing heavy under a full brown robe that covered even his head with a hood, the figure knelt down beside a patch of what looked like a variety of vegetables and fruits. However, some of the plants didn't look native to the fields, instead looking vibrant and colorful, almost tropical.

"Deepfrost is coming," the figure muttered to himself, hoping he wasn't followed as he pulled back sleeves then grabbed handfuls of soil from the bucket to add to the various plants. "Will have to transfer some of these to pots soon." He sounded nervous about the prospect, unsure of how such a transfer would affect these plants or how successful in the long-term such a move would be.

Thinking to himself of what to do, he took the bucket of water and began to carefully pour it around the bases of each plant, rationing it between all of them. "If only I knew how to make something like a greenhouse or a place better suited..."

He had hoped he was not followed, that he managed to stay hidden so he could keep this little trove of life to himself, but he knew that his luck would never work like that...

Each day's a balancing act
Of good and bad events

HENRY

a knife twists at the thought that
I should fall short of the mark

Henry tried to reserve his shift for times when it was needed; when its unique set of abilities  were better utilized than his natural form's. He often used it to fly above the flock of sheep on the farm, to keep an eye on them from above with the sharpened gaze of an eagle. Predators were easy to detect and scare the daylights out of due to the monstrous size of a Stellar's Sea Eagle (well, in comparison to other birds of prey, it is the largest). He had gotten into a few scraps with some particularly stubborn offenders, though the scars were old and difficult to detect since the feathers simply grew back over them.

Sometimes, though... Henry just wanted to feel the wind beneath his wings. His brother, who had a dog shift instead, often envied him for his ability to fly whenever he wanted to. Henry had to admit... it was god damn amazing! He would sneak out to the fields, away from prying eyes, and he would rise to the skies above it just to feel free. Sometimes he would chase vagabond coyotes away but, today the field was eerily quiet.

Henry was about to go down for a final landing when he spotted something moving through the grasses. No, not something; someone. Interested, he tipped his wings to bring himself a little closer. They were short but, completely hidden by their brown cloak. He could hear them murmuring about something but, he couldn't make sense of it. Transfer what? Then, he caught the word 'greenhouse' and, actually slowing down to look, he was able to see the person fumbling around in a small bed of plants. A gardener!? Out here?!

The eagle careened down from the sky, way faster than he intended to due to the weight of his body versus gravity. He landed with a loud THUD! on the ground a few feet away from the other person. It was a sloppy landing, too. He was able to right himself quickly, though, turning his large orange beak. It's a kid, he realized, Or, maybe a little older than a kid. He wasn't too sure.

He meant to say hello but, it came out as an incredibly harsh squawk and his wings lifted up at the same time. It may or may not have looked threatening...

middle of adventure
such a perfect place to start

Belril

Every day's a challenge
But I always seem to get through

Unfortunately for the large avian, the immediate reaction to the sudden THUD of a landing was a flying basket heading in its general direction, the figure throwing the bucket in his hands that still had a little bit of...sea water? in it. The hood flew back from the sudden spin, revealing a pale face under a mess of short, black curls as frightened brown eyes stared at the big bird. "I don't see how this can be good," he said to himself as he tried to scoot backwards while still on his hands, feet and rump, breathing heavy in panic.

He had almost been hit by those huge wings as it got back onto its talons. Keeping it in his vision, the teen tried to figure out a path to take once he manged to get himself on his feet...

Each day's a balancing act
Of good and bad events

sacrifice what you are for what you can become

A bucket of water came flying at him, banging against the side of his head and neck. Yeouch! He squawked again, jumping back. In that instant, feathers gave way to skin and wings receded into limbs. The eagle beak morphed into a very human nose, and Henry was... well, Henry again. He used his hands to steady himself, as he was still low to the ground.

He settled clumsily on one knee and lifted up his hands to show that he did not mean harm, "Woah, woah, woah! It's okay, it's okay! I'm a person, it's okay," he paused as a few droplets of water fell down from his hair. He used his hand to buffet the short brown curls upon his head. His left ear was still ringing from the impact of the bucket so he rubbed the feeling away with his fingers. "I just can't ever get the landings right," he muttered, more in frustration to himself than in explanation to the other person.

He stood up and extended a hand out to the younger boy, offering an apologetic smile, "I'm really sorry about that... I didn't mean to scare you. It's pretty difficult to communicate when you're shifted," he braced to help the boy up if he accepted it, adding, "I'm Henry, by the way."

HENRY

Belril

Every day's a challenge
But I always seem to get through

Okay, now I can kinda see the good in this, the teen thought to himself as he shakily accepted the hand to get himself up off his butt, dusting himself off once standing again. This was one of the reasons he wore this brown robe while gardening, it make it hard to make a mess of the clothes underneath it. He just hoped things didn't go sideways here.

"I...I'm Belril," he said, voice still shaken from being suddenly spooked as he placed a hand over his chest to feel his own pulse and will it to slow back down with his thoughts so he could calm down. "Not...not many come out here," he admitted upon looking over Henry. "What has you coming out here?"

Each day's a balancing act
Of good and bad events

sacrifice what you are for what you can become

Henry's expression softened into a smaller smile, understanding that he'd definitely gotten off on the wrong foot... or wing... with "Belril? That's a unique name. I don't think I've ever heard it before," he commented.

His smile grew into a toothy grin when Belril asked what he was doing. He lifted his chin proudly to answer, "I come out here to fly sometimes. I usually have the field all to myself... but, man, I can't believe I never noticed this before! You, sir, have a green thumb," he gestured with a broad, calloused hand to the garden that Belril apparently created. He turned towards it and knelt down in front of the first row, looking over the unique plant life and finding that he could not name the species. Odd-looking...

"How come you planted all this out here? It's no wonder you were talking about a greenhouse. Deepfrost will kill it all..." His enthusiasm faded as he considered that. He looked out over the rest of the crop and then glanced back over at Belril. He wondered where the kid's parents were just then. Surely any parent would be happy to let their kid grow a garden, so why..? Instead of asking, he looked the kid up and down in thought.

HENRY

Belril

Every day's a challenge
But I always seem to get through

"Thanks," he said to the compliment with a sheepish smile, rubbing the side of his neck with one of his hands.

He then glanced towards the garden, a frown returning onto his face. "Where I'm staying is too small for some of these larger plants, sadly," he confessed. A closer look at the plants would reveal one unusual thing immediately.

Some of the plants were not bushes or proper crops, but miniature trees! There's shrunken versions of multiple tropical fruits, like bananas and starfruit, in addition to watermelons and pineapples among the plants, and that was just some of the fruits. Caoco and coffee plants were growing with the former 'towering' over the latter and there was the sight of ginger, vanilla, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes visible in the area as well. "This area is really fertile, so I usually try to sneak out without notice to take care of this place and use the resulting produce as both trade fodder and for sustenance," he added in explanation. "Since you can't normally find these plants without going to Torchline, I usually end up doing well with trades around here."

He looked back towards Henry before saying, "I learned early on that, while you can't get things like wagons through the portals, you can take with you anything you can carry, like a couple of buckets of sea water from near Kaiholo Port." He was pointing at the bucket that got flung, before giving a sheepish chuckle. "Also, sorry about that. Is your head alright?"

Each day's a balancing act
Of good and bad events

sacrifice what you are for what you can become

Henry looked up at Belril with a shrug, "Eh, it's okay. I'm fine! Really," His ear had stopped ringing by then. His temple was still a little sore, though. The skin was clearly reddened by the impact.

He scratched his chin thoughtfully as he turned back to the crops of watermelon and pineapple and banana. All of them were miniaturized, which he found just as interesting as Belril being able to grow all of it in the Hollowed Grounds. Well, except for the potatoes. Potatoes were a standard crop anywhere.

"I'm surprised you were able to make this work so well. I mean, I never would've thought this field was perfect for growing much else. Then again, I have much more experience with animal farming than crops, and there are apple trees that grow here, so what would I know?" Henry commented after a few moments of consideration. Yet, he visibly stopped his train of thought with a pause, letting his hand relax from his face as the look in his eyes shifted. He tilted his head in the direction of the boy again. "I'm surprised I've never noticed you around here before. I'm from the Walker farm, so... my family and I trade goods a lot. Does your family sell other crops too? Or is it just you?"

HENRY

Belril

Every day's a challenge
But I always seem to get through

"It also helps to bring in additional soil from other areas as well that's still very-fertile, even if it is small amounts at a time," Belril admitted, glad a subject he was somewhat familiar with was being talked about now. "And for the Torchline-native plants, using a mix of one part to two seawater and freshwater instead of pure freshwater normally helps too. Still not entirely sure why, when you think about what salt normally does to croplands..."

He was admittedly relieved that the thrown bucket didn't do too much, not that he had the strength to really do much with it, anyway.

Belril's expression fell upon being asked if he was alone, eyes looking back down towards the garden that was soon destined to be destroyed by the incoming cold. "...I'm by myself. Came here just after last Deepfrost from..."

Belril stopped himself from saying the next word in that sentence, from saying 'Halo', before glancing back towards Henry with a gulp. "On second thought, where I came from last's not important."

Each day's a balancing act
Of good and bad events

sacrifice what you are for what you can become

Henry listened with interest as Belril explained how he had managed to help his miniature crop flourish. His family did some planting every year but, it was always simple vegetables like carrots, potatoes, onions. Things of that nature, and it was mostly for personal use. So, their crops were never huge and, therefore, they were easier to manage alongside the sheep. He nodded at Belril's idea of one part seawater and two parts freshwater, finding the concept intriguing.

"It sounds like you've discovered that, in small amounts, certain compounds are actually helpful rather than harmful," he said when the boy was finished explaining. His talent for this stuff was impressive for someone so young, at least according to Henry.

If Belril thought he wouldn't notice his change in demeanor, he was wrong. Henry raised his eyebrows in concern as soon as he saw the boy's face fall into something not unlike sadness. Henry hadn't meant to upset him, surely, but now he realized he had been insensitive.

"No, it's not important," Henry reflected, voice a little lower, a little more sensitive. Suddenly, he moved in and grabbed Belril by the shoulders, a smile on his face and every intention of shaking off the bad vibes, "but look at what you've made! This is great! I have every confidence that you'll be able to make a name for yourself. Not just here, but in all of Caido," he squeezed his shoulders gently before letting go, not trying to be too invasive. That was just Henry's personality, though. He didn't want his new friend to be upset so, without hesitation, he added, "Why don't we figure out a way to keep it all alive? Huh? I think you said something about a greenhouse before, right? That's a great idea. If we could make one right now... where would you want it?"

HENRY

Belril

Every day's a challenge
But I always seem to get through

A small "eep!" escaped him as Henry effectively got into his face suddenly and grabbed his shoulders. Belril realized a few seconds later that it was more meant to be comforting, but Henry almost got a second bucket to the face were it not for the fact the teen froze like a frightened deer at that moment.

"...I..." Brown eyes looked towards the direction of the domiciles, immediately realizing he never actually thought that far ahead. He honestly never thought he'd have anything truly permanent to his name, at least not at this age. "I...don't know," he finally admitted reluctantly. "I don't really have much of a place to call my own, let alone space nearby for such a structure." He then shifted his gaze side to side before adding, "and if people in the Setttlement realized that the fruits I've been bringing weren't actually from Torchline, but from around here, I might lose what little trading power I do have..."

If he was being honest with himself, being able to bring in 'exotic' fruits so frequently was the primary reason he's survived in such a harsh place for so long...

Each day's a balancing act
Of good and bad events

sacrifice what you are for what you can become

Belril's hesitance made Henry start brainstorming ideas of his own. He was still listening, of course, but the gears in his mind were turning. Perhaps they could make this location work for Belril's gardening even through the Deepfrost. It depended on if they could protect the plants efficiently enough.

"So you don't want it near the settlement, where anyone can easily see it. Okay... I can understand that," He nodded slowly, looking out across the field, "that makes things more challenging but, I'll still you help you. As long as you know that this field isn't exactly the safest conditions for a garden. Even if we do come up with something, it might get messed up by a passing animal - or person. So there's no guarantee whatever we try will work either way." He glanced at Belril's face for his reaction to that information. In Deepfrost, animals would be hungrier, more willing to invade human areas or break through barriers in search of food. Henry knew that far too well, having lost many sheep to hungry predators in the wintry months of the year. "You might consider a backup plan in case things fall through..."

HENRY

Belril

Every day's a challenge
But I always seem to get through

"I...don't even have a main plan, though." Belril glanced around the area, unsure of what to do next. "I was just starting to muse about what to do with the plants when you landed. One thing I can do for sure is get what seeds I can so I can replant everything, but that's not going to be very helpful during Deepfrost...and especially Long Night." The last words he said with a shudder, wrapping his arms around himself as he did.

As he shuddered, however, a thought crossed his mind that had him bringing a hand to his chin while looking down towards the crops. "...though, now that I think about it, I could go back to Halo to see if I can get some seeds for common foods grown there, many plants grown for food do really well during winter times in addition to getting the seeds I can for some of these while figuring out some way to protect the trees from the winter..." He then glanced back towards the general direction of the domiciles, a sideways frown appearing on his face. "Problem's gonna be figuring out where to grow these winter crops, probably someplace closer to where I'm staying, since I'm not as concerned about trading power with them."

Each day's a balancing act
Of good and bad events

sacrifice what you are for what you can become

Henry listened as Belril explained his train of thought before he'd come crashing in, which he responded to with a sheepish grin. His landing still needed some work but, that was an activity he could practice another day. He knew that it was important for Belril to keep these plants alive through Deepfrost. The kid didn't have enough to prepare for the long, dark months and stock up on whatever he would need... especially if he planned on using it to trade.

"That's a good idea, you can probably find out which vegetables can be harvested straight through Deepfrost and get your hands on some of those," Henry considered that a good overall plan but, as Belril stated, the real problem lay in keeping those plants protected from any unwanted disturbance.

"Do you know a good place out of the way? I can help you start moving some of these now, if you want," He knelt down to test the soil, to see how easy it would be to unearth the plants, "We can use the bucket to carry them," he added, turning to grab it and hold it up, raising his eyebrows to Belril. He rested the bucket on the ground by his knee and said, "Whatever you decide, I can see about grabbing some materials from the farm. My dad wouldn't mind giving some spare stuff away to someone who needs it. And we can see about coming up with something. A greenhouse might be a bit much but, maybe something like that would be doable. A cover of some sort that still lets light in... It could work."

HENRY