[open] the lamp is burnin' low upon my table top, the snow is softly falling

[maintiensledroit]

Who: Benton Fraser, Diefenbaker, and you!

What: Woodworking, guitar playing, ice skating, and more

When: Through February

Where: In Milton, at the basin, in the woods, others tbd.

Content Warnings: mention of animal butchery, hunting, others tbd.

i.

[ Even in this icy weather, it's a good idea to preserve meat rather than simply stashing it, raw, in the snow, and so Fraser can be found in the first weeks of February in the woods, seeking out a likely-looking tree trunk, either fallen or still standing. Once found, he brings tools and begins hollowing the thing out, working steadily with Diefenbaker either lazing beside him in the snow or off in the woods, hunting for himself.

When the log is hollow, he hitches Dief in a jury-rigged harness attached to leather straps around the log and together they haul it back to the house where he's been staying with Heartman. Once back in town, Fraser can be found hammering nails and hooks inside the hollowed trunk, humming quietly to himself as he works. He'd be more than happy to answer any questions, should someone stop by to ask what he's up to. ]

ii.

[ Before he found the right trunk, while he was out in the woods, something else had happened in the early days of the month. Diefenbaker had gone stock-still and focused at his side, and when Fraser looked up, he'd seen the thing that had so caught the wolf's attention: a dog, enormous and mossy, watching them from among the trees.

No amount of calling and cajoling brings the best toward them, but when the dog had begun walking off Dief had followed without hesitation, leaving Fraser to come along or no as he would. They'd followed the strange animal on what began to feel almost like a path through the woods, strangely clear and easy to move along despite no signs of having been cleaned or kept up by man. It was hardly a surprise at all when the path led to a cabin he'd never seen before, sitting empty and cold but neat and sturdy for all that. He'd left Dief outside with the strange dog and gone to look for any signs of life.

There were none. The cabin was empty and mostly bare of supplies, but in the bedroom he found an impossible treasure: an old six-string acoustic guitar, tucked carefully away into its case. Even better, when he'd carefully lifted the thing out to inspect it, he'd found the case contained even more riches: extra packets of strings, a few picks, even a somewhat stiff capo.

Now, when he's finished work for the day, Fraser can be found on the porch steps of the house on Thompson's Drive with the guitar in his lap. On the first evening, he'll be there stringing it; on subsequent evenings someone might hear the rippling sounds of a fingerpicked accompaniment and a pleasant baritenor voice singing along. ]

ii.

[ But the Mountie isn't always in the woods. After an excursion to what remains of the outdoor gear store, he can also be found down on the frozen Basin, accompanied by the hissing sound of his hockey skates over the ice as he makes long loops or short sprints or simply skates backward in long, graceful swoops. Or perhaps someone nearby might hear the smack of a stick hitting a puck and the muffled thunk of said puck driving into a snowbank.

There's another stick and more pucks on the bank, just in case anyone would like to join him in his games. ]

Comments

[solitarysoul]

[He shakes his head.]

Never. I don't think I've even seen one before.

[He hasn't if they all look like that, at least.]

What are green wood chips?

[maintiensledroit]

Chips made from fresh wood. They smolder, you see, instead of burning cleanly.

[ Fraser pushes the log up to its end and shows Levi a space at the base where said chips could be piled and set alight. ]

Then you close up any openings and let the meat sit in the smoke for... oh, six hours, or so. It helps dry out and preserve the meat, so it'll last for longer. We can use it for fish, for venison... anything people won't eat right away.

[solitarysoul]

Oh.

[He moves closer and leans in so he can get a better look.]

We should probably have a bunch of these.

[He's not convinced a lean time won't come in the future. Usually that was winter, but who knew here.]

Is that just a tree you hollowed out?

[maintiensledroit]

It was partly hollowed already.

[ He sets the trunk carefully back down again, nodding. ]

They're easy to make. We could also build a larger one, if you think it might be helpful. This is a very simple version.

[ He considers for a moment, then adds: ]

We'll also need salt. You haven't happened to come across any natural mineral extrusions, have you? Salt licks, I mean.

[solitarysoul]

[Hm. Maybe a bigger one near the community hall. That was a nice central location.]

Uh...no. At least I don't think so. What do they look like?

[maintiensledroit]

Sometimes you can see crystals of salt on the surface of the ground. But sometimes they don't look like much at all, and you might only notice them by observing wildlife licking at the ground.

[ He shakes his head, dismissing it. ]

Well, it's not necessary. I think we have enough salt here in the town for most curing needs.

Would you like to help me finish constructing this one?

[solitarysoul]

Licking the ground?

[He's not sure if he's seen that? Maybe the deer, but he'd just assumed that was them eating grass or whatever.]

Yeah, sure. What do I need to do?

[maintiensledroit]

Yes; they need certain minerals in their diets just like we do. In fact, it might not be a bad idea for us to set one up to draw deer in.

[ He flips the hammer in his hand and offers it to Levi, handle first. ]

You can start by driving more nails into the inside of this trunk. Leave them sticking out an inch or so; we need to be able to hang the meat from them.

[solitarysoul]

Maybe.

[They probably should, but he didn't think it was needed quite yet. Especially not with people like him who'd become super fast.]

Alright.

[He takes the hammer and grabs a few nails, taking a moment to survey Fraser's work before nailing any in himself. Just so he can see how far apart they should be.]

[maintiensledroit]

Yes, just like that.

[ He watches just long enough to make sure Levi will be fine, then busies himself with a curved piece of wood and bark which he had previously cut out of the trunk, boring a hole in one side. ]

You pick things up quickly, don't you, Levi?

cw: kids being sent to war

[solitarysoul]

I guess.

[His instructors had told him that, back when he first joined the army. He picked it all up quickly and was exceptional. He never got any comments like that at the orphanage, but he didn't think anyone did.]

It seems pretty simple, though.

[maintiensledroit]

I don't just mean this.

[ Every time he's seen the serious young man, Levi has been trying to assist someone or doing something to try and help the community. It's commendable. ]

You seem to be able to turn your hand to all sorts of tasks.

[solitarysoul]

Oh, uh, I guess we sometimes had to do random stuff in the army. We often didn't have anyone to depend on but ourselves, so if a table broke or if the food started to run low we'd have to fix it.

I...I just want to be helpful.

[To be able to help in a way that ISN'T just murder.]

[maintiensledroit]

[ The Army. How old is Levi? He can't be much more than eighteen. How long could he have been serving? What sort of army drafts teenagers?

And what sort of army doesn't feed them? ]

Well, you're certainly that. And I appreciate an extra pair of hands anytime. I've been considering building a kayak; with spring coming, perhaps some of the waterways will open up. That would certainly be easier with help.

[solitarysoul]

[A very bad one from a different time and a different world.]

A kayak? I guess that's a boat? I didn't think about trying a boat.

[maintiensledroit]

A very light boat, yes. Big enough for one or maybe two people, usually, and easy to carry over land.

[ He pauses in his work to look out toward the woods, thoughtful. ]

Mind you, I'm not sure there's anywhere to go. I don't know how close to the coast we are, or if there are rivers nearby. But it would be useful if the Basin ever thaws.

[solitarysoul]

Yeah, but it'd be faster than walking, right?

[maintiensledroit]

Depending on where you wanted to go, yes.

Admittedly, right now, snowshoes would be more useful. Perhaps we can work on some of those once we've finished with the smoker.

[solitarysoul]

What are snow shoes?

[maintiensledroit]

[ Fraser pauses in his task and reaches for a stick, drawing a long, narrow oval in the snow, then draws crisscrossing lines to fill it. ]

You make a frame like this and string some strong cord or gut for the webbing, then strap it to the bottom of your boot. The size and shape of the shoe spreads out your weight, helps keep you from sinking into the snow.

[solitarysoul]

Oh. Okay.

[He doesn't get how that would help but he accepts that it would. Fraser knew way more about this stuff than he did.]

What do you make the frame out of?

[The webbing seems like it'd be easy, though he hasn't tried harvesting sinew from kills before.]

[maintiensledroit]

A thin, flexible piece of wood, usually. More modern versions are usually metal or plastic, but we should be able to manage just fine with wood and rawhide.

[ It still won't give him the speed of some of the others who woke up one morning with the ability to run lightly over the snow, but they'll help with the deeper drifts. ]

Would you be willing to help me make some?

[solitarysoul]

Oh, I'm sure we can find a lot of those.

[Probably need to pull them down instead of just look for fallen branches, but whatever.]

Sure. It'd be a good thing to know.

[maintiensledroit]

Then I let you know when I plan to get started. But, for now...

[ He nods back at the trunk they're turning into a smoker. ]

Let's finish this up, shall we? And then I'll show you how it works.

wrap? or did you want to add more?

[solitarysoul]

[Levi looks back to the trunk as well and nods.]

Sure. Just tell me what to do.