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Chapter 9 - Trapped

Asperd Isle - Winter, Herbalist’s Hut, Riin’s POV

Fourth day alone.

The night had been quiet, the wolves did not show themselves near the house, so a little after midnight I went to bed. The first five hours of the morning I spent on my new workout program, and after that a quick bath using some of the water from yesterday.

Going to the kitchen to grab some bread and butter, I got some much needed breakfast after my meal, I headed outside to fathers shed to check up on the wolf hides, they are all ready to be made into items, two large light grey furs about twenty inches over the shoulders and a good length of about five feet and that is not counting the tail.

The rest of my day I spent on making sure all of the small holes in the hide was sewn together and that is it completely covered in the waterproofing cream.

After around four hours of working on the wolf hides I have made myself a cloak with a length of six feet from one pelt with the other one used to craft an attached hood.

You have crafted a [Cloak]! By tanning the hides and sewing the cloak you have gained experience in [Tanner] and [Tailor]!By making a clothing item you have gain the Tailor subskill - [Simple Cloth Crafting]!

Item: Wolf Cloak Durability: 50/50 Bonus: Wolf Fur Grands better protecting from the cold

When I finally look up from my work I find that it has started snowing heavily, if it continues like this it will likely block mother and father's way back home. With the hours ticking by and the snow falling faster and stronger I'm not likely to get outside anytime soon. But I will have to go out and grab some wood from the shed, so that I can keep the fire going. Food I have lots of since I can hardly eat two wolves and a bunch of hares in one single day, and if all goes wrong I still have some of the wolf meat I smoked.All I can do is sit and wait it out.

In my excitement over being able to use the hides to craft, I had completely forgotten about the map I left out last night. Looking over it I find that the land I am on is called [Asperd Isle] and that it is made up of two bigger islands and a smaller one with a lone mountain. The western island is the one I'm currently on, it is also where a bigger part is covered with snow year round according to the note on the map at least it's called [The Northern Drifts], - man their naming sense are horrible here. - but that area seems to be able to house some of the rare plants and herbs, especially the massive frozen lakes at the northernmost tip. The map shows the two port cities and some smaller villages, the outposts are even marked on it. More amazing is that our house is also on the map, must be mother's or father's doing.

You have seen the map of [Asperd Isle]! This have granted you the skill [Knowledge - Asperd Kingdom, Asperd Isle] a complete map of the known parts of the area. Information with be added as you discover more about the land area.

Hmm, ‘Information with be added as you discover more about the land area.’ Well, it seems that the map mother and father has did not have all the known information about the area known as Asperd Isle. It might refer to the area named [Lost Isle] or perhaps place that have not been discovered, I will have to check on that. With no more information to gain from the map, all I can do I sit and stare at the snow - not that I'm going to do that, I'm going to use the time to workout in.

Elisa’s POV

Asperd Isle - winter, The Flood Village - Wave Inn.

Day nine away from home.

The snowstorm have lasted five days so far and it is not showing signs of letting up anytime soon, it drives me mad that I am so far from my little boy. I should not have left him alone, why did I let myself get talked into this. The only comfort is that with the snowstorm the cold is keeping people indoors huddled in front of a warm fire, not even the lawless is making a move outside in this awful weather, so from them he is safe. I know there is lot of food stores in the root cellar and enough firewood to last the next month, so I hold no fear that he will starve or freeze to death. But the wolves, those I fear, it have been some years before Riin's birth that they stopped coming this far down south from [The Northern Drifts], yet a few days before we took our leave, Raval spotted their tracks in the woods. The northern timber wolves have been known to surround the lone huts of the northern forests in winter times and if luck is with them they will go inside the house too, they hold no fear of men and they always, always hunt in packs.

“He is a strong boy, he will be fine. You taught him well, my dear. Do not worry yourself.”

Ravals strong arms wrap around me from behind as his voice rumbles out in the quiet night with only the sound of the storm to match him. I lean into him, I need him now more than ever, now that all I can do is stare out in the raging storm and wait for it to die down.

A knock on the door to our room breaks the silence. Raval moves to open it, the loss of his warmth is just another sign of how long I have been standing still staring out into the blinding white, praying for it to let up. His voice brings me back to the room.

“Dear, there is a villager in the common room downstairs. He is asking for your medicine potions.”

A villager? In this weather, a simple cold it can't be. He keeps one eye on the barmaid in the door while waiting for me to answer, always the protector, so sweet it warms my heart to see such action from him.

“Ah! Let us go, if he has moved in this weather for a potion then it can not be a simple cold.”

“Follow me please. sir, ma'am.”

The young barmaid makes a motion with her hand towards the stairway. We make the trip downstairs to be met with the sight of a younger man standing in the doorway, - still covered in snow. - looking around the room, spotting us walking down his face lights up with ease and a smile of joy covers it. The barkeeper speaks up even before we reach the newcomer.

“Elisa, my dear! It is good to see you are still up, I'm deeply sorry to have troubled you in the middle of the night but this young lad very much needs your aid.”

He makes a motion to the younger man to start explaining himself. He gives a small bow towards us and a quick stare at Raval. His voice is hoarse and he is out of breath perhaps from running in the storm.

“Ma'am, I'm in great need of your healing potions, my wife is with child and has fallen ill and I fear that if nothing is done that it will take her life. Please ma'am, please help my wife!”