The Red Lands

The first month of winter rolled over quickly. Snowstorms thundered across the skies, heralding the onslaught of the season. Sporadic showers of white flakes slowly added to the foot of snow. A white ocean immersed the yellowed grasslands, blanketing natural and man-made formations.

Amidst this monotone sea, a brown colored barn stood out like an island. Like the rest of the ruined structures that dotted the surrounding landscape, it emitted a dreary feel. Inside this building, however, housed a comfortable and bright atmosphere.

A stout wooden fence secured the space under the platform. Behind it, an oven emitted welcomed waves of heat, warming the boards on the decking above like a kang bed. A freckled-faced cook trained her efficiency in baking a batch of aroma-filled bread. On the side, two girls sat on crude benches happily sewing and chatting away. A small lamp, made up of a candle screened with parchment paper, lay on the plank table, shedding a happy glow.

On the outside of the fence in the middle of the barn, a small fire blazed, adding light while warming up the entire barn. The interior temperature vastly differed when compared to the biting chill on the outside. Just outside the installed fence, a blond-haired girl lay on her stomach, aiming a crossbow at the front wall next to the shut doors. Now and again, the swishing and thumping sounds of the whizzing bolt driving into the straw-filled effigy or the bulky grass-filled sheets sounded. The reinforced barn wall behind still bore the holes of the bolts that were shaken out and retrieved.

On the other side of the training archer, a broad-shouldered boy sat on a bench sharpening a knife on a small grindstone. Another boy stood close, chatting away while roughly swinging a short sword.

Above all of them, at the top of the platform, a boy lay on his normal-sized belly, with his chest propped up by a pair of elbows. A thick quilt covered his body from the shoulders down. Mumbling to himself, he poured his thoughts into the scattered pamphlet-sized books and handwritten scripts purchased at the Trading Post.

At the rear of the platform, a permanent ladder climbed to the roof of the barn. The original roof design consisted of a flat top ridge about four feet wide that then sloped down on either side. This was to allow the owner to walk freely on the surface to conduct repairs.

A small platform was built to allow easy access to the small trapdoor of the ridge. A modification of the roof exit upgraded it to a covered lookout post. The skylight remained open with a nailed roof of plank and canvas to trap the heat, while warding off the seeping chill.

Standing on the platform under this small opening, one could see everything at a 360-degree angle by raising the canvas that covered the horizontal slits on the four sides. The planked roof above could still be used as a trapdoor to serve the original function. Currently, a small pony-tailed girl sat cloaked on a small bench on the platform. Ever so often, she stood up and scanned the surroundings of the building. Sitting down, she pulled the thick blanket over her shoulders while fiddling with an unarmed crossbow. Below the bench, a small box contained a quarrel of crossbolts.

A young girl's voice called out from below at this time.

"I'm finished! The bread is done. Ming, come over and take this container of stew and bread for Miki. A warm stomach is the best thing for the cold."

Ming climbed up the removable ladder from outside the fence to the deck. Walking down the open trapdoor to the kitchen, he collected the wooden box containing the bowl of steaming bear meat stew and equally piping hot buns. Securing the top of the wooden lunch box with a rope, he climbed up the ladder to double-check on Miki while pulling up and handing over her meal.

By the time he returned, Sakura had already brought Chu his lunch. As Chu sat up and took a break from reading to eat, the rest of them clambered up the platform with their lunch. Like this, everyone ate together, chatting with even Miki up above, sharing her thoughts.

This mood resulted from their hard work throughout the month. With the oven complete, Sue constantly cooked up fresh food every day. She also had packages made of cloth that contained dried rations that were stacked on a shelf in the cellar. This could be used in the event of an emergency, heated raw, or boiled into a watery soup.

Despite his leg condition, Clod proved himself as a general worker. Being raised on a farm, he was familiar with lots of different chores. He helped Sue gather water, did the construction required by Chu, and was the one who discovered the opening on the barn roof. Using his knowledge, Chu based most of the routine schedule of everyday activities.

The barn roof access added a bonus to Chu's security plans.

Under little modification, it served as the perfect crow's nest in the endless sea of snow. Because of this, they didn't have to worry about having a pair of watchmen braving the cold outside. Now, Chu only needed one scout in something like a crow's nest on a ship. This was the best he could ask for. Even Sakura and Dyna, who were the youngest, could now assume that responsibility.

Every evening, Chu conducted training practice with the crossbows. Miki demonstrated superior skills and was awarded a crossbow for her personal use. She begged Dyna to make a strap so she could sling it on her back. She now walked around with the crossbow on her back and a small dagger at her waist. Chu had to stop her from sleeping with the weapon, she was that happy.

Everyone else could now hit a target at point-blank range. Chu had Ming constantly practicing with the short sword to become familiar with it. Since they sometimes made a sortie on the outside for firewood under the watchful eyes of the scouts, they had to at least be able to defend themselves.

The bonfire in the middle was always lit during the day, providing a little warmth and light in the late evening. They all still slept in the cellar with one person on watch near the trapdoor. Chu preferred to be safe rather than sorry. In the morning, they were cautious when returning to the barn.

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The well water didn't freeze like he feared. In the underground passageway, they had a makeshift candle lamp that Chu burned at night for light. Maybe the well acted as a chimney for the warm smoke kept the cold away, or possibly because it was deep and the top was kept partially covered. The water did not freeze and remained liquid. Chu never questioned the science of it, he just had Sue heat the water for them when it was time to bathe.

The only drawback for him lay in good toilet facilities. Chu had Clod construct one just down the hill not to far from the barn door. They nailed down some sheets around the wood for privacy. He did this after seeing Ming pissing just outside the door. A few slaps later, he instructed Clod to erect this one for them. His concern lay in contaminating the well water, so he didn't want to take chances in having this structure close to the well water level.

Compared to before, the children now sported healthy complexions. Gone was the malnourished state of their bodies. Even though their skin still had the remnants of scars and sores, they appeared in even better condition than the village children.

"Sue, how is our food storage?"

Chu asked while dipping the bread in the stew. Every day, they would have a meeting like this over lunch. Chu decided to train them slowly so he wouldn't have to bother about simple tasks. He slowly relinquished small responsibilities onto them. As they grew confident, he continued giving them assignments that had them thinking.

"I checked it like you showed me. I think we have enough for about two months. It can last if I make more soup and food like that. We will be out of flour soon, though, the bread making uses it up a lot."

The young girl answered. Compared to the near-lifeless person from before, she responded more actively. She had a round, freckled face with brown hair cut just above the shoulders. Her hair was neatly secured and covered in a cloth like cooks usually wear.

The next person to speak was Clod. He had filled out to become a typical farmer specimen. With his short-cropped blond hair and square jaw, he was a likely candidate for any tradesman if it wasn't for his leg.

"We need more nails and some oil to maintain the weapons. The swords are beginning to rust. If I can get more lumber, it would be good."

Chu nodded his head. Until he was comfortable, he would not want to step foot outside this little corner of the world. Before he could proceed, he had to become more knowledgeable and able to protect himself. Only by building up such a foundation would he ascend another step up the social ladder.

"Chu, Lucy keeps hogging the crossbow. I want one for myself. And my sword is too lame, I want a flashier one. And I want my own tools, Clod doesn't let me do what I want. And I want more food. Sue keeps making soup nearly every other day. I want more stew and good food. And I want....."

Slap.

"We don't have money for more weapons. The reason Lucy doesn't give you the crossbow is that you only waste time during training."

Slap.

"Last time you took the tools, you wasted nearly half of the lumber. If Clod didn't make use of it and made small benches and tables, that would have been money down the drain."

Slap.

"Don't keep bothering Sue in the kitchen, otherwise I am going to personally start cooking watered-down gruel for you. How many people in any of these villages around here can eat snow bear meat?"

Slap.

"Next time I see you dawdling and not training, I am going to take away your sword."

Used to these unreasonable demands and the beating that followed, Lucy gave her report. Both she and Miki were responsible for keeping watch. Sometimes the other girls would help for a few hours so as to break the monotony. The pair was like typical country girls with rough hands and dry skin. Lucy had loose shoulder-length blond hair and the brightest blue eyes. She was the type of girl who would receive second glances anywhere. It was because of this that she was always cloaked and wrapped up in rags, living in the slums. Here she was comfortable enough to show her appearance.

"So far, we have seen nothing out of the ordinary. One day, Miki did see some people walking in the distance, but they were probably from the farms. They never came close to the forest but kept to the grasslands to the east. We need some more cross-bolts; about twenty are damaged from repeated use. Clod sharpened some, but others are bent."

Miki gave a shout of agreement from the top. They always talked loud enough for her to hear. In a quiet place like this, they didn't have to shout. She had long black hair worn in a ponytail and a pair of black eyes. Unlike Lucy, who had a Western-type feature, she was more of an asian type. If it wasn't for the rough living leading to scabs, scars, and blisters, both girls would certainly grow to be beauties. Unfortunately, a hard life is detrimental to a girl's beauty.

Sakura and Dyna were still little kids, and they didn't have much responsibility apart from helping out with chores. Sakura was a brunette with an oval face. She had a quiet nature. Dyna was a red-haired girl who sported a tomboy look. Her green eyes were the most noticeable feature. Dyna was the most outspoken of the two.

"Chu, we finished all the sewing. The hardest work is getting water from the well. If we can get some more buckets, it would be great. The candles that you bought are great, but we need more."

"Ok, I will look into it."

Like this, Chu was slowly training them to be more understanding and responsible.

"Sakura, I want you to help Miki with her reading. She needs extra work after our usual classes. Ming would take her place as the watch. We all need to be able to read and understand some basic words before spring."

Besides the training in the evening, Chu made sure everyone was learning to read. If these children were to remain with him, it would be a bonus to keep them knowledgeable. Sakura was the most promising, being able to grasp the basics even faster than Chu at that age.

"Tomorrow, Ming, Lucy, and I will go to the village. While we're gone, Miki will be the guard. If anything happens, hang a red sheet from the tower so we can spot it. Take safety in the cellar. Do it like we practiced."

"Do we bolt both doors when you go, or just the outer one?"

Chu raised his head to answer Miki.

"Just bar the outer door. The inside one is not a problem."

The door to the barn was made smaller and was now designed by Chu to act as a trap in capturing non-climbing animals like wolves. Unfortunately, lone wolves were not prowling around since they had long integrated themselves into large packs. He didn't have a chance to put it into action.

Whether it was them being isolated to the far south or their lack of movement out of the barn, there were no sightings of wild animals. During the day, the snow visible around the barn as far as they could see remained trackless.

So far, they were able to remain out of the scope of the wild hunting beast.

"We only have the small sled, so we are limited on how much we can bring back. If the snow melts and eases up for a few days, we may be able to rent the horses again."

"Food and supplies like oil and candles will be a priority on this trip."

Food, clothes, and shelter. He believed the basics were now covered.

What he didn't know was pretty soon, he was going to face a test on how secure he had actually made himself.