Family Trip (3)

Swinging the club into the boulder, I shattered the stone and gathered it swiftly into my inventory.

The stones back home were labeled as just [Stone], but here they were [Aoak Stone], and they had increased the damage and durability of all the items crafted with them.

Which, as I stared over each crafting recipe, made me incredibly excited.

A normal Heavy Stone Spear had an Attack Value of 14, but one made from Aoak Stone had an Attack Value of 18, which was a decent enough increase, especially if I took into account my skills, which currently added an additional 8 to my spears Attack Value.

That was rather impressive, and I started chipping away more at the boulder, wanting as many of these stones as I possibly could get.

Not only for weapons, but also so I could start making our home more cozy; when I create a stone foundation, I can add in a cooking fire and a fireplace inside the house, meaning it'll be warmer come winter, and more convenient in general.

I also haven't taken into account the durability of the walls, but even after a few months in this world, they had barely gone down.

That could, of course, be because the only weather we've had was sunny and warm; not hot, no deluge, none of that.

Just sun, light showers, and warm air.

However, I had asked Rhefia before, and she said that even she was slightly worried about the upcoming winter, saying they were normally cold, windy, and rather intense compared to the other seasons.

As I was chipping away at the boulder, Camara eventually said "Mama, dama and Aethisia are back!"

Wiping the beads of sweat off my brow, I turned and smiled at my eldest, who was smiling gently as she looked over the ridge.

"They get anything good?"

Placing the club back in my inventory, I approached my daughter and peeked over the ridge with her.

"Looks like a... wolf and a deer!"

Hearing that, I pursed my lips for a moment, wondering if that was considered cannibalism?

Shrugging, I watched as Rhefia hefted a large deer over her shoulders, while Aethisia had a wolf under her left arm, her right holding both her and Rhefia's spears.

They swiftly climbed the mountain, and after setting their prey down on the ground they took a seat, resting.

Drinking from their waterskins, the two women stared around the camp as I set about preparing a meal, rubbing some sage into the meat.

"Rhefia, I was just curious... don't you feel... weird, eating a deer?"

Staring at her, I watched as she pursed her lips and tilted her head.

"Hmm... no, not really? I'm a Beastkin, the deer is just an animal. I'm sure there's relation between us, but it's likely very loose? I mean, we're really, really different... kinda. I dunno Astra... the thing tastes good, so I don't really care?"

Chuckling at her answer, I rolled my eyes as I started cooking the skewers, before asking "Aethisia, how was it? Better than back home?"

My youngest stared at me as I grilled the meats, her nose flaring slightly as the fat dripped into the fire.

"Mhm... much more vegetation... quite a few more animals. Lively."

Nodding, I watched as Rhefia entered our tent for a few moments, only to reemerge with a smirk.

Understanding her thoughts, I blushed before smiling back, making her smirk widen.

Camara coughed again, making my blush deepen as I turned back to the meat, making sure to cook it well.

Glancing at my two daughters, I saw Camara was blushing while Aethisia was looking away, her crimson eyes moving over the lush forest.

"W-Well, after we rest today, we'll start what we came here to do tomorrow; Aethisia, you'll be with me as we go higher, and Camara, you'll be with your dama and go hunting. The more pelts we get, the better; from what dama is saying, this winter will be cold, so we'll need a lot of fur to line the walls, make more blankets, and make some more fur clothing."

Camara nodded, before glancing at Rhefia as she asked "Will any animals be out during winter?"

Rhefia nodded, her arms crossed under her chest as she said "Deer, rabbits, squirrels, some birds, wolves. Most of the animals in this forest will be awake, but they'll be more towards the north; the south will be getting hit the hardest, what with all the air coming from the ocean."

"How far north? And are we in a bad area currently? Should we consider moving further north?"

My wife glanced at me as I asked that, and she shook her head.

"We're fine where we are now, and the animals should be active just an hour or so away from our clearing. Though, the more meat we prepare, the better. Some days will be nigh impossible to hunt in due to the storms or cold."

Pursing my lips, I started calculating how much that would equate to; my inventory seemed near infinite, but how much could I actually store?

How much would we need?

Each of us ate around two pounds each a day; during winter, that would lower a little due to us not moving as much.

I also had a large amount of vegetables in my inventory, but still...

That was eight to ten pounds of meat a day, plus any vegetables...

However, I could also lower my needed amount, as I could replace it with another source of 'food' in Rhefia's semen...

Rotating the skewers, I sighed as I said "We still need a lot more to prep completely for the winter..."

Rhefia nodded, before saying "We're on track for now; each piece of prey we bring back is usually a days worth of food, and since you are able to store everything without it spoiling, we should be good!"

Smiling at her, I lifted the skewers and handed them to each of my girls, enjoying the way they all swiftly devoured them.

Eating my own, I prayed that this winter would be an easy one.