Interesting???

She had everyone up early and working. The hides had been taken from the barrels of salt water the day before and stretched again, to partially dry through the night. They started early that morning, scraping the hair from the hides, trying to make them as smooth as possible, then the braining began.


The brains from each animal had been saved. Many seasons of snow ago, the people had learned that the brain of an animal was enough to cure the hide of the same animal. Many different solutions were used. Some mixed the soaked brains with ash, others with the berries of plants found along the streams, some with bone marrow and animal livers. She favored a solution of brains, marrow and tallow.


The hides were no longer dripping wet, but only damp enough to make it easier to work the brain solution into the fibers. Rook helped her to oversee the mixing and cooking of the solution, then they began to apply it to the hides, working and rubbing it into the skin. It was hard work, but she tried to help as much as she could. Suddenly the old oralu had decided that strenuous work was too much for her, which was growing to be an irritant to her.


She ignored some of his cautions and spent the most part of the day working the braining mixture into a particular hide that was already lighter in color than the others. In her mind, she had this vision of taking it down to the palest color she could and perhaps having a dress made from it. One with nice green beads on it, or even shells. There was a conversation once about such garments and Fonce asked her if she had one. She didn't really, not one that was hers alone. She had a beautiful dress that had been her mothers, but not one that had been made just for her. She was not normally a vain woman, but the thought of this somehow intrigued her.


Ahn upon ahn was spent bent over the hides working the brain mixtures deeply into them. They would be scraped, then put back into the barrels and covered again with the mixture to set over night. It was arduous work, but necessary to get the hides soft enough to be used for clothing. Sometimes, this procedure would be done three or four times, dependent on what the hides would be used for.


Finally Rook came, took her scraper from her hands, pulled her to her feet and insisted that she go rest and eat. In all honesty, she was grateful for this, as she was tired. Leaving the girls under his scrutiny she walked to the main fire, washed up and was pleased to see that her mate was there having a meal.



The funny thing is, anytime Ba'atar is around, something interesting usually happens, and today was no different. Evidently, Kaeli had been working on patching the covering from her wagon, and slid off the side landing on her bottom on a pile of furs. To be honest, it was amusing. Ba'atar was amused too, but he took it all a step farther by asking Kaeli if she had a balance problem. Kaeli replied that it was not so much balance as gravity. Well, Ba'atar decided to test that theory. He sent the slave dung to find three empty buckets, and two that were filled with water. The challenge was, for Kaeli to take a filled bucket in each hand, step up on the first bucket and walk to the second and third without spilling the water. The challenge? If she failed, she would have to clean Jai and Only's boots for a hand.


Those warriors were going to have very clean boots for the next hand. After was all said and done, she pondered on something. Ba'atar had told her that if she grew tired, that Aponi would take her place, and if she faltered, then the challenge would extend to two hands. Perhaps the woman was not thick in the head at all? Perhaps she fell on purpose.


Interesting.


And if that were not enough, he decided to torment the slave dung too. He finally allowed her to dress kajir, with a twist. He cut a strip of leather from her chatka, knotted it, and tied it back on her where it would rub against that very tender, sensitive nub between her legs.


Interesting.


The girl was in tears from the frustration of it, when he was called away on some problem. When the girl looked at her, begging as to what she should do, she only had one answer for her..........


Stay very still.