Chapter Two

A harsh cracking sound jerked her from sleep. Katla's fingers closed quickly over the round shaft of her spear as she flung herself upright, her wide eyes searching the dim pre-dawn light for the source of the disturbance. A flash of white against brown settled in her gaze as the startled deer leapt back into the bracken of the thicket.

"Right, well there went breakfast." Katla hunched forward, the haft of her spear rough against her hand and thigh as she gathered the strength of will to pick herself up and start on another day. The insistent ache of her stomach and cottony feel of her mouth decided the brief respite was over.

She leaned over the edge of the rock to scoop up a palmful of water before rising. The chill brush of air against her skin reminded her that clothing was as much a priority as food. A deep sigh escaped Katla as she picked up her spear in hand and faced the meadow. There were boars a distance off grazing, a few seagulls circled and landed in a nonsensical pattern. She could pick out the golden eyes shuffling along the bracken and shadows.

"Clothing, and food" Katla sighed as she took her first steps off the stone and headed back towards the orange cast meadow. Today was easier walking, she was still sore and tired. Her feet were still tender but she found herself moving easier, her stride naturally avoiding the sharper or larger stones. Optimistic, she took to jogging, crossing the field as rapidly as possible.

'Run Skill Increased' A silvery voice chimed in her head as Katla dropped to a walk, her breathing hard and heart pounding. Startled, she whirled around, looking for someone, anyone to explain the voice. Her spear tip raised and ready, yet there was nothing but the soft rustle of the wind through the tall grass and leaves. Had this happened when she fought the boar? Katla couldn't remember hearing a voice, but then she had been so overwhelmed with the naked, afraid, and being attacked portions of that moment she doubted the soft voice would have registered.

"Great, another helper. Clothing, that would be great. Freaking run skill. I would hope it increased since running topless with tits threatens my eyeballs." Katla's growled words were filled with annoyance. She was tired, the bare skin of her legs scratched with minute abrasions from the sharp edges of grass leaves, and she still needed to find more food for the night among many other things.

Katla fought the temptation to pause as she scouted for an animal , anything to gather for food. A flash of deep red among the grass shaded by the limbs of a birch tree caused her to pause. Mushrooms, she paused to wonder if they were the edible kind, or the ones that made you chase the gods, or perhaps the ones that eating would send you to the afterworld. Though she supposed, since she was already mostly there, at least the trip would be a short one. She gave one more glance around. The air was silent, lacking the call of insects, or various birds but there was no sense of danger, just a simple absence of these creatures. Definitely not Midgaurd.

"Not like I can get worse off.." Gamely she stooped down and started to gather them. The moment the first one touched her hand that knowledge base expanded, filling in just a little of the gaping hole where her memories should be. Edible, the promise of an addition to her meals flashed through her mind before the promised morsel disappeared.

Katla frowned before reaching towards her pack and having it reappear in her hand. She reached again at her pack and the mushroom was once more gone. So the pack would automatically hold her gathering; that bit of knowledge too was filed away as she went to work harvesting the small cluster of mushrooms. The little mushroom circle lead her further through the wood, her focus mainly on gathering food and listening for danger.

When she looked up Katla froze. Through the trees she could spot the deep brown of a deer. As the creature lifted its head, black nose flaring as it took in the breeze, she forced herself to remain still, waiting for it to relax. Just over a few more trees another deer grazed, the antlers proudly displayed placed the season towards mid summer. The doe returned to grazing, her tail flicking up and down as her head twisted and pulled at the tough grass.

Katla adjusted her grasp on her spear and started her slow stalking walk towards the animal. So careful to remain downwind of the doe. Then the wind shifted and the doe's head jerked up as her body tensed. Katla cursed internally before she darted forward, trying to catch the deer. The animal darted off and while Katla gave chase the doe's outpaced. Katla tried to push herself speed up, to continue her run but found herself dropping to a walk before stopping all together as she wheezed.

A soft chittering noise grabbed her attention. Somehow she managed to get her spear up in time to block the grayling as it rushed her. Its stubby head nearly rammed into her stomach as its flailing arms grappled forward. Her first swing missed but succeeded enough in causing the monstrous creature to retreat back a few paces. Forced to pause Katla brought her spear back up as she kept herself facing the creature only to duck as a stone flew past her head.

"Oh, so now you can throw things? Stupid damn walking compost heap" Katla snarled as she closed the distance between herself and the grayling. Another rock struck her and she hissed at the pain. Angry she thrust the flint tipped weapon forward catching the creature. Quickly she jerked it back and stabbed another two times in quick succession. Each blow knocked the creature back, causing it to flail its arms in a vain attempt to catch its balance.

~Spear Skill Increased~ The chiming voice echoed in her mind in time for the grayling to fall into dust and quickly dissipated glitter leaving behind just a sticky golden glob of resin. Skill increased? Katla pondered as she rubbed her sore shoulder. Her fingers probed the injury finding the muscles tender but nothing permanently disabled. What did the skill increase do for her? The spear felt the same with coarse and uneven wood and the tip too heavy for the crude stone lashed to the top. Tentatively she swung it in an arc about herself; it moved the same. Something had changed though if that voice was to be believed.

Katla wandered forward trying to puzzle things out as she gathered the loose branches, stones, and handfuls of raspberries. Anxiety clenched her stomach as she watched the sun move through the sky, rising higher as the meadow turned to a bright golden and green landscape instead of tinted orange in the dawn sun. She was no closer to her goals than when she started.

"Food, clothing, shelter.. Get it together." She hissed to herself as she continued to push herself out from her pathetic campsite. Thickets turned to proper woods as she pushed through the stands of beech, birch, and unidentifiable brush seeking anything to aid her journey. Despair ate at her as she found nothing to help with the clothing goals. Her pack started to weigh down and warned that she wouldn't be able to carry much more.

Then she stumbled out into a shadowed glen. Fallen split log fences circled around raspberry bushes. A crude a-frame house weathered and damaged by both the elements and time caught her attention first. Hope that the previous occupant had left something behind that would solve one of her various issues. So eager to find something she ignored the first insect sounds she heard since waking in this realm and pushed forward clambering into the derelict structure.

Dust puffed up as her feet landed against the straw strewn floor. Several sneezes escaped her in rapid fire succession as she used her free hand to fan away the moldering scent of rotting straw, wood, and old animal droppings. Squinting she peered through the partially shadowed gloom and spotted the graying edge of a chest peeking out from beneath a partially collapsed portion of the thatch roof.

"Huzzah," Her quiet mutter helped divert the sense of wrongness she felt at the seemingly easy windfall. "Just look… can't be worse.." She coaxed herself forward, whispering her own hushed encouragement as she pushed away the crumbling bit of roof from the top of the chest. Before she could second guess herself Katla shoved the lid off. Inside, was a carefully stored bundle of feathers, gold coins, and a few pieces of amber. Not exactly helpful but the coins gave her hope that there were other people and settlements.

The background buzzing grew louder, angrier, and alarmed Katla looked up. Just a few feet from her was a very large, very angry hive of bees. She could feel her heart rate increase as she backed away towards the hole in the wall she had entered through. The humming of rapidly beating wings turned to a fevered pitch as she stumbled out, nearly falling in her haste.

"Shit, shit shit shit shit.." The chant escaped her as she tried to put some distance between herself and that waiting disaster. Panting and covered in dust Katla tipped her head back, feeling the tickle of her hair against her shoulders as the wind brushed the knotted tresses over her dampened skin. The high pitched humming continued but the insects seemed content to remain close to their hive for the moment.

She spared a few more precious minutes allowing her nerves to resettle. The sun had moved towards midday and light would be at a precious premium from now until sunset. Clothing had been her main priority. Deer were too fast, and so she circled back attempting to find more boar where she had run into her last ones.

Finally, with the faint glow of her campfire in sight, she ran across a pair of boar rooting through the grass. The first one didn't even see her and immediately disappeared in its cloud of purple glitter leaving behind another piece of ragged leather and boar meat. The second boar was a bit more alert and with a screaming cry ran away faster than those stubby legs should have been able to propel it's bristly barrel shaped body.

Katla went to chase the animal before remembering the one she had fought yesterday. They circled out then came back. A tight grin stretched over her lips as she crouched down, holding her spear tightly. Her gaze never left tracking the animal as it circled around a thick bush before running back at her. Quickly she struck it along the shoulder and with a squeal of outrage the animal turned again.

This time it made a run and Katla gave chase striking it until it also fell and disappeared. Three pieces of leather fell this time with the same amount of meat. Food secured and she could start on crafting clothing now; at least that is what her internal count told her. She jogged the last half of the distance to camp. Her spear held low in one hand while the other crossed her chest, trying to support her aching and wind chafed breasts.

Without preamble Katla plopped the leather bits onto the worktable she had created the night prior. Nothing happened and she tried to rearrange them, even thumped against the wooden surface. Her teeth grit tightly as she struggled to reign in her scream of frustration. She just needed a small win. Clothing wasn't asking for too much.

~Workstation requires a roof.~ Again that voice echoed through her mind. A roof? She whirled around on the rock. It hadn't required a roof to make the roasting spit. At this point she had given up questioning that chiming voice and dug out the carpenter's hammer. Was the sun lower? The shadows of the trees reached further into the meadow, adding to the urgency of the situation.

"A roof and for a roof you need walls. Ok.." She looked over her nice little rock. Little being the operative word. It had provided just enough room for her campfire and the workstation and the small space she had slept on. Her gaze turned back to the meadow. An almost level area just a few feet away from the bank promised a good spot to build a very temporary shelter.

"Alright hammer, let's get to work." She uttered, speaking to her new favorite tool. Carefully she laid her spear next to the camp fire as she started the process of building a small shelter. Much like the worn cabin earlier she styled hers as a cozy a-frame. The pitched thatch roofing fragrant from hastily gathered grass. Katla didn't bother with a floor as she tapped and pushed using the hammer to guide the appearance of each needed component.

Katla spent a few minutes inspecting the simple shack she had built for herself. The walls weren't exactly weather tight and the thatching had thin spots combined with thick bulging round. A sense of accomplishment at having at least managed to She returned to her workstation and grabbed the edge to pull it off the stone. It didn't budge. No matter how much of her weight she used to pull, push, or shove the workstation didn't so much as rock.

"Damn it Bird, where are you when I could use your feathered useless ass?" She screamed at the sky. Frustration finally won as she slumped down against the workstation only to find herself falling forward as the table suddenly collapsed into bits of the original material. Katla stumbled and barely saved herself from falling head first into the river with some creative windmilling and footwork.

Katla looked around, trying to find a cause for the sudden disappearance of the work station. She lifted the hammer. Her eyebrow lifted as she peered at the deceptively simple wooden mallet. She turned the head around and back looking for anything that indicated that it had caused the workstation to crumble.

"Later, figure it out later." Katla uttered as she quickly crossed to the shelter that should meet the need for a roof and walls. Once more she tapped the hammer where she wanted the workstation to go. The bag on her back lightened and she sighed in relief at seeing the reappearance of the wooden bench. Success, now to try for clothing. As she put all five pieces of scraps of leather on the table the realization came that she only had enough to make one piece of clothing.

Decisions ran through her mind. A shirt would be helpful to control upper body discomfort and sunburned nipples were not something she would ever wish on her worst enemy. On the other hand the graylings were about hip height and ran head first at her. The last thing she wanted was one of those animated bits of compost attacking her and her bare hips.

In the end the shirt won. It seemed more practical, plus her aching back and breasts screamed at the need for support. That settled she created the tunic, relief washed over her at the length, where it reached down to mid thigh. Better than nothing though not enough to truly protect her from the tiny little cuts from grass and branches.

"Ok fantastic.. Now let's get food going and a quick rinse." The fire was a little ways away, but she needed to use the river anyway. Efficiently she set the boar meat up to cook before shrugging off the strangely limp rucksack and draping her new tunic over it. Bathing without soap seemed like an impossible task, but even the attempt to wash off the dried sticky sweat and dirt combination was an improvement.

Before she could second guess herself Katla ducked into the water scooping up handfuls of the coarse sand to scrub over her bare flesh. It stung against the numerous tiny cuts and her shoulder ached from where the grayling had struck her with a rock earlier. Her hands rose to work at her hair. The matted mess slowly worked free as bits of leaves, sticks, and other unidentified detritus floated down the river.

Once she was certain her shoulder length hair was cleaned Katla worked it back into a braid while stepping out of the water. Still dripping wet she settled in front of the fire to dry off. Efficiently she switched the cooked meat for uncooked and ate a bit of roast boar. Again, she felt energy fill her as she ate. Watched as visible cuts started to disappear and even her bruised shoulder started to feel better until it was only a little stiff.

"Good pig.." She gave a barked laugh before pulling the ragged tunic over her head. The stitching and piece work was not pretty. Functional in nature the shirt fit snugly over her torso binding her breasts into place. Unsewn on the sides from her hips to the end it allowed freedom of movement. The neckline was a simple keyhole cut and covered as much skin as possible.

"Well food and shelter were managed, and part of clothing.." She sighed as she looked at the small hut she had created. From a distance it appeared to list slightly to the right, would probably blow away in the first storm, but it would serve as a temporary campsite. As the sun set further Katla watched the first of the stars to appear on the horizon.

Her head tipped back, her eyes focused for the moment on the twinkling of the stars and the strange pulsing lines of green that streaked across the sky. Katla paused at the inspection of the stars as she squinted making out a thick dark outline against the night sky, containing those strange veins of green. "Priorities Katla.." She wondered if she should be concerned about carrying on conversations with herself. Again, priorities came to mind. Her tenuous hold on her sanity could be questioned after she secured the basics of survival. As the sun sank completely over the horizon Katla rose and walked towards her little enclosed hut.

The cold of the night chased her into the hut. Even her little nest of excess thatching couldn't help her hold heat in. The leather seemed to help radiate the cold and help it sink further into her flesh. Katla tried for a little longer to get comfortable before finally giving in. As she crawled out of her simple bed Katla eyed the rucksack and her hammer.

"Well, it couldn't hurt.." Resolute, she grabbed both items and crawled out the low door. The sounds of furtive little feet echoed in the still night air. The campfire had died down slightly and she jogged the short distance between the rock and her hut. The crunch of the grass and stones seemed too loud in the quiet of the night. Nervously Katla jerked her attention outwards over the meadows as paranoia gripped her. Were those reflections of the stars or the glint of malice filled golden eyes?

"Ok Hammer, we have to do this quickly. I am too tired to fight those little sneaky bastards." She tapped the hammer again on the edge of the firepit and spit. Both tumbled into pieces before disappearing into her rucksack. "Hmm.. well that makes things a little easier." Again she jogged back, her arms wrapped around her core in an attempt to retain some body heat.

"Fire before those things skulk closer." Again she pulled the hammer out and slammed it against the ground in front of her hut. The sudden brightness of the orange flames had her covering her eyes, even as the warmth generated soothed away the bit of the night air. Tentatively she eased back into her rough bedding. The happy crackle of fire was the last thing she heard before sinking into sleep, mostly content with her first full day in this realm.