Chapter 11 - New Members

"ROBIN! DAVID! Are you guys alright?"

Both Owen and Oscar shout towards the cliff waving and walking towards the group of people. Lucina and old man Hus stood up and walked towards us asking if we were ok. At the same time, the two new additions to the group also appeared behind them. Everyone gathered around the fire and I can finally see their faces. Owen looked like a caring dad with short messy brown hair. Oscar looked like a spitting image of his father, Owen, the only difference was his skinny figure. David, the man carrying the woman, was a tall, bald muscular man with a gentle face. Robin was a tall brunette with a determined expression on her face. Her legs were covered in bloodied rags, most likely from the wolf biting her.

"Thank you for helping us. I am sure Owen and Oscar have already introduced themselves but I'll do it again. My name is Robin, I am Owen's wife as well as Oscar's mum and this is David, a close friend of the family. We were attacked in the forest as we were migrating from shelter to shelter, finding a place to live."

"No problem Robin. My name is Ian and this is Howard and Luke next to me. With the help of your husband and son, we were able to kill the wolf that attacked you. You have already met Lucina and old man Hus when you were by the path behind you."

After a quick introduction, Lucina suggested we share a meal. Using a large wooden bowl old man Hus carved out, she boiled water and various vegetables found in the forest to make a simple vegetable soup. The meal warmed our stomachs and slowly everyone opened up to each other. Laughter and chatter filled the air until everyone got tired.

I wake up early and go down to the river to wash. As I was cleaning myself I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see David and said my greetings.

"Good morning, I see you are also an early bird."

"I wake up early to train my body. How come you are here?"

David wades into the river and starts to splash himself with water. Water droplets cling to his tanned skin and glitter in the light.

"I am making a mud wall and it takes a long time to finish so starting early always helps."

"Is it possible for me to help you in exchange for letting us stay here?"

David looks towards me with a worried expression, nervously gulping his saliva.

"I had already asked Owen and Oscar to join us after the fight and they replied yes. However, I am curious looking at your build. How come you did not fight?"

David sighs and sits down on the bank of the river.

"If I told you I was afraid, would you believe me? I mean look at me, I have large muscles, I am tall but I am afraid of battles. I am afraid that with the wrong step I could die."

He puts his head in his hands as he tells me his fears. I kneel in front of him moving his hands away from his face and making him look at me.

"If I told you I was afraid, would you believe me? I was afraid that I would die but I stepped forward to protect the people behind me. Did you know I only met them a day ago? But even, so they have helped me and when danger strikes I must help them. Lucina cannot fight and old man Hus is old and frail. Howard, me and even Luke are the only ones capable of fighting"

I looked into David's eyes as I spoke to him.

"I-I-I can't do the same things as you. I would run the moment it looks dangerous."

"If you really could run when it gets dangerous why did you carry Robin? You could have left her and ran faster and further."

"I...I don't know."

I stand up and pat David's shoulder.

"Come, you said you would help me with the wall. Follow me."

I walk up the path half expecting David to not follow but after I got halfway up I see him stand up and jog towards me.

[ Loyalty Points (David) + 50 ]

[ Loyalty Points (David) 50/100 ]

Nice! Got David to believe in me more. I am starting to understand the Loyalty system, by helping with their problems I can gain lots of points straight away.

Once I got to the top, I saw everyone waking up. I said good morning to everyone and asked Robin, Owen and Oscar about the things they can do.

Oscar normally foraged for food and scouted the surroundings, Owen knew how to fish and construct houses and Robin was a hunter/trapper before she got injured. I asked Oscar to follow Lucina and Luke in gathering resources. I told Owen if he could fish down in the river before for lunch and I asked Robin if she could keep old man Hus company since she could not walk. Afterward, I carried the water sack down to the river while David held the wooden pot and explained the process of making the mud bricks.

The morning rolled by with everyone completing their tasks and right before the game ended Howard had finished tying the fence together. Now, we have some sort of barrier to protect us from walking down the cliff and while it was a little flimsy I felt a little bit more safe walking near the edge.