Lost Creek Hollow steam rising from the belly of the beast

As he understood that Luke would continue to let such a burden rest on him, Mordecai felt the need to let the topic go. Silence punctuated his response (or lack thereof) for several moments, and idly he nudged at the still gift. For as much as he wanted to say that Luke had done fine, the words would not come. They would have surely fallen into a void that held them as meaningless and that was something that Mordecai could distantly comprehend. He respected it, knowing that it would perhaps steel their own resolve to do more. If not, it would prompt them to do better.

But the silence of the wood around them bothered him all the same and that urged him to speak once again. "I guess this gives us reason to keep a closer eye on the borders," he decided, tilting his head to pull Luke back into his line of sight. "And we have winter to worry about as well. This may draw others nearer to our home, and I don't mean cougars." He did not worry as much about other predators as he should have, but Mordecai knew the world had its unsavory sorts.

"Have you heard much out of our neighbors to the north and south?"