Sleepy Fox Hollow flew like a moth to you, sunlight

The pelts lay stretched under an awning crafted of pine boughs, out of the weather and out of the way. 

Mayblossom had been hard at work. Constructing a sleeping area and a tanning area was no joke or easy task, especially not in the bitter cold, but she did it anyway, scraping the dirt away from under a partially uprooted tree and weaving pine boughs and branches through the roots as she carved out its innards.

Only when she was satisfied with the sleeping space underneath did she re-emerge, covered in dirt, to pull the pelts from under their rest and into the den to store. Should she need them, there they would be.

Tanning the other hides would have to come as the animals themselves did, for she was no great hunter. A tracker, sure, but Mayflower was a negotiator and skilled tradesman. Not one well suited for the killing, just what came after. So, there she stood in the middle of the clearing, gently huffing and puffing.

he thought mahler had mentioned somebody new around. someone besides kaskae.

admittedly siku struggled with the sudden bloom of paleo. for the last two moons it had been peaceful. the little family (for he did consider himself a part of paleo's family now...) had minded themselves in the valley. he knew that the extra hands would be good for hunting.

he just dreaded that attention would now split even further.

but he had not heard that the new face among them was...pretty. overly so. it made him think of that weird beast. that same kind of feeling churned in his gut here.

uh... a strong start!

do you need...help?

The sunlight woman twitched over her entire body at the sound of the voice, raising her head and turning it to face who had spoken. To her great surprise, a boy! Young in the face and still lank in the leg, a child from this season. Mayblossom’s heart gave a gentle twang at the face of the boy, the woman barely refraining from cooing at him like a doting grandmother with a caramel to give from her purse.

As it was, she gave a little smile.

Oh, no thank you, dear. I think I’ve got it all sorted! She gave a friendly little wave of her tail.

I am Mayblossom, I deal in fine pelts. Tanning, curing, and then trading.

dear.

he could not pinpoint why it made his cheeks burn hot. embarrassment, maybe.

i'm siku. he offered with a shuffle of oversize paws. they would stay that way forever, attached to his lanky but giant frame. if he had known he would be this way forever, perhaps he would be more embarrassed.

are you teaching that? the trading and tanning. the second word felt odd on his tongue.

Was she?

Mayblossom looked deep in thought for a time, raising her leg to the underside of her chin like a human might prop their chin on a hand.

If you wished to learn it, I could. Just the ones in Paleo, she told herself. The art needed to be taught or else it would die. She turned, ducked into the den, and brought out a pelt, deep russet and marked with white and black.

A fox.

If you are going to learn, first you need to identify. Could you please tell me if you recognize this pelt?

he thought that maybe he had offended.

the way she said that and then...ducked away. siku shifted awkwardly while she was inside the den. wondering if he should leave. for a moment it seemed like the right choice.

until she popped back out.

a vibrant, russet pelt.

his cheeks burned hot. he wondered if she thought he was like a...baby. sleepy fox hollow was home to a few of these fiery things. even if they were far or few between now that the wolves claimed the home.

it-it's. um. a fox, right?

Very good, though perhaps too easy a question. She admitted sheepishly. Pretty much everyone by his age had seen at least one fox or a particular foxish coyote.

Foxes are going to be the most readily available animal large enough to get a pelt from. Smaller animals are a bit harder and require more finesse, and some animals are just entirely too small. In that case, you remove the innards and preserve what you can. She smoothed her paw over the fox pelt.

I caught this one. It was among the first I ever fully did myself, so it isn’t perfect. She rolled back onto her haunches.

I can explain the process in as much detail as I can, but to experience it is to learn as much. And can be a lesson for another day. When she wasn’t dead on her feet from digging, perhaps.

Trading is it’s own beast to tackle. It requires finesse, negotiation tactics, and haggling. A lot of haggling. But in the end, you can gather information, herbs, meat, sometimes bone, whatever it is you wish.

she spoke in a long way. yet he understood that she was doing as he had asked, that she had taught him through her words.

we have neighbors on the mountain...they might be easier to trade with. probably less haggling to do.

he did not imagine epoch being rude to a trader from paleo, with what he knew. nor did he imagine mereo might turn down more resources.

will you do all your own trading, or will you have other paleo traders help you exchange furs?

Mayblossom hummed in response, using the moments of time to think about what she would say next. Then, she clicked her tongue a few times.

I will trade my own stock myself, or if I ever take an apprentice, they can perhaps begin trading my furs when they reach a certain point in trading. The regal woman looked down at the fox pelt.

I will also trade among Paleo, should anyone wish for a fur to add to their den, or to their body when it is cold.

siku could not deny the interest he felt!

and yet he felt he hardly knew enough. that he might end of overwhelmed if he tried to juggle all of his wanted skills at once. herbalist and hunter already kept him busy enough! often fluttering between wylla's lessons and mahler's lessons when not chasing after emmerich.

what would you want to trade for one...?

he blinked, a bit owlishly.

Mayblossom turned her head a bit to regard the boy, before giving him a little smile.

That depends on which you would like. Bigger pelts are going to require a bit more work to get, while my smallest would require barely anything at all. She weighed her options in her head.

For those of Paleo, I would offer a discount. None of these will be free, mind you, but a significant discount. She moved to her feet, sweeping her head to indicate to Siku where she was walking, before striding over to her pelt storage, slipping into the dark and pulling them all out into the light.

This is all my current stock. Have a look, if you find one you like, just let me know and I will tell you what I would like for it.

a discount!

he almost wanted to insist she shouldn't. yet she was the experienced trader. it would probably be a huge move of disrespect to tell her how to operate.

yet he was intrigued, despite confusion, at two of the pelts. not as large as them, but the shape almost resembled something akin to them. one colored in more earthly ways, the other fluffier and paler.

what are these ones? how much?

referencing the (x2 ??? pelts)! if i got them wrong, lemme know :)

She let out a gentle noise, a “hmm”.

Those are…odd, to me. I never saw them upon an animal, nor was I the one who skinned them. A trader who no longer wished to trade gave me them. She tipped her head.

For such a pelt, I’d ask for a fox, as winter of a coat as you can find. And as intact as you can get it. I do not have any white fox pelts, they are quite popular. These have not been.

okay,

he agreed softly. he thought of how wonderful it might be to have one for his trinket den. something so odd and so rare!

will you...hold onto one while i find the price?

an agreement could be reached, he felt.

and he would turn to head off and begin to plan the price.