Date:?20/09
Time:?Early afternoon
Location:?Crane farm
Characters:?Cai, Anna
Cai followed behind Anna listening attentively; Anna wasn¡¯t much of a talker so when she spoke Cai listened carefully. She could empathise with the other woman¡¯s frustration. More and more predators were coming through the barrier and they were ill equipped to deal with them. They were growing bolder or more desperate, Cai wasn¡¯t sure, but her traps were catching them closer and closer to the force field.
Years ago she would need to go further into the Out There to catch anything. Now she barely needed to step outside. It worried her, but she couldn¡¯t say she was upset with the additional meat on her table or furs to trade with. The people in town liked to ignore the Out There, they wouldn¡¯t want to hear it if Cai started talking about the barrier failing and the increase in animals coming through.
¡°I will talk to him about some lethal counter measures as well. It would be better for all if something was in place before the barrier falls. I would ask him to look at the barrier itself but no one knows where it is controlled from.¡± That annoyed her to no end. No one, not even travellers from other cities, knew anything about the force field, where it was powered from or where it was controlled from.
Stepping into the cutting room Cai dumped her kills and took a look at the screes; there was enough meat on them to make it worthwhile butchering, ¡°Thanks, these will be a good addition.¡± She smoothed her hands over them, examining them with dispassion her fingers slowing over the ribcage and stomach,
¡°They weren¡¯t starving,¡± she observed, ¡°this is a problem. If they were starving then this would be an act of desperation. The Out There has a cold season where nothing grows. Starving during this period is natural. If they are coming through when the hunting is good then they are expanding their hunting grounds and this won¡¯t stop. Damn,¡± she dropped the carcass and cursed under her breath, ¡°I was hoping this would just be temporary during their cold season.¡±
Tag
Jo