After more days of travel they arrived at a Very old house there wasn’t much to it but it was a house. Sampson started unloading again and again Kyu brought things to the door till Sampson told them were to put everything. this house looked more lived in but not for a vary long time with odd old things hanging from the rafters and the first side room just a pile of junk. Kyu was starting to realize that Sampson probably had many different places to live on this land. Once every thing was brought in Kyu unpacked their shelf and started to assemble it “how long will we be here?”

Sampson “if luck serves till spring” 

Kyu happy to have some stability set up the self then added all the books and folded and placed all their cloths underneath it. 

 The sun was setting so Kyu went out to get grasses but everything was dew wet still so it was looking like another night of cold floor. Kyu was surprised to find that the bedroom in this house was empty but for all the many things hanging from the rafters and years of dust and fur. Sampson was taking long pine bows and cleaning the chimney almost completely covered in soot so Kyu tried to stared cleaning but the light didn’t last.  

Sampson didn’t make a fire so they slept cold but protected from the wind for the first time scene they had set out. Kyu lend again the wall by the books using the duffel as a blanket. Sampson sat beside Kyu and slept as well only to be woken in the night by Kyu snuggled to him holding on tight “Mom you smell different, what is that why can I smell it so strong…mumble… mumble… don’t be angry Yuki mom likes him she still dose her job” right as Sampson was drifting of again “no more fish!”  Kyu shivered and pulled closer to Sampson. Sampson had staid stock still to that point but pulled the duffel over the kid and went back to sleep trying to ignore the clean sweet smell that was Kyu. 

In the morning Sampson was gone with the cart so Kyu gave the house a good cleaning with water from the well, that was just out the back door and a found rag. Opening both doors as there were no windows to let out some of the dust. it didn’t take much time as there was almost nothing on the floor but dust and fur. Kyu not felling bold enough to take all of that down from the rafters or untangle the first room that looked to have been a ancient store heap.  Kyu having found a hand sythe in the rafters went and collected quit a lot of long grass then went to the books to learn how to make a bed, found out that straw had to be dried to stop mildew and let the bugs out. so Kyu following the book made little standing hay stacks till the sun was almost set. 

Sampson came back with the cart loaded with firewood and a large quartered doe. to his great surprise there was now a roughly cut lawn around the house with little hay stacks everywhere and the floors of the house were almost shinny, the old smell mostly removed by the clean air all day. 

Kyu looked happy from the day of good work smiled up at Sampson “I didn’t know if i could start a fire but i can try in the future if the fireplace is safe to use?”

“no indoor fires till it gets true cold. I need to finish cleaning it.” he set about making an outdoor fire. then broke the doe down further saving the tallow. he smoking some of the meat and cooking some for them to eat. every once and again glancing at Kyu happily making little straw bundles “why the grass?”

Kyu looked up pleased to be spontaneously acknowledged “bedding. if I can sleep better I think I could help more with getting ready for winter. what little reading I did makes winter sound really dangerous… is it okay if I take things down from the rafters and clean them?”

“Thats fine most of that stuff is over a century old so may not be worth any thing, there is a cellar as well it’s so rank down there I leave it be, but you may find something more useful there.”

“what is most important to work on? all my books make it seem like everything needs to happen now..”

“Restocking firewood and storing food” he pointed at the cart full of firewood and the meat both cooking and smocking by the fire.

“I think I could build a better smoker, I have the plans in my book would that help?”

“Suit your self” Sampson said a little pleased, the time it took to properly smock food was one of his least favorite tasks. 

Kyu picked up on the change of tone and vowed to make the best smoker the books could offer “Were is the best place to put it?”

Sampson marked a spot between the house and the outhouse so the smoke would help keep the smell away.

Kyu grabbed one of the survival books Vie an Cypher and packed in the duffel and started reading about the best ways to make a smoker by the fire light. tripod like Sampson had roughly made would work for small amounts but if Sampson kept brining in large amounts of meat something more substantive was needed. 

Sampson spent the rest of the evening staking the new wood under the eve when Sampson came to tell  Kyu to sleep the the kid was already asleep by the fire having kept it going well. Sampson got the now empty duffel and put it over Kyu then sat on the other side of the fire and and took sort naps between keeping the fire going it was a long restless night of smocking the meat.