Just as Damien promised, three dayster we prepared for a trip. I was dressed in one of the long blue


    dresses like I wore in the mountains. Two brown outeryers ensured I’d befortable on the way


    out. Bags were packed and loaded before we picked up our charges.


    It was just after sunrise when we flew off on a transport being followed by the young family. Bane chose


    to ride with Tyle’s family. He knew they had never been this far from thepound before. There would


    be loads of new things to see and he wanted to be there to exin.


    We’d packed a fair amount of stuff that went with us. The men had quietly brought the swords they had


    Learned with. The weapons were smaller than what they had now and more worn. They nned to


    give Tyle’s family a chance to use a de for the first time.


    “We’ll teach them to use these well,” Damien promised Bane. “Hannah will take them if they can take


    care of themselves.”


    I rode with the men and smiled at their excitement. I tried not to think negatively, but I hoped Hannah


    would agree to this. She had been very resistant to taking me, because of my weakness. I hoped these


    children would not be judged too young.


    When we got a good distance from thepound my brown hood was removed. The men liked to see


    me talk to them and I preferred not to be cloistered away. We talked andughed the entire trip.


    Ang’s Library


    Halfway to our destination we stopped for a snack. Bane showed Aryn everything around us. The boys


    had Learned about nts from the Child Keepers, but some of these things they’d never seen in real


    life before. Everything was new and different.


    Bane talked about the nts on the ground and the tracks in the dirt. He also told the boys about some


    of the strange nts Hannah had told us about that existed beyond the mountains. The boys were


    enthralled by all of it.


    “He’s a good father,” I said watching Bane patiently teach the five young ones.


    “It is a shame he was kept from it.”


    “Is he not Daddy,” Damien asked passing me a cup.


    I smiled at Damien’s use of the word. While we sat I taught them the different names for a male-


    breeder in English and how I would have used them. There was no equivalent in their Language, so


    they used my words. It would have served no purpose to have such variety of phrasing here, males


    were just sperm donors.


    We made it to the cabin in thete afternoon. The small squat building was old and well used. This


    building had no windows, which I was sure would make it feel cramped on the inside. I hoped the inside


    was roomier than the outside looked. With eleven of us here it seemed it might feel full very quickly.


    Bane and Damien took the boys inside and taught them how to check the rooms for pests. You had to


    find any cracks that a Scar could crawl into. The dwelling had to be safe enough for your Brothers to


    sleep in, so you always checked it well.


    The kids had never stayed outside thepound and they were giddy with excitement. I watched them


    follow at the big mens‘ heels, doing just as they did. The young ones checked every bit of the cabin,


    just as instructed.


    Once given the all clear, I walked into the main door with Christof. The youngsters were still checking


    everything out. They looked in the empty cabs and explored the fire ce. Evan helped them startN?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    the fire, while Kein brought the first of our bags in. Damien encouraged the boys to be useful and they


    hauled everything inside for us.


    Christof and I unpacked the kitchen area and Bane had them help unpack the other rooms. Evan


    exined it was easier to be organized if everything was put away as soon as we arrived.


    “Going through your pack every time you need something is wasteful,” Damien exined.


    “This is afortable ce and you should make good use of your surroundings. We will be here


    several day cycles. There is no reason to keep your things tightly packed. Everything should be neatly


    put away.”


    “Now when you stay outside, things are different,” Kein said as he took towels to the bathing room.


    “Your family will have a pack and everything must be reced in it after you have used it.”


    Damien asked and the boys rattled off what a pack for traveling toward the mountains should contain.


    They had obviously rote memorized what they would need although they’d never used it.