Meanwhile, back at the village, after spending the morning determinedly and persistently sharpening the blade of my ax.

It is now so sharp that its glinting in the morning sunlight makes it look like it could slice through the very air itself.

Without warning I throw the whetstone I have been using across the village square, stand up, hoist my ax onto my shoulder and announce that I'm going for a walk to look around.

The tone of my voice suggests to all who hear that neither walking nor looking around are what I've got on my mind.

Seeing Jerry draw his blade MurderousKitty says "What happened? Is someone drowning?"

Her quip is met with silence however, as the group follow's Jerry's gaze to a series of similar footprints leading away.

The ground shakes again and a loud thump is heard, followed by another and another. Entering the clearing, heading towards you from the lake area is a large wingless dragon walking upright, it's tale thudding behind it.

The thing is huge, and heading in your general direction, though it doesn't appear to be looking at you.

"This is gonna be one hell of a day."

*runs toward the dragon and slices at it's throat*

At that moment I barrel into the clearing.

Incredibly the first thing I see is not the huge frickin' lizard but Jerry standing over MurderousKitty with his sword drawn. Perhaps it is the murderous rage at the core of my very soul that can be quenched only by revenge.

Perhaps it's myopia.

Whichever it is, I start to wind my ax up, helicopter style and as happened so frequently recently bellow "Jerry!"

At that moment Jerry lunges forwards and I presume it is towards me.

*Sees Pock running towards Jerry and thoughtlessly runs towards him, trying to tackle him and throw off his attack*

Antt...What the hell is that? Is this why our friends abandoned us here?!?

I pull my knife, and retreat to edge of the forest to observe.

Hearing a bit of the *thump* *thump* in the distance, maven heads into the woods in that direction. It's a bit of a walk though, so it'll be a minute before you get there... "minute" being a figurative term meaning "a long while."

I hear the commotion, and head off in that direction. Seeing pock and Jerry with swords drawn, I scream "He killed her, he killed her" and pull out my knitting needles, running towards Jerry.

I start working on finishing the Suebesdottir hair memorial. I decide to leave it for a while and start walking towards the woods to look for branches that I can bend to use as circular knitting needles. Dovregruden, my sheep, follows me.

I see Maven and we move on together.

Maven and Suebe follow the sounds of the heavy thumps, heading towards the source of whatever is shaking the ground like that. It is a bit of a treck but after a bit of a run that leaves them winded, they come upon the clearing just as Kitty calls out: "NO XIA WAIT!!!"

The terrible lizards' head swoops down low. Its jaws clamp down on Xiate, enveloping all of her upper torso and ripping it from the lower half.

There is a moment where her legs continue standing, but soon after the knees buckle and they crumple down to the ground.

I pick up the whetstone that Pock threw down and sharpen my axe, if I'm gonna be creating a new civilization I'm gonna be need more food and to find out what lies beyond the tree's.

I head off into the woods away from the beaten path....

A wayfarer should not walk unarmed,
But have his weapons to hand:
He knows not when he may need a spear,
Or what menace meet on the road.

No one had noticed that I had slipped off in the early morning hours and gone exploring a bit on my own in order to record the landscape in my book. After only encountering familiar wildlife, I sit on the edge of a cliff and begin recording everything that has happened in my book. Suddenly I see out of the corner of my eye 2 figures walking into the clearing not too far from me.

It was Jerry and Chelsea and they seemed to be a bit preoccupied with themselves. Suddenly, MK came into the picture and the 3 of them were talking. Then Jerry discovered something and drew his sword.

The ground began to shake a bit under me and I saw first what my fellow companions did not. A wingless dragon of sorts.

I get up from my location and begin running back toward the village to warn everyone. I keep my sword close to me just in case I run into another one of those things.

In her fearful charge back through the forest towards the village, MadHatter finds her legs quickly tangled in the viney plantlife. She falls hard to the ground, her book flying from her hand and her blade biting deep into her arm. flying from her side. (You really shouldn't run with sharp things hanging from your side in a protective scabbard that isn't tied on very well.)

*psssssttt it wasn't it my hand. it was at my side in the sheath, i placed my hand close to it*

Slowly I push myself to my hands and look at my legs. I pull the dagger from the other sheath and cut myself free. I start to look around frantically for my book and sword.

I find my sword close by with some blood on it and then I notice the deep gash and grab a piece of clothe from my bag. I pour some mead on it to disinfect it and then tie it off. Then I turn and find my book a ways off. Cautiously I go to retrieve it.

With the instincts that make me more of a beserker type Viking than the farming kind I switch my direction without altering the rhythm of the swinging of my ax. The ornate but deadly curves at each end of either blade are making a noise somewhere between a howl, a hum and a whistle as its spinning becomes a blur.

With devastating precisions I plant all of this deadly momentum onto the side of the great lizard's neck in precisely the space opposite where Jerry's sword strike lands.

EDIT: It's OK to run with sharp things if you do it with style.

I am frozen in place. Is it the mead? Am I dreaming?

That can't be Xia's lifeless lower body on the ground.

I snap out of it, and scream, let's get the f**k out of here before it gets someone else, pull Maven by the arm and start running back through the woods. I forget all about Dovregruden.

While everyone seems to be headed towards the distant thumps, I take this opportunity to look through the various shelters left behind, looting goods that the others will be willing to trade their own stuff for.

a big smirk creeps upon my face as in this particular shelter, there are chickens bundled up in a corner, clucking wildly. They seem nervous, but I don't care. In my mind, I just hit the jackpot.

I know. It's weird how the ass can still look so fine even covered with gore.

Uh... What was I saying?

Alright, so Jerry and Pock hit the "dragon", but despite the sharpness of their weapons, the thick leathery hide makes their powerful blows a bit more glancing. The dragon lifts its head up and roars in pain, two small cuts adorning either side of its neck. It turns around and its tail lashes the both of you, sweeping you off of your feet and sending you flying to the ground a few yards away.

MurderousKitty is running all out in a charge away from the thing, pushing past Suebe and Maven as the two ladies stare at the carnage in shock. A moment later Suebe and Maven are behind her, heading back toward the village like the brave little vikings that they are. Dovregruden baa's in terror, running right along with you ladies.


----


As Doggy lives sings his little tune he hears a ditant roar and some screams. A few moments later he sees three viking women headed his way, their eyes wide with terror. It appears that a sheep is chasing them. Must be a pretty vicious sheep.


---

Chexmix, in the mean time, investigates the other huts. Chickens... Yeah those were there. *shakes fist at Chez for not following rules* Three f**king chickens. You'll pay for that one.

And some furs and bedding and hay and plenty of chopped wood. Each hut seems to have it's own collection of mead casks... Looks like the viking civilization was prepared for some serious drinking.


---

Oh s**t, and MadHatter found her book and sword real quick like and returned on her breakneck treck back to the village.

As I'm walking along through the woods I hear a roar somewhere in the distance and see three busty (what?!) viking women running towards me with a sheep in hot pursuit.

I step to one side to let the women pass and at the same time ready my axe to deliver a fatal blow to the sheep, BLAM, the axe hits the sheep with my full force behind it......

LOL, I knew you wouldn't forget me!

I finally make it back to the village, careful not to trip over anything else. As I make it there, I am almost barreled over by three scared viking women.

... and cleaves the sheep in half from snout to ass. It bleats once as it bleeds all over the place. (like that alliteration?)