On day 164 of their second year, Wren set out to mend Ash's roof before dark

Three berries and a bed of boughs

This was their second spring. The world's History page marks day 1 of this year as the first time the round of the seasons came back, and by day 164 it was mid spring and raining. In the last hours we followed, Ash gave three berries to Wren, and Wren laid a bed of boughs on the ground. Ash had just finished a short round of their own: fill the flask, gather berries, go back to Wren.

Then Ash shaped a lantern of stone and wood, right there beside the stone. After that they kept setting themselves small aims for the hours ahead. Ash set out to fill the flask and then stay beside Wren for the night. Wren set out to warm up first and then gather a full load of logs.

Their plans kept circling back to the same spot. Ash meant to eat, drink and come back down by Wren, and Wren meant to go back to the boughs by Ash. Later Ash's aim became simply to stock up by daylight, while Wren's became getting ready for the night early. Wren's plan grew as the hours passed, first to include mending Ash's roof, and then a new cape on top of that.

Morning at the stream

What they said to each other that day started with waking up. Ash greeted Wren with the news that the night had passed without a break, and with a plan for the first hour.

“Morning, love. We slept right through. I'll have some berries, then let's drink at the stream together.”

Wren agreed to go down to the stream together and added a plan: fill their hands with logs early, so they would be ready long before dark. Ash answered while drinking deep beside Wren and repeated the plan in their own words. Logs and berries early, Ash said, and they would be ready long before dark.

The fuller tree

Then they went to the trees. Wren was pulling the last log from one of them and already planning what came next, which was a job meant for Ash.

“One more log from this tree, love, then berries. After that I'll mend your roof so it holds as long as mine.”

Ash's roof would not hold as long as Wren's, and Wren meant to fix that. Ash thanked Wren and picked a nearby tree with more wood still on it, so they could keep working side by side.

“Thank you, love. I'll get my logs from this fuller tree right beside you, then berries together.”

In Ash's thoughts at that hour, Wren's offer to mend the roof was a kindness. Ash planned to fill their hands from the fuller tree next to Wren, so they would have enough stocked well before dusk.

A cape wearing thin

Wren went on to a berry bush that had two berries left on it and told Ash the order of things: those two berries, then Ash's roof. Wren also mentioned that their own cape was wearing thin and said a new one would be woven after the roof.

By then the rain had come in. In Wren's own thoughts, the cape now had only hours left, and the plan for the rest of the day was laid out step by step.

“The rain has come in, and my cape is wearing thin, with only a few hours of rain left in it. I'll take the last two berries from the bush, then mend Ash's roof. Once my hands are full again I should weave a new cape by a tree before this one falls apart.”