Prepare the Fish for the Bondmaid Gruel ((4 August))

[09:08 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) smiles to herself as she enters the bakery and sets down the bucket of raw fish she had fetched from the cold shed on her way back. Having settled wachiwi at the barn milking blue, the large, shaggy village bosk she now hurried to finish her own chores for the night so that she could return to her Jarl's cabin and prepare His furs for the night

[09:10 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) with a mischevious glint in her bright gaze, she walked over to the sink and washed her hands well before pulling out two fat, silverfish and slapped them on the scarred, wooden carving board.

[09:12 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) chuckled to herself as she remembered that she forgot to warn wachiwi that old blue seemed to favor the taste of brightly colored camisks and kirtles, and many a time she had a lost a favorite outfit to her strong teeth. As a result she often mlked the bosk naked, unless it was two bitterly cold. During the winter months she would distract her with a sac of dried grain tied to her muzzle.

[09:20 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) reaches for the kitchen knife attatched to the counter and grasps the first fish firmly, noting the dark stripe down its back. She tilted the knife slightly and began the familiar task of scaling the fish, taking care to remove every one, even around the hard to reach collar. Small silver scales flew everywhere, littering the wooden floor and clinging to the sheer camisk she had donned that evening.

[09:25 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing): She moved the first fish out of the way and scaled the second fish as well and then started the gutting process. Her mind wandered to the small silver box she had buried in the woods, in her secret place she would often slip away to when her chores were done and the village was quiet with sleep. As she slid the point of the knife into the vent of the fish and dragged it upward toward the head, her eyes clouded in thought. She had not been back to waterfall since the appearance of the mysterious spirit of the woman at the waterfall, partly from fear, and partly because she had been so busy preparing for winter.

[09:28 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing): Forcing the knife through the bony part of the fish between the pelvic fins and upward to the base of the lower jaw, she sighed softly. She was dying to force open that box, but what would she find? and what if it was valuable? A slave could be put to death for theft, or at the very least have a hand or ear chopped off. And who would believe a spirit gave it to her?

[09:32 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) reaching inside the fish her fingers located the guts at the base of its head and yanked them out with long practice, tossing them in the refuse bucket nearby. Sliding the fish over she repeated the process on the second fish as her thoughts continuted to drift away in thought. She had not seen the warrior Thor in many moons. Many suspected He was off hunting or perhaps raiding with nearby allies, but she wondered idly if He had gone to try to save His love, not knowing of her tragic death, and the trap that lay in wait for Him.

[09:34 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) uses the knife to scrape out the livers of the fish located near the backbone, and the removed the remains of the bladder, tossing the small white sacs into the refuse bucket with the livers.

[09:39 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) worked diligently on the fish, as her mind continued to race with thoughts of the spirit woman and the missing Jarl. Her heart was heavy with guilt and worry and fear and she was hardly aware of the routine she performed two times per hand. Removing the gills from the fish as they would give the gruel and would make the fish spoil faster, she then sawed off the heads and tails and proceeded to chop the fish into small chunks that would be used for the gruel.

[09:42 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) tosses the heads, tails and gills into the refuse bucket she washed her hands again and tossed the chunks of raw fish into a large kettle. Adding a bucket of fresh water, another bucket of fresh bosk milk, a small pinch of salt and dried flour to the pot, she lifted it to the hearth to cook, digging out a large wooden spoon to stir it often so it did not stick to the sides and become overly lumpy.

[09:53 PM]  Ysamadouce: tas wahya

[09:54 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) sees the kettle of gruel start to boil and uses a cloth to lift the kettle from the flames, grunting with the effort as she carries it over to the counter. Crouching down, her strong legs supporting her firm body with ease, she rummages in the shelves for a lid and finding one settles it on the kettle. Setting it in the corner of the hearth, with the lid pushed down firmly , it would stay warm enough near the glowing coals of the dying fire. Smiling as she sees wachiwi enter the bakery with fresh bosk milk she waved at her "greetings again wachiwi"

[09:55 PM]  wahya(tala.moonwing) brushing a soft tendril of damp hair from her forehead she brushes her hands off on her camisk and shows her where the container for the milk was so that it could be stored and carried to the ice shed to stay cool for tomorrows cooking.