[The X Phial]

Borgand watched as the last roofing slate was put in place and the last few boards were hammered home, beaming. The town hall was finished! Weeks of work and agonising waiting had finally paid off with the completion of the first building of the settlement. The former soldier heard a cheer go up from the people in the makeshift streets and it took him a few moments to realise that the cheer was not for the finished building, but for the returning hunters.

Borgand hurried to greet Calumdril and Culiad and sighed with inward relief when he saw that their horses carried fresh meat.

"Hail, Calumdril," he called. "It seems our team has also found the herds. I congratulate you! I was awaiting your signal fire, but will be happy to send one myself letting everyone on the hunt know that the contest is now over. The town hall itself was just finished, and I believe we are all primed for a celebration."

The Ithillian smiled at him, clearly weary, and handed off his prizes to a waiting lad of maybe 12 who was eager to be near the hunters. Culiad seemed less weary than resentful, but Borgand knew that a young man with a taste of freedom was usually the hardest to satisfy, and that honour at the feast tonight would cool his temper.

Calumdril jumped from his horse and handed the reigns to another lad...they seemed to have srung up around him in a kind of hero worship. "I'll ask you lads to take care of my animals. The horse needs brushing, feeding and water and the deer need cleaning. I'll trust you to figure out which is which," he told them with a wink and a smile. "Now, I am off for a swim."

"An excellent idea," Borgand agreed. He turned to the men who had been working on the town hall. "Let's clean this place up and then it's a swim for all while the preparations for the feast are underway!"

Another cheer went up from the townsfolk, and Borgand got back to work overseeing the cleaning of the site, but taking the time to kindle the signal fire himself, as he had promised his friend.

**********

Several hours later, as dusk was settling in, things were looking almost festive. Infected with a party mood, no one seemed to want to slack just yet, and the work, rather than falling off, had actually increased. More hunters from both sides kept arriving, brought back to the camp by the smoke signals which indicated that the contest was over. As they returned and their kills were added to the tally of those already sent back by messenger for preservation, it became more and more evident that the settlers would have more than enough for a feast and smoked and cured meat for several months. Though not the end of their troubles, seeing such a bountiful take had lightened everyone's mood.

Women tended fires, cooked and cleaned the game, worked on other dishes to supplement the meal, attempted to keep their children from running wild in the excitement, and generally laughed, smiled, and joked in spite of the stress. Tonight everyone would eat, everyone would sing and make merry, and it was worth the extra work now. Some men, after bathing, had set about helping with the food preparations, others had gone through the camp gathering every spare chair, table, and flat surface for setting up the interior of the town hall. Soon they would have proper furniture, but for now the assembled goods of the town were sufficient and added to the holiday mood. The rangers were also not immune from the excitement. Though they seemed less abandoned in their joy, it was impossible not to feel the celebration when your return was hailed as heroic and the smell of hundreds of savory dishes reached your nose.

In all of the excitement, Borgand moved from fire to fire encouraging, lifting tables, tasting stews and sweetmeats, and generally keeping an eye on how the preparations were going. As woman all across the camp seemed to be putting the finishing touches on their food after bathing both themselves and their children, he hurried to the town hall and pulled his battered battle horn out. With a single blast he signaled the beginning of the feast and streams of excited faces, each with something good to eat or drink in hand, began to pour past him into the hall. He allowed himself a moment of quiet before joining his people inside their new town hall.

The feast had begun.