A Pirate's Life for Me

Sparrow returned near the pack lands for a bit. The pirate band was coming together in one way or another and as the seasons slowly changed, Sparrow wondered if they'd be able to form one before the winter. As she came to the familiarity of the orchard, it was hard to ignore the alterations the season brought. While some of the trees did indeed just shrivel and die- or not die but do the thing where they looked dead but weren't dead... DORMANT! Yes, Sparrow knew that word- other trees were filled with brilliant yellows, oranges and red the likes Sparrow had never seen.

Actually, she HAD seen just exactly the likes of leaves like this before, but they were so striking that it was hard to imagine they were just as vibrant the last year. It wasn't every day someone was face to face with the trees turning into the metaphorical sun, so the woman was keen to enjoy it while it lasted. She had no real way to preserve this and she knew that later the trees would be leafless and brown and the ground would be blanketed white with snow. Then everything would go back to green. It was for only a short while that the leaves shone with such spectacular color and the ground, littered with the already fallen leaves, crunched so nicely underfoot. Foraging animals hopped and bounded about trying to find the last morsels of food before the chill hit.

Some trees in the orchard, however, were still a dark green. Sparrow knew from her father that winter harbored in some specific fruits like satsumas and cumquats and other citrus fruit which could be used for wines and things. While many of them were still flowering or harbored tiny green fruits, there was nothing immediately edible in this batch.

Right at the moment, Sparrow went around, noting which trees would be of use in the winter. If she was with the pirates by then, then having the ability to make fresh wines would be handy. And when they had their first raid and first post-raid party, they'd need all the alcohol they could get! It was only a matter of time that her pirate band, like the late fall citrus, came into full bloom- full fruition- and were ready to harvest, store, and ferment into something much better and more grand than the simple branches they came from before.

WC: 405