First order of business was for the brotherbands to construct their living quarters. Three cleared areas had been selected for the purpose. Each band was taken to a different clearing where a pile of building material was waiting for them.
Gort, the assistant instructor who led the Herons to their living area, pointed to the pile of materials.
"Everything you need is there. You just have to work out how to put it together. You've got the rest of today and tomorrow to do it."
After he finished his speech, Gort turned and left. The Herons stood in silence for a moment.
"We had better get started. It's gonna rain tonight whether we're ready or not." The herons turned to look at Zac. Stig laughed.
"You must be joking! The sky is as blue as can be!"
Zac smiled at him. It was a humourless smile that sent shivers down Stig's spine.
"Well, if you want to contract hypothermia, that's fine by me. But I would prefer not to, so I'll find my own sleeping quarters, shall I?"
Hal turned to face Stig.
"He may be right Stig. besides, we might get extra marks for finishing our shelter first." Stig nodded. The other herons launched into action, then stopped and looked at Hal.
"Why are you all looking at me?"
Edvin spoke up first.
"you're the skirl, take charge." Hal took a deep breath. He studied the building materials for a few seconds.
"when we're building a boat, we sort out the materials. We put similar pieces together so
we can see what we've got." Stig snorted.
"I can see what we've got. We've got a big mess."
Hal resisted the urge to face-palm.
"He meant that we should sort the material by putting similar pieces together so we can
see what we've got. Than we can work out the best way to use it."
Hal nodded his thanks Zac for explaining it. That he looked back at the others.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!"
Once again the brotherband started rushing around, except this time they knew what they were supposed to be doing.
Unnoticed among the trees, Erak and Sigurd watched the busy, efficient scene. They had already observed progress at the other two sites - or rather, the lack of it.
"Look at that. He's already got them organised. He's started them building. The other
two groups are still stumbling around, wondering which end of the hammer is which."
Sigurd shook his head then replied.
"Who'd have thought it?"
Erak looked sidelong at him.
"I did."
Then he relented, because it hadn't been his own thought entirely.
"Or rather Thorn did. He told me that boy had something special about him. He's a
thinker and a planer - and that's what we need. That boy Zac's like him too.
Sigurd was surprised.
"Thorn? The drunk?"
He remembered seeing Thorn stumbling around Hallasholm going from one tavern to another. It occurred to him that he hadn't seen him doing so for sometime. Erak looked meanfully at him.
"he's off the drink."
"People like him are never really off it."
Erak pursed his lips.
"Maybe he is. I hope so. In any event, he was right about the Araluan boy."
He scratched his beard thoughtfully.
"Let's go back and see how Tursgud's bunch are managing."