I have arrived in a new land, washed ashore after my ordeal. I am
shipwrecked and alone, with not an emerald to my name, but "alone" does not
mean "lonely" and fortunes may be restored. I have chanced upon an alpine
forest and can see a gorgeous hill near my beach. I shall begin moving
there immediately.

~~~~~

I have been informed that this land is a part of King Albsy's kingdom. He
is said to be a fair ruler. We shall see. My greatest hope is that he
takes no special interest in my humble home, as long as I am faithful in my
delivery of taxes to his treasury. I have already laid out a foundation for
my cabin, and have been cutting trees like a rabid beaver.

The King's messenger presented me with some options, and at length I chose a
book. I am officially a "hermit" in the King's records. The King's
blessing grants me a special bounty on my harvests, so I work long hours to
till a farm as well as complete my cabin.

~~~~~

The book I was given contains magic, which allows me to instantly transport
to towns in the kingdom. I have met and warmed to the mayor of Atlantis,
the Priest Lord Hobo The Wise. We are also able to use the book to speak
instantly through our writings. I have also met the mayor of the town of
Mercy this way, the Lady Fidget.

The cabin is coming along quite nicely. It is now roofed, the garden is
growing well. I am digging out a basement to store much anticipated bumper
crops. I think it will be time to domesticate some livestock and horses
soon. I am living off bread for now. I see mooshrooms, horses and donkeys
in the forest sometimes. Occasionally a sickly wolf appears.

~~~~~

Roundup time went well indeed! I have captured five mooshrooms, and
harvesting my crops yielded enough wheat to keep them happy. I also managed
to capture and tame a horse and a donkey. I plan to breed all of these
animals, of course. The only thing that could possibly make my small farm
more complete would be a pet dog to help me with these tasks.

I spoke with the Lady Fidget and lent her some assistance with the gazing
pools she is building. I find her work aesthetic and impressive. She gave
me a tour of her town claim, which seems extensive.

The mangy wolf was at the edge of the forest this morning. I will leave a
mooshroom steak out for it tonight.

~~~~~

I have gathered enough resources to pay the tax to make my land claim
official. It is now a town of one, named CougrrTown. One day I might
invite others to live here, but for now I am happy enough to be alone.

The wolf seems to be a loner as well. I feel much sympathy toward her, as
she has come close enough for me to see that she bears injuries that
probably came about when she was driven from her pack. Another mooshroom
steak for her tonight. I ate mine on the porch, leaving hers in a bowl
nearby. She watched from the edge of the woods for a time, and finally
crept out, flinching at the bright sunlight and openness of the yard, and
all but inhaled the steak in a bite.

~~~~~

The mayor of BestKorea visited. KRMitchell complimented my design, which
was kind, but I don't think it's actually grand enough to impress much of
anyone. I have begun some landscaping in the area and started to extend the
farm. The mooshrooms are thriving!

I have jokingly named the wolf Alpha. She allowed me to touch her fur
today, but gave such a frightening snarl that I shied away. It is said that
wild wolves can be tamed, and Alpha is certainly making steps toward
becoming civilized. Being near her has made me aware of her strong odor,
however. Tomorrow I shall finish the small pond and try to entice her into
the water.

~~~~~

Lord Hobo gave me a tour of his holdings this morning. Atlantis is a very
extensive and well-planned city. I enjoyed the tour and learned much of the
Lord Hobo's enterprises. His creativity within the aquadomes delights and
amazes visitors.

The pond is finished and I have bathed Alpha, for all the good it did. She
was not happy about the bath and fought me like a fiend. Several of her
bites and scratches drew blood, and the moment my hold relaxed she shot into
the woods. I left another steak out for her, but she hadn't come back by
sunset. I had hoped to tend to her injuries, but they seemed to be healing
from the brief look I got.

~~~~~

Today I needed to call upon the Powers that Be for assistance with my land
claim. The Princess Erin heeded my call immediately and resolved the matter
swiftly and decisively. I found an abandoned lean-to built upon land that I
was intending to claim for my town, and asked her many in-depth questions
about the laws regarding squatter's rights. She invoked the mystical book
of records known as LogBlock and found that there was no history of
settlement mentioned here, no inhabitant, and so decreed that I could
destroy the structure and build in the area, as long as I was willing to
compensate the owner if they later came forth. I found the judgement to be
fair and helpful, as I had no desire to destroy someone's home, yet also
wanted to use the spot to expand my own humble abode.

Alpha has not yet shown herself since the bath, but I have noticed fresh
tracks near the pond. I will leave another steak out for her. The one I
left out yesterday disappeared, but it was sometime after sunset.

~~~~~



This is a fanfiction written as a player on mc.somnusrealms.com.  To be continued.  Feel free to join and create your own story!