text: [Themes: sci-fi]
  
  "Alright. Get any warm clothes, tools, and food that will travel well."
  
  "Oh thank you Arthur! I'll get David! We'll be along shortly!"
  
  You get the sudden feeling that things are going to be moving much slower for you after this. Hopefully they have warm shoes at least. When the pair of them are finished packing you need to spend a while adjusting the straps of the packs they've chosen. You also have them put a few things back in the cabin. A cotton blanket will likely kill them as keep them warm. Cotton absorbs water to easily for it to be a good choice. With that you make your way out of the settlement.
  
  You walk past the fence that's been built up around the town that's just been started. Passing by open ground that's covered in the stumps of trees that now make up the town, you find yourself in a position to make another decision about your future.
  
  You can head up to the mountains and start prospecting for the metals up there. The scan printouts that George Godbole saw before bringing you here only stated that the mountains had metal in them. Never did he mention anything about what kind of metals. One of the fastest ways you can help the Singhs is to find a vein of silver ore for them.
  
  On the other hand you don't know a ton about prospecting. Sure you can recognize gold, silver, copper, tin and the like. You just couldn't say much more than that. Maybe that's all you need though.
  
  You do know how to hunt though. You know how animals think for the most part, and you know what they need. You've killed and skinned plenty of animals, and you have the gear you need to process the carcass. If you can bring down an earth beast you have food, a hide, and maybe even the oil you can get from the fat. A Heran animal will get you a hide, and the oil. God knows you can make a decent living off of lamp oil and all the furs you're going to be able to ship back. It's the trade you had in mind when you came on this voyage, and it's the trade you came equiped for.
  
  > take the Singhs hunting.
  Hunting is the trade you know. No need to be taking them up in the hills to starve with you. You've only one rifle between the three of you so you'll need to teach them to shoot. Might be worth cutting spears for them if you want to hunt some larger game.
  
  "We're going to go hunting inland. I'll show you how this rifle works after we set up camp at night. Follow me." Is all you say to them.
  
  You eat the rations that were given to you and mostly just see what edible terran plants are in the area, looking for sign of whatever animals live in the area. Over the next few days you work your way further into the hinterlands, the gunshots of other hunters getting further and further away. The Singhs bring with them a constant stream of chatter that never ceases. David is to much of a social creature to not talk in an empty silence, Marrissa on the other hand has questions about hunting and other parts of wilderness survival.
  
  You set up the sturdiest temporary shelter you can manage once you find an area you think is suitable and set in for the hunt.
  
  The next day you teach the singhs how to hunt. It turns out Marrissa is an excellent shot, but doesn't have the stomach to skin an animal. She throws up every time you get to that part. David on the other hand is pretty good with a knife but would count himself lucky to hit an elk at ten meters. The work actually goes faster with the two of them with you and by the end of the day you've managed to gather enough Opax furs that you'd struggle to carry any more home with you. Marrissa even managed to bag one very lost reindeer. You'll be eating actual meat now because of that.
  
  The walk back to the settlement goes faster this time. You aren't looking for sign or food this time and you make much better progress.
  
  About half a day from the settlement you see something you haven't before. It's a white furred creature that's broad as three men and on all fours stands just as tall as one. It's obviously a predator of some sort with the sharp teeth you can see in it's mouth and the ten centimeter claws on it's paws. You can't tell how much of it's muscle or fur but it's hide would sell well if you could take it down with one shot. You watch as the thing flips over a log with one paw and sniffs in the space where the log was. Can you drop a beast like this with one bullet?
  
  > shoot this winter beast.
  You lean against a tree and line up the shot. There's no way you can miss it. The thing's to big to miss even at the range of a hundred and fiftey meters.
  
  Lining the front sight post up with the creatures short muzzle you slowly exhale.
  
  "Marrissa! Look at the size of that beast there!" David says
  
  The creature looks up at the three of you spoiling your aim.
  
  "It's noticed us. Arthur it's noticed us!" Marrissa says to you in a worried half wisper.
  
  The beast begins a trot towards you that gradually picks up.
  
  "Shit! It's going to kill us!" David screams.
  
  "Language!" Marrissa says in a raised indignant voice.
  
  Quickly adjusting your aim you use the natural pause between breaths to smoothly squeeze the trigger until the riffled musket jumps in you hand and the smell of sulfur fills the air. The creature roars out in anger not so much as stumbling.
  
  "It's still coming! It's still coming!" David screams.
  
  The beast is thirty meters from you, you know you won't get another shot out and drop the weapon so your hands will be free to grab your knife.
  
  You hold your knife out point first so the beast will impale itself on it as it runs into you. It does just that after bowling over David. It's on you before you can even get to your knees. The creature opens it's maw and leans in to bite out your throat. You put your left arm up and try to push it away out of some sort of useless reflex. The beasts mouth closes around that arm and you let out an involuntary shreik and you hear the bones crunch. You slash and stab at is with you knife and continue you scream and cuss. It rakes you with it's claws before biting your throat out. After doing that it slumps on you. Finally dead.
  
  "Arthur? Arthur!?" You hear Marrissa's voice.
  
  "Arthur!" David yells rushing to you.
  
  The siblings say something more but you can't hear any more of it. You push your knife into David's hands and close your eyes.