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So. I have this REALLY BAD habit of not putting anywhere close to enough stuff in my chapters. I know I need to flesh these two out in particular, but they’re so short I dunno really where to start. Any critique at all is appreciated at this point…

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Chapter three

The next morning, after Kiel had woken up, he cautiously stepped out of the cave, and walked over to where he had left the pile of wood. Last night, before he went to sleep, he had carefully carved two large pots out of some chunks of wood, and found a hollow reed which, at each end, he carefully softened and bent down at a right angle. He also found two flat rocks, big enough to cover the pots, and ground a small hole through each one, just big enough for the tube to fit in.

Kiel built a fire in a hollowed-out spot in the sand and put one of his pots on top, filled with water. Then, he put some of the wood that he chipped up into the pot. Remembering what he had learned about estimating the temperature of heating water, he watched until he was pretty sure the water was about 175° F. He then placed one of the lids on the pot and positioned the other pot on the ground beside it, with its lid on. The tube he then fitted into the holes of each lid.

As he waited for the wood to break down, he prepared to make a sword. He found a long, thick piece of obsidian, and went to get the rock that he used to shape the axe. Then he sat down by the pots and began to slowly knap the blade.

An hour and a half later, he stood up and shook the bits of rock out of his clothes, then inspected his sword. He had decided to make the blade from the obsidian, and then attach it to a wooden hilt. He was almost done; he still needed to make the hilt.

He carefully lifted the lid of the pot that was collecting the distilled wood alcohol and looked at the scant amount of liquid. “I’m gonna need a lot more,” he said, frowning, “if I plan on using this for fuel.” He sighed, grabbed his axe, and went to chip off more pieces of wood from the palm tree.

By the time dusk settled in, Kiel had a tunic full of itchy wood chip bits and a pot two-thirds full of wood alcohol for time machine fuel. He headed back to the cave, his head throbbing where the Velociraptor clawed him, lugging some firewood and his axe. Percy was already in the cave, and ‘grounked’ sleepily when Kiel came in.

“Night, Percy,” muttered Kiel, closing his eyes

 

Chapter four

Kiel awoke to the disgruntled grunts of Percy. He sat up and stretched. Percy’s grunts continued from the front of the cave. Rising, Kiel looked out, then grabbed his axe from where it lay. Percy swung his tail at one of the three Velociraptors attempting to make their way inside. Kiel, wielding his axe, took on the other two, and tried to puzzle out why they seemed so intent on driving them away from the cave, then realized they must have lived here, went hunting and left the cave for a while, the other Velociraptor that Kiel had killed earlier had gotten back early, and now the others that lived there weren’t happy about Kiel and Percy taking shelter in their cave.

Letting the two raptors back him up against one of the outside walls of the cave, he then turned around, took a running leap, kicked off said cave wall, did a midair backflip, and landed behind the raptors.

Unfortunately, doing so had made his wounded head throb, and he became dizzy. He fell to his knees, using his axe to support him. The raptors advanced, and Kiel shuffled backwards, fighting off rising nausea. Suddenly, a caped figure brandishing a rapier leapt between him and the Velociraptors, driving them against the cave wall.

Kiel, startled, watched as the newcomer dealt a fatal blow to one, and thrust the last foot or so of the blade into the head of the other. Turning, the swordsperson threw a small knife at the third, and, wiping the blade of the rapier, glared at Kiel.

“What were you thinking, going into dinosaur times without a weapon?” demanded Hazel.

“What… I… how did you get here?” asked a bewildered Kiel, nausea forgotten.

“Dad and Wizard Hemlock transported me here after we guessed where you were.”

Hazel pulled a large bandage, some soap, a bottle of water, knife, and a piece of aloe from a pack, and proceeded to treat the cut on Kiel’s head.

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Thanks, y’all!!

@taylorclogston @evelyn @steward-of-the-pen @cassie-hartfinh @anybodyelsewhocanhelp