The moment Aurora stepped into the western clearing the following morning, nearly the entire work force had already gathered there.
More than eighty warriors stood waiting with neatly stacked piles of materials surrounding the open ground. Thick tree trunks lay in one section, while long straight branches had been sorted according to their length. Several enormous bundles of bamboo rested nearby, accompanied by mountains of broad leaves, dry grass, fresh clay, and smooth stones gathered by the four groups the previous day.
