Hope came when Autumn did. The sound of hooves came one morning, echoing over the ground like thunder. The villagers rushed out of their filthy shacks, their joy no greater than if a hundred cows had suddenly entered the place, falling to the ground and offering their meat to all that would have it.

At first, the traders were hesitant to come near the starving people. Some had even eaten their clothes in a desperate attempt to fill their stomachs. Still, they came, and never a more happy greeting could they have expected. People knelt at their feet and praised them as if they were gods, their filthy faces smiling up away from their wasting bodies.

To say the traders were stingy is a gross understatement. Their guards hung about the caravan like wolves, throwing dirty glances at the clingy hands of the starving villagers. Some were even kicked away when they came too close. The head of the caravan eventually looked about him and declared that nothing would be traded if there was nothing to offer.

The villagers were shocked. It had never occurred to them that their only hope may be dashed. For months, they had waited for these saviors to come. They had been the source of strength for the mothers who watched their children die in their arms. This had been the murmur, the prayer of every creature within the village, and now they saw it was in vain. They had been waiting for nothing.

It was Bensai, a stout farmer that saved everyone that day. Even in his famished state, he could still think, still protect the family that lay in his hut, too weak to come out to greet their futile hope.

"You listen, you stinking, filthy snake, and you listen well. We have waited for you for three starving, painful months, and you have come. These trees have been burnt to the ground, but they will grow back. Give us time, and you will have a full harvest. Give us time, or we will take it from you."

I have seen many people imitate this speech, for it was soon to become the most famous words ever uttered by any man in all of Bren. It was because of this speech, the desperate anger of the people that caused the traders to impart of their goods. Food was given, seeds and clothing, all manner of goods came before the people! Even animals and medicine found its way into their hands, and the caravan was still overflowing with goods!

Of course, this came with a price. The villagers promised three years of full loads of special wood for the caravan, and in return, they were given their lives. Because of the temperate climate, they would be able to begin planting immediately, and they now had food enough to last until their crops grew.

Again, people were praising and smiling, jumping and dancing with the joy of a life saved. People ate that day like they had not eaten in three months, and there was not a dry eye to be found. When the grudging caravan left the village that day, they left a trail of hope behind them.