Issa Skill prompt

Intellect Skill Prompt- Fall yr. 12

Archon and Obi had been residing in these lands for a while. It seemed a pack had taken over the shrine that had caught Archon's eye and he wasn't sure how to feel about it just yet. He didn't like settling down for so long, but with the winter coming soon it would be better to bolster his current den just to make sure he had somewhere to go in case things got bad.

Obi had made several bricks from mud and grasses. While he was still perfecting the formula, the recent batches had seemed much more stable than the last few, so Obi was confident in their abilities. He wanted to put them to the test before using them to build a church, however. He had the idea to stack them around the northern side of the den to protect from harsh winds. Though they were in the South, the winds would still get frigid in the Winter and while a wall wasn't really needed, if it worked the way Obi thought it ought to, then it would cut the amount of chill that traveled over the den. He was able to recruit Archon into digging a small, level trench for the base level of bricks to lie in. On top of each layer, Obi added a layer of still moist mud, clay, and grassy mixture. Then he would stack another layer on top. He hoped that as this layer between the bricks dried, it would help to render them immobile even against the force and weight of snow. He aimed to make the wall a little taller than Archon, long and curved enough to deflect the wind properly. While he worked his way around with the rectangular objects, Archon focused on clearing the den and relining it.

It never hurt to have a larger den as long as the opening wasn't too large, Archon reasoned, scratching out a layer of dirt. He had Obi stamp the loose ground down while he collected skins. They weren't anything special, but they were scraped clean and preserved somewhat. He had been careful with his recent kills to not rip them to shreds. Although Obi wasn't thrilled about learning to skin, he realized that Archon's giant claws weren't really the best for more delicate maneuvers, so Obi had decided to help. If the conjoined dens were lined, they would be much warmer, so it was a sacrifice Obi was willing to take. Although Obi wasn't quite used to the whole living in a den thing, he was slowly learning ways to improve it for both him and Archon. If he could endure like a wolf, he would be better suited to travel farther from places with trees.

Before putting the furs down, however, Archon added feathers from a more recent kill, then some grasses. He might not have eaten all the birds he killed, but trying to eat everything he caught as birds began to flock South was too tiring and time consuming. Apparently it was hard to de-feather them while they were still alive, but Archon hadn't been there to watch Obi struggle through it. After Obi's complaints, however, Archon had made sure to bring only dead birds back. After he was pleased with the amount of insulation on the bottom and sides of the den, Archon carefully placed the skins, focusing on covering mainly the bottom of the den so that the heat could sink in the longer he lay in the den.

He repeated the same for the den next to his- Obi's den. Though he and his companion weren't outwardly affectionate, they did take care of each other when possible. They had a respect for each other's knowledge and the fact that one could do what the other couldn't.

"Obi," Archon started as he placed the feathers and grasses in Obi's den. "Have you ever experienced Winter before?"

The monkey was silent a moment while he situated another brick. "I think our perceptions of winter are different. Where I am from, this weather is already our winter."

Archon hummed in response and put extra padding on Obi's den before lining it with furs.

Archon thought about what kind of accommodations Obi might need for the winter. Would his bare hands and feet be able to stand up against the cold? There was no fur able to insulate them, so maybe they could craft something if the cold got too extreme. Archon contemplated if he could shed enough fur, although simply catching more rabbits might be more preferred. They would definitely need to think about survival in the next season.

"What do you think about crafting some warm coverings for you?" Archon asked, suggesting the idea since Obi would have to be the one to actually craft the items. "Something for your paws?"

Obi nodded, jumping down from his construction.

"What have you got in mind?" Obi asked.

Archon took a larger fur and wrapped it around his paw poorly. Obi came over worked on adjusting the fitting on Archon's paw.

"For you, Obi, not for me."

"I know. I'm checking something."

Obi took the fur off of Archon's paw and inspected it before working on wrapping it around his own foot.

"It may be a good idea, although it looks bulky."

Archon shrugged, "You can take them off to work."

"Yeah," Obi said. "But I probably won't want to."

Archon contemplated the situation for a moment. "Well, we still have a while to figure it out. For now, what do you think of the den?"

Obi peeked inside both dens before facing Archon with a large, monkey smile. "It's perfect."