Basilisk was pretty accustomed by now to being tossed from job to job. The forge was something the Warlord wanted set up fairly promptly, so Basilisk had been assigned to helping the other wolf. Mostly he was there to do any heavy lifting and try not to get in the way. He didn’t know the first thing about being a blacksmith, or what Ruga needed. But he found himself extremely interested in the other wolf's job. He could really just hammer the shape into things? And built intricate jewellery?

He sat beside the other wolf, with bits and pieces laying before them, and huffed softly. It was already shaping up to look like a big job. “So what should I do first?”


"Speech"

Ruga couldn't say he was entirely thrilled to be moving to the cold north, especially not after he had just finished getting his forge and workshop set up just how he wanted it, but he had made a commitment to Sirius so as long as Sirius was still leading he supposed he ought to hold to it. What was he if he started going back on his word? So he packed up as many of the pieces of the forge as he could manage to carry that amount of distance and when they got there he started looking for a suitable place to rebuild. Sirius allowed him to have a larger space with a den and a separate storage area that had a bit of an open alcove in front of the entrance so that he would have the space he needed to work. He supposed if he was going to get drug to the other side of Boreas this was a decent compromise.

He was given Sirius' grandson to help in his efforts to get the forge back up and running as soon as possible and even though the boy was young he certainly appreciated the strength the boy brought to the table. Even at a year old the boy was still significantly taller than him which was astounding considering he had never met anyone that passed his height. With the pieces he had packed up laid out in the clearing outside his den, Basilisk asked what he should do first and Ruga sighed with dread of having to do all of this again. "Well... I guess we should start digging out where the base of it is going to go," he told him, gesturing to the space he had marked out to the right of the cave's entrance. There was a rectangle etched out in the dirt that he pointed to and he added, "We need it dug out at least deep enough for a layer of bricks to go in at the bottom—two layers worth if we really want to do it right."

"Ruga Amanto"

Ruga was quick to have an answer. The reddish wolf seemed well prepared. Marking things ahead of time and mapping out how they were going to do this. It was clear the wolf had done this before. “Alright” Basilisk agreed, moving over to the indicated patch of dirt. When he arrived, he muttered his breath “Digging, yay!” At least he could wine about this later to Hazel. She’d probably laugh at him, but he’d feel better getting the chance to one up her in what he had achieved today.

He set to work digging, and the Warlords bear ambled over as he did so. Going to work herself without a word of protest as she started to move his dirt pile out of the way. “Why do you need bricks underneath it?” he asked. Curious despite himself. He didn’t know how any of this stuff worked, after all.


"Speech"

While Basilisk worked on digging out the base of the forge Ruga started counting out the bricks he had been making and gathering stone for, double checking that he had enough to build out the forge with. He thought he at least had enough for the base and the walls of the bottom of the structure and if they even got that far today he would be impressed. His ear flicked back toward the younger wolf when he asked why they needed the bricks under the forge and he looked back, realizing with a surprised blink that Sirius' bear had joined in to help as well. Ah well, more the merrier he supposed.

"The bricks on the bottom add extra insulation for the fire inside so the heat stays trapped in there more effectively," he explained as he turned his sea-foam gaze back to the task at hand. "The less heat escapes the less often I have to stoke the fire. Metal has to be very, very hot before it can be formed into something new." He turned his attention to the metal pieces of the forge, most of which he had salvaged from his old forge. The configuration was going to be a bit different from the last, but he thought the thick metal doors he had scavenged from an old ruin would do fine for this one as well.

"Ruga Amanto"

“ohhh” he said, glancing up at Ruga, pausing in his digging to listen to the older wolf's explanation. A smile lit up his face then. “Can I light the fire when we’re ready?” he asked eagerly. If it was to be as hot as Ruga said, then it must be quite a blaze, right?

He turned back to his digging then, going a little more quickly now as he considered what might be exciting about the blacksmith's work. Would Ruga let him melt some metal if he asked? Maybe he could make something for Hazel. Maybe a helmet for her hard head. He hid a snicker and paused as the bear patted him on the shoulder. Pointing at the lines where he had started to go out of the shape Ruga had drawn. He sighed, and patted the dirt back down again in that spot. “What's the coolest thing you’ve made?”


"Speech"

Ruga chuckled and replied, "Sure, you can light the fire when its done. We got a long way to go before we can start lighting any fires though!" It was probably going to take at least a couple of days worth of work to make it happen, much to both of their dismay he was sure, but at least then it would be done and he could get back to his usual work. When he was asked about what the 'coolest' thing he had ever made was he hummed with thought, thinking back through all of the pieces he had completed to think of any that stood out. Meanwhile, he picked up the frame to the doors he was planning on using and moved it closer to where Basilisk and the bear were digging since that would need to go in next after the base layers of bricks.

"It's hard to pick just one..." he mused as he came over to join in on the digging, following along the back edge of the squared off area. "I guess what you would probably think is the coolest is a set of armor I crafted for a King once upon a time. Steel plate lined with lamb skin leather... a matching set with a chest piece and bracers with a sword and sheath to go with them. It took me weeks to finish it because he wanted the whole thing to be etched to look like lightning and the bolts of lightning were embedded with gold." He chuckled and gave a little shake of his head as he thought about those pieces. "Ostentatious little prick. Got himself killed the next battle he was in because he got to cocky."

He gave a little shrug as he continued digging, adding, "I've made all sorts of stuff though. Armor, weapons... Lots of jewelry for pretty ladies." He shot the young lad a grin at that before looking back to the dirt. "Oh, and I did an overhaul on the sword that belongs to that Hallows fellow... What's his name... Right! Artorias. I fixed up his sword for Briar a while back."

"Ruga Amanto"

He sighed at that, knowing it meant there was a lot of work ahead of them. Oh well, he’d manage, he supposed. He eyed the big sheet of metal that Ruga moved closer to them. It was big and sturdy and heavy. He wondered what it would be used for. He carved out the last corner of the hole, so that the frame work was there, and he just needed to dig a little deeper. He started to do so, and when he thought it was about right, he looked over at Ruga. “This deep?” he asked for confirmation.

When he spoke about the things he had made, Basilisk let out an impressed whistle. “That sounds epic” he said, trying to visualise what such armour would look like. At the mention of jewellery he nodded, he’d seen some of the things Ruga had made. “His sword? I’ve seen his sword!” he gave Ruga a sly look before boasting. “He married my Auntie, that makes him my Uncle now. Think I could have a sword as cool as that one day?”


"Speech"

Ruga nodded when Basilisk questioned the depth of the hole he was digging and joined in himself, helping to dig out some of the soil and grabbing a bucket to scoop up the loose dirt that had already been dug to carry it over to a pile near by. He wasn't quite sure what he'd use all this dirt for yet, but he'd find a use for it. He was crafty that way. He was enjoying sharing stories with the young man, especially since he seemed so interested in them. He had nearly forgotten the relation of this boy to Briar through Sirius and Azure, but was reminded as the proud boy boasted about Artorias now being his uncle thanks to the marriage to Briar. He'd never fully understand the hierarchy of families and those "in power" among them, but he had learned to respect the dullness of it all since it kept him employed.

"Hmmm, I don't know, that's a pretty cool sword," he mused teasingly before tossing the boy a grin. "Sure, you could probably get a pretty awesome sword one of these days if you want... not that anyone is going to want to mess with a wolf as big as you." He was already massive with huge fangs, spurs of bone sticking out of places, and sharp claws. Did he really need a sword on top of all of that? He chuckled softly at the thought and looked back down to his work, shoveling out more of the dirt as they continued to make progress on the forge.

"Ruga Amanto"