With the upcoming bonfire festival, the whole castle was doing their part, working hard to prepare for whatever guests they might have. Bowen had taken it upon herself to check on the furs in storage, assuming that they'd have at least a few wolves staying overnight. Either way, they would need furs to rest upon around the bonfire. Having checked on the number of furs, Bowen was surprised at the surplus of skins. They were a little dirty from being packed away, however. That just wouldn't do. It was time for cleaning.

The sleek, caramel cream fae collected her sisters, her sister in law. Dusk, her niece, just happened to tag along. The more the merrier and Bo adored her nieces and nephews. The pups of her brother's had quickly become the most important thing in the woman's life and she saw them as her own children in a way. Living vicariously was okay for now, but Bowen was feeling the urge to have her own child to care for, raise and mold.

Bowen painstakingly hitched a pair of their alpacas to a cart and loaded the cart with a big stack of furs. She added soaps and brushes to the cart as well. They would need to wash the furs, brush them out so they weren't tangled and uncomfortable, then dry them well in the sun before they would be ready for guests. Bo and her entourage led the alpaca's to a small, clear stream near the castle. It would be easier to work outside than inside and it was a very nice day. Not too warm, but the sun shone merrily in the sky. A gentle, warm breeze danced around the ladies as they prepared to work. It would be a great day for a bit of housework.

"Speech"

Dusk was kind of recruited against her will, but at least she would be outside and able to play around with her mom and aunts. Washing things didn't sound too fun, but how much washing would she have to do? Surely they wouldn't mind if she just kind of... helped? Fetching this and that, dragging the furs around. That seemed more like her kind of work. In between, she could hunt things in the grass around the stream and maybe even take a swim. That sounded nice to the black pup.

The congregation of fae's made their way to the stream and Dusk helped to unload the cart, dragging furs to different piles, essentially setting up stations for each of the older wolves to work. She conveniently didn't set up a station for herself as she would be helping in other ways.

Dusk looped through her mother's legs, tail swishing back and forth happily. It was nice to be out and doing things, plus she enjoyed her aunts. "Just let me know what you want me to do!" the obsidian child chirped, ready to run and get whatever her elders needed.

"Carpathius Family"

Ash was always willing to help with the pack duties especially with her family but it wasn't any less achieving just for the pack. She was glad that Briar and Dusk could join them with helping because just like her sisters she instinctually loved her brother's additions to their family. They didn't have to be blood.

The group of ladies all made their way to a stream nearby the castle with the pelts in tow, Dusk working hard to help unload and prepare each of their stations. Of course it made Ash smile warmly. She helped by setting out a pail of different combs and soaps to each of the "washing stations" before she would settle in herself, watching as Dusk eagerly waited for the next instruction. She almost called her little neice over, but instead allowed one of her sisters to take the short quality time first. Silently grabbing a rough brush and soap after placing a pelt into the shallow parts of the stream and scrubbing the soaps with the brush as the water flowed over it.

"Asheila Carpathius"

Briar smiled as she made her way down toward the stream along with Asheila, Bowen, Gwynevere, and Dusk. Preparing for the Bonfire Festival had become a highlight and something to look forward to after the grief and stress of her mother's death and the long stint that her father and younger siblings had spent staying in the castle–essentially doubling the number of pups that she and Artorias were responsible for in the process. With that time passed she was able to refocus on the family she had made with Artorias and the extended family she had gained in her marriage to him. Even though she lived closely in the castle with all of her sisters-in-law, she hadn't had too many opportunities to really spend quality time with them. She and Bowen had only found a common ground after she returned from her trip and she hadn't had an opportunity to speak one on one with Asheila at all. Gwynevere was perhaps the one she was closest with, but that was purely because of the many, many exams Artorias had made sure she had during her pregnancy. Now was a great opportunity to catch up and remedy that a bit while giving her daughter more time with her aunts as well–even if it wasn't the most exciting or fun task to do.

As they got to work with setting out the piles of furs into different groups, she helped Dusk with setting them out and smiled to Asheila with a nod of thanks as she passed around the soap and brushes from the cart. With Dusk weaving through her legs and requesting that they tell her what to do next, she grinned and dipped her head to catch her little inky girl with a nuzzle across the top of her head between the tiny bumps that showed her budding antlers. "Could you help us with splashing some water onto the furs to rinse the soap out after we scrub them?" she asked, letting Dusk agree before nudging her off toward the edge of the water. Briar then picked up one of the pelts and followed Ash's lead, using the brushes to work the water and soap through the fur and watching as dust and dirt flowed off of them into the passing stream.

"Briar Carpathius"

Gwyn wore a little smile as she followed her sisters, sister-in-law, and niece down to the nearby stream with their load of dusty pelts. She couldn't remember the last time that she had spent time with both of her sisters at the same time and this was the first time they had all been together with Briar. As far as she was concerned Briar and Fern were as much her sisters as Bowen and Asheila were so she was glad they were getting some time with Briar as a group–even if it was to do a chore together. It was a fairly easy task at least and once Dusk had helped them with getting the furs separated out into piles for each of them she quietly got to work. Bringing the first of the furs on her pile to the edge of the water, Gwyn got it nice and damp before going for any of the soap and brushes. Eventually there was a good bit of suds and gray dust floating off of the furs they were working on and she used one of the stiff brushes to comb through the pelt. There was sure to be more than enough places to sit around the bonfire once they were done with these and they were dry.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

As the ladies settled in and began their task, a comfortable silence fell. With soap and brushes the group worked through the huge pile of furs. Little Dusk splashed about and helped to rinse the furs when they were clean. She also helped to lay the furs out to dry once they were finished.

It was nice, having all of them together, just the Carpathius women. Bowen hadn't spent much time with them individually since her return. The reborn woman was a little aloof, in a sense. She drifted on the wind more than she had before, always finding something to keep her attention, whether it was climbing the tallest tower or following her paws out into the lands surrounding The Hallows. This though, the simple act of preparing for the bonfire with the others... it was nice.

"Speech"

Being the hyperactive little shit that she was, Dusk had a difficult time sitting still. Cleaning the furs took forever and it was so very hard to wait for each of them to be scrubbed before she could splash them clean and lay them out to dry. The girl began to wiggle and fidget impatiently, eventually having no choice but to get up and move.

Dusk knew that she was adorable and she knew that her mother and aunts loved her, so she didn't think it would bother them if she acted like a cute puppy. The dark child bounded around them, diving in to give them little surprise pats as if she'd caught them and they were 'it.' Every once in a while the girl would stop, tongue lolling, and lean against one of her aunts, accepting their affections. Soon though, she was off bounding around once more. Cleaning furs was kind of fun, she guessed.

"Dusk Carpathius"

Ash took her time scrubbing at the furs, smiling as Dusk made her rounds to each of them and really just enjoying even the quiet time together overall. She had felt so secluded into herself, and just being around the women she cared for most and her brother's wife and daughter took her to different heights. She wasn't so overly exaggerative clearly, though maybe at least Bowen could see how happy she was.

Dusk helped rinse the furs, whether intentional or not. And the group would lay them out to dry. She'd repeat the process as needed but after all was said and done Ash wouldn't make her way away from the others. Instead laying down in the grasses and taking in her surroundings. Not the talkative type, but warmed by the presence of others.

"Asheila Carpathius"

The task of cleaning the pack's pile of pelts could have been a daunting one, but with the group of ladies working together–and with Dusk's silliness to keep the mood light–it went by quickly and was far easier than it might have been otherwise. She smirked and chuckled as she watched her daughter run around, somehow managing to still follow through with what she had asked her to do even if she wasn't entirely sure Dusk was doing it on purpose. Even if hadn't, Briar would have still been happy just watching Dusk have fun. Of course she had dreams and aspirations for her children just like any parent, but above all she just wanted them to enjoy their childhoods and have fun. It was something she hadn't gotten to indulge in much when she was a pup so if she could make sure their childhoods were good ones then she would feel as if she had done a good job as their parent.

They continued on with the cleaning for a while longer, occasionally grinning and catching Dusk as she ran by with a little splash of water while she worked, until the whole pile of furs was washed and laid out flat around them to dry. When they were done, she walked over to join Asheila where she had settled in the grass, laying down as well with a contented sigh and a smile to her sister in law. It felt good to have another task for the bonfire checked off of the to do list, even if it was something small like furs for the guests to sit on. She looked around at her sisters in law as they all settled in to rest after the slightly strenuous task of washing the furs, and she couldn't help but think about how grateful she was to them all. They had made her feel welcomed and like part of the family and even though she was sure they had purely done it out of love for their brother, it still meant a lot to her because they didn't have to. Even Bowen, despite their initial differences, had come around even before she had she loved them all dearly.

"Briar Carpathius"

Their work moved quickly, even more quickly than she had expected thanks to the distraction of a playful Dusk. She smirked as the dark furred girl ran by and when it was her turn to be visited by the rambunctious pup, she paused her work long enough to playfully nuzzle the top of the girl's head. She hadn't thought much about her own family or what her and Ysmir's future as far as children went would look like until she saw Art and Rudy with their own children and saw their pups running wild around the castle. While she wasn't sure how her brothers and their mates dealt with the chaos that these little fuzz balls brought, she did see the unending love they had for their children and how happy having their families had made them. She tried not to think about it too much since she had full faith that life would lead her and Ysmir where they were meant to be when the time was right, but a part of her did hope that perhaps they would be able to join her siblings in starting their own family one day.

She helped to drag the last of the furs away from the edge of the water, laying them out next to the others in the sun so they could begin to dry. It was quite comical, seeing this portion of the plains covered up with wet furs, but the job was mostly done and now they could rest while they waited on the furs to be dry so they could roll them back up and stow them away until it was time for the bonfire. It did occur to her that they would likely have to do this all over again after the bonfire since they would be dirty from laying on the ground and would smell of smoke, but... that would be a problem for another day. Chuckling softly to herself, she came over to join Ash and Briar, grinning a bit as she caught Dusk along the way and pulled her into her chest as she laid down, nuzzling her little niece as she trapped her and gave her cheek an over exaggerated kiss.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"

When the women had gone through the stack of furs, washing them all and laying them out to dry, it was time to take a little break. The group of wolves congregated on a patch of dry grass and Bowen followed suit. The small fae sprawled out on her belly with a sigh, settling beside Briar. Green eyes watched as Dusk bounded about, tackling and giving gentle nips here and there. Such a rambunctious child.

Bowen divvied out pieces of dried meat to each and the ladies snacked while they waited for the skins to dry. Eventually, the copper and cream fae fell asleep in the warmth of the sun, sprawled out on her side with one foreleg over her eyes. It would take a little while for the skins to dry anyway.

After her nap, Bo stretched and went to check on the furs. "They're pretty dry," she informed the others. Then began rolling up the soft, clean furs and putting them back on the little cart, all ready for the bonfire.

"Speech"

After much hopping and splashing and dragging, the pile was all washed. Aunt Ash went and laid down first, so Dusk leaped onto her, playfully biting at her black and grey fur before rolling off the other side. Aunt Gwyn snatched her up and the dark child squealed with laughter, rolling about in her aunts grasp and laughing as only a child can.

Dusks snack was eaten quickly and the warm sun was making her feel a little too warm. The girl curled up against her mother's chest in what little shade she could manage and promptly fell asleep. Whether she made it back to the hallows on the cart or carried, she couldn't quite remember. She only knew later that she'd had a great day being the only child in a group of adults.

"Dusk Carpathius"

Ash played along with Dusk as any good aunt should have. She wasn't the most social with getting out and around the pack but she was different when actually given the chance and around others. The group of women all relaxed to the warmth and the sound of the plains outside of the castle, Ash didn't fully take a nap but closed her eyes in response. Soon Bowen would rise and say the pelts seemed to be dry enough to take back. Ash stood with a grin to Briar and her sister Gwyn. And then she'd move to help roll the rest of the pelts up and move them onto the cart to take back to the castle. While the group had been mostly quiet in the task she still felt like they connected on some level. Just easy to work with together she supposed. Maybe more. She'd need to find time and confidence to open up to her other sister and her sister in law.

"Asheila Carpathius"

Briar grinned and giggled softly herself as she watched Dusk play and wind up snatched up by Gwynevere, loving watching her daughter play with her aunts and have a grand time. It always made her feel as if she was doing something right when she heard her children laugh, whether that was just knowing that they were raising them in the midst of a loving family or making sure that they felt free enough to be excited and play. Eventually they all settled down though with a snack provided by Bowen, to which she gave her sister-in-law a thankful nod, and they all ended up in some various state of relaxation or nap–even little Dusk.

Her little soot cloud came to snuggle into her chest in the small amount of shade her head provided and Briar was more than happy to accommodate, smiling as she wrapped her forelegs around her daughter like a nest and cradled her while she slept. She wasn't sure how long they rested like this for, dozing in and out herself, but eventually Bowen checked the furs and deemed them dry enough to transport so she carefully picked up her little girl, moving her over to the cart that they were carrying the furs on, and nestled her in among the rolled up furs. It still amazed her sometimes how deeply pups could sleep. They went back to the castle with their load of clean furs feeling accomplished and all the more ready for the bonfire.

"Briar Carpathius"

Gwyn grinned and her tail wagged happily behind her as she kissed and nuzzled into Dusk while the little pup squealed and laughed. She hadn't been sure how much fun the little girl would have doing some boring chores like cleaning furs, but it looked like they had all successfully given Dusk a good time today after all. They all settled in with a snack to wait for the furs to dry, Dusk promptly falling asleep against Briar after her exciting day of fur cleaning and aunt terrorizing, and Gwyn just smiled as she looked around at her sisters and sister-in-law as they all napped or dozed in the sun. Being around her family really was one of the most rejuvenating things for her and made her feel whole in a way that very few things could. She looked up toward the sky for a while, watching the clouds pass by and picking out different shapes in them until she began to feel sleepy herself and drifted off until Bowen declared the furs were dry enough. Giving herself a shake as she got up, she shared a grin with Ash as they began to roll up the furs and load them up again, following behind the others as they all began to make their way back toward the castle with their task now complete.

"Gwynevere Carpathius"