Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

The young King led the way into the Valley with a jaunty trot, a bundle of long reeds and willow fronds bouncing on his back. The weather was lovely, bright and sunny, and he’d taken Tel with him to spend some time hunting or fishing in the Valley. She’d wanted to make armor, and he wanted to try making a fishing basket that would catch large fish. “So, what kind of weapon or armor were you planning? Something like mine?” He asked as he settled them in a place by the river and a tumble of large boulders that made excellent sunning spots and removed his burdens as Lyr swooped to land on one of the boulders, keeping watch. After all, the last time Ardyn had been here, he’d ended up fighting a bear. Ardyn flopped to the ground and examined his supplies, tongue ticking against his teeth in thought before he sat up and began to cross several of the willow fronds into an asterisk shape. Slowly, he began to weave a loose basket. He wanted it to be light enough to float and heavy enough to hold up against large fish. Now and then he hummed in thought, ears swiveling and flicking as he tried new methods of weaving. “Let me know if you need any pointers.” Word Count: 223 Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She hadn't been too active lately, and instead had been lost in her own thoughts and her own little world as she remained fixated on the voices she had heard over the long nights. They were familiar, she knew she should know who they were but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. It bothered her that she couldn't remember, but the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got. Thankfully, Ardyn had come to her rescue and had taken her out to go do something that would occupy her mind and distract her. She hadn't told him yet that she hadn't been able to get the voices out of her head, but at least she wasn't crazy anymore. She thought she was during the long nights but...at least that had passed.

"Well...I have a couple of ideas, but not sure how to execute it." She frowned as she trotted along until they came to the spot they'd be working at. She pictured feathers. She felt it'd fit her quite well, and she always did love the softness and beauty of them. They were strong and resilient, aiding birds in their flights and durable enough to protect them from the elements. As Ardyn sat down and began his work, she unlatched the bundle she had brought with her and gently rolled it out to reveal more feathers than she knew what to do with. They were of varying sizes, from fluffy down to the primary feathers. She had collected them while out hunting in the aviary next to pack lands. "I have a lot of swan feathers. I was thinking something like an armored cloak, or reinforced armor with them that also has a cloak attachment. I also have ideas for weaponry. Feather blades. I have some nice pieces of metal I traded for, and they're already sort of the winged shape I want. I just need to bend the pieces a bit more into place and work on a few other pieces. I think a stone would look nice in the center, and I think I have the perfect one! What do you think?"

She grinned and her tail wagged as she began to visualize her would-be creation. While he worked on his baskets, she set about unrolling the materials she had brought with her and carefully laid them out. She didn't have companions to help her like Ardyn and most others had, but maybe someday, she'd meet her perfect matches.

WC: 638/1500

"Tel'Teukiira"

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

He tilted his head toward the younger wolf as she spoke, and began outlining a concept, tongue ticking thoughtfully, then a faint laugh barked out of his jaws as he looked over the amount of feathers, remarking with some amusement, “And I thought I had a lot of feathers.” He lifted a paw and brushed several of his own braided into his mane, before weaving another line of willow frond into the slowly emerging fish basket. After a few more layers, and a bit of thought on both his project and her own, he paused and slipped from his own armor, setting it in front of her. “Give this a look-over. I bet if you had something like this under the cloak, so it can be attached or detached, or worn separately, could give a nasty surprise to someone who tries to bite down on you expecting just the cloak and gets something like this against their teeth.” He wove another layer of frond once more, pondering the other part of her concept, side-eyeing the blades with interest. “Pretty, and dangerous, so a good idea. You could attach them to a leather bracer so the insides of your legs are protected, too.” He held out his own foreleg, tilting it to show the inner wrist and the edge of metal tucked against the leather. It wouldn’t impede his natural movement, and was still able to deal damage if he wanted to. “Something like that could have an opponent cutting their own mouth trying to get a bite on your inner leg.” He set to work until he had a serviceable basket with a funnel into it that a fish wouldn’t be able to escape back out of, then pulled a roll of sinew cordage from his pouch with a lean across to his armor, and began to wrap each jointure of the basket until it was sturdy. The sinew would be strong enough to hold against a fish that wanted out, and with the beeswax he rubbed over the whole basket, the whole thing might withstand the ravages of time in water. He set to work braiding a sinew cord until it was a couple of feet long, then attached it to the basket and rose, taking the basket in his teeth and padding to the riverside, looking for a good spot to set the fish trap. Finally, he found a good spot where the water was calm and weeds overhung the water, providing a likely spot for fish to gather, then submerged the basket, using several rocks to wedge the trap into place so the current of the water wouldn’t pull it away. Ardyn tapped a peg into the shore, tying the sinew anchor cord to the peg and wedging a few large rocks on the peg to fully anchor it. He returned, stretching with a shake of his coat and rattle-tinkle of beads before flopping nearby to observe the progress Tel had made so far. Word Count: 1,143/1500 Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

"And I thought I had a lot of feathers." She chuckled a bit as she set about picking out the materials that she was going to work on, separating them into neat rows as she listened to Ardyn's advice on the different things she could do. A reinforced set of armor fashioned with the feathers with a cloak wasn't a bad idea, and she was confident she could make what she envisioned. She looked over his armor, noting the materials and the ways it connected, turning it over in her paws she could feel the durability and how well it was put together. If she had something like that, no doubt anyone who tried to bite through what they thought were all feathers, would certainly get a nice surprise when they realized it wasn't. She clicked her tongue in thought as she briefly watched him piece together his fishing baskets.

While he did that, she started working on her own gear. She'd work on the blades first since they would be easier and a little simpler than the larger armored piece. She gathered up the silver and was glad that the pieces that were traded for had been artistically worked on before they were given to her. She had no idea how to work metal yet, but the traders she had found specialized in metalcraft, so at least that was one thing she didn't have to worry about. She laid the pieces out, carefully positioning them in a way that it took the shape of a wing. The thinner, almost delicate-looking pieces were as sharp as a knife but they'd do well to both protect her forelegs and cut up would-be enemies. for those, she had the idea of hiding the blades behind a set of feathers that she planned on attaching later. For now, she wanted to at least get the base done before anything. Sitting back to look at it, she then grabbed the small clay pot of glue she had, and carefully applied it with a brush made from her own fur. Unless she figured out something that would essentially meld the metal together, the glue she had acquired was strong enough to bond the metal and keep it together well enough.

When she was done with that, she set aside the brush and glue and pulled out some thick leather pieces she had, and carefully began to cut it to size using her claws while frequently checking the fit against her forelegs. She wrapped the leather halfway around her foreleg, cut, and repeated until she was satisfied with the fit. Laying that on the ground, she carefully poked a few holes on the edges where the leather cords would go, and for that, she'd crisscross the straps so that it would stay secure enough when she moved during a battle.

WC: 1,617

"Tel'Teukiira"

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

He watched quietly as the girl worked, making notes of his own, especially as she worked with the feather shaped blades. In the long run, the glue would likely not hold, but he wouldn’t mind helping her finalize the piece once she’d tried the bracers and seen how they worked in battle. Time passed and he finally asked, “How are your lessons with my mother going? She mentioned you’d been distracted?” Aurielle had been continuing the girl’s training in diplomacy and politics, as well as fighting and general history. The young Ard Rí wondered whether Tel would choose to remain on that path or if her ambitions would change as she aged and grew into herself. Especially once he transitioned the pack to his own layout. He nodded to Lyr and the raven pushed off and winged to check the fish trap while Ardyn pulled a pot of oil from his pouch and a rabbit skin that had been dehaired and fleshed into a pliant, absorbent piece and began working oil into his armor plates, deciding that if she had anything to say she’d feel more comfortable doing so over a task without his full-blown attention on her. Ardyn worked the oil into the leather, both sides, until it had soaked in, then switched to beeswax, a pot of it that had softened in the sun where he’d let it sit after his basket was done and set. Briskly, he wiped plentiful amounts of the wax onto the leather, letting it sit and absorb before buffing it into the leather. It would seal it against the weather and against drying stiff. Lyr dropped back to the ground with a delighted croak, and Ardyn grinned. Clearly, by the raven’s step-stepping feet, the trap was a success. He rose, nodding to Tel in a 'just a moment' gesture and trotted to the basket. A large pair of fat salmon drifted dolefully in the basket, probably regretting their life choices, and he hauled the basket out of the water and onto dry land with a heave. The fish set to bashing against the confines of the basket and each other, until he extracted them and dispatched them with quick jabs of his sabers and carried them back to the crafting station, tail flaring in a pleased wag through the air as he dropped them nearby. "Success!" Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think