Well, they'd managed to get the ash barrel set up without too many incidents. Still, it would take some time before it was full. In the meantime, there were plenty of carcasses that had been stripped of their useful meat that Halo needed to go about clearing of their fat as well. There was a bit more time to do it in the winter, the freezing temperatures doing well to both prevent spoilage and keep any unwelcome predators away. This too, would be a good lesson for Hazel. The yearling was also strong, which Halo could appreciate. She didn't want to work the girl too hard, but there was also no doubt in Halo's mind that she'd be struggling to move the largest prey carcasses by herself. "See here, the blubbery bits, the stuff that's pretty gross to eat and we usually spit out. That's what we want, we're going to dump it into this pot here." With a careful claw, Halo indicated the thick deposits of fat that remained on the thicker parts of the carcass. "The prey tend to fatten themselves up to prepare for food shortages this time of year. Early winter is the best time to collect it from carcasses." In the central fire ring, a fire crackled merrily in the mid-morning sun. Halo and Hazel were huddled around the carcass, setting to work, chucking bits of pale, squishy fat into the pot. "Could you please grab more firewood?" Halo called over her shoulder to whoever was near, still engrossed in the work. "Speech"

Hazel wouldn't admit it, but it was sorta... interesting. Sure, Halo was a bit of a wet blanket and talked way too much, but the idea they got to play with dangerous chemicals and dead things? Right on. Hell, she even got to show off just how strong she was! Hazel had dragged the partially stripped buck carcass over pretty much all by herself, and the only time she'd needed help? Well, that was when the antlers got tangled in some sort of weedy shrub, they didn't need to talk about that. Sometimes helping Halo was pretty okay. With one of her crystalline fangs, Hazel sliced neatly down the edge that Halo had indicated with her claw. It seemed they were better suited for this work than regular teeth, and regular claws to boot. It did seem like the kind of thing dad's claws would be good for... hm. That was an interesting thought, but he was maybe too busy to make soap, running the pack and all. Still, Hazel would be more excited than she cared to admit to share the information with him when she saw him next. Maybe at lunch? Hopefully at lunch. They worked together to break down the carcass, stripping it of fat. From the buck, they moved onto the small pile of goat carcasses. "How do we know when we have enough?" Hazel asked, her head coming up from the now partially-thawed ewe. Grimacing, she picked an errant bit of gristle from the space between her fang and her next tooth, not liking the way it felt against her tongue. That, and the taste was... less than good. "Are you sure this meat isn't like... turned," a rather unpleasant facial expression, which warranted a giggle from Halo. "It's fine, we're not eating it anyway," the healer reassured. "Speech"

The Warlord looked out from his veranda, down at the pack below. From his den he could see the Obelisk, and the market entrance. As well as the two spots where he was planning on building walls. The merry fire down below that was always lit caught his attention. The way the light of it danced on the whites of Halo’s coat, and lost itself in the darker reds of his daughters.

He brushed his paws on the floor and smiled. So that was where his daughter had gotten off to. He needed her to help him build the door to her room, so the space could be to her liking, but he wouldn’t pull her away from Halo if the healer needed her help.

Instead he made his way down the rocky slope to ground level, pausing near the obelisk as Halo’s voice caught his attention. “Of course” he agreed easily. Grabbing a stack from the pile to the side, he fed it to the cheery fire. “Keeping warm, Halo, Hazel? We have spare coats if you need them” he said. For a Warlord, he could be a mother hen.


"Speech"

Honestly, it made Halo happy that the girl was asking questions. If she was asking questions, that meant she was listening, and that meant she had a real interest in learning more. If she wanted to learn, then Halo was always happy to teach. Really, it was among the things that brought her incredible joy. They worked together closely, Halo holding the remains of the carcass still so Hazel could cut away at the partially frozen fat with her teeth. A handy tool as they were, and they didn't seem to bother her any now that they were grown in. She thinks, too, of Sedna's advice-- having a multi purpose weapon her. Sedna had her tail blade, of course. Maybe something similar wouldn't be a bad idea for Halo too, not that she'd be fighting anyone, but having a knife for tasks like this could be helpful. Maybe she could touch base with Ruga, and they could go over the specifics. "It's less about having enough and more about making sure we get the very most from the resources we have," Halo explained softly, answering the girl's question. "The tallow will keep all winter if we put it in the snow banks, so we can just keep making it, and making lye. We can go over the ratio when the time comes to make the soap itself, but when the days start getting longer instead of shorter, is when we'll start making soap." Maybe it was superstition from the wanderers that had taught her the practice in the first place, but it seemed... right. Halo would honor them with the practice, too. "It's fine, we're not eating it anyway," she reassured the girl with a smile. The carcasses would probably be fine to eat, but it wasn't like there was really any meat left on them anyway. A bit here or there, but no more than a mouthful or two on the whole thing. Mr. Raccoon had found one such mouthful, and was snacking away, unbothered. The voice that responded to Halo's request for firewood was one that surprised her, and she turned to find the Warlord himself feeding the fire. "Sirius, thank you, good morning," Halo offered a small smile, still mostly focused on keeping the carcass from shifting as Hazel worked at peeling away the fat. In truth, she didn't know if he'd spoken to Mortis yet, especially with the move and the excitement and... well, everything. Would the Warlord want to speak with her on it, too? Still, the Warlord's presence had her feel more at ease than uncomfortable. "This is the weather I was raised in," she admitted softly, her thick winter coat having grown in comfortably. Really, she was looking forward to a much less uncomfortable summer on the horizon. "How are your joints, especially in the colder weather, and the elevation?" While the healer's gaze was trained on the carcass and her student once more, she was still concerned about the Warlord. When they'd last spoken of his aging joints, Halo wanted to get him exposed to the hot springs and the warm water. Moving farther away from them now... it was a worry, as always. As the last bit of slippery white fat was removed from the final goat carcass, Halo offered Hazel a warm smile. "Well done, will you help me carry it to the fire, please?" The pair worked together to move the heavy pot and situate it within the fire, and the pale healer took a moment to make sure it was just so. "See here, we want the pot to sit right on the hottest part of the fire. These are the coals, and they're white, but can you see the glow that comes from their heart? It's very, very hot, and very consistent. While we need the fire, we need to also respect the fire." Halo lifted her long, thick stick from the safety bucket beside the fire and used it to gesture as she spoke. "We want consistent heat like this when we're making tallow, so we need to make sure the fire is fed consistently, but not fed too much or too fast. If it's too much too fast, then it will heat unevenly, and it will start to brown and it'll smell bad and look... worse." Halo offered a small smile, sticking her fire poking stick back into the safety bucket. "Hazel and Basilisk helped me set up a barrel to make lye with the ashes of the fires, and now we're making tallow. They've both been a huge help, Hazel especially," Halo offered a playful wink in the girl's direction. She was coming out of her shell more and more, growing more comfortable. It was nice to be able to brag on the girl to her adoptive father, too. "Speech"

Hazel had been so wrapped up in the surgically precise work that she didn't notice her father's approach, not until he spoke. Though her tail wagged, her focus remained trained on the task at hand. "We're making soap!" Well, they were working on making soap, but they were making soap. Seer (sir) said something about the cold, but the girl was stubborn. Even if she was cold, she didn't need a coat. Nope, not her. Well, until her teeth were chattering and she was sitting curled up with Zee, or huddled against Seer, or using one of Mort's wings as a blanket, or tucked tidily under one of Bear's paws, or cuddled up against Bas when they were pretty sure no one was looking... yeah okay maybe she sometimes needed a coat, but she's stubborn.

"Do you ever use your claws like a knife?" Her earlier thought springing back, eyes glimmering excitedly. Her teeth were pretty knife-like at this point, and she was excited to find new ways to use them. Hazel helped the healer lift the pot of fat over to the fire, situating it among the coals. Her attention was closer than it had been in the first lesson, and only a bit of the reason was the fact that the Warlord happened to be watching them. "How long does it need to sit on the fire for?" The question was for Halo, peering curiously down into the fire, and watching as she carefully replaced the stick. Right, and something about respecting the fire. As much as it made sense, well... Hazel was a yearling, after all. She was bound to make some dumb choices when no one was looking.

"Would it smell better or worse than fish soap?" Hazel couldn't help but giggle, pleased with herself and the joke she'd made. Silly boys, thinking that they could make soap that smelled like fish. Psh, boys were the worst. As Halo offered her praise, though, the red and pale girl straightened up a bit where she sat. Her green eyes sparked and glimmered, and really, the girl had a way of coming to life. Being recognized, being able to help... it was good. She felt good here, at home, with her family. "Do you think we'll have enough left over to trade at the market?" So many questions, so many thoughts, and all of them were (for once), good.

"Speech"

He let the normality of the banter sooth over him as he finished feeding the fire and settled down close enough to see what both Halo and Hazel were doing. When Halo brought the conversation around to his joint, he grunted softly. Not one to talk easily about the effects of old age. His eyes glanced over Hazel, and back to Halo . “They’ll manage” he said simply enough. The heated baths they had found in one section of dens would be useful for him, as well as his wolves.

He was quiet when Halo lectured the girl, occasionally feeding the fire and taking up a large tooth from a small crafting pile near the Obelisk. He set to sharpening it as the girls worked on their tallow. “I’m glad you're setting them to work, Halo.” he said, voice lifting in approval.

Hazel made no comment on the cold, and he eyed her critically. Perhaps he could come up with a piece of battle armour with warm lining… “I used my claws as a knife constantly. They are invaluable for crafting.”

“Fish soap. Do I want to ask?” his voice was amused, and he shook his head. Wondering who was making fish soap, and if it was a practical joke on another wolf. As Hazel asked about left overs for the market, he glanced over at Halo. Clearly interested in the answer as well.


"Speech"

They'll manage, but Hazel's glance at the Warlord was a knowing one. She didn't entirely believe him, but that was a conversation for them to have on another day, likely around the same time... ah, yeah. Around the same time they had a conversation that would likely be more uncomfortable. Adult thoughts can wait, for now she's making soap with Hazel. Keeping herself busy was key, and being alone with her thoughts was... well, that was probably the enemy. Hazel asked about Seer's claws, much in the same way that the girl used her teeth. Good tools, but also, you only get one set. It was a conversation they'd had more than once, and well, Halo is a worrier. Seer's approval though, that's something that makes her feel far more at ease. "They're good help, and good company." Halo chose to omit the whole raccoon throwing incident, writing it off as no harm, no foul. Halo moved to the tool chest and rummaged for a moment before coming up with a long piece of metal, something that had probably once been a spatula but had long last its head. That would do well, and there was no rust on it to speak of. For a moment she held it over the coals, then submerged it in the safety bucket. "Using fire to sanitize things works in a pinch. Just um, it's another one where you need to be really careful, burns are nothing to mess with." It was a serious warning, almost uncharacteristically so during an otherwise light lesson. "Here, will you stir this for me please? You can use this to break up the chunks too, and make them smaller so they melt faster," Halo explained, handing the former-spatula to Hazel as the yearling joined her beside the fire. At the girl's question, Halo smiled warmly. "More than enough, absolutely." She peered carefully into the pot, watching as the fat began to slowly render in the hot pot. "Is there anything you're looking to trade for?" Though she could be socially uncomfortable, maybe Halo could help the girl in her quest, and make sure she got a good deal in the process. Fish soap. Halo grinned, considering the question for a moment. "Depends on just how bad the fish soap, I bet," the tenderhearted healer would let Hazel tell Sirius, if she wanted. It was far more fun that way. "Speech"

Halo put... metal... in the fire. Woah, her eyes went wide for a moment. There was a near certainty that she would be trying that as soon as she wasn't being directly supervised, but no one needed to know that. "I've been using my teeth like that, I like it." She nodded once, liking the dexterity that they brought to her as she learned how to craft and how to use different tools. That, and they were nice and sharp, so that was... a cool thing.

She stirred the pot where it sat on the fire, watching as the fat began to render down. It was starting to become clear around the edges, and at the points where the pot had the most direct contact to the heat. Carefully, she stabbed at the larger chunks, breaking them apart clumsily. Halo asked if there was anything she'd like to trade for, at which Hazel quirked her head. "You mean like, I can use the soap to trade?" An excited question for the healer, and her front paws starting to do the slightest tippy-tap. An exciting development, and here she thought she was just here to help Halo.

At the talk of fish soap, she feigned an exasperated sigh. "Lis wanted to make fish soap for Hanako, because she likes fish." That, and there was a bit of a giggle there too. Frick, boys were gross, even the ones that usually weren't gross. Still, she's quite pleased with herself.

"Speech"

The Warlord took her glance without comment. Knowing well by now that Halo was like a dog with a bone when she encountered a worry. No doubt she’d be checking up on him once the cold had truly had time to settle into his bones. He wasn’t too worried, his fur had thickened a few years back and remained that way. It left him better prepared than most to deal with the cold.

“How are you teeth managing with the work?” he enquired, turning his head back to Hazel. Her crystal teeth were unusual. So far, they had seemed extremely strong, but he would keep an eye on his daughter. To ensure she didn’t cause them any damage. He finished sharpening the tooth he had pulled from the pile, and chucked it lightly to the side. It would go into storage and anyone could use it later to adorn armour or weapons. He liked to keep his paws busy, and there were many such partly completed projects that anyone could help themselves to.

Hearing Hazel and Halo talk about the market and trade was interesting. In a good way, hearing his wolves take interest in this new project. He was curious to see how it would take off, and weary of seeing it fail. “Fish… soap. Please tell me you let him make fish soap. Can I be there when she gives it to her?” The Warlord tilted his head, his eyes laughing as he looked at poor Halo. Who had had to deal with the kids, and ideas like fish soap all day.


"Speech"