Her first time giving a lesson! She wanted to teach everything she knew from everything she had known. She hoped to instill her love of reading and learning in her students!

First things first! Every student needed their own charcoal to retain their knowledge, why not start there?

In the smithy, she had made several metal pails with lids and handles on them. One for each student. A few hammers and several nails sat next to the pails. Laid out separately was an assortment of tree branches, Willow, Aspen, and Oak. A few saws and pruning shears as well to help students cut down their sticks to size.

She had made a large fire in the hearth. Perhaps she could double the lessons with paper making since the wood took a while to burn. Paper was hard to come by, so perhaps making it with charcoal would be a good way to introduce both.

She walked out of the classroom in the Market and howled out into the space, "Come all who wished to learn! A lesson in making writing or drawing charcoal!"

She would lead her students into the classroom and wait for them to find a spot to settle before she began.

"Speech"

Wylan knew that a lesson was brewing, he had seen Ignita working, and had even helped her a little at the smithy. When she called out for students, he was quick to respond. Unlike that lesson with the poor healer, he was a lot more prepared.

He trotted into the classroom, waving a wing at Ignita as he went past. “Hi Iggy!” He said in greeting as he made his way fully inside. He picked a lying desk, and settled on the pillow behind it. He kept his wings tightly closed, knowing just how much space he could take up in an enclosed space otherwise. Admittedly, it sucked a little sometimes having to keep them so close.


"Speech"

It was a journey from where she was roaming around all of Auster, and took time passing other packs but staying away from the boarders of different territories. Ears swiveled as hearing of a lesson from another, finding her way farther north than she planned. Ears perked as she watched from a distance of others roaming, the lands smelt new but welcoming. Carefully placing a paw over the unseen lines, she dipped inside the classroom, emerald eyes glancing all around. Taking everything in that she could.

"Identification"

Vesper went where she was told to. She was starting to get a little more flexibility back now, but walking still hurt, and her body had a perpetual ache. But it was a relief to leave the same four walls and have a chance to see something different.

She didn’t really care too much about the lesson, her lessons had never been pleasant. But she would obey Oleander. She had been told to attend, and to carefully stretch her body as she listened. She arrived when the flame toned woman called out for the lesson, and slipped in behind the winged wolf. She took a quiet corner, and sat down.


"Speech"

The Armada markets were quickly becoming a favorite haunt. There were so many things to do and see! Wylan had let her know a drawing lesson would be coming up and she had kept her ears peeled to learn when it would be taking place next time she arrived at the market. The trip up from Avalon wasn't too taxing, but her blood was humming by the time she'd arrived. It was just enough to stretch her legs and really get her muscles working. Finch made her way into the classroom, spying a handful of new faces and one familiar winged specimen. Her tail flagged in delight and she trotted over to Wylan, sharing the opposite end of the table.

She'd been wandering through the market to look for some saffron. The beautiful golden yellow plant was rare and quite pricey, but she needed it for her most recent painting. Having heard that her father was dying from a sickness from years ago now, she wanted to make him something extra special to help his mood. Upon turning a corner to head down the next corridor, she suddenly hears a howl call out for a lesson on making drawing charcoal. Oh, how perfect that would be for her painting too! Excited, Gem hurries toward the lesson room, nearly panting as she slides in at the last moment. She smiles widely up at Ignita, her tail wagging, her face showing that sort of "oops, sorry I'm late!" sort of look. Moving to sit at the next nearest table, she glances around at the other students, giving them smiles as well if they were to catch her gaze. Gem Klein

Ignita smiled with growing enthusiasm as each student began to file in. A quick hey back to Wylan, a welcoming smile to the cream woman, a smokey woman slunk in behind Wylan, she almost missed her. She noted how another came in knowing Wylan and was surprised to see her paint making teacher join her class as well!

"Welcome welcome!" She says joyously.
"I'm Ignita and I'll be teaching everyone how to make their own charcoal sticks. There's a bit of a trick to it. I use charcoal to take notes and sketch, depending on the type of tree used, the charcoal can come out a little gritty, crumbly, or smooth.

On this table, I have some metal pails for each of you, I'd like you to grab one and then grab a tree branch. You'll be cutting the branches short enough that they stand up in the pail but not touch the lid when it's closed." She pointed to Willow, Aspen, and oak branches. "Make sure each stick is no thicker than this rod." She held up a thick copper rod she had made in the smithy, it was a good half inch thick.

"Once you've filled your pails with the sticks, we'll take one of these nails and pierce three small holes in the lid. Not big enough for the nail to go through. that's the important part. This will be called a kiln." She stepped back and let her students have at the materials. She slowly went through and started her own pail alongside them to let her students watch her for the next steps and be available for questions.

"Speech"

More wolves filed in, new faces and new scents. Not all of which were Armada. That in itself was interesting. Was this pack she had found herself in one that mingled easily with others? She supposed they did have that market…

She stayed where she was. Moving hurt too much to bother with, anyway, and the lesson started shortly after. She looked at the materials before her, and reflected that this lesson was one of the strangest she had received so far. Perhaps because it was actually educational instead of behaverial. She did as she was told, grabbing the metal pail and then the tree branch. She started to cut it shorter, though her motions were rough. She’d never been given anything sharp before.


"Speech"

Wylan grinned at every new face that entered. Finch especially got a grin when she entered the class. He was glad she had been able to make it! He’d been spending more and more time with the friendly Avalon woman lately. Most of that time had been educational!

Once everyone was seated, Ignita began the class. Wiggling his tail, the winged boy carefully grabbed the tree branch and started to cut it. Make each tidily the size of the rod. He’d been handling a dagger for a while now, and made quick work of it. He looked across at Finch who was the closest to him, to ensure she was managing okay as well.


"Speech"

"Speech"
|| "Thoughts"

Ignita began the class, welcoming everyone as eyes turned to look at the other members that found the class strange and unusual but welcoming it with a open mind. Most of the members had scents of pack life, which made Identification wonder if one day she'd have a pack that welcomed her. A smile crossing her lips as she went to fetch her pail and then a branch.

This was the tricky part of the lesson for she never thought of cutting a branch. She grabbed a nice peice of Aspen. Attempting to make a rod out of the branch, matching the one made of copper. It wasn't easy work, but Fic made due with it. Her tail danced behind her, as she wandered towards where the nails were kept, looking at them then to the others.

Her eyes of jade watching a few, and learning from how they got the nails to pierce the lid. Once finished she wandered back to her pillow, and sat down upon it. Listening and watching. .

mood board

Oof, this was trickier than she'd anticipated. Finch took note of each step that Ignita laid out with care. She wasn't as used to manipulating so many fine objects with her paws and mouth as some of the other wolves present her. Most of her work was rudimentary and didn't require much fine motor control - using a mortar and pestle was only so complicated, really. But she'd attempted some higher leveling crafting - trying to spin the sheep's wool into usable skeins, plucking individual petals or parts of plants used for different purposes... she gritted her teeth and maneuvered her bucket the way Ignita instructed, occasionally glancing over at Wylan to make sure she copied his movements. If he could do it with his huge paws, she could too! Finch grinned as she finished assembling her kiln and shot the other students an encouraging smile.

Gem is nervous, but not enough to worry about what others think. Nervous more so in a way of being able to accomplish the task presented to them. Learning how to make charcoal sticks was indeed very different than anything she's done before! She looks down at her paws that are placed neatly upon the table. For a wolf with no thumbs, she felt adept at using them and even her toes for activities that one might not think a wolf possible of doing. Once Ignita's instructions are complete, Gem patiently waits her turn to approach the items and grabs one each of what Ignita has described. Upon returning to her seat, Gem places the small metal pail and her oak tree branch on the table. Carefully, she cuts down the branch until it is just the right length to fit within the bucket without it touching the lid. The next part has her more nervous than ever because hammering with tools wasn't something she was used to. Gem Klein

Ignita nodded as she watched her students work and some struggle. She would pass by each one and add an additional precut stick or two to their bundles, to ensure they all had enough in their kiln for it to work properly.

She would pause next to each student and help with hammering the nails or cutting a branch with the tools. Her own paws had been stretched and used since she was little and sported several calluses in different spots between her pads.

She also made sure to casually grab enough materials for the smoky fae in the back that had trouble moving around. She smelled a lot like Ollie's Clinic.

"Okay! Well done!" She said as she saw how the others were waiting for the next step, "Let's fill our pails with the cut branches, they all need to fit inside and be short enough for the lid to fit securely on. We'll place the lid on tightly and then we'll be placing our kilns right into the fire! Next to the coals!"

She helped anyone who needed to get their lids on tightly, and even asked Wylan to use his strength on one or two, then led the others to place their kilns into the hot coals of the fire.

"This is the important part. If the wood inside had a lot of moisture, steam may start coming out of the holes, if it starts coming out too forcefully, the pressure inside may be building too quickly. We can pull the kiln out of the fire, make the holes bigger, add another hole, or set it in a cooler spot of the fire. If the steam suddenly stops, something would be blocking the hole and the pressure could start building again. As long as steam is coming out no air can get in, which means the charcoal is cooking perfectly!"

She used a long stick to help her students place their kilns in the fire.

"It'll be cooking for at least an hour depending on how hot the fire gets and how close it is to it. What you want to be looking for is when the steam turns into flames like a candle! That's when it's getting close. When the candle flames are gone from the holes carefully remove the kiln from the fire, using a pole or stick to grab the handle. Once the kiln is removed quickly plug the holes with the nails or screws! We don't want air to get in! Otherwise, it'll make all the sticks turn into crumbly ash." She picked up a kiln she had worked a day before that she had set aside earlier.

"So when your kiln is cool to the touch after it has been through the firing process, you can pry open the lid! Our lovely charcoal sticks will be ready to use! Store them in sturdy containers, otherwise they'll turn to dust if they're rattling around soft satchel with other items."

She used a large branch and shoved it under the lid then leveraged the lid open of the pre-fired kiln.

"You're welcome to grab a few of these already-made sticks, and some paper over here to experiment on how to use the charcoal and how it feels while we wait for the kilns to burn!" She grabbed a few for Vesper and walked away from the front while the others grabbed their own, and set them before her wordlessly.

"Ignita"

The professor brought her materials as she needed them, keeping her from having to move too much. The kindness only made her scowl with distrust but she kept her head down and did the work. She didn’t need to make any more ripples right now.

Placing her kiln in the fire took her longer than anyone else. Her mince-meat back didn’t make her very flexible right now, so her movements were slow and stiff. But she managed to follow the professor's instructions.

While they waited, the flame ringed wolf returned to her with some charcoal. She held them in a paw for a moment, before scribbling aimlessly on the page before her.


"Speech"

Identification watched the teacher advance threw her class, offering help and guidance for others that may need it or want the help. Identification offered a smile as a few new precut sticks were placed into her kiln. A tilt of her head as she put the lid onto the contraption that held the sticks within.

It was all new to the light cream woman, but a lesson she'd walk away knowing none the less. A twist of her lips were given as listening, emerald eyes glancing to others within the class as well. Ears swivel to the side then forwards once more.

Soon her own kiln was placed into the fire, watching the woman move the kiln's around, then opening a kiln that was sealed securely, as walking towards the front to grab a stick and move back to her seat, scanning her eyes upon the stick then the paper.

Fic would soon be trying to draw and sketch out something within her mind.

"Identification"

With the help of Ignita and the one they called Wylan, Gem was able to securely fasten her lid to her pot with the sticks inside. Curious as ever, she moves toward the fire and allows them to help her place her small kiln over the fire in just the right spot. Stepping back to give others room while Ignita spoke her instructions and description of the kiln, Gem watches intently. Her eyes assess her pot as the flames begin to warm the metal and steam starts to pour from the holes on the lid. It was all starting to make sense now that she could somewhat watch the phenomenon happen. Moving away from the fire, Gem isn't shy to grab a few of the charcoal sticks from the kiln that was pried open. Eager to give the writing utensil a try, she makes her way back to her seat with a parchment of paper. At first, she swipes it over the parchment to test the density and durability. Once she's more comfortable with it, Gem begins sketching away, ignoring the dull ache of her paws from using the charcoal in such an awkward way. "This is amazing," she whispers quietly to herself, her tail wagging gently against the stone floor. Gem Klein