small border, big world

As they finished up framing the shelter itself, Aryn asked her a question. Corbie paused and she moved back to the pile of supplies to start the clay mixture, oddly taken aback by the question. Not the question itself, but the way it made her start thinking. "No, I don't have a pack," she said slowly as she jammed pawfuls of the mixture into the saplings until it was completely packed and the outside covered. "It has just been myself and my mentor's dog friend since he died in the Long Night. I've been thinking more and more about... starting a pack of my own though. Do you... I don't know, do you think that's just a fool's venture?" She gave her friend a crooked grin and a self-deprecating shrug.

With two people, plastering the walls was going much faster than it would have otherwise. It wasn't just twice as much done because twice as many people working - the companionship made the work feel easier, so they could work harder than they would alone, so it ended up far more than twice as quickly. Before long the whole shelter was mudded except the open space for a door where the chickens - and Aryn - could get in and out. "Hmm... it needs a roof, but it's looking good so far," she told Aryn cheerfully. "What do you think about covering it with branches, then tying two bigger branches across the top and bottom to hold them down? Then you can put bundles of whatever you want up there to shed water."