Take it A-clay

The pack was growing, slowly. Slower than she'd hoped, for now they had land to protect, livestock to care for, facilities to set up, and a dearth of paws to do it all, but it was better that than growing too quickly and finding themselves unable to sustainably support their population. It wasn't like she and Tam hadn't been taking care of the shaggy-wooled sheep by themselves for some time before even Ayer came along, let alone the pack, so while every new set of paws was more than welcomed they could manage well enough for now with the fewer.

The land that she'd been considering for its abundant clay was quickly filling with the scents of another pack, though, one she did not know that was apparently expanding to touch Avalon's current border. Avalon didn't yet have the resources to lay claim to the river and keep its deposits open for use, so she would have to do what she could now before they made their claim official.

Shoulder deep in the river's water, she was digging carefully at a clay deposit beneath a bank, loosening the wet, sticky earthen substance without just dropping it unceremoniously into the river and losing it. Reddish water stained the ashen white of her fur and dripped off, but she ignored it except for shaking it out of her eyes if it dripped there. There were already two other large clumps of clay wrapped in wet hides to keep them from drying out waiting on the shore to be transported home.