All things soft and warm

Winter arrived in Auster bring sheets of rain that stretched on for days at a time. The earth was muddy and saturated making it a poor time to be out and about. Not that Nelu minded, it simply meant another day spent inside crafting which was an activity he particularly enjoyed. Of his many hobbies he was developing a growing passion for pottery. He had long since moved on from simple clay pots and was now focused on ceramics. He had done some earthen kiln firing through burying pottery and creating a tepee of flaming sticks over it. Now he wanted to construct an indoor kiln.

The process was slow, but showing promise. In the corner of his room there was a small, raised brick platform with bricks all along the walls. He didn't know it but it had housed a cast iron stove at one point. One by one they were stacking up bricks, many found loose around the castle and it was no easy task. Really only Nelu and Samiri had the ability to grab the brings and bring the up the castle steps to Nelu's room but every trip brought them closer to an indoor kiln.

Nelu set down the last brick and took a drink of water before sitting back and admiring his work. Ahh yes this was most excellent. The kiln would serve a dual purpose, creating ceramics and helping to heat his room as winter moved further and further into Auster.

Deciding it was time for a break he headed down the halls of the castle before his mother called to him. "Of course, mother." He entered the room and noticed the wealth of furs set about as well as the alpaca wool. Briar gestured to the empty pillow cases and he swiftly realized she needed help stuffing them. "Certainly, I was just taking a break from my kiln. Samiri can help with sewing them closed if you wish." His squirrel monkey peered up from between his shoulder blades where she'd been nestled deep in his fur.

Nelu settled down and held the pillow open with his teeth and one paw, while using the other to scoop alpaca wool into it and press it in. Samiri saw the process then bounded down to assist, allowing Nelu to speak as he worked. He nodded appreciatively to the little creature. "Has your day been quite busy, mother?"