Finger Lickin' Good

Pestilence had found the whole idea of keeping and raising animals to be a bit weird, but she was happy to be considered for Fireside regardless. It did make sense that they'd want to be prepared should anything like the volcano happen again, and as long as they weren't worshiping their sheep like some sort of Gods Pesto could get behind it. Since animal husbandry had become something she needed to become familiar with, she'd decided perhaps she could make herself useful by going out and finding a new creature for Fireside to raise.

The winter had come and gone and in it's place was rain, grass, and the returning of all sorts of animals from hibernation. One thing Pesto had not missed over the winter months were the bees. They were loud, annoying, and they could fell even the greatest of warriors. Sirius himself had struggled against a hive once last year. If she could collect the bees somehow and use them to farm her honey then maybe Fireside would see her as a more useful asset. First, she assumed she should find a way to taste the honey to ensure it was worth all the effort.

The first few hives Pestilence stumbled upon were too high up for her to even think of reaching. Without the cat claws of her mother or sister she'd struggle to scale the branches and retrieve anything from the hive. It took a few more hours of wandering before she found one that - while it was still high in the tree - had a few thick lower hanging branches that she could attempt to use to make her way up to it.

The bees were oddly quiet when they were undisturbed, but as soon as Pesto moved to try and climb the first branch they felt the vibrations in the tree. Their buzzing intensified, and a few bees flew down from the hive to check out the intruder. Pestilence made it out with only a few stings, and knew she'd need to think of another solution.

She hadn't officially left the Ashen Empire yet, and was more of a loner then an intruder. When she approached Zee about using the Armada's bonfire the queen allowed her within it's borders. For a short worry filled moment, the yearling wondered whether or not she'd ever be allowed to walk the Empire's lands again. Once she was officially a Fireside member would they see her as a threat? She banished the thought, beckoning her monkey to collect some of the bonfire's coals in her bucket.

The walk wasn't too far but still the embers were dying. Pesto had to lean into the bucket and blow on them a few times during the trip to ensure the heat would not fully dissipate. Once she'd made it back to her tree, she placed the bucket upon the ground below the hive. Sirius had ended up successful in his honey collection, but only because he used smoke to subdue the bees. Pestilence was aiming to do the same.

With Pasketti guarding the bucket and keeping the embers lit, Pesto went out in search of the driest twigs she could. She yanked down branches of coniferous trees, hoping their needles might light better then any wet leaf might. Once she had a large pile (if she grabbed too few and the fire didn't last long enough, she'd have to start all over) she got to work spreading them onto the embers. The bucket was small, it didn't fit every branch she'd gathered and she worried if she simply dumped it and made the fire on the ground that it'd catch onto the forest and she'd accidentally burn it down.

While Pestilence worked, Pasketti began to scale the tree and motioned towards the hive. The yearling laughed, realizing how foolish it was for her to try and collect the honey herself. While she couldn't climb, her monkey could. Pestilence nodded towards Pasketti, giving her permission to continue upwards towards the hive. All the while Pesto fanned the bucket with her paw and tried to bring out even more smoke. A few pained howls were heard above her, and Pesto flinched with sympathy for her monkey companion. Luckily the bees did seem to be mostly subdued, and when Pasketti made her way back down the tree she had a handful of viscous golden honey.

Pestilence lapped a taste off the monkeys fingers, licking her lips to savor it. There definitely was benefit in collecting this snack, and now that she knew how to subdue the bees long enough to take it she could work to see how she might steal a few bees. Could she relocate the entire hive into somewhere closer to Fireside? No, that'd probably just upset the bees further. Her brows furrowed and she glared down into the bucket where her embers were steadily dying having consumed all of the tinder. It'd be a problem for another day, she'd need to return with some leather armor to defend both herself and Pasketti from the angry bee's wrath.

WC: 847/800