Spring has arrived in Auster and, with the warmer weather, comes a new wave of tasks to be completed. Fern has given herself the job of repairing the fences around the alpaca enclosure, the rains having rotted out some the wood that holds it together. Each fence pole and post has been notched and carved to allow them to be easily slotted together. The gray girl has laid several pole and post pieces on the ground outside the enclosure as she prepared to begin her work. Puff runs through the tall grass nearby, enjoying the warm spring day. Fern has to sternly warn the stoat away from the alpaca, the fear that they could crush her small friend making her words sound harsher then she meant.

Breathing out a long, slow breath, Fern moves to the two closest poles, testing them both for any signs of weakness and rotting. They appear to be newer and strong, with no outward signs of rot. Nodding to herself, she moves to one of the posts that intersects them and tests it. Of the three posts that run between the poles, one is rotted out so badly and has to be replaced. Moving the new piece of wood closer to her work area, the gray girl lifts one side out of its grooves before slotting in the new board. Moving to the other end, she repeats the process, lifting out the old piece before replacing it with a new one. She picks up the old board and moves it away from the good pieces, so it doesn’t get mixed in. Later it can be chopped up to feed some fires but for now it is useless.

Fern moves to the next set of poles to begin the process anew.


"Fern Lark"

Every once in a while Serenity took herself off of the wall, other than her regualr patrols and other pack duties. She could lay up on her perch all day and rot there for the rest of her life. But for herself and for the pack she made herself come down and walk among the people.

While she was walking around the ground portion of the castle walls, she saw Fern out by the pastures doing some work and it seemed prime opportunity to get to know her a little better. She approached on soft paws, smiling down at her almost well known pack member, she considered Fern a friend. "Glad to meet when we aren't fighting for our lives." She suggested playfully, looking at the supplies. It was easy to see what she was doing. "Don't suppose you could use some help anyways?" She offered, Fern shouldn't have to replace the fence pieces all on her own. Serenity would help her even if she refused.

"Serenity"

Fern hums as she works, the warmth of the spring sun and joy of the stoat helping to make her heart happy. A familiar voice rings through the air and the gray girl lifts her gaze from the post she is working on to see the larger form of her friend, Serenity. A chuckle bubbles out at her friend’s words and she nods in agreement, saying, “I was being to wonder if you were real or my guardian wolf that only shows up to save my butt.” Her voice is light and the tone teasing but Fern had often wondered what her friend got up to when they weren’t fighting predators. Serenity offers her help and the gray girl says, “I would love some help. I am checking the fence for rotted wood and replacing the rotten ones with fresh boards.” Stepping away from the fence to move to fresh wood, Fern points out the slots on the new poles and boards, says, “They have all been filed and chiseled so that they can be slotted together easily.” Suddenly, Puff runs up to Serenity, the small stoat standing up to say, “And, if you get bored, you can come play with me!” Fern smiles and gives a small shake of her head as Puff bounces off again. The gray girl gestures for Serenity to follow her to the fence as she asks, “Do you know what wood rot looks like?” "Fern Lark" | "Puff"

Serenity chuckled too at Fern's comment, "Hey, you've saved my butt too." They both just seemed to have the skill for fighting, and maybe the heart to help others. Serenity would have given up anything to protect those of her pack which was a little strange given she didn't know many of them and was used to her life of solitude prior to joining The Hallows.

Fern tells Serenity what she was up too, mending the fences for the alpaca enclosure. Serenity stepped forward without even needing to be asked or instructed, looking at the supplies once again that Fern had gathered and ready to help her get the job done.

She smiled as Puff invited her to go play if she wanted, but then went and scurried off probably watching the two as they went on. "Yeah, uh," Serenity looked down the fence line and back at the pile of wood boards ready to be switched out. "I can lay out the boards where they are needed and then start on the other end and meet you in the middle?" It was an offer, but at least it would be easier to replace the boards if they were all set up where they needed to be switched out.

"Serenity"

Serenity’s words pull a soft laugh from Fern and she grins happily at the taller wolf, giving her head a small shake before explaining what exactly she is doing. Serenity steps up and inspects the supplies only to be interrupted by Puff inviting her to play. The gray girl gives the retreating form of the stoat another small shake of her head before turning her attention back to her friend and listening as Serenity lays out a plan. Fern offers a huge smile and nods as she says, “Sounds good! If you need help moving any boards, let me know.” They lapse into a comfortable silence as Fern continues to work along her side of the fence, casting glances over to Serenity as she gathers supplies and moves to her side. As Fern moves to the next post, she finds it is rotted out and she makes a face at it. Carefully, she unslots all the attached boards and works to remove the rotted wood from the ground. She digs around the post until she can easily pull it out. As she moves to deposit the bad piece of wood in the discard pile, she looks over to where Serenity works and calls out, “Hey Serenity, how long have you been part of the Hallows?” Might as well get know her friend better as they work. Gathering a new post, Fern makes her way back to the hole she will place it in while listening to Serenity’s story. "Fern Lark" | "Puff"