Word Count » 542
Winter meant that his need to travel out of the clan was swiftly diminished. There were no need to gather plants that were since dead, and while certain berries remained hardy and certain greens did as well, the majority of what he needed from outside of their land was either buried under frost or growing in the greenhouse.
This was where he often went, tending to the plants within. They did not flower year round, and he had considered bringing in bees to see this occurred. It was something he would have to focus on come spring, when a nest could be moved in and a box or something similar for them to nest in. The jackal used a small knife for what he did presently, trimming away dead leaves and cleaning up the boxes. While the old Lykoi girls had often kept things inside, they were hardly as meticulous as Enkiel (though no one could really match his rather insane amount of detail). Now the greenhouse was a masterpiece, carefully molded and organized so that the plants not only grew, but thrived.
The jackal swept the hard-packed earth clear with a grass-made broom. He was glad that there was enough heat within the building to keep the plants alive, but it was not enough to make the place truly comfortable. Especially for Enkiel, who did not enjoy the cold weather as many of his native cousins did.
This meant his poncho, a woolen thing found in the guest house, was worn nearly always constantly. He pulled this on before he left the greenhouse, huffing against the cold air. Above his head the sky was turning into a rolling gray thing that threatened of snow. Snow he was alright with; freezing rain, as it had been for the majority of the beginning of winter, was terrible. Narrowed eyes turned away from the undulating clouds as he turned to leave, and settled instead on a trio parading through the landscape behind the mansion.
Enkiel was not entirely friendly with his half-sister, but this was not a fault of either personality. They were simply leading lives that did not allow for close interaction. He had treated her medically before and he had checked up on her after the birth of the twins. A part of him was truly curious as to the father of the brood, but he knew better than to ask. After Talitha…well, he had no desire to hear of such twisted things. It was not healthy, but he would not push such issues forward for they were not entirely dangerous. While a man driven by science, his religious beliefs considered such things to welcome darkness into the spirit.
He advanced slowly, as was his way, and came to the side of his taller sister silently. The children returned to wrestling, uninterested in the jackal’s appearance. Enkiel watched them with the same stillness he did all things, pleased to see how they were growing. “Halo,” he greeted her, though he did not lift his head to look at her face. “Your children grow strong.” This was both his personal opinion and that of the medic, who could see that they were prospering now that Halo was older and better prepared for children.
@import url(http://bloodandfire.sleepyglow.net/publ ... s/enky.css);
</style>
[/html]