Word Count:563
Woodworking was her passion and her life, even more so in the recent weeks. Ever since her meeting with the Inferni scout she felt the need to create more and more beautiful pieces of art. Even with the two bows she had already crafted, and who knows how many puzzle spheres, she still felt like her selection was lacking. However, her supply of wood had dwindled down to nothing. Long ago, Hotaru had gotten into the habit of always keeping a supply of dry wood around for her to use. However, she had been working so much that her supply had been used up before she even had a chance to replace it. It was time for another adventure into the woods in search for her elusive material.
Even if d'Arte was surrounded by forests, the amount of usable wood was scarce. Most tree's couldn't be used because of their age, size, or built. The wood she needed couldn't be too big, or too small. It had to have no knots or unsightly bulges. Depending on what she was going to carve it needed to be straight or twisted, hard wood or soft wood. Really, at that point in time she was looking for anything she could use. Hotaru had set out early in the morning, the damp air suggested fog and the chill reminded her that the spring season was still very young. Occasionally, a soft crunch would muffle her footsteps as she walked over islands of snow. Fawkes's great wings beat against the air as he flew through the forest. Over the past two years he had learned a little about wood and was able to recognize the traits Hotaru searched for.
Even with a wolf on the ground and a wolf in the sky, it still took several hours for them to find potential material. Fawkes perched high in the tree as his call sounded through the forest, drawing his blind master towards the wood. The thin branch leaned and swayed under his weight, but what Hotaru really wanted was a lower branch, one that was just as thick, but falling off of the tree. It had been broken by something, but most of the wood remained intact. There was even a convenient curl at the end of the branch that would help make it a very handsome walking stick.
Fawkes cooed as Hotaru stepped over the d'Art boarder to examine the tree just beyond the boundary line. Her hands ran along the length of the wood as she inspected every inch. The bottom bart was useless and would have to be cut away, but there was plenty of wood left to make a decent sized staff. Hotaru smiled as dug through her satchel to remove her hatchet. She moved towards the base of the tree, and with great care, began to remove the limb.
Table by Chazza