Citizen 314 Grura

Grura smiled and whistled to herself as she pushed her broom along the stone flooring of the open air hut she had out back. This was her makeshift work studio where she would sculpt and craft with clay, making things both to sell and to use. Behind her was her large woodfire fed kiln to strengthen her creations which hardened them for use, and if she were lucky on her gathering adventures, also bringing out the different colors of the minerals in the clays and glazes. She must have been so distracted however, she didn’t notice the large blue Rexal standing in the archway entrance.

Ogenus politely tapped his claws on the wood frame of the archway to get her attention without spooking her. He easily towered over the female, and always had ever since they were both on the younger side. He sat waiting patiently until she turned to meet his gave, when they both lit up with a smile. He threw his arms open for he knew what was coming next, “How are you, Gru?” He asked.

Grura let out a small squeal as she essentially leapt into his arms, embracing him tightly. “Ogenus! It has been too long. I am well, how have you been faring? You look wonderful!” She exclaimed, backing up and giving him a chance to breathe. “You picked the right day, I was just tidying up. Tomorrow I am teaching a few young ones in the area a thing or two about clay.” She went and placed the broom against the wall, satisfied with how clean things were currently. “But I am out of clay, if you’re not busy, care to join me?” Gru smiled at Ogen politely as she waited for his answer.

Ogen chuckled, she was always busy with something. If it wasn’t her garden, it was pottery. But she excelled at both, and it was wonderful that she would be passing those skills on to young ones to see if it could pique their interest in the craft at an early age. “I’m not busy, what can I help with?” Before he knew it, the large rexal was carrying two large woven baskets lined with large green leaves and cloth. He figured he knew where they were heading, but he would allow Gru to lead since he was sure she must do this nearly every week by now.

Grura threw one small pack over her shoulder containing some snacks for the road- She knew Ogen well and knew by the time they reached the banks of the river to collect clay his stomach would be rumbling. Grabbing one more basket and a smaller linen bag, she headed out of her workshop and motioned for Ogen to follow. The two spent most of the walk catching up, Ogen hadn’t been by to visit in a couple weeks, so it seemed like she had an endless amount of things to say to him. The tereos female only stopped occasionally to grab small things to put into her linen bag. Flowers, interesting leaves, small colorful rocks. Anything that could be used to imprint and give the clay extra texture.

Ogenus watched her gathering the small items as they made their way. The large male was not as creatively tuned as she was, but he still attempted to help. He handed her a handful of colorful yellow berries, when mixed with a small amount of water and fine clay it could perhaps be used as a paint. He beamed when she graciously accepted them, before asking to pick just a few more as she tended to another bush full of blackberries. They both had to fight the urge to snack on them, but he was reminded that she had packed lunch and they could eat by the riverbank once they arrived. She assured him it wasn’t much longer, but he couldn’t help that his stomach still grumbled in protest.

The pair carried onward until they both twitched their ears to the noise of running water. The trek hadn’t been that long, maybe an hour, but it felt longer. The small river that Gru liked to visit for her clay was buried in the dense woods, and her own little secret. They clay was red due to mineral deposits, giving all her pottery more of a distinct look compared to the others. She wanted to keep it a secret for now, something only her and her close friends were aware of. As she brushed back the last few large, leafy branches it finally came into view. The river was small, maybe the length of two rexals in places, but the banks were wide. The slow moving water deposited the soft clay, making it rather easy for her to harvest whenever she needed to. “And here we are!” She exclaimed, walking her way over to the bank before putting her basket and now full pouch on the bank. She then took her lunch bag off her shoulder, placing it down last and looking at Ogen with a wink, “We can snack after we work up a little appetite.” 

Ogen took in the serene view quietly, it was no wonder the female wanted to keep it a secret. Even if you weren’t wanting to come to harvest the banks for clay, this was somewhere you could come to be with your thoughts. He heaved a happy sigh, glad that they had finally arrived. He placed his two baskets on the side of the bank in similar fashion to hers, and then waited for instruction on what to do. He had only seen her final products, but never actually ventured out with her to collect the base materials. 

“Now then, it’s straight forward from here, we are simply taking the soft red clay and filling out baskets. Just be wary not to make them too heavy, I've learned my lesson with snapped handles before,” She said with a slight laugh. “And if you feel stone, move to an area farther down, it should all be silky smooth.” And with that she went right to work, taking heaping pawfuls of the vibrant clay and placing them in her basket. She kept an eye on Ogen but she trusted him to make the right call. Before long, all three baskets were as full as they could be without threatening the integrity of the woven handles. “There now! That wasn’t so bad,” She said as she wiped her brow with the back of her large furred forearm. “Now wash your mitts and we can enjoy lunch before we take off. You’ve saved me from going out next week with all of this clay!” She said beaming as she dipped her paws into the cool flowing river, scrubbing all of the smooth clay from her paws and claws.

Author: Atrocias