Making Clay

Amber remembered making pottery in art class. The clay was light grey in color and slimy when it was wet. She described it to the males to see if any of them knew about it. Tom remembered seeing some rocks around the river that might be what Amber was looking for. Smaller birds would gather around these rocks.

He volunteered to go look for some clay. Nick and Ray went to make the kiln after Amber had described it. Barry went to gather as much honey and sweet water as he could before the cold season.

Fred went to collect nuts, herbs, and vegetables. Oliver and Tyler stayed with Amber. They followed Amber around the castle as she decorated and thought of things they needed.

She wanted to make sure the castle was comfortable and livable. They would be inside during the cold season. They needed things to survive like food and things to keep warm. She also wanted things to stay busy and not get too bored.

Amber asked Oliver, "What do cubs need when they are born?" Oliver looked surprised at Amber's question.

Usually, females didn't care too much about the cubs. The males would make sure the cubs were taken care of after the female gave birth. The female was the priority.

He responded, "Monkey cubs don't need much from their mothers after they are born. They can drink milk and can also eat fruits and vegetables at a very young age. They can crawl as soon as they are born. They usually start to walk and climb in a month."

Amber was amazed! She thought about baby-proofing the castle. She looked concerned and asked, "Is there anything we should do to get the castle ready for the cub?" She stroked her baby bump thinking about the baby getting hurt.

Oliver replied with a smile, "You care about this cub before he is even born. Beast men are tougher than females. We don't need to be coddled too much. It helps the young cubs learn how to survive in this world."

Amber pursed her lips and thought about it. These beast men were different from the babies in her world. She shouldn't hold them back because of her upbringing.

She thought about her baby brother when he was little and asked, "What about toys? What do they play with?" Oliver looked intrigued at her question and replied, "Cubs can play with anything. Sticks, bugs, fruits, don't worry. He will be entertained."

Amber breathed a sigh of relief and thought about making some wooden blocks or fur puppets. She had a teddy bear that she loved when she was little. She asked, "Can you get some cotton and fur for me? I want to make a stuffed animal toy."

They both looked at her in surprise and nodded. Tyler left to go get the cotton and fur for Amber. She waved bye to him. He killed a soft rabbit for the fur and carefully skinned it. He gathered cotton and brought it back to Amber.

He gave the rabbit meat to Oliver to cook. Oliver made a stew with some vegetables for Amber with the meat. Tyler helped Amber see the stuffed animal toy.

She used some small pebbles for eyes and a nose after Tyler used his mail to make a hole.

The stuffed animal was too cute and soft. Oliver smiled thinking that his mate loved her cub so much even before he was born. She asked, "What about clothes? Will the baby be too cold?"

Oliver responded, "Males don't need fur to keep warm because we have our own. Even when we transform into our walking form we stay the same temperature."

Amber was amazed. She still asked Tyler to make a small loincloth for the baby. She didn't want him to be naked. She was glad she didn't have to worry about diapers! That would be a pain!

Oliver called Amber to eat once the stew was ready. She went and ate. It was delicious! Fresh food was so much better!

Tom returned with the clay and rocks he got from the river. He asked Amber, "Is this what you are looking for?" Amber wet her hands and touched the rock. It was slippery and smudged on her hand. She nodded and replied, "This feels like clay. We can try to wet it and mold it into bowls."

The males were excited to try something new. They all helped her make bowls. Amber had to instruct them on what to do. They learned quickly and soon they had some interesting shapes.

Amber thought about making a spinning wheel. She asked Tom to get a flat round rock and a strong bamboo stick. He brought them quickly.

Amber instructed them on how to make the turn table. They were able to make the bowls more evenly with the spinning table.

Nick and Ray came back to see this scene. He was interested in what they were doing. He went up behind Amber and watched her play with the mud. He smiled and asked, "What are you doing?"

Amber didn't notice Nick come up behind her and she was surprised. She jumped a little and the clay bowl fell. Nick caught it and inspected it.

Amber explained what it was and how to cook it in the kiln. Nick and Ray were proud that the kiln was complete and they were ready to make the clay bowls.

Amber explained how the clay would take a long time to cook. She also warned that it would be extremely hot and to use a long stick to get the bowl out when it was done.

They smiled at her concern and carefully carried the clay bowl to the kiln.

They cooked it all night. The next morning Nick carefully removed the pot and was amazed at how it had changed from soft clay to a hard bowl. It was smoother than stone.

Amber was amazed they could make clay! She had hope for glass! She told them, "We will need sand to make glass."

Tyler and Tom could fly to the beach the fastest to collect sand. They decided to go by themselves and collect some sand. They would be back within a week.

Amber was a little reluctant to see them go but knew they could take care of themselves. She hugged them and told them to stay safe.

While they were gone Amber made more clay things. She made a cooking sheet to cook the glass into sheets. Next, she made jars to store food in. She also made some clay pots to grow herbs and vegetables in.

The week passed quickly and the flying beast men were back with lots of sand. They had 2 big stone buckets filled with sand.

Amber was a little shocked at how much they brought! She hoped it would turn into glass and she could build her greenhouse.

She had already planted an herb garden in the kitchen. It was very convenient for cooking. She created many new recipes and the beast men loved them all!

It was now the cold season and Amber was stuck indoors, but she didn't mind. She had everything she could need inside the castle.

Amber introduced games to the beast men. She had them make a checkers board and small pebbles for the chips. She also showed them how to make dice.

Nick and Ray made the clay pots and then experimented with the sand until they were able to make glass. It wasn't as smooth as the glass that Amber was used to, but it was glass. She was so excited!

She told them how to make the greenhouse. They used vines and bamboo to connect the glass. She had a fairytale-style greenhouse cottage. Amber loved it!

Fred collected vegetables and berries for Amber to grow in the greenhouse. She had saved some seeds earlier as well.

Soon Amber had her vegetable garden and some berry bushes. The males were impressed and thought about sharing the invitations with the other kings after the cold season. It was too late this year for them to travel to the sea to get supplies.

Amber was happy with her improvements to the beast world. She would be ok if she stayed there. She did start to miss her family in the middle of the cold season when she thought about Christmas.

Oliver noticed her sad mood and asked, "What are you thinking about that makes you sad?" Amber tried to smile and replied, "I miss my family around this time of the year. In my world, this is the Christmas season. It's a time of year when families get together and celebrate. They cook good food and exchange gifts. We sing songs and play games."

The beast men were all excited to learn about Christmas. They all looked like children ready to hear a good story. Amber laughed and began to tell them about Christmas.