[PRP] Family Fortifications (See Inside)

[She-Ra of Etheria]

The day was warm as Aquitaine and Agave returned to their beach side home. They had taken a walk to enjoy the day and thought she tried to resist the urge to do so, Aquitaine had collected herbs along the way. Her stores were filled, but some herbs she just couldn't help but stop and collect. The thing was, if she didn't use every opportunity to collect more then she might find herself in desperate of that particular plant in the future and she didn't want to waste time having to go gather it should someone need immediate attention to a wound or sickness. She was glad that Agave was such a good sport and didn't mind when she hurried off to one side after spotting a plant that was beneficial when fever was abound or one that helped ease pain. In fact he had pointed out a couple to her along the way and before long they were carrying a decent sized collection of herbs.

Entering the grove they called home Aquitaine began to put some of the herbs away, leaving Agave to do the same. He had been out collecting with her enough times that he knew which plants she needed and where she stored them in their home. Tucking a couple sprigs of mint into a hollow in the tree she turned to her mate and smiled. "What do you think they were doing while we were gone?" She asked in regards to their children who had long since grown to adulthood but still lived here on the beach with them.

















Eadric had raced his sister long the length of the beach in a search for their parents. The idea of building a driftwood barrier to protect them and their grove from storm powered winds was a great idea but they would need their fathers expertise and the whole family to pitch in and get the job done. He had pulled ahead of his sister but now he slowed his pace down. She could win the race if she wanted to, her smaller frame lent itself to greater speed. "You coming or not!" He teased his sister as he glanced back at her. So far he hadn't seen either his mother or father, but they had gone out earlier and may still be out or they could be further down the beach with where their grandparents lived.

He scanned the beach up ahead for either of their parents as he continued to race along. His ears turned back so he could hear his sister behind him. "That snake is slowing you down." He called back to her, egging her on in a loving way. He didn't quite understand his sisters bond and love of that snake but it was similar to what their father had for his spiders but not quite as strong or deep of a bond as their mother and her goat Gaul. It made him wonder if what day he would bond with an animal in some way and what type of animal that would be.  

[JetAlmeara]

The trip home had been longer then usual but Agave was patient and he understood the necessity of the herbs Aquitaine gathered - beside he was truly just glad that she was home and not off on one of her trips to help mutants, if she wanted to run all over the place gathering herbs then he was content to help and watch. Nudging the collecting herbs into their typical storage places and setting aside those which needed to be dried first the stallion paused to ponder his mates question.

"Probably getting into trouble." He told her with a slight laugh "Or tormenting each other as usual." He added as an after thought. In the end however Agave was happy that his children were so close and that they had grown up in a stable and loving environment. In the beginning he had been afraid, this life was so different from the one he had known as a youth, how could he possibly raise children properly given his background? But Aquitaine had helped him through his fears and in the end Agave had discovered that raising healthy children, while not easy...was not so terribly difficult either. Just love them and support them and watch them grow. Certainly it was all a great deal easier then the endless training and torment his mother had heaped upon him.










Although Eadric had pulled ahead of her, Ipswich was not overly concerned - she was lighter on her feet then her brother and lengthening her stride and putting some effort into catching him would be enough to make her draw even, even if he hadn't slowed down. "Tired already?" She called out to him as she caught up.

"Pft, the snake weighs nothing, your tail probably weighs more then he does." She retorted playfully as she continued to look for their parents, so far they had seen hide nor hair of them, not even any hoofprints in the sand save the ones they were making themselves. Not that they meant much really, the beach was not one to keep such signs apparent for very long - either the water washed them away or the wind did. Drawing even with her brother she frowned slightly. "I don't see them anywhere, maybe they are already home?"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

She couldn't hep but laugh. The idea of her children getting into trouble was amusing, but at the same time she did hope that they were staying out of trouble. Their children had been raised much like she had, with plenty of love and the knowledge that they had to not only respect one another but those outside of the family as well. Even so, she did worry from time to time about them. "It's what siblings do best." She told her mate with a smile. It was a shame that Agave had never known his siblings, she wasn't even sure if he knew if he had one sibling or two, but it was obvious that since he was raised along by his mother than if there were other siblings around that his father had taken and raised them.

The sound of hooves quickly moving up the beach caught Aquitaine's attention. "That might be them now." She said and moved out of the grove towards the beach. It took her only a moment to spot tow of her children racing up the beach. Her eyes quickly glanced behind them but she saw no sign of danger and the smiles they wore spoke of them simply having fun. She smiled as they came closer. "Now what are you two up to?" She asked them.

Eadric grinned at Ipswich. "Me, tired?" He scoffed. "I could run all day!" He probably could, his endurance was excellent, it was his speed that wasn't as good. Oh he could run fast for short distances but after a while he was forced to slow down. Not that he minded, he knew where his strengths and weaknesses lied and that was fine with him. "I don't know...Ebony's looking a bit fat. You sure he weights nothing." He teased her as she raced beside him. The snake wasn't really fat, but he had to say something and teasing his sister was one of his favorite past times, though he always did in playfully. He would never say anything truly negative at or about her.

He was just about to agree that their parents might be home already when he spotted his mother coming out of the grove. "You were right." He said with a smile and continued forward slowing down once they got close. Coming to a stop Eadric's breath coming heavy he looked over at his sister before turning his attention to their parents. "How was your walk?" He asked them before answering his mothers question. "Oh we were just keeping the fish in the tide pools entertained." Eadric couldn't help but laugh as he looked towards Ipswich. "Actually I thought of something that we can do as a family, Ipswich and I were discussing it some but we need your input as well." He told his parents and then focused his gaze on his father. "I want to built a barrier using driftwood to protect the grove during storms, I was hoping you'd know the best way to accomplish this."  

[JetAlmeara]

Tucking away one last little bundle of herbs Agave followed his mate outside as she went to investigate the sound of hooves approaching. In the old days such a sound would have put him into a paranoid tizzy..but he had thankfully overcome his fears and could now relax and enjoy his family without the constant stress they had brought upon him.

Giving his children a warm look as they came to a stop before them Agave pricked his ears forward as they started to talk about their idea. It had merit,certainly a bit of extra weather protection had never hurt anyone and the grove, although the most sheltered place in the area, was still far from what he would call completely well off. A couple good storms a year generally tore the place up pretty badly and caused no end of work straightening it all out again.

"I can probably help with that." He agreed, and although it would mean using knowledge he had gained while he was younger, knowledge that had originally been intended for less savory reasons..it was kind of nice to use it for good. "If you mother agrees that is." He added with a glance towards Aquitaine to see what she would think - the grove had been her home long before he had come around after all.

"Snakes can't be fat!" Ipswich responded with a slight rolling of her eyes - I mean he was a snake, they were like the opposite of fat with their long skinny bodies. She had to admit that her brother had her on the run all day thing though - while she was faster he would always beat her if they had any great distance to run. That was fine though - it was almost as though they complimented each other with their strengths and weaknesses.

Giving her parents a warm look she glanced between them to see how they were taking the idea Eadric had raised. "It's would make things a lot more comfortable when those big storms come around and it wouldn't have to be so tall that it messed with the view." She put forth in an attempt to make the idea seem even more favorable. In reality though she didn't see how the idea would be turned down, it was a good idea with a lot of pros going for it.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Aquitaine looked between her children as they mentioned the plan they had thought up. She couldn't help but smile. It was truly a wonderful idea. The grove protected them for the most part from poor weather, but with the ocean only a short distance away they often had a number of brutal storms over the course of the year that ravaged their home and forced them to spend days cleaning up the debris left behind. Building a barrier would certainly limit the amount of damage done to the area the called home.. But she paused to think about it. Would such a project destroy the beauty of this place? Or interrupt important paths for the various animals that called this area home? It was something they would have to take into consideration.

Her gaze shifted to Agave as he put the final decision to her. Giving her mate a small nod she turned to look at their children once more. "It sounds like a great idea. We will need to discuss the details completely before starting this project but I think it would certainly benefit us to set up some kind of barrier for protection."

Eadric waited patiently for his parents to agree to the idea, or disagree though that was pretty unlikely. His gaze shifted between his father and mother as the final decision was put on his mother. He waited for a the yes, he knew she would agree. And when she did he couldn't help but smile widely. He looked over at his sister with a wide grin on his face before turning back to their mother. "Of course, we will have to spent a bit of time planning it out before we actually building anything. And it will take plenty of time to build as well, I figure if we can build a single section of it before the weather turns for winter we will be good, then each summer we can build more until what's needed if completely done." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I'm hoping that the whole family can be involved in building it. It will be a great way to spend some time together and do something that will benefit us all. We can even build a barrier down where grandma and grandpa live if they wish to have one."

It would take a while just to gather up the supplies needed to build the first portion of the barrier, but already Eadric's mind was filling up with what they would possibly need to do and gather. Then there was his fathers knowledge that he would need as well. "I figure we will build then strictly around the groves we sleep in. I don't want to cover the whole area with barriers, just the parts that really need protect, that way the rest remains open for use without having to wander around the barrier."  

[JetAlmeara]

Agave waited patiently as his mate considered the barrier, he , himself, thought it was a fie idea but Aquitaine knew the beach quite a bit then he did having grown up here and so she would know if the barrier would cause some sort of problem while he would simply look only at the at the added protection it would give his family.

Once upon a time he likely would have demanded the creation of such a wall without asking for Aquitaines input - but time without any threats from his previous life showing up seemed to have mellowed him and the constant need to be defensive had slowly slipped away. The stallion could honestly say he was happy with the change, the relaxing life he led now was far more rewarding then his previous one had ever been. Glancing between his children he looked to Eadric "Why don't you and I go over and block out a good position to start building...you sister and mother can talk over the materials we will need before seeing what they think of our plans." He suggested.

Ipswich was all but certain that he parents would agree with their plans but she couldn't help giving them a hopeful look anyways for Eadric's sake, although her brother had just come up with this idea she knew that he was looking forward to seeing it through - and she herself would be a bit disappointed if they didn't end up building it too, it would be a wonderful family bonding exercise. Something that they could all do together.

At her parents cautious agreement Ipswich leapt for joy, startling her snake into coiling more tightly around her. "Ack! Ebony!" She complained shaking her head to get him to loosen up ad nudging him with her muzzle until he calmed down and flowed off to the ground. "Crazy snake." She commented before glancing at her family members " I think that sounds like a great idea!"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Eadric couldn't help but let a huge smile cross his lips as his mother agreed, with a few minor conditions, to building the barrier. His idea was coming to life and while there would be plenty of time spent planning, gathering and consulting before it was actually built he felt like he had just contributed something special to his family. And that feeling was great. His ears pulled back as his sister's snake reacted to her excitement. Crazy snake was right. But Ipswich seemed to get the situation under control almost instantly.

Turning his attention to his father he nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I have the basic idea in my head but of course a lot will depend on the lay of the land, any obstacles and the driftwood we will be using itself. Certainly pooling all the resources that the family has at our disposal we will be able to figure it out." His mind was already five steps ahead of what he was saying. "Right, let's go look at the sites and see where at takes us." With a nod to his mother and sister Eadric began to walk towards the groves, looking forward to discussing this with his father.

Seeing Eadric's excitement meant everything to Aquitaine. She was all about encouraging her children, especially when it came to things they were passionate about, and she knew Eadric loved to make things, had since he was a foal. But not instead of small trinkets made from items found on the beach he was taking that passion and coming up with ideas that truly benefited the family. A little extra protection from storms was a major step in the right direction and it made her wonder what other ideas he would come up with in the future.

A frown crossed her lips when Ipswich's leap of joy caused her snake to pull tight. The relationship between those two was different than what she had with Gaul, but if certainly reminded her of Agave and his spiders. She knew that Ebony didn't truly mean to harm Ipswich, it was after all a reaction to sudden movement, but she did sometimes worry that the snake might indeed hurt her. As Eadric and Agave left to start the planning phase of this undertaking Aquitaine set her full attention on her daughter. "Now, why don't you fill me in on some of the details of what we will need to see your brothers project to fruition."  

[JetAlmeara]

Agave listened patiently as Eadric started to explain some of his plan, it seemed more like the young stallion was thinking out loud more then speaking to him and Agave found the excitement both amusing and nice to see. When he thought back to his own young life there were very few examples where he could recall being excited about things - it was wonderful to see that his own children would not have that issue.

"Seems like the two of you have thought this out quite a bit - why don't you show me what you had in mind and I will make suggestions?" He suggested as they reached the area they might start building - it was good to make Eadric reason things out rather then simply telling him the answers, learning to think problems through was a fine skill to have and although Eadric was already well versed on thinking problems through there was never such a thing a 'too much' practice.

Watching her father and brother leave Ipswich turned her attention back to her mother, she had not missed either her mother or her brothers reaction to Ebony but she decided to ignore it, it was natural for her family to worry about her and she knew they would learn in time that Ebony would never actually hurt her.

"Well we were thinking we would need some sort of vines to tie the wood pieces together and keep them in place... and wood for the walls, perhaps some sort of stakes to keep them upright? I think the proper type of vines were what Eadric was worried about most, it needs to be strong even after its dried out and able to withstand some weathering - thought I expect we'll have to replace bindings sometimes no matter how good the vines are." She told her a touch of excitement still in her voice although she was making an attempt to seem calm.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Eadric came to a stop and took a moment to look around where they were standing before stating his plan. "Well we only really just starting discussing it before we came to find you." He began to explain. "I was tellind Ipswich that there was driftwood that grandfather wanted to clear before the next storm, which made Ipswich mention how the really strong storms tended to destroy the groves and that got me thinking that we could maybe use the driftwood in some way and the the barrier idea came to mind. She suggested using vines to tie it all together and then we came to find you and mom to see what you thought." He said while surveying the spot some more.

"I think the best thing to do is concentrate the barriers around each of the sleeping groves, those will be the most important things to protect in the long run anyways." He moved a bit, closer to one of the sleeping groves, which just happened to be the one his parents used. "We don't want it right up against things, just in case a storm is particularly bad as it might blow over the barrier, so I'm thinking maybe put them...." He took another couple steps, so he was about a full body length away from the edge of the trees that made the edge of the sleeping grove, "here." He marked the spot on the ground with his hoof. "It will still help keep the wind at bay but won't be a danger to the grove. Of course it will have to be more than just a straight barrier to help cut down the wind from several directions." He continued to explain hoping his father approved of his idea of where to put it. There was still a lot of details to hash out, but one thing at a time.

Listening to her daughter explain what was needed Aquitaine nodded. "I'm sure your father would know the best kind of wood to use to help keep the barrier upright, since it would need to be plenty strong but easy to work with. Perhaps smaller chunks of driftwood." Driftwood they had all over the place and it often came in different sized. "Or we could use some other wood. It will depend a lot on your brothers design of course." Her gaze shifted to the grove considering vine options. "There are quite a few types of vines that grow here." Motioning with her head she led them to the edge of the grove. "See that really thick one that is higher up than the others?" She pointed with her muzzle. "That one has good strength and would likely last a good while before needing to be replaced. We would just need some help in getting it down from the trees." She said with a smile as her eyes drifted to her daughters snake.

"These smaller vines," She said motioning to ones that hung closer to the ground. "Tend to stand up better to the weather, but they lack the strength of the bigger ones. I'm certain that we can use both, perhaps a combination of them, to tie the logs together. Of course they are something we will need to check on regularly as no matter what kind of vine we use they will eventually break due to wear or effects from the weathering, but as long as we replace them before any break it should be an easy thing to do."  

[JetAlmeara]

Agave nodded as his son explained how the plan had come to be - it made sense, often plans came about as a result of simple conversations, and he wasn't surprised that his children had come up with such a creative one - both of them were bright and had been creative since foal hood, a product of their breeding - for as much as he despised his mother he had to admit that she had been intelligent and Aquitaine's family were similarly blessed. At least they were putting their genius to good work instead of evil.

Eyeing the area Eadric motioned to Agave eyed it critically. "It would be best od it was done in an arc of sorts." Agave agreed "That will allow the wind to be directed around it rather then simply drive into it all the time lessening the forces it will have to withstand over time, the distance is good - and it might take quite a bit of gathering to find driftwood of the right length, too short and It will be to hard to hold together but too long and the wood will be weaker. But yes I think this can be done."

Ipswich followed her mothers gaze as she pointed out the various types of vines growing in the grove. Honestly she had never noticed the variety before despite rowing up here and working with her mother and all of the herbs she routinely gathered. But then she supposed vines were not typically on that list - still she felt as thought she ought to have known about them at the very lest. Oh well - she was going to learn bout them now!

"Ebony can help us get them down." She told her mother with a pleased nod "He's very good at climbing trees and surprisingly strong for such a little creature." She assured her mother. "The big ones look stronger but do they bend well? Would they be hard to wrap around things?" She wondered out loud, they looked awfully thick from down here but it was hard to say - and they were draped around the tree limbs so they had to be at least a little bit bendy right?

"I guess we could use the thick ones where we needed strength and the thinner ones where we needed to tie things tighter or more delicately?" She half suggested and half questioned her mother, glancing at her to see what he thought.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Hearing his fathers opinions on his idea made Eadric grateful for the help and also that he could share this with his father. Though he didn't always come share things about his past, Eadric appreciated these times when they could tap into that knowledge and put it to good use for the family. Not only that, but in doing so Eadric was expanding his own knowledge and gaining skills that he might otherwise not learn or take a lifetime to learn himself. "I have seen some pieces of driftwood that are sort of curved, perhaps those would work as an arc. Or could we use straight pieces and simply angle them as needed to get the shape we want?" That might work, but again he was looking to his father for advice on this. With such a project on their hooves he wanted to make sure they got it right the first time.

"There is quite a bit of various sized driftwood all along the beach. I'm certain that we can find the exact lengths we will need, it will just take time." But he was willing to invest that time to make this project work. "The one thing I haven't worked out yet is how tall to make it. Obviously we don't want it too tall, but it needs to have enough height to make it effective." Eadric looked down at the mark he had made to indicate where the barrier would be places, trying to envision how tall would be the right height.

Aquitaine smiled at her daughter. "Ebony can certainly help us get those vines down. It is the only way to do it without hurting the trees." Though the snake did cause certain every now and then, like he had earlier, Aquitaine was happy to know that Ipswich's pet would be able to help out. At this time of year the larger vines should be supple enough to bend easily. We've had quite a bit of rain lately which will make them pliable, if it had been dry then the vines would likely just crumble if we tried to move them too much." Even so, they were likely to break quick a few of them as vines had the tendency to snap under too much pressure, but once they learned how much the vine could take then they would be able to proceed without much issue.

"That will probably work, though we will have to double check with your father on that. I'm sure that using a combination of the two vines on the barrier would provide the strength and support that we will need." She glanced up at the vines again. "We will need to harvest them the day we want to use them, or else they will dry out and become too brittle. So a lot of this will rest on your brothers planning and how quickly the other materials can be gathered and put together." She turned her gaze back to Ipswich. "It will allow Ebony to rest in between as well, I know he is strong but some of those vines are quite long and they will be tiring for him to move them.  

[JetAlmeara]

Well his son was certainly right about the amount of driftwood they had at their disposal, the beach was littered with the stuff and while they tried to keep their section relatively cleaned up it was impossible to keep up with it all and going just a little ways in either direction ensured a nice supply of it.

"They don't have to curve themselves, I'm not sure we could find enough curved pieces to match one another, but angling them will work just fine I think." He agreed before glancing down the beach. "I supposed we should start gathering the wood if we want to get started on this, his time of year one can never tell when the next storm will come along." He reminded his son. Although it seemed like a calm day at the moment the ocean was unpredictable and somewhat moody - especially when the seasons were on the verge of changing.

Ipswich nodded slightly as her mother continued to explain how things would work. It certainly sounded doable, with a bit of patience and hard work they might even have it done before the really bad storms started to hit later on in the year. It would probably require quite a bit of time and testing but Ipswich was willing to put in the effort and she was sure that Eadric was too.

"Sounds like a plan mom, I guess we should see what Eadric an dad have figured out then - and I expect that gathering up the wood will be the first bit of work we need to get started on." At least she assumed that would be the first step, as her mother had pointed out there was no point in gathering up the vines until they were ready to actually used them. They wanted them t dry out and constrict around the wood not before they needed to wrangle them into position. That would just be frustrating beyond belief.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

His idea was shaping up nicely. With his fathers input on design and the family as a whole helping Eadric knew it would get done fairly quickly and efficiently. Plus it would allow them to spend time together doing something that will benefit them for years to come. "I helped grandfather move some driftwood earlier, so that might be a good place to start with since we didn't pile it very deep." It would make it easier for them to pick the logs that they wanted to use. "Then one we've got through that pile and taken what will work we can go through some of the other piles and scour the beach for free logs that are the right size and length." Mooving the logs, and then placing them just right to make the barrier, would be the most time consuming part of this whole project, but if they did a bit each day they would be done before they knew it. Of course moving the logs also was not easy on the best of days.

"Perhaps we could make some harnesses using heavy vine to make moving the driftwood a bit easier. Some of it is a fair distance from here and I think dragged it by harness would make it easier on us in the end." He suggested to his father. "We could get mother and Ipswich to make them so they fit right on us."

Aquitaine smiled. "Yes, I believe we have done all we can without knowing what your father and brother have planned." The pair hadn't come back from checking out the area around the groves they called home yet, so they were likely still discussing what needed to be done. This was not a small task by any means, but Aquitaine had faith in her son and the rest of her family that they would get it done. Their home could use a bit more protection from the storms and so it was such a great thing that Eadric had come up with this idea.

"Well, let's go see what the boys are up to. Perhaps they will have enough worked out that we can get to working on something today." She said to Ipswich and then walked towards where they had disappeared into the trees earlier. They might not get much done today, but what little they did get done, even if it was just discussing the plan, was one step closer to getting it done and that was good. Walking through the trees Aquitiane soon found Agave and Eadric. "How is the planning going?" She asked.  

[JetAlmeara]

Agave nodded slightly as Eadric made his remarks, it made sense to start with a pile they already knew the location of and even the harness idea was a good one, the thought of a harness made his skin crawl slightly, memories from his life as a foal floating up before his eyes, poor broken beasts dragging rocks and carcasses and other such things around for his horror of a mother, he had never worn a harness and he had been brought up to think they were for slaves and other less fortunate beings...but he had moved beyond such thoughts now hadn't he? He was no longer that stallion and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the viewpoints that had been impressed upon him as a youth were faulty and wrong.

No, it was the memories which caused the twitching of his hide Agave told himself, the memories and nothing more, certainly he did not harbor any lingering thoughts about his supposed station in life, that was silly to even think about. Shifting his weight slightly and bringing his thoughts back to the present Agave was on the verge of reply to his son when Aquitaine and Ipswich came up, giving both of them a warm look the stallion spoke. "Quite well, Eadric has some excellent ideas that we could use your help with." He told the two mares, nodding his head slightly at Eadric to get him to explain his harness idea.

Ipswich bobbed her head slightly and followed her mother down the path towards the area the boys had disappeared, she had heard their voices vaguely coming from this direction and although they had been to far to make out the words she knew it meant they hadn't gone all that far either.

Sure enough they had barely left the little grove before she spotted them, they were standing on the beach a little bit off, manes and tails being whipped about by the ocean breeze, even on the calmest of days the beach was always somewhat windy and so she paid the whipping hair no real mind. There were no clouds in the sky to indicate a storm or anything rolling in. Walking close enough behind her mother to heard her fathers greeting Ipswich feigned a shocked expression "Eadric had an excellent idea?!? And here I thought this whole barrier thing was going to be a one time wonder in that category!" She teased her sibling mercilessly.
 

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Eadric waited as his father seemed to think over the idea. At least that's what he figured was going on considering the older stallion had gone quiet for longer than usual. It was times like this that Eadric was curious about what his father was thinking. Was he trying to work out the details on what they just discussed to find any flaws or improvements? Or was there something else going on in his mind? Eadric would likely never know for certain because he would likely never ask his father about it.

Before anything else could be said his mother and sister arrived. Eadric was about to say what his plan was but then Ipswich mouthed off - in that loving sort of way, and Eadric had to change tactics quickly. "It's true." He said in a solemn tone. "I guess you don't get your wish after all of a brother that's all brawn and no brains. I seem to be an equal mix of both." A slight smile crept across his lips and then he focused on the task at hand. "Going over all of the details will take too long if we wish to get started on this today, so I'll give you a quick version for now and we can go over all the details once it's too dark to work. The focus now is on gathering the driftwood we will need to build the barriers. Since driftwood is quite a pain to move, especially over longer distances, we will need to make a couple of harness. These will help us drag the logs over the length of the beach with a lot less effort than trying to roll them like we do when we clear them up after a storm. It will take many trips just to get this part done, but even a couple a day will help dramatically and before we know it we'll be done." With that he took a moment to catch his breath and let it all sink in before continuing. "Perhaps you two can work on the harnesses while father and I run down to the first driftwood pile and try to decide which pieces will be best to take first."

Aquitaine smiled hearing that Eadric's ideas were approved as far as Agave was concerned. She had figured it would be so, Eadric was quite clever after all and had been trying to build things with what he had found on the beach since he was a young colt. Hearing Ipswich's comment Aquitaine nearly laughed, oh she remembered when she was younger and how her brothers and her would tease each other in this way over various things. It was good to see her children did the same, well at least two of her children, Casimir seemed to be more of a loner and she made a note to go and speak with him later to see how he was doing. She knew being different was hard, having grown up the first generation of mutants in her family, but Casimir seemed more removed from anything that she had expected him to be. Perhaps he just needed time, but she would speak with him later to see how he was doing and perhaps get him involved in this project.

Listening to Eadric's explanation Aquitaine nodded her head. "We can certainly do that for you both. It shouldn't take us too long to gather some heavy vines and work out a harness and rope system. With luck we will have them done by the time the two of you get back."