The Homewood was amazing.
Guitian had never seen so much green all in one place before. It was hard not to just bask in it. There was food and water in absurd quantities, and though he was far from his tools back home, everything was inspiring.
And there were noulicorns. Obviously there were wanderers in the Barrens, even as far out as he lived. He'd never seen so many in one place, though, all treating each other as neighbors and sharing their things like this. Guitian and his family had always ensured first that they had surplus before considering trading.
There were other craftsmen here, too, and they had brilliant, creative minds. "A youth stone?" he asked, nosing at the bright, striated object. This was marvelous! He'd love to have one for himself - both because he thought it'd come in handy, when he inevitably returned home, and because he was curious about the technique that was clear in its creation. If he could learn something from these Homewood craftsmen...yes, his siblings would certainly appreciate that.
To get one, apparently, he'd need to present something of his own make.
It took him a few days to finish his creation. He'd had to find the perfect location, first - a tree with a thick, sturdy trunk, not currently being used as anyone's home, with its branches extended downward toward the ground, so it was climbable. He took care to sand down the sharp points, where he could find them, and then stepped back to consider it as a whole.
There was so much color in the Homewood. Berries and flowers were abundant, and the birds here had colorful feathers. And sap - sap had incredible potential. Guitian had spent an hour examining the way it could drip from a tree, and make things stick, on his very first day here.
He'd dried out a number of little white flowers and delicate silver leaves - snowdrops and lacy dusty miller over the course of a few days. Then he closed his eyes and reminisced.
It was hard to see the stars, in the Homewood. There wasn't much elevation, and a thick canopy of trees blocked them from view. But Guitian had spent his entire life looking up and out at them, and wondering at their pristine beauty. They moved, sometimes - but in the spring, certain ones always found their place.
With bits of sap, he arranged the flowers and leaves on the tree to form a map in miniature of the spring stars, as seen from the mirror-pool by his family's den back home. At each star was a group of flowers and leaves, pressed tightly against the tree's dark trunk. There weren't quite enough branches for a fully accurate map - that would have been too coincidental. But he managed, of course, to get some of the most salient features, including the star he'd always used as a navigational center. He surrounded that one with more petals - plum blossoms, this time, which had a striking color - to highlight its presence, as well as bright red feathers. He used a vine, decorated with more feathers (in an iridescent azure), to draw connections between some of the stars. It had always been just for fun, but he and his family had seen shapes in the stars, and that was something he wanted to share.
"You'll have to follow me," he told Scoria apologetically. "It's - well, it's not exactly a toy, but I think it'd be enjoyable."
He was proud of it, though. The branches of the tree had been stable enough to climb - or at least the lower ones, which he could step on, were. The decor would fade with time, but for at least a moon or two, a foal could enjoy themself clambering about on top of it, and assuming supervision they would learn about Guitian's beloved stars, too.
It took some explaining, though. "Where I'm from," he said, "I could see these stars every night. I wouldn't want to take foals there - but they could have, at least, this most valuable part of it." He tilted his head. "I know it'd take maintenance, but I think foals are worth it, especially considering the educational value." And this sort of supervised practice at climbing, too, would provide useful experience, though apparently not every noul here spent their life wandering. Guitian could see the use in that.
He didn't have Scoria's talent in magic - not yet. The large rocks and boulders he usually worked with in the Barrens were in shorter supply here. But there were plenty of other options, in the Homewood - colorful and lovely ones. "I have...much to learn, apparently," he finished. The very idea of crafting things with magic was impressive. "But I hope this offering shows that I bring something of my own, as well."
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