Aytan: Masterbuilder [3]

So far, Aytan's dens had all been larger, made for multiple fawnlings or small families. However, there were several older colts and fillies who were ready to leave their family dens and wanted somewhere to call their own. So, smaller dens were becoming more highly demanded, especially since the youngsters had come to recognise Aytan more easily and were not as scared to approach and to talk to him anymore.

Smaller dens meant more possibilities, though, and everywhere Aytan went he saw thousands of places that could easily become a den for a young, independent fawnling. However, he preferred to construct them himself, so that he could be sure of their stability and that they would stay intact for many Seasons to come. He became especially adept at using the materials that he and the other stags had cleared from the various sites in Haven, particularly fallen trees and rocks.

After taking a fallen tree and carefully hollowing it out using his hooves and antlers, Aytan would pry off sections until the remaining structure was more or less semicircular. By growing roots around the tree husk and then carefully breaking them at various points, Aytan was able to cover the inside of the structure with sap, which dried and hardened, strengthening the wood as well as waterproofing it more effectively than any leaf cover ever could. Once this husk was completed he could lay it over a large rock, leaving a big enough gap for an entrance on one side, creating a basic den. If there were huge gaps in the trunk he would unearth seedlings and, sitting them on the bark, would promote them to grow over the gaps and cover them with a thick leaf coverage. Not the most watertight of solutions, but it worked. By conjuring up bushes and small plants around the den, Aytan could hide it and keep the wind out, and a thick bed of moss and leaves provided a comfortable sleeping platform.

Though he could never fit into one of them himself, even without his antlers, the dens seemed to be liked by those who chose to inhabit them, and Aytan soon found his skills in demand by more and more of the older fawns. Even Elysia wanted one for herself, and Aytan was happy to oblige, and built her one close to the main family den where she could be alone when she needed to be.

[404 words]

I figured Aytan's magic needed a bit of a final boost to get it up to Master level, so expect a few (four to be exact) quick images/stories of him making some of the new dens for Haven!  If anyone wants to claim the den/the ideas feel free, they didn't take long to do. 

Aytan, art, story (c) me