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A pleasant chill hung in the air. In the mountains, winter started so much earlier and held more bite than anything lower and closer to the sea. The crisp temperatures and howling winds suited Isaac quite nicely. The fact that he now held a castle with plenty of fuel for fire and food and drink for consumption only increased his enjoyment. Of course, the cold did require preparation to withstand, especially with potential blizzards rolling in and snow soon to stick feet deep on the ground. Even night creatures needed such, since they were still living creatures, no matter their origins.
"Hey! Quit that!"
Isaac watched as Hector sprinted from where he was placing newly chopped logs and over to a semi-constructed den entrance. Hector motioned for the fenrir to move back, even as it snarled at the bright fishman which hissed back.
"There's absolutely no reason for the two of you to be like- Hey, no. No more fighting!" The fenrir listened, but the fishman, ruby-eyed, kept its hackles raised. "This den is going to be dry. If you don't want to sleep under the ice of the nearest lake until spring, you'll have to use the specific bathing room I set up in the castle. There's no way to keep any water outside unfrozen once winter hits."
The fishman stared, hissed, then turned and wandered away, shooting a fireball up in the air as if in defiance.
Isaac watched as it wandered past him, murmuring to it, "You cannot provide enough fire to keep yourself warm all winter."
It paused, lowered its head, and kept going, heading to the castle. Hector caught sight of Isaac then.
"Oh, hello. I was just, uh-" The fenrir cut him off by nudging him hard, Hector throwing his arms out to keep balance and patting the fenrir before it moved back into the den. "Just. Sorting things out."
"Dealing with a lot of fighting," Isaac observed.
"They're getting used to each other," Hector said, always quick to defend the creatures, even when they weren't his. "And they haven't gone through a winter here yet."
"Yes. Winter in the mountains is sure to be difficult." When Hector squinted at him, rubbing idly at his palms in a gesture of nerves, Isaac decided to be straightforward. "Are you sure you wish to stay? There are two towns at the feet of the mountains which will be warmer, and are quite safe now."
Hector shook his head, short silver hair bobbing with him. "No. No, I have a life here."
Something in Isaac settled which he hadn't even realized was tense. With the anticipation gone, he found himself wandering over to the project Hector had been working on. He ran his hands over the logs, noting how they were already stripped of branches, and some had been chopped smaller both lengthwise and widthwise so that opposite the log's curve was a flat side.
"What are you making?"
"Ah, I thought maybe something for the chimera. They don't nest, or den, but I'm sure they would appreciate a shelter from the winds and snow occasionally. I was going to make a sort of open shack against the castle wall."
Nodding, Isaac turned to Hector, glad when his smile received a smile back. "Allow me to assist then."
"You want to?" Hector said, blinking as his brows raised.
"It will make a nice break from looking over the information I have on winter preparations elsewhere."
Hector chuckled, handing Isaac a tool he'd only ever seen in carpenters' workplaces. "I'd certainly prefer some physical work over all that paperwork."
"And I prefer concrete information to creation. Usually." Hector laughed again. "You will have to show me how to use this."
"Ah, yes. I imagine you didn't have as much use for this yourself as I did."
Isaac shook his head and handed the tool back to Hector, who took it in both hands. "Where did you learn?"
"A little here and there." Hector's evasiveness pointed towards the parts of his past which were likely after he was without a home. He kept his head down and focused on the log beneath him as he spoke, moving the tool along it in strokes, shaving off the roughness as he went to make a smooth surface. "I built smaller shelters until I was used to the process. A lot of trial and error."
"Hm. I'm surprised you found these tools in the castle."
"Vampires don't seem the type to build, do they?"
"They do not."
Hector gave him a small, secretive smile. "Well, no reason not to learn ourselves."
And Isaac found he had to agree. Though his life would be shorter, it would be much more full, more worthwhile, than something long and empty. And in that way, he was equally glad that he and Hector had found common ground. It was nice to live with the other forgemaster at his side.
"Alright, give it a try."
Hector held out the tool. When Isaac took it, he appreciated as their hands touched, the way Hector's gaze turned more shy but he didn't pull away. If they could learn to get along, to care about each other, Isaac thought that surely their night creatures could, too.