[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Once she was content with the cleanliness of the stool, she reached up and took hold of the tuskow's harness and began to lead the gentle creature back into the barn.

It was slow going; this one refused to leave the warmth of the milking shed initially, and Honey had to bribe it with a sugar lump she had in her pocket to get it to walk; she always left this one for last, knowing it would usually put up resistance.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Honey patted the Tuskow's side as they reached the barn, encouraging it to plod over to the rest of its herd. She couldn't really blame the animal for not wanting to leave the milking shed in such cold weather; she herself was reluctant to leave the warmth of the barn for the icy wind that she could hear whistling outside the door, but she took comfort in the hot meal she could now focus on making.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Honey pulled her hat down tightly over her ears as she secured the barn door behind her; the wind had really picked up while she was in there and it was getting quite dark, and she hurried over to her little house before it became too dark to see - the wind was too high to light a lamp, and she didn't want to be left wandering her fields in the darkness that winter always brought with it.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As she locked the door behind her, Honey shivered and sighed, glad to be out of the cold. She pulled her hat off and hung it up on its hook, before carefully unwinding her long hand-knitted scarf and doing the same with it. Her boots came off with a quiet 'thud' and she rubbed her feet and toes, feeling the cold in them; she would have to see about knitting some new socks with the wool she had saved from her yingshee last spring.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She prodded one large hole with her finger and sighed; new socks were definitely needed, for as much as she would try to patch these ones new holes seemed to keep appearing.

She stuffed her feet into the house boots she kept by the door - knitted with a fur lining - and pulled her arms out of her coat sleeves, hanging it up on the hook stand with the rest of her outdoor clothes.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She reached for her long house cardigan and pulled it on, shrugging her arms into the long bell sleeves and pulling the toggles through their loops to secure it. The cardigan was thick and warm, and came down to her knees, and Honey had spent many a long, cold night inside her cosy little house wearing the cardigan and her loop-scarf which she now pulled over her head, before fishing her little fingerless gloves out of her pocket.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The house was small and cosy, but she had been out all day and never left her fire burning unattended so the house was also cold and dark. She strode into the living room and pulled some firewood out of the wood rack, and placed it on the grate with some kindling before lighting the fire. She smiled as the logs begn to smoulder; the house would soon be filled with the smell of wood smoke and warmth.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Honey toddled into the kitchen and lit the lamp, raising the glow to illuminate the stove. She filled the kettle from the sink, grateful for indoor plumbing as it no longer meant she had to leave the house for water, and put it on to boil as she busied herself with the tea leaves in the tea pot. She used her own blend, from the bushes and grasses she grew, to make a tea that was both warming and health-promoting.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The kettle began to scream, and Honey turned off the stove as she grabbed the cloth off the hook and wrapped it around the handle of the kettle; being very careful not to burn herself with the hot metal, she lifted the kettle off the stove and poured the hot water into her teapot, placing the now empty kettle down on the cool corner of the stove. She stirred the tea in the teapot and put the lid on to let it brew.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

After a few minutes, Honey poured the dark liquid into her cup, sniffing as the pleasant scent of lemongrass and clove filled her kitchen. She smiled to herself as she set the teapot down and opened the cupboard above her to pull out a glass jar filled with sweet, dark honey; she loved the way it added to the flavour of the tea and smoothed the slight bitterness from the cloves, and always made sure to add a generous spoonful.

[Wild Pet Found]