Back to the Drawing Board

"Time to get a new piece to mess with." Despite the plethora of trees around her, she didn't have a lot of options to choose from. A real mask wasn't formed from an oak base. Actually, these days wood wasn't the typical foundation for masks. They were easier and sturdier than ceramic and glass, but they still were challenging to work with.

If her current piece was any indication, it didn't take much to make it uneven to the point of ruining the design. Another problematic factor was the risk of splinters. It thankfully hadn't happened to her due to using the endless amounts of sandpaper that was stashed away in her father's workshop, though that was always a possibility when working with it.

The ideal material was paper mâché, however there were a few reasons she chose wood over it. For starters, it wasn't as easy to hide from her mother. The moment she found even a hint of the typical water glue mixture; it would be game over. Zora, if given the chance, would probably love to help her stash it away.

Hell, she imagined the five year old would probably offer to help, but with how keen the old hag was, Zenobia couldn't take that chance. Another issue was that it was messy with a lot of wait time. To make a proper mâché mask, one needed to make a mold to put the mixture of drenched paper on, layer it up four or five times, then wait for it to dry before adding more on. Those were the basics with an unfortunate wait time.

Granted, both wood and paper mâché would take forever to do properly, especially if it was made by request. In the end, she would prefer wood, since all someone needed was wood and tools. There were way more materials needed for the other type. The glue mixture, which couldn't be lumpy, a bunch of newspapers that had to be cut into strips, a skeleton for the mask, usually made from wire, balloons or plastic molds…all of which Zenobia needed in bulks and sadly, that can be pricey. Even if it was easier to work with, she would need a lot of space, money and inventory since it wouldn't take much to make mistakes.

The main reason she wanted to work with it was because it was also what her father specialized in. Even if he was no longer in her life, that didn't mean the memories shared between them didn't mean anything. She cherished their time together. She wanted to remake her old mask. With her own two hands she would create the perfect replica and continue his legacy.

People shunned away from wood essentially because it was too difficult to make customs. She didn't want to take the easy way out if she aspired to follow in her old man's footsteps. So, what if she wasn't good yet, she could improve. The more she tinkered with the carving tools, the more natural she would be at wielding them.

Zenobia already had the artistic aspects of it mastered, half of the task was already done. Now she had to make those sketches she spent hours toiling over into a real creation she could hold and wear. Eventually she was going to leave her mother's house, further her education without those tundra brown eyes watching her every move. Once she made a name for herself, her masks would be used all over...and with the money she would travel.

She just had to survive a few more years, racking up commissions online, applying for as many scholarships as possible all while keeping her grades up. It would be a challenge, but not impossible. Zenobia already decided to dedicate herself to making masks for a living, which was a highly competitive, unpredictable field, what was one more set of obstacles in her way? The sixteen-year-old had every intention of wrangling her future with her own two hands. Hoping and planning would do her no good if she didn't keep practicing.

"This looks suitable." Fortunately, it didn't take her too long to find a replacement log. The outer bark was flimsy, some of it was already slipping off. Thankfully the board concealed from it wasn't too thick or thin, a little less than three feet long reaching up to her elbow when measured. Counting mistakes that could be manipulated and fixed, it could fit a typical six-year old's face.

With that thought in mind, Zenobia immediately rushed back to her book. The pages flew in her hands, flickering atop one another until she reached a blank sheet. Reaching for her pencil pouch, she unearthed the first erasable pencil she could detect that was also decently sharpened. For a few moments she simply scribbled. Listing her sister's face proportions on the far left, her personality traits on the opposite side before writing down her sister's hopes/desires for the future.

Zenobia rubbed the tickle in her nose away with her free hand as she kept writing. The moment the information was listed, she set about sketching. No matter what, she probably wouldn't feel remotely content until she made two or three drafts, however she wasn't thinking. All that mattered was what she knew of Zora and how she could best represent her on top of also ensuring it was aesthetically pleasing when looked alongside her eyes.

She was aware her kid sister wanted a mask like hers, her childhood story only encouraging that mindset. As sweet as the thought was, that wasn't what Zenobia wanted for her. Foxes were tricksters, morally gray and adaptable. They survived using their cunning nature; however it was up in the air if they were a good thing or not. Like red eyes, foxes had different meanings depending on the culture. No matter what it just…didn't fit the optimistic, hardworking sweetheart.

"Mom is the white lioness symbolizing power from the heavens, strong and protective. Dad had the silver wolf to show his lonely status as well as being a pure, loyal protector. I have the fox…" All of their masks were (her being a lesser extent) predators, creatures that were beautiful, yet dangerous.

Something Zora definitely was not, but she wanted a mask like Zenobia's. It would be her first real challenge. Pulling out her phone again, disregarding Ms. Mude's message (wow she responded fast,) she typed in how people typically described her sister. She hoped that with the descriptions she would get various animals that would fit. From there, all it would take is finding the one that felt right and she'd get to work. A few minutes went by, with the teen scanning over the provided information.

Her fingers made multiple different tabs with anticipation blooming in her chest. Suffice to say, she was not happy with the conclusions offered to her. They kept insisting on birds. Doves, hummingbirds, blue jays, swans, causing her to sigh in disappointment. All of them were lovely animals, but it didn't match at all with what the elementary schooler wanted, especially when compared to the rest of the family.

After trying again, she found herself with some off choices like camels, deer and buffalo. Again, it wasn't right. There had to be an animal that wasn't prey status, but could still be seen as kind, loyal and hardworking. Her mind was drawing a serious blank and it bothered her to no end.

"Battery's low, great." Disappointed, she sent her phone into sleep mode before closing her book with an irritated sigh. Back to the drawing board, literally, as she tapped the book repeatedly with her right pointer finger. Her fingers itched to do something productive with the free time given to her, yet she couldn't think of what to do.

Drawing something for Zora's mask was she wanted to do, only she was stumped. This wasn't the time to get the dreaded artist block. Her peacock mask was an absolute disaster, so she had no desire to mess with it as of this moment. Leaving her to slightly wish (just a bit) that she took her school books instead of just tossing them into her locker. Boring it may've been, it still would've been a far more productive use of her time since she could've gotten ahead of her assignments.

"Could, should, woulda." Her math teacher would say whenever any of her students didn't think things through when it came to homework or studying for a quiz. Rolling over, she laid on her back with her eyes closed again. The birds were still chirping away, having their private conversations. A dog was faintly barking in the distance.

Nature's children danced with the wind; the trees were specifically doing a little jig with their leaves while she stayed there. In spite of being annoyed at herself, she sagged into the pavement, removing the stress from her body by melting into a lump of sunbathing flesh. Without meaning to, she fell quickly into a relaxing slumber.