Submission (#6521) Approved

In the breathtakingly beautiful and dreamy region of Strynhalde that lay in the easternmost part of Eyre, where the breath of winter wove the landscape into an array of snow clad mountains and forests made of ice crystals, Lenore returned home with a satchel that was brimming with what would be considered the perfect, yet vexing and sticky sands, of Palu'au. “These little things must have really wanted to go on an adventure with me,” Lenore mused to herself as some of the sands continued to stick to her satchel. Although Palu’au was gorgeous in its own sense, Strynhalde would forever have her heart, as it was her home after all. Like a whimsical winter wonderland, it was forever stuck in a beautiful, picturesque, snow filled landscape. 

The journey back from Palu’au to Strynhalde looked like a picture straight out of a storybook, a passage through a landscape blanketed in pristine white. Trees, their branches delicately adorned with a fine layer of frost, as well as low hanging ice that looked like clear crystals, stood like frosty skeletal sentinels. The tree’s forms looked as if they were reaching up to try and embrace the snowflakes that were gently falling from the sky and dancing upon the frosted grounds. Lenore's fur - as white as the snow itself with splashes of frosty blue through her hair and tail - almost blended in against the snow laden scenery around her, as the hanging tree icicles caught the faint glints of sunlight that managed to pierce through the almost constant wintery haze.

Beside her home, she had her personal workshop containing the necessary tools to create her collection of hourglasses, as well as various other hobbies. Lenore had a collection of many different hourglasses ranging from hand made, to purchased from her many adventures. Some she had bought along her journeys, some were gifted, and recently, some she had created herself after learning how to glass blow.

As she approached her glass workshop, it stood like a beacon amidst the white serene landscape. Its walls, crafted from sturdy stone painted in different shades of blues and golds, and the windows from the clearest of glass, allowed glimpses of the winter wonderland beyond; Lenore could see through the pristinely clear windows as she worked on her crafts inside. The workshop itself was like a haven of warmth and illumination, a stark contrast to the eternal frost and coldness enveloping the outside world. It was like a second home to Lenore, a place she’d go to when she wanted to be alone or when she was working on her hobbies.

Lenore's glass workshop in the wintry wonderland of Strynhalde stood as proof of her craftsmanship. Within its walls, she meticulously crafted the essence of time itself, using her deft and delicate paws alongside her intimate knowledge of the art of glassmaking.

The glassblower's bench, a sleek expanse of polished glass, awaited her touch. Lenore arranged her tools with a delicate precision, the faint chime of glass against glass echoing through the space. Her slender paws danced with grace across the workbench as she prepared for the glassblowing process ahead.

With utmost care, Lenore poured the shimmering sands of Palu'au onto the glass surface. The grains lay patiently, awaiting their transformation. She inspected them closely, noting their unique coarseness – perfect for the creation of her hourglass.

"The texture is remarkable," she murmured to herself, her voice carrying a mix of awe and determination. "These sands will craft a truly exceptional hourglass."

In a graceful play of skill and artistry, Lenore combined the Palu'au sands with analytically measured minerals and substances. Each addition was carefully calculated to enhance the glass's properties, making sure it would possess both strength and a captivating translucence.

Her breath caught as she watched the sands, once separate entities, merge together. The furnace roared to life, casting a fiery glow upon the workshop. The sands, touched by the heat, melted into a molten stream – it looked like liquid magic, imbued Lenore’s patience and delicateness.

Lenore worked swiftly yet methodically, her movements guided by an understanding of the materials she wielded. The liquid glass flowed like molten starlight, responding to her expert manipulation with a fluid grace. She shaped and molded it with practiced precision, coaxing it into the contours of her hourglass design.

As the glass took form, Lenore's focus intensified. Her concentration was unwavering, her attention fixated on every curve and line of the hourglass to be. The molten glass cooled gradually, each passing moment bringing it closer to the crystalline masterpiece she envisioned.

However, in the midst of this artistry, a challenge emerged. The very quality that made the Palu'au sands ideal for glassmaking – their fine coarseness – presented a small hindrance. Tiny crystals adhered to her fur and the glassware itself, a persistent reminder of the sand’s tenacity yet again.

Lenore's brow furrowed with a blend of determination and minor frustration. "A small inconvenience yet again," she murmured to herself, brushing away the clinging sands from her fur and removing them from the glass with care.

As the glasswork reached its final stages, Lenore's heartbeat quickened with a sense of accomplishment. The hourglass, crafted from the sands of distant shores and shaped by her very paws, gleamed with a crystalline like radiance upon her workbench as her furnace’s fire bounced against it.

With precision, she assembled the delicate components, each grain of sand finding its place within the hourglass's confines. Lenore marveled at the way the sands glimmered within the glass, as if it was capturing the very essences of time.

The finished hourglass stood tall and beautiful, showing off her skills in glass blowing, a crystalline vessel encapsulating the nature of time within its shimmering container. As Lenore admired her creation, she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for the sands that had played an integral role in its making – a treasure born from distant shores, and fashioned with dedication and love.