Spring Cleaning III

"Come on, you could at least help a little bit," said Shabriri, hanging himself over Yura who was lazing in the afternoon sun. She gave him a sneer, scoffing at his attempt to get her up with any enthusiasm. They both had been absent over the colder months, though Yura was the only one who hibernated. Unlike her brother, she did not eat food for energy. She had to sleep through winter to survive, conserving her life energy until spring came. Now that it was finally here though...

Shabriri nudged his sister repeatedly until she finally sat up, huffing in defeat. "Thank you," he replied, continuing with his tasks. The hut seemed to have survived well. He made sure that it was closed up nice and tight, letting others know that it wasn't for squatting in. Very little needed cleaning—mostly the blankets they slept on needing washing and futons needing a dusting. Dishes had accumulated some grime as well. That was Shabriri's task since he was the only one who ate.

Yura helped carry out the laundry and futons, leaving them near the vat filled with fresh water. Shabriri dipped them in, sloshing them around until he was satisfied that they were clean. No soap was needed as they were only stale. Yura lazed more in the sun, holding up her open flower.

"I suppose you are getting used to being awake now," Shabriri smiled, wringing out the moisture from the blankets. "Could you pat out the futons? Won't take very long, then you can lay out as much as you'd like."

Yura picked her head up, ears flicking in response. She would, in a few minutes. Her brother sighed and shook his head, not willing to argue with her. She'd take her time, which he was fine with. As long as it got done in the end. The blankets needed time to dry anyway. He knew she would want to get into bed as soon as they were fine enough for use.

Shabriri set up a line to hang the wet laundry. Luckily the weather was willing to help them out a little bit, though he could smell rain upon the wind. Perhaps it would come within the next day or so. Today was sunny with a few scattered clouds blotting the sky, every once in a while shading them from the sunlight. The breeze was still a bit cold, nipping at their noses.

After a while, Yura peeled herself from the ground, slowly dragging out a futon and batting at it until dust barely billowed from the fabric. She nodded, satisfied with that. The second one was just as easy. Shabriri would drag them away when she was done, setting them back down where they lived. As his sister was batting out the futons, he had swept the floors so their bedding would be perfect. The hut wasn't very big, after all. The futons rested against the back wall, near the fireplace and opposite of the front door.

Since she was done with her work, Yura went back to rest in the warm sun, soaking up as much as she could. Shabriri decided to clean his dishes while they waited for the laundry to dry.

Hours flew by—the both of them had been lazing around since the late afternoon. As the sun started to dip down low, Shabriri went to check on their bedding. They were dry to the touch, which meant they were ready for use. "Yura, come help me, will you? At least grab your blankets."

She was happy to help this time, excited to snuggle into her bed. Both carried in their own blankets, piling them on their futons and sorting them to their liking. Shabriri left his bedding alone until he was ready to rest, but he needed to cook himself dinner. Yura, however, buried herself deep. The only thing visible was her nose. The other leloko smiled as she seemed so happy to be home. So was he; he was happy to be back home with his sister. He missed her sassy attitude.

It was good to be home.