The young male was exploring one of the many tunnels that branched off from the cave. The lack of scents here suggested that it hadn't been recently walked through, and so he decided he wanted to see what he could find on his own. His paws were somewhat sure as he padded further and further into the darkness, relying on the way his body brushed against the rock, and the scent of the slight breeze in the cave, to guide him. He walked, for a long time, or at least what seemed like forever before his eyes squinted at a crack of light that seemed to come from further inside. Enver, of course, kept following it, his eyes widening as the light became stronger and stronger, and then.

He emerged into a small cavern, illuminated by a crack in the ceiling, and a soft flowing stream that came from one crack and flowed into another. He felt his eyes widen, as he sniffed at the fresh moving water. This place could make for a good shelter in bad weather- well tucked into the cave system, and with water! Wow!

"This is so cool." He breathed out, staring around- turning in a small circle as he looked and studied everything- and saw a cave across the way, and of course, he wondered where that would lead.

+10 explore a territory and find something useful in it?, +5 map out rivers or water-sources in an area, +5 learn something from another about your trade

@Juliette

ART BY YUMPY, CODE BY LARS

Juliette had been placing stone after stone along the right-hand side of the caverns. Marking a trail that she had recently discovered that had led to a new water resource. Juliette had back tracked a day or two ago but full intention of returning and so she had. Marking the path carefully with rock after rock, making sure each object was near to the same size as the last. Moving around a bit to find another rock if she found there weren't any nearby with the right shape or size.

Though on her journey she quickly found the trail of someone else having figured out her path. A gentle hum and she began to work a little quicker as she followed his scent through to see if he had gone where she had just found. @Enver was in for quite the surprise and hoped that this lion that she was following delighted in the discovery just as she had. Marking the path with rocks but with a little less precision, she eventually stumbled into the more spacious cavern and could see the lion in question.

A young thing, maybe near a year, turning in circles as though in awe of what he thought he had discovered first. The Hollow does not cease to amaze, does it? Juliette had lived in this pride twice now under two different rulers and both times she had found new things to be entertained by. Places that were hidden away as though a new tunnel was opened every sunrise. Every day felt like a new surprise and given the one this young boy's eyes were lit with wonder, she had a feeling that he was going to be quite as thrilled as she.

+5 - Mark a trail through a territory
+5 - Correctly track something through a territory
+10 - Discuss the features of a territory with someone

^{ART BY AURORA, CODE BY CALA}

The cavern was an enormous thing. The sound of the stream running through it, the only sound but his paws against stone. Just him and the whisper of water, and his breathing. He swore he could hear the tell-tale thump of his own heart within his chest. An excited, rapid, thump, thump, thump.

Enver was startled when he heard a voice, whipping around to see a pale stripped lioness, emerge from the tunnel- and he studied her- orange gaze wide. "Uh... yeah. It's... super cool." He stammered, looking at the water, turning back to study the water for a second before he looked back to her. He breathed in, the scent of the hollows clinging to the female, and he stammered out another sentence. "The water. .. seems fresh, and that could be good." He said, rather lamely, but he was a bit startled.

"Are you exploring?" He asked curiously, as his head titled and studied her. Or maybe she was doing something else. He reckoned that all the lions and lionesses here probably had things to do, right?

@Juliette

ART BY YUMPY, CODE BY LARS

These lands embedded within the mountain were certainly a place filled with wonder and it didn't end here, either. While there were plenty of places near the surface where light still shined, the child in front of her likely had no idea the depths in which these hollows truly held dear. Indeed, she takes a step or two more as she inches near to @Enver and regards the water trickling along the tunnel's side, I reckon that there is a source of water much larger than this, even, somewhere within. But, would the young cub be clever enough to wish to follow it down to its source? He looked to be an adventurous lad with intelligence on his side, but looks could be quite deceiving (she felt as though she was a prime example of it and if she wasn't, then she would continue trying).

I am. Juliette addresses with a nod as she turns her head to the boy and takes in the youth in his face and body. A child just shy of a year, learning from the world and the inhabitants around him and still a moldable thing. These were the years in which her life had only truly begun and she had been forced to see the world that she was going to need protection from. The cub here would no doubt feel the necessary strings of life that very well might prompt fear and uncertainty within the coming months.

^{ART BY AURORA, CODE BY CALA}

He studied the water, as the stream trickled past him, and then looked back to the wheat-colored female as she stepped closer to the water, and subsequently him. He listened, attentively to her words, and considered them- glancing at the water where the stream seemed to vanish within the cracks of rocks. "Does all water begin in rocks somewhere, or does it collect here from the rain, in that crack?" He asked, indicating a narrow crack in the high vaulted ceiling of the cavern with a paw.

"Have you found any more cool caverns?" He asked excitedly, as she confirmed that she was exploring- and blinked, his fur fluffing a bit in excitement. "I'm uh.. Enver. Enver Frei. I just joined the Hollows." He introduced himself. "I like to explore. Scouting is fun!" He said happily.

He looked to the water again, and then questioned. "Do you think this cavern is worth marking to remember?"

@Juliette

code by corvus

I suppose at some point, any water source started with rain. Or a flood in succession of rain. So there's likely some sort of pool of water within these caverns or, maybe, atop the mountain. A place that had yet to be explored by her and likely @Enver himself. Water didn't just miraculously come from nothing, after all. Yeah, yeah I have. There's this cool crystal cavern not too far from here. A very nice place to go to when you need to destress and detox but she didn't think that those would be his reasons for wanting to go visit. He likely would want to go pick out his own crystals and hoard them like a dragon. If she were his age, that's what she would've done.

I'm Juliette Valour. The Hollow's Gentry, one of them anyways. While she didn't say it quite as loud as he did, she enjoyed scouting and exploring, too. Sometimes it was the only way to truly be able to not feel so out of control. For sure. I was marking the tunnel to her with the rocks I found along the way. Medium-size ish rocks like... she looked around and shuffles a few pebbles around before landing her paw on one, like this size! Not in the way; small enough to not trip over but large enough to see it clearly. She supposed he could help her do that, moving the one that she had found off to the side to mark it like she had been prior. Enver could certainly help with that so that he wouldn't lose his way in the labyrinth of Obsidian.

+5 - mark a trail through a territory
+10 - discuss the features of a territory with someone

^{ART BY AURORA, CODE BY CALA}

Enver listened as @Juliette spoke and considered her words carefully. His orange eyes traveled to the water, as he thought about it. He considered it, his eyes narrowing a bit, before nodding. "I think that makes sense." He agreed- his eyes shifting back to her as her considered what she said next.

His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. "Crystals?!" She said, his paws kneading the stone excitedly, his tail lashing behind him. "Cool!" He expressed. "How far away is it?" He asked, wanting to bolt off in that direction right now. Because a cave of crystals??

Juliette Valour, a gentry of Obsidian. His eyes widened- he felt impressed. A gentry was talking to him, like he was one of the pride. A sense of belonging clicked in his mind, and he smiled politely. She expressed that she had been marking the path here with rocks, and so he peered around, looking towards the tunnel he'd entered from. "Rocks. That's smart." He said, with an affirmative nod. "I grew up in the plains, so sometimes I used stones in small piles to mark things." Like cool feathers, or the best place to crouch and hide to try to surprise his sisters.

code by corvus

For someone who had next to no experience with young children, or near yearling, Juliette felt she was getting along with the kid rather well. The best, even, if she could be so confident. He was at least interested in the world around him and from Juliette's perspective it meant that he was inadvertently showing Maua the respect they deserved. Oh yeah, tons of 'em. As far as the eye could see. It was no surprise that @Enver immediately fell in love with the idea of shiny crystals to handle and collect, she was an adult and sometimes had the same urge. It's a bit of a maze to get there from here but not impossible. She supposed she had some time to spare if he wanted her to lead him there.

So you will have no trouble marking your path so you don't get lost here. Very good. And it meant that she likely wouldn't have to go on a rescue mission to find a screaming yearling dying for a fresh pair of eyes to lead him to the light. I'll lead you to the caverns, if you wanna grab rocks as we go to mark it from here? She wasn't sure how it might dictate the variety of pathways within the Hollows but at the very least it would work for them here and now. Though, she knew that the moment they got to the crystals the chances of him even remembering the path he made would be next to nothing.

^{ART BY AURORA, CODE BY CALA}

The excitement he felt in his paws quivered and tickled, and when @Julliette spoke again, talking about there being tons of crystals in the cave and then that it was a bit of a maze, his heart thundered. He couldn't help but physically light up, his posture straightening, ears perked, eyes round- just from excitement as his fur seemed to bristle, and yet he hesitates. "I... would like that very much, but only if you have time." That confidence wanes a bit, as he doesn't want to keep her from duties. She's a gentry, so surely she's got more to do than show him a cave?

Yet, as she talks of the rocks- she seems set on taking him and he bounces a bit on his toes- bounding over to the piles of rocks and scooping some up in his jaws- awkwardly. He looks to her, and nods. "Mar' wit' rok" He mutters around the rocks, nodding seriously, as his tail stands straight up over his back.

He was ready!

code by corvus

Perhaps it was her not being used to someone so excitable in her midst but she was pleased to see that @Enver had some wild interest in the land that he had come into. The way she saw it was that as two non-Savante lions, they needed to stick together and she wanted to be able to help him however she could. It's not a problem. I've got plenty of time for ya. Being a Gentry was tough work at times but if her higher ranks expected her to be all busy all the time? Well, they had certainly chosen the wrong lioness for the job because there was always fun to be had. Especially since she was showing a relatively new recruit how amazing the pride territory was. That was a good enough reason to give as to why she wasn't doing her other duties.

She watched carefully as he grabbed a rock and while she had no idea what he had said around that piece, she nodded her head as though she understood completely. Alright then. She began leading the way towards the crystal cavern and paused every so often to allow him to place another rock or two down (helping where she could). Mostly just enjoying having someone to talk to that wasn't completely bored by the job that she took it upon herself to do. exit juliette

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