Look at all those chickens!

Actually, she didn't know what they were. Definitely birds of some kind, but she had never seen any with stilts for legs that boasted such a flamboyant pink. The child studied them from afar, her seafoam eyes mesmerized by the way they walked and chattered amongst one another. She squinted as if it would help her better understand the language they spoke, but all it did was put a vignette effect over the bright birds.

Well, if she wanted to study the flamingos.. she must become the flamingos.

Nephthys crept closer with all the stealth of a wrecking ball, slipping undetected (she thought) into their midst. She hadn't a clue they were simply unimpressed with her presence and wandered about quietly until she was deep in their midst. Noticing the funny way in which they held their legs, Nephthys did her best to imitate by tucking up a single leg. She stood there silently and glanced between them, studying them with all the intensity of a camouflaged National Geographic researcher.

Hmm, interesting. Very interesting.

@Morrigan ♔

The more time she spent actually out and about during the day, the more often it seemed she was to run into someone else. Though she was certainly not quite the antisocial hermit her father had once been, she definitely was more receptive to companionship after spending so long alone than she had been previously. Today though she would be blessed with much younger company.

As her ivory tipped paws carried her over the black sands she saw an odd sort of movement in the flamingos nearby. Morrigan approached as nonchalantly as possible, hoping the flamingos would remain as docile as they were now. Though a few of them seemed to flutter nervously, they remained the same for the most part, and her mismatched eyes could spot the deep red colored cub teetering on three paws in their midst.

Morrigan ducked her head to peer through the forest of legs at the girl within, "Have they accepted you as one of their own yet?" There was a teasing glint in her eye and a smile softened her usually steely features. Children took little energy to interact with, and were an easy distraction from the more painful parts of life.

@Nephthys

code by javs

Nephthys' eyes widened in surprise as one of the creatures lowered its head. From a distance, the hooked beaks on their faces hadn't seemed so sharp or.. or large! She gawked at the animal, studied the way its eye dilated and retracted as it tried to gauge the worth of the child at its feet. It uttered something in a language she could not understand, and the cub's blood ran cold. Oh no, what if the bird knew she wasn't a flamingo at all?

Worried her cover had been blown (and oblivious she had never had one to begin with), Neph quickly raised another leg to tuck against her belly. Her front right and back left were now pressed to her sooty undersides, hoping the flamingo would be more accepting if it saw her clearly fitting in. The other birds all had a leg up and Neph had two, so clearly she was an overachiever! Respect it, bird! Respect your new master!

And then she lost her balance and fell to the ground in a heap, a soft oomph spilling from her lips. If the flock around her noticed, they didn't show it. The lurking bird simply returned to.. whatever it was doing, happily ignoring the cub.

Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to be okay with doing the same.

Have they accepted you as one of their own yet?

Nephthys' eyes snapped up to the stranger, widening in surprise. Uh-oh. Mama had always warned her about strangers, but until then she had never met one and she hadn't believed them to be real. The cub righted herself and pushed onto her paws, remaining safely tucked in the flock. "I dunno, hows you can tell?" she asked, glancing up at the tall creatures. "Who you? Strangers is bad, so says Mama." She squinted suspiciously just for the effect.

@Morrigan ♔

Morrigan stifled the laugh that threatened to bubble to her lips as the child lost her balance entirely and stumbled, the brightly colored birds around her remaining unfazed. She kept her head ducked low to see the girl but made no effort to get any closer as the girl's reaction made it clear she hadn't been expecting company. I dunno, hows you can tell? Morrigan shrugged lightly, keeping her tone light, "I thought you were the expert here. You would know better than me." Flamingos had never made for a very filling snack, so the dark woman hadn't exactly studied them avidly herself.

The Greyflood couldn't contain the smile that appeared on her ivory lips as the girl's green eyes squinted in a suspicious but theatrical manner, Who you? Strangers is bad, so says Mama. Ah, so she clearly wasn't abandoned. Just perhaps wandering a bit further than her mother would probably like. "Your Mama is right. I don't mean you any harm, but you shouldn't really trust someone just because they say that either," she told @Nephthys bluntly. She had no desire to put any fantasy about kind-hearted strangers into her head, even if she truly was no threat herself.

code by javs

Nephthys bristled at the audacity. "Well, COURSE I'mma.. espert!" What the hell did that even mean? Her tiny brain did not compute, but she had gleaned enough from context to assume it meant she was better than the lioness. Either better or much, much worse, but Neph had committed to the ruse now and wasn't about to blow her cover. "I just thoughts YOU would be able to tell too because you're OLD. Isn't that 'posed to means yous smart?" Ah, yes. There was Hecuba's influence.

The reality check she was given by the lioness made her wince. Well shit, she was kind of in a pickle now, wasn't she? Nephthys grumbled under her breath and inched forward to suspiciously scent the air, drinking in her scent as though it would help identify her. It didn't, naturally, but something definitely caught her attention. The stripes down the woman's chest looked almost..

"My daddy has stripes just like that! But this color," she said, slumping onto her haunches and biting her tail to display the tuft. "Daddy says we're dragons! Are you a dragon?" It was a but jumbled considering she still had her tail in her mouth, but Nephthys' interest was clearly piqued.

@Morrigan ♔

If anyone else stumbled upon the pair of them just now, it would be an odd scene indeed. A rather large woman stooped and peering between the forest of disinterested pink legs, apparently carrying on a conversation with some small thing in their midst. But Morrigan found this to be the least taxing encounter she'd yet made here. Well, COURSE I'mma.. espert! The older woman had to stifle an amused laugh, attempting to keep her face deadly serious as the cub found her hill to die on. She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as the girl continued though, I just thoughts YOU would be able to tell too because you're OLD. Isn't that 'posed to means yous smart? "Oh but I only know boring things like how to hunt and fight. Flamingos are way too complicated for me," she drawled, not willing to uncrown the little expert.

It seemed her attention had shifted for now though and the girl approached closer, allowing Morrigan to sit on her own haunches now that she could see her more clearly. My daddy has stripes just like that! But this color, Morrigan raised a brow at the girl, expecting she might hurt herself by gripping her tail so swiftly but she didn't seem to mind. What @Nephthys said next though grabbed the Greyflood's interest indeed. Daddy says we're dragons! Are you a dragon? Oh? Surely it would be too much of a coincidence that another bloodline could claim both to be a dragon and carry such a distinctive marking. "I am, actually," she admitted, "Or, at least my mother was." Though she had never met her grandfather or claimed his surname, she knew of him at least. "Are you a Tollaire, then?"

code by javs

Nephthys couldn't help but giggle as the adult admitted she only knew boring things. Totally. Adults were waayy lame and didn't know how to do anything! Well, besides Mama and Papa. They knew how to do everything and were the best at it, but at least this lady understood her mediocrity. That's right, know your place!

"Well, s'good thing you met me then! 'M the flamingal n' I know eeeevverrrythin' 'bout flamingos! Did you knows they actually has TWO legs?" A very generic bout of knowledge to offer, but it was really the only thing she had going for her. "An- an the babies aren't pink! And I dunno why they turned pink.. so I's here to SCIENCE!" Neph grinned and pranced in place, clearly happy to share the knowledge.

And then things turned towards the boring and she huffed.. momentarily. "Hey! Yeah! I'm Nephthys Tollaire and my daddy is DRAKON Tollaire and I has a grandpa SM..ooogg? Tollaire." She wasn't entirely sure what grandpa's name was, but she was giving it her best effort. "My mama isn't a dragon! Is okay your daddy isn't either!" Emboldened by the idea this was family, the cub slipped forward. "Is.. you family? Sister?" Her head cocked uncertainly. Her knowledge of relatives was a bit.. shoddy.

His sister had wandered off again. It annoyed the colossus to no end. Why did she have to run off all the time? All it did was get her, and in turn the rest of them in trouble. Ladon tried to be a good son, but when she disappeared to gods knew where he would eventually go and follow her to wherever she went. If only to use his much larger size to drag her dumb reckless butt all the way back home. And then privately gloat as mama tore into her more than he.

It was the little things you know?

So he trudged out on giant paws for his sister, a babyish frown scrunched on his tiny face. Following her scent as best he could, getting turned around a couple times, and then finally he spots her ahead. With a bunch of weird pink birds and a stranger. Oh no. Stranger danger! He runs towards the pair, and attempts to slide to a stop between them.

A dragon? This weird strange lady? She had the v marks of course, but he didn't know her. She wasn't mama or daddy and they hadn't met anyone else. Besides again, a stranger! Not okay. "Whys you talking to Nephy?" he demands, green eyes blazing. Glaring @Morrigan ♔ with righteous cub fury. Then he turns a little, just enough to see his sister and keep an eye on the lady. "Mama's gonna be sooooooo mad. Why you talking to stranger danger?" he asks her, worry flashing there. How dare she put herself in such danger? It wasn't allowed.

Manip & Code by Saph

@Nephthys

Well, s'good thing you met me then! 'M the flamingal n' I know eeeevverrrythin' 'bout flamingos! Did you knows they actually has TWO legs? Groundbreaking information indeed, but Morrigan wasn't in the mood to rain on any parades so she continued to look solemnly interested as the girl prattled, An- an the babies aren't pink! And I dunno why they turned pink.. so I's here to SCIENCE! That actually was a good point and it was something the magpie colored woman had never bothered to wonder herself. Clever girl.

Hey! Yeah! I'm Nephthys Tollaire and my daddy is DRAKON Tollaire and I has a grandpa SM..ooogg? Tollaire. Ah, so it hadn't been a coincidence after all. She was indeed kin to the Greyflood, though it meant little to Morrigan as she had never had a chance to know any of them. Her conception came about after her mother had left her birthplace behind. It was only perhaps fate that brought the bloodlines back together in a new land. @Nephthys reassured her that she was allowed to only be half-dragon but then asked for details on their relationship.

Before Morrigan had a chance to answer though, another tiny dragon crashed onto the scene seeming very puffed up and flustered. A young boy whose green eyes blazed with fury, Whys you talking to Nephy? His attention is quick to turn to his sister she presumed as he demanded why she was talking to a stranger. Morrigan was unfazed though certainly amused at the pair of them, but continued on for Nephthys's sake, "Smaug was my grandfather, too. So, we would be cousins." Her mismatched eyes turned to @Ladon now, waiting to see what he intended to do next.

code by javs

Ugh, why did boys have to ruin everything?

Nephthys frowned as @Ladon arrived, threatening to tattle on her like a big.. tattler. "Mama will be mad at you too! Yous talking to her TOO!" she huffed, stomping her paw against the ground defiantly. "Besides, listen! She's not stranger, she's family! We have the same grandpa!" Neph glanced between the two before finally settling on @Morrigan ♔. "We live at Caladan iffen yous wants to come meets everyone else!" She KNEW her father would be pleased with the gift she brought home, even if it meant she had.. slipped away from home. Whoops.