Paws had carried the cautious young princess from the tunnels she had been found in over to another area. She'd never seen something like this over here before, and it intrigued the young girl. Her homeland had been a lush jungle land, filled with rivers and waterfalls. But the waters crashing upon the shore were new to her, as was the salty tang in the air. Padding closer to the shoreline, Anaïs cautiously stretched out a paw to touch the water as it pushed up the shore. However, as soon as she did that, the water started retreating. A puzzled look on her face, she followed after the water for a moment. And then suddenly a wave crashed towards her again. A squeak escaped the golden girl as she scrambled backwards from the water. Far enough away from the waves now, Anaïs gave it a look of contempt before her attention was caught by a small pool of water a little further up the shoreline. Tilting her head, she padded over to it and peered inside. There were all sorts of funny looking things inside. Lifting a paw, she cautiously touched the surface of the water. It was like the stuff crashing at the shore - but it was calm and creatures were in it. It was so weird, and the creatures inside weren't like anything she'd ever seen before. text. "I speak." I think.

Art & Table by Zodiac

@Cassidy

he likes coming here. the rolling waves have been a near-constant in his life - and by now he certainly finds the sound soothing. the water itself is still a mystery, and a dangerous one, yet he's happy to ignore all the icky fish monsters that dwell there for the sake of his general well-being. his anxiety was better served elsewhere. tiny paws carry the bumbling boy across the sands, hardly even noticing the squish of sand beneath his toes now. he knows to keep a good distance between the shoreline and himself, and he heads towards his favorite spot: the tidepools. well.. that wasn't quite right. the tidepools weren't his favorite, but they were close and familiar - and that was enough.

his head was fulled with lofty goals, such as finding a starfish or maybe even a cool seashell. he liked the way they looked, and maybe his parents would like the little gift? much to his disappointment there is another figure here - and the sight of her throws an immediate wrench into his plans. immediately he stops, freezing up. it's another cub, he realizes after a few long seconds, close enough in his age for him to not immediately want to run. still, it's a close thing. but he wants to visit the tidepools... and he's already come all this way...

deciding to be a big, brave boy cassidy pauses and holds his ground - sunset eyes watching @Anaïs curiously even from this distance. wide-eyed and nervous, sure, but still he tries a little chuff. h-hello! he calls out, ears tipping forward then backwards to pin against his skull almost comically. his tail tuft seeks to circle his own ankle, curling around it for comfort - as he fights the urge to sink into the sand like a turtle.

Shaking the wet sand from between her toes, Anaïs continued to peer into the tidepool. She'd not had much experience with wet sand before, and honestly she didn't enjoy the feeling between her toes. It was uncomfortable and scratchy - and honestly got stuck between her toes more easily than the dry stuff did. She'd dealt with the dry stuff plenty back home. Being here at this weird pool thing helped push what happened to her nursemaid and knight to the back of her mind - for a short time anyways. Helped her take a mental break from all she'd been through in her short life. At the sound of a soft chuff and a call from another, Anaïs herself jumped a bit. The golden princess was still a bit on edge after recent events, but when bi-colored eyes settled on the form that had called out, she relaxed a bit. It was another cub who seemed to be around her age. "Salut!" Anaïs called back, before realizing her mistake - she'd slipped into French when the other cub had obviously spoken in the common tongue. "Oops... I meant hi." The golden girl said, flicking a dark ear as she spoke. She needed to get better about not constantly slipping into French first... especially since it wasn't very likely that she'd run into anyone else who spoke it here... Noting that the other cub seemed a bit nervous, Anaïs glanced back towards the tidepool (not that she knew what it was called) and had an idea. Paw reached into the water and scooped out a pretty thing she'd seen in the water. "I found this cool looking... thing in this weird pool of water." She said, stretching out her paw with the shell on it. She was unfamiliar with any and all things related to the ocean, so she had no idea of any of the names of things around her. text. "I speak." I think.

Art & Table by Zodiac

@Cassidy

he calls out and she jumps, which makes him jump, too. his tiny frame shudders as he pulls in on himself, ears pulled tight to his skull, as he stares back at her - sheepish, embarrassed. he hadn't meant to startle her! fortunately for him and his anxiety, @Anaïs seems to take it in stride - handling the whole situation far better than he ever would. the first word she says means nothing to him - but the next he understands just fine. she was saying hello! that was a good sign, right? right! after all, he'd wanted this. he'd wanted to talk to her - and now he had to live with that decision.

right, okay. brave face!

hi! he squeaks calls out, and already he is proud of how well this whole encounter is going. her attention turns to the tidepool before her, her paw stretching out into the water. his eyes widen a bit more, pulling his tiny frame up to better see what she's holding. despite his best effort he can't see much from all the way back here, and so cassidy creeps forward one step. and then another. and then one more half-step for good measure. he's still a few feet away from her, but he can see the shell better, and he makes a little noise in his chest. oh! he all but gasps, brows rising with interest. th-that's a - here he pauses, racking his tiny brain for the answer. what had they called it? oh, right! a sea shell! he calls out, happy to explain - his voice delightfully serious, taking extra care to say the word right.

She could tell that the other cub seemed nervous, and when she jumped, he jumped as well. Not really getting off on the best paw there huh? Scaring each other wasn't exactly the best way to start off trying to make friends - at least in her mind. Her ears perked forward as the other cub called out to her again, saying hi. At least an attempt was being made by the pair to communicate with each other. Dark ears swiveled around to listen for the approach of any others, be it her guardian or the other cub's. She didn't want anything to go wrong from an overprotective guardian getting into a scrap with Luideag. With her paw outstretched with the shell on it, the other cub would come closer to her. He would then give the weird looking thing in her paw a name. "This thing is a... sea shell? I've never seen one before... Its so weird looking.." Anaïs said, tilting her head as she looked at the newly-named item. "What is this thing called? These pools of water are so weird to me... I've seen pools of water, but never anything that's... salty?" The golden girl said, setting the shell on the ground between them. "Oh! Where are my manners? My parents would give me a talking to for not remembering my manners... I'm Anaïs!" She said, introducing herself as she did so. Forgetting her manners like that - she would've gotten a strict talking to for doing that back home! It was rude for her to not introduce herself, especially considering she was the princess of the pride back home. text. "I speak." I think.

Art & Table by Zodiac

@Cassidy

his little pink nose twitches, trying to better scent the area but all he can smell is the sand and salt. he wants to sniff the shell she's holding but that would involve getting much, much closer. and... well. he didn't want to do that, not yet. instead he takes another baby step forward, runty frame primed as he stares at her nervously. it's not long until she switches gears though, setting the shell down and turning instead towards the tide pools. hmm... what were these? i'unno, he says with a small frown - unhappy that he doesn't have the name. they never called them anything aside from but it's like the ocean - 'cept, tiny! and, wait a second. did she know about the ocean? the sea? if not, then hooo boy was @Anaïs in for a treat!

the idea of exchanging names had never occurred to him - and the idea of manners, too, was lost. yet still he clings to her name when it's said, ears tipping curiously forward. ana, anaïs? he repeats, brows furrowing in concentration. her name is harder than the ones he's used to (his brother and sister were toro and ida, respectfully), but he does his best. not wanting to let his new friend down! m'names cassidy! he says with a little chirrup, getting braver by the second. it's not much but it's certainly better than he had been, and he clutches this good-feeling with both hands.

Like the ocean... but tiny? What was the ocean? "Ocean...? What is that?" Anaïs asked, tilting her head as she spoke. She wasn't from an area that had access to this type of environment - her homeland was a jungle. "This whole... water and sand stuff... Its weird... I'm used to lush jungles and babbling brooks." The golden princess said, flicking an ear as she spoke. It was true - before she'd arrived here she'd only experienced savannas and jungles. Never a waterfront area like this. "Nice to meet ya Cassidy! You're the first cub I've seen since I got here actually. You can call me Ani though if its easier!" She said, noting his struggle to say her name. She'd not really interacted with too many cubs - even before she'd had to flee her homeland. There hadn't been too many other cubs back home, so Cassidy was truly the first cub she'd interacted with in a long time. She had really had no trouble pronouncing her own name - but she'd grown up with it, and she knew how to speak French... Maybe Cassidy would wanna learn some of her other language once they got more familiar with each other? text. "I speak." I think.

Art & Table by Zodiac

@Cassidy

his eyes widen, just a little, at her question. she didn't know what the ocean was?! then his chin jerks, gesturing towards the expansive water in the distance. that, he says, making sure she sees it — and sees how big it is, how far it stretches along the shoreline and horizon both. is the ocean! he likes being able to answer things, likes being helpful. she speaks of jungles and brooks, but he doesn't have much experience there — if the tables were turned, though, he hoped she'd tell him all about them. my pa doesn't like the sand, he says in a quiet voice, as if this is a secret of some sort. but i don't think it's too bad — but the ocean is still scary. now this is an admission that requires a veil of secrecy. hopefully she wouldn't tell anyone!

this ani seems awfully nice, though, and he smiles. cheered up and warmed through by the easy way she speaks, includes him in this outing of hers. he scoots a little closer, trying to peer into the tidepool without disturbing her, or any wildlife that lingers there. i have two siblings — i'm sure they'd be your friends, too! he says, declares, with a certain sense of responsibility to make this happen. if not now, then eventually. his bar for friendship was pretty low so the fact that @Anaïs had treated him with a smidge of kindness meant they were now bonded. it wasn't easy being shy after all, and he'd clung to any positive interaction.