TASK: Explore the borders of a pride or group.


Maybe if she wasn't so bored she wouldn't be so ballsy. But, in reality, what Tosca was doing wasn't a bad thing. Unless these people were ridiculously hostile (which, yeah, that was definitely a possibility, but the yearling would try not to think about that right now) there was little chance of them taking offense to the young rogue's presence. For all they knew she was interested in joining! She wasn't. So there wasn't really much chance of them driving her away, right? Besides, this place was beautiful - or at least what she could see of it from her safe distance back from the border. The brunette couldn't imagine anyone living here to have a bad temper; she pictured them being a bunch of hippies, all lounging around in the water, chilled out to the max.

Maybe, just maybe, she was a tiny bit jealous.

her again. what fun. camelia could just not stay away, say no or heck, even desire to talk any lick of sense into her new friend.

no. camelia, for all intents and purposes, meant to go along with the shenanigans and was quick at her heels coming up to the border. an impish smile filled her expression as she leaved over and gave her a bit of a shove across the invisible threshold. offering a quiet snicker, she whispered: Think if we follow along this way we can find the shore?

She eyed the expanse before them, contemplating their next step.

I'm stalking you by the way, she softly jested, beginning smelling along the path she chose. Although, for excitement's sake she'd had hope they would come across someone. Half the fun was getting caught. you're fun. and somehow always busy. camelia liked busy. what's more, it was better now she'd found someone who had the same ideas lurking in mind.

---

task: explore the borders

Jeez, there was no rest for the wicked huh? Tosca could not help but smirk as the now-familiar voice caught her attention from somewhere behind her, turning to watch the smaller yearling's approach over her shoulder. It was nice to spend time with someone her age, so even if she did pretend to be indifferent - maybe even mildly annoyed, in fact - it was all a façade; secretly, the brunette was thrilled. "Ah, it's because I'm so exciting," the taller girl smirked, flicking a tail and huffing when Camelia attempted to shove her over the border. It worked, a little, but only because she allowed it to.

"Hey!"

With a huff, the freckled rogue whirled around and attempted to hook her paw around her friends sisters wrist and yank her closer. "If I'm gonna get killed by angry pride-lions for trespassing then I shouldn't have to suffer alone!" The laughter that bursts forth is genuine, and a little wicked, but the subject of the joke was a rather serious matter. Knowing that she would be foolish to forget that, she sidestepped back onto the side of safety (relative safety), silently hoping that nobody else had witnessed the transgression.

In an aim to quickly gloss over her chicken-shit behaviour, and in order to get the adventure going, she would aim to nudge her shoulder against the side of her paler companion. "I wonder how big this place is. We should have a look!" And with that, she started to mooch along, assuming that Camelia would just follow along and keep pace with her. "I'm kinda jealous, honestly - this place looks pretty sweet, right? I bet it's even nicer when it's hot." Sunning yourself on the beach? Taking a dip in the beautiful blue pools? Ugh, perfection.

The laughter was infectious. Dangerous and highly contagious, and truly: effective. Cam's burst loose, a laugh that was. She mocked a girlish squeal as she was tugged along, thoroughly pleased she had found her a pea to share the pod with, so to speak.

With the moment blossoming into something that could definitely go south real fast, Camelia hurried to keep with Tosca.

Me and my ma' lived in a place like this, She spoke it softly, in many ways hoping Tosca hadn't heard it. The days before arriving in Amaryllis were never high on the priority list. Everyone had a sob story, and Camelia didn't exactly enjoy the idea of being one of those. It's all fun and games until the gulls come crashing down to take a big ol'....

Crap. Was that a snap of a twig? She paused, giving a theatric grimace towards Tosca, gesturing with her head. Did you hear that? Her brows lifted as something of a maniacal grin brightened her features. She held still, but deciding it was likely but a bird, a mockful dance was done, skipping back and forth across the border. There was no one around, what was the harm of it?

How far d'ya think we can get to the sand? Daring and dumb. Just her thing.

---

task: explore the borders

TASK: Practice running or speed.


Unfortunately for dear Camelia, her murmured comment was not missed. Tosca's smile faltered slightly, brows furrowing into an expression into something slightly more sombre. She wondered if her friend really wanted to talk about it, and in fairness perhaps unfamiliar pride territory was not the place to go down memory lane and get all deep. Even so, it was the kind of thing that deserved an acknowledgement at least, and who was Tosca to refuse that? "It sounds like it was beautiful, Cam," the brunette offered, tone genuinely empathetic. Things turn rowdy and light-hearted quickly once again, though, when the snap of brittle foliage nearby spurs the younger of the pair into a mischievous frenzy. "You are such a wind-up..." A quick glance is given across the horizon, and then behind her, and then.... "Ah, fuck it." With a decisive little hop, the freckled yearling is right there with her companion. Both dirty little trespassers. Silly, silly girls. Feeling more and more uneasy the longer her paws stay on the ground, she winces internally at Camelia's goading but her pride will not allow her to stand down or try and get out of it now.

Without saying another word, she bolts - straight across the sand and further into the heart of the lagoon.

ShitshitshitshitshitfuckyouCameliashitshitshitshitshit!

And the border ahead of them was all too contemptuous and aggrieved. It was something to be conquered. Their exploration seemed to take a turn, it's length shortened by an adventure of another kind.

A wind-up. Whatever that was. But it sounded fun and she liked it.

The Lost Girls. The bad ass babes of sincere havoc and mischief. Queens of Quandries. Mistresses of mayhem.

They ruled.

Tosca took her reckless abandon and ran with it. Literally. Mouth agape in melodrama only a teen was capable of, she watched her friend for a moment before skipping across the threshold with her. A quiet chortle shook with every stride as she scampered to meet her stride.

Caution? Who she, didn't know her. Not anymore.

Go, go, go! came the mantra, the chant that would get them to the shore and possibly back in one piece. Or, you know... Stay and explore a bit. That also seemed only fair. I mean, they were already there.

Tosca really, really wished that she possessed the same reckless abandon that Camelia had right now. Perhaps it was because she had a father and stepmother and little baby siblings who looked up to her to think of, whilst - while she knew nothing of her companion's family set-up, she could only let her imagination run away with her - the pale yearling running full pelt alongside her seemed to have just appeared one day like some maniacal pixie, no origin story except for a mother that she presumed was now absent. The brunette's sides heaved with the exertion, the mantra that spurred Tosca on and pushed her closer and closer towards the lagoon that beckoned to her. Not only did the water look terribly inviting, but she imagined that there would be plenty of rocks and other hiding places nearby.

Y'know, just in case they got caught. Fuck..

It wasn't exactly sunny weather.

It wasn't the time of fun in the sun, but it was close enough. Swept into the moment, fed by the girl who so quickly become a source of comfort, of familiarity, of security. It was a strange thing, having some consistency after weeks of vulnerability, of lonesomeness, of wandering and wandering and hiding, and scrambling. And, for all of those things to meet a swift end, and have a few laughs? Perfect.

She ran in stride with Tosca, her legs filling with a warmth that felt too close to summer. Maybe a dip wouldn't be the worst thing. She wanted the brine on her skin more and more with every stride, she wanted the cold to envelope. Oh, she ran. Not only to beat her friend to the punch, but just for one savoury moment of bliss.

She wanted to hoop, to holler, to yodel. But instead took to a soundless expression that ooze joy and jubilation.

This was their Lagoon, if only for their race.

If only, for that moment.

The longer she spent here, the more she wanted to scream. It wasn't very brave of her, she knew that, but she longed for nothing more than to shake Camelia by the shoulders and wail with abandon. They were insane for doing this, and Tosca probably should've known better than to let herself get wound up into doing something so silly. But of course, that was the responsible side of her talking. The logical side; the side that saw her father's disappointed expression in the back of her mind. The side that pictured her poor family stumbling upon her head on a pike somewhere near the lagoon.

But the other side? The side that was getting more and more prominent as every exciting, terrifying second passed? That side of her was having the TIME of her life. "We're-" puff "nearly-" puff "there!!" And so they were. As each second passed, the blue got closer and closer and with a shuddering gasp Tosca pushed herself as much as she physically could. It is with overwhelming relief that she spots a rocky alcove nearby, in her blurry peripheral, and she beelines for it. She hoped, prayed, that Camelia would follow her there so that they can take stock and assess the situation before doing anything else really stupid and reckless.

Almost. Almost. Pant. Heave. Run.

aaaaallmoooooost.

There!

She felt her muscles punch beneath her, her hindquarters bundled and prepared to launch into the lagoon. And She nearly had. If Tosca hadn't gone and veered off course. Stumbling a second, Cam stood, taking in what her friend had decided to do. Her head gave a bemused tilt, but gave no moment to straggle behind any further.

Fearing the worst (were they busted?), she abandoned the big wide blue and skittered towards the direction Tosca had gone. Huffing, and with her legs feeling the burn of exertion, she sidled up close.

Were we seen, ya think? She asked between pants, her lungs drew in a heavy breath. She leaned into the cold stone at her side, taking a moment to think. they made it. they were there. and while it seemed to be someone's home, that someone didn't seem to be around. yet. this definitely wasn't thought out in the slightest, and she couldn't help but picture her uncle's face if he'd known what she'd gone and done. was that guilt? no. not quite. but the gravity of the moment struck her realizing the risk she was putting tosca in. that sorta guilt was new.

I coulda beat ya, you know. I had ya. She preened, wrinkling her nose and sticking a tongue at her. These lil' stumps of mine can move.