He has time with @Hecuba to himself today. Where Euryleon would usually opt for yet another cuddle session within the cozy confines of their den, he instead throws a curveball. Exploration.

He’d tugged at Hecuba — posturing for her to follow him outside. Sand and more sand and sand. It isn’t so different from the sand on the beach in the Cove, but there are less trees in the Oasis. Hell, now that they’d stumbled a bit away, there isn’t a Tree to be Seen. There is something though that he focuses on in the distance. He halts just a beat to look up at his mother — ears perked alert and a bit more awake than he usually is. What is that? Will it eat us?

Hecuba adores spending time with her newest litter; this time around, each of her babes has such defining characteristics it brings forth memories of her eldest daughters. Pallas in particular would have given Hydra and Cassandra a run for their money, and Hecuba had to wonder how fate decided which child to imbue with their mother's obnoxious personality. Her first litter had been a concentration of Hecuba's worst qualities, but Pallas? She could see Drakon's negative traits in there as well. He was doomed, but Hecuba quietly hoped he would grow to seek vengeance on all those who had done his family wrong. @Euryleon, however, was a breath of fresh air. His desire to spend time with her did nothing but stroke her ego, and as he eagerly dragged her out into the dunes, Hecuba was nearly prancing. Having a child who adored her so much was delightful, thank you. She paused when he did, gesturing to something in the distance. Hecuba squinted at the strange object and began to stalk towards it, huntress mode activated. "Stay close," the woman cautioned, distrusting of the bizarre object. It just sat there. Menacingly.

table by koi

@Hecuba knows her son; staying close he can do — Euryleon already makes it his job to glue himself to her side. If she ordered him to stay put he might’ve had his first temper tantrum. Ears perk up in the direction of the strange object as his mother hunkers down. Euryleon copies her pose, and tries to slip between her front legs so he could assist in leading the ‘charge’ towards the oddities. It makes sense for the kid not to have seen most things in the world, but if Hecuba is also unsure? Yeah. They’re gonna get those menacing orange monsters and teach them who’s the new Boss (& mini Boss) of this level!

The two crawl-march forward — Euryleon picks up a growl, like an old car that’s trying it’s best to get down the street. His lil claws poke out of his dark mitts and the fur along his spine fluffs up; mirroring the look his siblings get when they spar. He’s waiting for Hecuba’s signal so he could shoot off and smack one of these strange objects. Or for one of them to move, because if they do, have mercy on their souls, he will Defend His Ma. She is his only!

table by sentinel / lions + oasis

Perhaps it wasn't typical of Hecuba to be so cautious of things she didn't recognize, but she had precious cargo with her this time around. Had @Euryleon not been there she may have simply ignored the orange thing; now she needed to gauge its potential threat level and decide whether or not it needed to be swiftly dealt with. She moved fluidly even with her son beneath her, mimicking his mother and her stalking abilities. Yes, she was quite the expert at stalking things that didn't move. Some might even say the best.

Seafoam eyes narrowed as she approached it, her claws extended to swipe the bizarre thing only to find that they sank in. Startled, Hecuba yanked her paw back and brought the pumpkin with her, eyes wide in surprise. "What the hell is this thing?" she murmured, placing it -- and her paw -- back onto the sands. The lioness tried to bite it as she freed her paw, and though it was easy enough to puncture, she couldn't say whether or not it was safely edible. Hecuba glanced to her boy with a mischievous grin.

"Should we smash it?"

table by sentinel / lions + oasis

Obviously @Hecuba is the best at everything in the eyes of young Euryleon, and he would learn from her guiding hand. Crouched low, he follows with less fluid and more stumbled movements — he keeps up nonetheless, or at least, thinks he does.

His mother goes for the first assault; swiping at the orange thing as it makes a strange sound and could have easily been yeeted across the desert if she pushed in further weight behind the motion. Instead, her claws sink in and lifts the puny thing. Euryleon puffs underneath her, bristled.

Hecuba either decides it is not a threat or that her mini bodyguard can deal with this threat. His eyes are practically sparkling at the idea. He gives a very firm, excited sparkly nod before he turns towards it.

His best growl is offered before the boy pounces forth with both forepaws spread far. This pumpkin is about to get hugged. He winds up his amazing bite attack and sways his head before biting into the weird stringy, slop of the nearly caved in pumpkin. His muzzle crinkles at the taste.

table by sentinel / lions + oasis

double, double toil and trouble;
fire burn, and cauldron bubble...

Nafasi watches from the bushes, never once letting herself be seen by those huddled around her perfectly-placed pumpkins. They really were a curious bunch, weren't they? Well, fortunately for them, the sprite was feeling extra generous today, and had a treat for them that she has been wanting to share. And so, it was with a small smile that the being craned her head, watching the lions for a few more moments, before giving a quick stomp of her paw against the earth.

Hm...

Without warning, the pumpkin suddenly splits down the middle, right in front of your eyes! And...oh? It looks like there is something tucked inside! Weird, but you might as well check it out. Investigating further, you find a collection of trinkets, feathers, gems, fruit, and other curious things hidden within the pumpkin, ripe for the taking! Looks like you got lucky today.

OOC Prize: 100 petals

*note that Sentinel has already received their two prizes from this event, and so they do not qualify for this one.

pixel credit to moonlight-pendent13

If there was anything about motherhood she enjoyed, it was the way her children all imitated her at some point. Whether they followed her footsteps as she hunted, groomed a certain way or even slept in a particular position, someone was sure to be watching. A single glance back at @Euryleon boosted her ego just a smidgen as she watched him do his best to parrot her actions. The lioness smirked and turned her attention back onto the pumpkin only mere seconds before her son latched onto it, biting through the flesh with needle sharp teeth.

And then it split open.

And then there were shiny things inside.

"What the.." Hecuba blinked in confusion as she went to investigate the contents, pawing through the random assortment of goodies. "Look at all of this Eury! You found treasure!" Weird as fuck, but she was on board!

table by sentinel / lions + oasis