Aneistri was being bold again. This wasn’t such a strange thing; she rather liked being bold in all things, mostly because being any other way required far too much forethought. With her newfound freedom to wander the territory of the Brook came the freedom to test boundaries. She’d been inching closer and closer to the border, following the scents of those both older and more experienced than her, curious and feeling as if she was missing out on something great, something to be envied. She wanted to know.

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the trees as the plum, plump cub neared the border again, clinging to the side of one tree’s trunk as she waited, watchful. No one seemed to be about. Now was her chance!

She ran for it, darting forward with a wide, open-mouthed grin as she bounded over the pride’s border and into the forest beyond…which still disappointedly felt like the same forest she called home. Ani raced a short distance forward before slowly stumbling to a stop, breathing hard more from initial excitement than true exertion. That was it? She peeked over her shoulder with a frown, expecting her mother or father to be right there to gather her back up, but the area was empty. For now.

She huffed. There had to be more to this outside land than everything here that still looked like home. Why else would so many keep going out if there wasn’t? Determined to find it, hoping she would before a parent dragged her back, the Saxe child continued to wander just beyond the Brook’s border.

( For any nursemaids needing exp! )

IANTHE

Most of the forest remains green, even with winter stalking ever closer towards November’s edges. The only sign of autumn, besides the ever-present chill, are the fallen pine needles, which crunch under Ianthe’s paws with every step.
The princess has been weaving her way through the forest’s well-worth paths, gathering any ashanti pepper she can find. As she glances around for any distinct spots of orange, Ianthe’s gaze catches on a flash of something darting between the gaps in the trees.

She stops, and they stop – Ianthe holding her breath while the other can’t seem to catch theirs.
Slowly, she peaks behind a log to see a small, plum cub, looking over her shoulder in the opposite direction.
Ianthe is normally not one to interact with strangers – but a lone cub is, obviously, an exception, especially at this hour.
Before the young girl can walk too far out of her sight, she calls out, “Hello,” stepping out from behind the fallen tree. “Are you lost?”

@Aneistri

Double exp event

+10 Gather herbs for nursing or birthing

coded by flea

Ani didn’t get very far before someone called out to her. While she’d known so many lions disappeared out this way, assumedly on their way to some unknown adventure, it never crossed the child’s mind that she might actually run into one. She jumped very noticeably, and flipped around in place with a whip-like motion, a little spooked but very much alert now.

Thankfully, however, the stranger there didn’t give off any bad feelings. In fact, she smiled, and her tone was very gentle, kind and sweet in a way that lured Aneistri in despite herself. Her tail swayed in consideration as she stared openly at the unknown lioness, and when asked a question she was quick to answer. She shook her head in the negative; of course she wasn’t lost! She wasn’t that dumb.

Only…as she thought about it, she became less certain. A bit of that doubt crept across her young face as she turned her head back from the direction she’d been walking in—or was it just slightly to the left? To the right? Maybe she did get a little turned out when she got spooked. Her brow furrowed over her two-toned eyes, and her little lips pursed in great thought. She plopped herself down into a sit with a frustrated huff.

@Ianthe

IANTHE

The cub doesn't answer Ianthe, verbally, but she's very expressive. She shakes her spotted head vehemently, which is immediately followed by a furrowed brow. For the dramatic finish, she huffs, her tiny figure somehow looking even smaller as she droops to the floor. It makes the corner of Ianthe's mouth twitch into a grin, though she tries to fight it.

"Ah, I see you're not lost," Ianthe plays along. "Why don't you show me where you were going, then? I'll come with you." This literal baby is much too young to be by herself in the forest, Ianthe is certain she has a parent looking for her around here somewhere.
"You can call me Ianthe," she adds, "What's your name, little plum?"

@Aneistri

coded by flea

There really was no telling which direction was home anymore. She was far too young to think to simply follow her nose and let the scent that coated her lead her back toward the Brook, but it was a small mercy that her new company was so accommodating. Anieistri peered up at Ianthe, a little uncertainly at first, but then more eagerly as she realized she now had a traveling companion. This adventure wasn’t going to be alone!

She broke out into a grin as she hopped to her paws, tail lifted in high spirits as she nodded a few times very decisively and turned to march along, a near-prance to her step. She hadn’t the slightest idea where she was going, what she wished to find, but it made her feel important to have someone trailing around behind her, following her lead. Her little ears turned to catch the young lioness’s name—Ianthe, how pretty!—but she didn’t bother giving hers. Instead, she only gave a hum of approval and a smug lift of her chin; “little plum,” she liked that.

Walking, admittedly, wasn’t all that interesting, however. Sure, it gave her something to do, and brought her to new sights with every step, but there was just so much to see still! Wanting to make the most of her trip, she stretched her stride into a run, nowhere near fast enough to break away from her trailing babysitter, but she looked over her shoulder with a laugh as if expecting to see Ianthe falling very far behind.

@Ianthe

IANTHE

Little plum it is, then.

Ianthe lets her take the lead, enjoying the air of secrecy and authority she wields like a Queen. The mottled yearling follows behind, an indulgent lady-in-waiting

She has to increase her pace, just a bit, as the cub's little legs start moving faster and faster through the overgrowth. She throws a laugh over her shoulder, and Ianthe can't help the rush of fondness that follows.
So strong-willed, so eager. Ianthe is delighted and worried in equal measure; it probably wouldn’t hurt to instill some self-preservation in her, just to be safe.

“You know, some of these plants are really useful.” Ianthe starts, once she’s close enough to the wayward child. “There are some that can help you, if you get hurt.” White weeds spring to mind – maybe they should look for some?
Cuts and scrapes are inevitable when there are rocks or fallen branches every few steps, the cub should know how to protect herself; Ianthe doubts this is the last time she’ll run off from home.

@Aneistri

Double exp event

+10 teach a cub something new (1/2)

coded by flea

Ani would have continued racing ahead if it weren’t for Ianthe’s patient caution, very calculatedly giving the young cub something else to focus on instead of her recklessness. And it worked. Little Plum looked over her shoulder with wonder in her two-toned eyes even as she began to slow, falling back into step with the older girl as she considered this new information. Plants are useful? Sure, to bunnies and deer and stuff, but…

Her face sparked with understanding at last as her babysitter pieced it together for her. They helped fix injuries! She drew in a quiet, surprised breath and immediately stopped moving altogether, turning her head to stare at each of the plants growing around them. Could the trees help? The bushes? What about the flowers? The grass? She turned either way in place with an overwhelming indecision, stuck not knowing which helpful plant she wished to investigate first.

@Ianthe

IANTHE

Her plan seems to have worked. The cub still hasn’t said a single word, but Ianthe finds her mannerisms speak for themselves.
“Look here,” she shepherds gently to the plant blooming underneath the shade of a pine. “You can tell this is white weed by the tiny little puffballs.” She pats at them gently, “You can crush up the leaves to put on any cuts or scrapes.” She looks around the forest floor for any other signs of herbs, and then remembers -

“I also have ashanti pepper here,” Ianthe pulls the pouch from her neck, letting the girl see the fruit and leaves inside. “It can help relieve sprains.” Ianthe doesn’t collect it for that purpose, prefers to have it on hand for those who have just given birth, but that won’t be useful to the cub for a long, long while.

@Aneistri

Double exp event

+10 teach a cub something new (2/2)

coded by flea

Her attention continued to wander indecisively until Ianthe gave her direction, guiding her nearer to the base of one of the trees—she knew the trees were useful!—and then pointed to something growing in its shade. Oh. It wasn’t the tree as she’d suspected but the flower at its base, a cute little fluff of white whose leaves were apparently good to put on minor open wounds. Anieistri paused to look herself over, checking to see if she had any currently on her body, but sadly there were none.

Disappointed, she huffed, then glanced at the little bag her babysitter drew her attention to. Ani’s eyes widened as she inched a few shuffling steps closer, leading with her little nose as she peeked at its contents in fascination. She gave a quiet exhale, the softest exclamation of wonder, though she was more so interested in the pouch than the plants inside. She’d never seen anything like it.

She wanted it.

Unexpectedly, acting on a very basic impulse, she lurched upward onto her hind feet and opened her mouth to try and snatch it away from the larger girl, heedless of the fact it was looped around her or that she wasn’t likely to allow her to simply take it.

@Ianthe

IANTHE

Sweet berry-colored eyes widen, and Ianthe feels herself glow with having gained the cub's interest. She hasn't been around a lot of babies, despite the veritable army of young siblings back home, so to have successfully taught her -

The nursemaid's train of thought is brought to an abrupt halt, as her darling little plum lunges, like an ambushing alligator, at the bag of herbs around her neck.
"Woah -" she takes a step back, instinctively, but winces when she realizes that leaves no where for the cub for to land.
Hopefully, she will land on her paws, and not her face.

"Okay, she starts, a laugh in her voice, "I'm glad you're eager. You can have this one," she removes the small bag from around her neck and hands it out to the cub. "You can start by putting some of the white weed in here, if you want."
Ianthe has a few more of these pouches at home, and this one might even be her smallest, so it will fit better on the plum's small body than her own, anyway.

coded by flea