[OOC: Set some vague time after the Andal challenge, but before the Firnen one.]

She had made her way from her den in the late hours of the morning and was finding herself walking through the lands of the Rainforest. Kireena paused as she made her way along the borders of her home, taking the time to rub her jawline on the bark of a nearby tree. She was reminded of @Sybil and her small companion at the sands of the Oasis.

It brought another faint flush to her already red cheeks as she wondered what it had meant. Perhaps , she suspected, the other was just a cuddly type and it meant nothing. But.. what if it didn't? What if it DID mean something? She huffed at the stupidity of that and rose up to claw the bark of the tree and try to disperse some of her agitation.

The last time she'd allowed herself to feel something - that there might BE something more he had taken her heart and crushed it. So why would now be any different? The red giant peeled her lips back in a faint snarl as she went a little harder than she might have intended on the bark - trying to work out some of that...tension.

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She made her way from the warmth of her den, not having been able to sleep much lately. It wasn't for lack of being able to acclimate to her new home. In fact, she and Tiny were the most comfortable they'd been in ages. But there was still something weighing heavily on her mind. That interaction with Olive at the Passage, her mentions of a 'Cicada'. It had her on edge, enough so that she didn't bother staying indoors even when flakes of snow began to flutter down from the heavens. She could brave the cold, she was built for it.

In the very least she could keep herself busy if she was going to be out and about this early in the morning. Sybil made her way towards the pride's food storage, interested to see what their stores were looking like and if they would need filling again. Being part of a pride meant there were more mouths to feed but Sybil didn't mind the labor, it kept her busy and gave her something to do. She was headed towards the cache when she spotted a familiar red woman up ahead. Immediately she alters her path, a warm smile on her face as she approaches @Kireena ♞. She notices the way her claws tear into the bark of the poor tree she was assaulting, and she couldn't help but chuckle. "You seem a little tense. Or did that tree insult you?" She muses, meanwhile Tiny peeks out from behind her right ear, happy to see their friend again.

Ranger exp/doubled
+10 - Study the weather and how it will affect hunting
+10 - Check pride food storage
+20 - Discuss hunting needs with another (Kireena)

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The red woman was caught up in her thoughts before @Sybil broke the cycle that was only leading her down a path that lead to a dark mane and a broken heart. Her shoulders bunched when Sybil spoke, talons tightening over the bark as she froze. Instead of a cycle of grump it was as if her tires were spinning and she flicked an ear looking towards the other red lady. "Uhh...it...well..". She cleared her throat and landed once more on her paws, glancing up sheepishly at the rather ravaged bark. "Not...it exactly.".

But as she hadn't seen the golden jerk since she couldn't exactly shove her claws in HIS face could she? "Sybil...tiny..". She offered the dormouse a smile before looking back at the other female. "How are you two settling in?" Her voice was still a bit high pitched but it was also coming down in tambour as she forced herself to relax. Why was she so nervous?

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Uhh...it...well..Not...it exactly. Sybil...tiny.. Sybil moves in closer to @Kireena ♞, her smile warm as she pulls to a halt to her right, observing the deep grooves that the tree bark now housed thanks to Kireena's frustrations. "Ah so not it but someone." She observes before turning her ruby gaze over to her friend. How are you two settling in? She notices the hitch in her voice and tries not to think much of it, even if it seemed a little strange that Kireena was speaking in such tones. Was she feeling okay? "Pleased to report we are settling in just fine. We were actually on our way to go check the food storage if you wanted to come with us?" She offers to her then, moving to begin her walk through the tall trees. "I guess while I have you here I should probably tell you what's been on my mind.." She says to her then, Tiny now nestled contently behind her right ear as the woman moves forward.

"At the Passage there was a woman named Olive who called me 'Cicada.' She swore up and down that I was this Cicada person.. I've never met them before in my life, which only leaves me to believe that there might be someone else here.. Someone who looks just like me." She says to her, swallowing the lump in her throat. "It might not seem like a big deal but in my culture.. well, that's not a good thing. In fact, it's pretty scary if you ask me." She tried not to think of all the dark horror stories her hand maidens told her growing up. So instead she focused on the trail they were walking as they neared the pride storage. "I was wondering if you knew of the Cicada she mentioned? And if you could describe her to me if you did.." She says to her then, pausing only for her response before continuing down the worn trail.

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Kireena watched @Sybil as she began to move away and smiled, nodding towards the pair as she moved beside them. "I suppose you could say that.." She chuckled, uncertain if she wanted to tell the other red woman that she was that someone. Not that it was a bad thing, mostly that she was...unimpressed with her own inability to work through it herself.

As the other spoke during their walk, the giant would hum, shaking her head as she thought it through. "I don't know of any Cicada - but she was from the plains I think if you would like me to go get more information?" Kireena didn't mind at all after all - it would give her some more time for reflection. "I.. don't know what your people say about those that look like you - but we have...legends in ours." She chuckled, offering a smile meant to calm the other.

"My family came from a land well beyond my grandparents where those that had passed could be reborn. They often did so with forms that were similar if not dead ringers. So when one approached a look-alike, legends said it was probably an ancestor of old come to check your progress and visit." She frowned, ears folding to either side of her skull as she walked. "I never witnessed such a thing myself - but one of my grandmothers swore to the day she passed she had seen a lion that looked just like her father in our travels."

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'I suppose you could say that.' Odd, so someone had in fact gotten under her skin but who? She mulled it over for a few more moments before pausing before the food storage, leaning down to inspect the meat that was bundled together. 'I don't know of any Cicada - but she was from the plains I think if you would like me to go get more information? I.. don't know what your people say about those that look like you - but we have...legends in ours.' Sybil would crane an ear towards @Kireena ♞, interested in what her families legends had to say about doppelgängers. The stories that she was told as a child weren't pleasant ones, in fact to think that she might have one present in these lands only set her on edge even more.

'My family came from a land well beyond my grandparents where those that had passed could be reborn. They often did so with forms that were similar if not dead ringers. So, when one approached a look-alike, legends said it was probably an ancestor of old come to check your progress and visit. I never witnessed such a thing myself - but one of my grandmothers swore to the day she passed she had seen a lion that looked just like her father in our travels.' She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat, instead deciding she needed to keep herself busy. Reaching down Sybil would begin to remove the rotted pieces of meat that were no longer good, picking away the disgusting meat and setting it in its own separate pile to be discarded later. "Your family's stories are much better than the ones that I was told growing up. We were always warned that if a doppelgänger was present, it was because we had angered the Gods. That we would be in imminent danger at having our identity stolen. Of being wiped from this Earth completely." She says to her with a frown, turning her gaze upward to watch as the sky darkened. "There will be more snow coming, we'll have to hunt soon before the prey begins heading south." She offered nonchalantly to her friend before turning her attention back to rooting through the meat of the food stores.

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The red woman made her way to help with the cache, using her nose to tell her if something had gone off - or if it was about to. "You're not wrong... we need to make sure things are stocked for winter.." Kireena hummed, her expression growing somber as she glanced towards @Sybil as the other spoke of her families legends of those that looked like you. "I could see that.. I don't know what I would do if I stumbled across someone that looked like me."

She chuckled, shrugging a shoulder, aware that her appearance was unique and doubting that it would ever happen. "I don't know if the other woman knew what she was talking about - calling you Cricket...? Or whatever she called you..It sounded like she expected a smaller being.. and you.. are anything but small." Kireena grinned, her fangs flashing as she pulled the spoiled haunch of a gazelle to the side with a grunt. "We should look into how to preserve these longer.."

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You're not wrong... we need to make sure things are stocked for winter.. It is easy for Sybil to fall into her duties. She digs away at the rotted meat, allowing her focus to dive fully into the task at hand, rather than thinking about the possibility of having a doppelgänger running around. I don't know if the other woman knew what she was talking about - calling you Cricket...? Or whatever she called you..It sounded like she expected a smaller being.. and you.. are anything but small. Sybil can't help but laugh at @Kireena ♞'s comment, cricket was definitely close enough and she was right, it wasn't as if she'd be missed by her size. In fact it was rare to even find someone that rivaled her, having Kireena be as large as her was only something that pulled her in closer to her. Like a magnet, in a sense. We should look into how to preserve these longer.. Kireena grumbled and even Sybil couldn't mind scrunching her nose at the smell of rotted meat. "I think we need to start burying some of this meat, it's a good way to preserve the flavors. And if we can manage to keep it cold, it won't rot as quickly." She offered to her then before beginning to pick up the pieces of rotted meat to carry from the pile.

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"I suppose we could test one of the pools as it gets colder. I'm not sure how well the water would preserve the meat.." She frowned, trying to think about something that might help. "Firnen is bound to be warmer than other lands in the winter months - so we may need to consider storing our excess beyond the borders.." That would require them to place their hard earned meals beyond the safety and protection of the land though. She wasn't sure how well that would work out.

"Is there an herb or something we could apply to the meats to keep them from spoiling?" She had remembered stumbling across some desiccated carcasses in her travels and had found that the meat - though tough and stringy - seemed to stay somewhat palatable for a time beyond what it should have.

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I suppose we could test one of the pools as it gets colder. I'm not sure how well the water would preserve the meat..Firnen is bound to be warmer than other lands in the winter months - so we may need to consider storing our excess beyond the borders.. It was a thought that Sybil had also considered, but storing their food past the borders would be risky. Anyone could easily find their stache and secure it for themselves. "I'll have to mull it over. I don't want to risk our food being taken by someone else. We would have to find somewhere very secluded." She offers to @Kireena ♞ before chucking a few more pieces of rotted meat over her shoulder. This wouldn't do any good for them if their food kept wasting away before they could consume it. And while the other individuals in the pride could easily feast on .. other people .. Sybil was not that kind of individual. Is there an herb or something we could apply to the meats to keep them from spoiling? Her love would ask and Sybil ponders it, "Perhaps some sage might help .. I've never tested the theory. Come, head back with me. You've earned a prize." She says with a smirk, flicking her tail tuft against Kireena's side before grabbing up the rest of the rotted meat to dispose of it properly. The task wasn't a whole lot of fun but it was much easier when you had a companion at your side doing half of the dirty work.


exit.

[ranger exp]
+5 - Study the weather and how it will affect hunting
+5 - Check pride food storage
+10 - Discuss hunting needs with another (Kireena)

ART & CODE BY DAWN, CODE MODIFIED BY CALA