Turned out, she was getting really good at wandering onto pride territories. But, in her defense, it wasn't like she could smell the border. Nor did she smell like anything, which was good considering how war-torn the pride had become. Not that she had any knowledge of that. She was just marveling at the vast expanse of water that the ocean was, now that she knew the name of it thanks to Rose, which meant she was wandering along the beach deep in the Lagoon pride's territory. Surely no one would mind an innocent little ghost cub doing so, right?

Her gaze was pulled from the water briefly, color in her peripheral vision, and she squealed in delight as she spotted the very top of a pumpkin sticking out of the sand. She sprinted over, intent upon digging it out, but immediately realized the problem with this plan. Darn her incorporeal body!

@Cornelius
"Speech."

code by scorpixia♡︎

It's the squeal that gets his attention. At first he feels fear - he wants to hide from whatever is coming to get him. But then he feels worried and dread. What if that was one of his brothers? Or his sister? And if they needed help and no one else could hear them? Ohhhhhh gosh diddly darn it thinks Cornelius as he, bolstering up what little bravery he can, runs towards the sound.

He spots the pumpkin first- it's strange and the shape is unfamiliar to him. As he concentrates further and peers intently at its rounded surface there is then a shimmer - @Yona. He stands shock still. A shiver over takes his body and he lets out a soft like scared whine. What is that thing?

She was so fixated upon the pumpkin and trying to figure out how on earth she was possibly going to get it out of the sand that she didn't notice @Cornelius' approach. Not until that little noise came out of him and she looked up to spot him standing there. Oh hi! she exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that she was scaring him. Can you help me? I'm trying to get this pumpkin out of the ground. The last one I found had treasure in it! If this one does too, you can have some, okay? She went to drum her front paws against the top of the pumpkin in excitement but instead of making any noise they just passed through the gourd, sending her front half tipping into it. Whoops, she said with a giggle as she tried to extricate herself. Graceful she was not, even still.
"Speech."

code by scorpixia♡︎

@Yona seeing him, acknowledging him, did little to build up bravery in him. His knees began to wobble until they nearly knocked against each other and he could barely breath he was so scared of making a sound. Even as friendly and small as this ghost was- her very essence gave him the heeby jeebies. It takes longer than normal for him to register that she is talking to him and has she's made a request for help. And well, her decided, he better help her before he upsets the ghost. He didn't want her haunting him or creeping around him...

So without taking his eyes off her for a second, watching for any funny movements, he slides his feet through the sand and comes closer to the pumpkin where he (still not watching anything but her) begins to push the sand away. Eyes were wide, hair all standing upright as high as it could.

She realized finally with his slow approach that she was scaring him, and she slowly flattened herself to the sand and backed away as he came forward, keeping the distance between them the same. She didn't know why she was scaring him, but she felt bad. Maybe it was because she was a stranger and he was so young? Yeah, that made the most sense.

Still, she was overcome with delight at the prospect of more treasure, and her butt wriggled as she waited for more, fully expecting that was what was in it because she didn't know any better and didn't realize what an oddity that was. Though she didn't realize how odd the pumpkins were either so it made sense.

@Cornelius
"Speech."

code by scorpixia♡︎

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? But, unfortunately for them, the sprite was feeling extra mischievous today, and had a trick up her sleeve! And so, with a small grin, the being tilted her maw down towards the earth, eyes glowing, before she gave a pointed flicker of her tail and brought her vision to life in the process.

Uh oh...

Abruptly, and right before your very eyes, the pumpkin becomes encapsulated in a thin layer of ice, frost coating it's edges and the sky darkening up above. You know that it wasn't that cold out but, at the same time, the winds start to pick up, howling and raging as they came, and snow begins to fall from the sky. But not just any time of snow - it's the type that hurts, the snowfall growing thicker and thicker until you can hardly see so far as a foot in front of you. By the time you know what's happening, the blizzard has completely consumed the world around you - it's probably best you find somewhere warm to wait this out, unless you want to freeze over too!

His paw brushes the pumpkin just as it's surface begins to glisten with the chilly ice. Nervous and scared Cornelius is left frozen in confusion. He doesn't understand what has happened and before he can figure it out the wind picks up. This at least seems to snap him into survival mode and his eyes flash up to where @Yona had been. He stands no chance of seeing the spectre in the growing storm. Was this the doing of that strange lion? Could a ghost do this?

He stumbles backwards, tripping all over his big feet, until he can turn around and run away screaming at the top of his lungs....

Yona had a bad feeling seconds before @Cornelius touched the pumpkin, but by then it was too late. Wait- she tried to say regardless, but by then the surface of the vegetable had turned to ice and the wind howled behind her. She turned to look and would have gotten a face full of ice and frigid snow if she wasn't incorporeal. As it was, she felt very uncomfortable as the wind and snow blew through her. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, per se, but it was definitely odd.

She heard her new friend screaming and tried to turn back to see if he was okay, but seeing anything wasn't going to be happening with the blizzard that kicked up around them. What's going on!? she asked, never having seen snow before given it didn't exist in the desert she'd grown up in. Are you okay!? She still made a valiant effort to find the young boy, because she was worried about him, but it didn't take long for her to admit she had to give up and hunker down against the sand to wait for the blizzard she didn't even have a name for to pass, lest she wander into the ocean.

-exit yona-
"Speech."

code by scorpixia♡︎