“That will be great fun. I enjoy cubs, my trade as a nursery maid made that a sort of requirement.” She said, staring at Gawain. “You make sure that they minds the crabwood, it is highly bad for lions. They will end up very ill should they eat it.” She warned him. She knew first hand, when she had been six months old Lêví had slipped some into Loíu’s dinner and he’d been ill for many weeks afterwards. If the non native needed to know anything, it was to keep his children away from such plants.

"Crabwood," he repeated, brows knitting together. He hadn't heard of it before. "Would you mind showing me what it looks like? I live with two medics and a medic apprentice, and I don't think the cubs have much of a taste for plants, but one can never be too careful."

The last thing he wanted was for the cubs to poison themselves on come plant he'd never heard of. And he really appreciated that she would share that knowledge with him. Lucky for him that she liked cubs so much. Perhaps she and Momo could be friends, she also loved cubs.

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She listened to the males dilemma. He wishes to warn his young of what to not be poisoned by and yet he hasn’t a clue what to look for. Ironically Leiá had some growing in the area behind her small garden, sectioned behind her den. There were not many plants there that she had planted, most were plants to help with child birth or healing small ailments. She wasn’t a medic but growing up with a daredevil brother you had to learn these things. most of the plants in her garden hailed from the jungle though and she behind it what a small crab wood tree that she kept there- for some reason. Let’s go with it’s a living thing created by Maua and not that she was afraid to move it. She guided @Gawain to the tree nodding at it. “ vypadat příteli, there is a crabwood tree.” She said, giving him an answer.

+5 Listen to a living character’s problem and try to help them

**look, freind

He padded over to get a closer look, studying the bark carefully and the remaining leaves. After all, it was nearly winter. "Crabwood," he repeated once again, almost reverently as he committed it to memory. He would certainly keep it in mind, and perhaps make sure there weren't any too close to home.

He then returned to where he had been sitting and resumed his position, content to sit and talk a while longer. "So you know about my family now, any fun stories you'd like to tell?" One may not think it by looking at him, but he truly enjoyed listening to the stories of others. It was almost as fun as fishing.

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“It depends on what you want to know. I have many many stories of my family. My rodina is very special to me. Byli jsme si všichni blízcí. (‘We were all close’) however it has been a long long time since I have seen my parents. As for my brothers- one is dead and the other is a runaway ashamed of what he believes he has caused. Still, Nejsem sám (‘I am not alone’) I have many aunts and uncles and cousins. We are all one big family.” She said softly. “You know at my Návratnost it was great fun. My grandfather was so happy that one of his grandchildren was finally an adult that he let me dye his fur whatever colors I pleased afterwards. I may have finally been grown but it was great fun to give him tiger stripes.”

Gawain laid down as she started telling stories, delighted she was so eager to tell them. She clearly loved her family deeply. He could empathize with her not having seen her parents, his had passed on five years ago, when he was just under a year old.

He laughed when she told the story of giving her grandfather tiger stripes. Perhaps he could convince Frog and Naz to do that to Eli while he was napping one day. Maybe they could even get Wisteria in on it. His tail flicked with the thought of it. "That's amazing! What does... Návratnost mean?" He stumbled a bit over the pronunciation but tried to take it slow to be as accurate as he could be.

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“In the common English tounge it means returnal.” She replied, laying down herself to continue speaking. “In my family the Návratnost is a big coming of age celebration- where cubs stop being cubs and become grown. They take their place within the family and as one of Maua’s followers. We use dye and home crafted paint to colour our fur bright colours- it signifies not only life of witch Maua rules over, but growing up and accepting life as it is given to us. We tie our ears with vines similar to Maua and we bring offerings before our cheifess, before her, we swear lives of peace and to honour Maua. Then we take the offerings to give Maua. After all of this, we have one huge celebration. A party of sorts. Very grand- especially mine.”

“See with my mother’s absence I was the next in line to be cheifess, and so my whole family were very excited. Návratnost, it is very dear to my family.”

Gawain listened to her explanation, utterly fascinated. Hed never had anything like that, and he knew the cubs certainly hadn't either. Darkstone didn't celebrate cubs, it loathed them, and he could not comprehend how they could think like that. Perhaps he should throw a party for his cubs and Phantom (who, in reality, was also his cubs, just older). He could probably get Eli and Momo in on it. It could be a grand thing as well!

"You're the first I've come across who has worshipped Maua in such a way," he admitted a little sheepishly. Many revered the diety, it seemed, so why did no one worship them so grandly?

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“That’s because they have done a great deal for my rodina, the very land we lay on now, Maua gave it to us. The very children you love so dearly- it is Maua’s home they shall grow in. From the tiniest stone to the tallest tree in the jungle, Maua made it and gifted it to us. neslavit by bylo špatné! (‘Not celebrating would be wrong.’)” She said passionately. “Many honor Maua the question is do they honour them enough, are they grateful?
jsem vděčný. (‘I am grateful.’) that is why I myself and my family hold them in such a big regard. Everything we have is because of Maua.”

Gawain nodded. It all made sense, certainly, and he could understand her passion. Was he about to commit his life to Maua's service? Maybe not. But he could certainly try to do more little things to honor the diety. But first, he needed to find out what those things were.

"If I'm to form my band in the jungle, what sort of things would Maua want me to do in honor of them there? I don't know how to do these sorts of things."

Perhaps he could ask Arachnae as well, though she worshipped a different god, one of chaos. He was sure that if he found little things to honor the diety, his family would probably be on board.

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