He regretted bringing it up, to be honest, but the conversation had organically morphed into a far more serious one than he'd been expecting. Nero had shown up assuming everything with Gawain and the band would be normal which, in turn, would give him a piece of the normalcy he craved. It has never once occurred to him that he would be met with anything other than smiles. He hated that he was wrong. He hated that @Nazonal was going through the same thing he was. It wasn't fair. Gawain and Nazonal didn't deserve to struggle.

He leaned a bit closer at the mention of promising something. The albino had learned long ago that promises were not often kept, so he couldn't imagine what they would be asking of him in the next moment. Fortunately, it wasn't anything cataclysmic. He could handle that. "Okay, I promise I won't do anything without bringing you with me." Nero grinned sheepishly before shaking out his name and, hopefully, the seriousness of the conversation. "Does that mean it's time to not think about it? C'mon, let's go do something." He bounced on his paws, completely clueless as to what something would even be.

I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard

table by sentinel / art

Good. Good. Nazonal looked inexplicably relieved to get the promise from him. They could be there to make sure he was ok through whatever happened, they could do some good for someone who mattered a ton to her. Mattered a ton....

Does that mean it's time to not think about it? The question wretched Nazonal out of her thoughts and quickly her toothy face was smiling, their dark face and nodding up and down. They were satisfied with his answer even as their own feelings were starting to feel more... complicated. She wasn't even entirely sure it was a bad complication just definitely something she hadn't experienced before. They'd been worried about Gawain before, they still worried about their Dad plenty but this was different. She knew that much. Yeah- c'mon, there's a small little river over this way that has a waterfall. Naz didn't have much more of an idea what something was but perhaps a change of scenery would help spur things?

@Nero

Nero bounced enthusiastically on the balls of his toes, eager to leave behind the miserable thoughts. He was enjoying @Nazonal and their effortless friendship far too much to waste another minute fretting over something currently out of his control. Of course he wanted to find his siblings, but he also just needed a break. Maybe later the guilt would eat him up and spit him out. Maybe he'd regret every second he spent not looking for them if for no other reason than to see his mother smile again. He would worry about that later. He would worry about all of it later.

"A waterfall, huh? How big is it?" he quickly fell into step alongside of her, grinning. "Y'ever jumped off one into the pool below?" Swimming was certainly becoming more difficult with his mane coming in, but the boy was simply enamored with it. Naz had said it was small, though, so maybe it was a no diving zone. Boo.

I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard

table by sentinel / art

Not that big- it's kind of cute in a little way... But the next question he had gave them ideas. It was not something she'd tried and all of a sudden became something she was desperate to give a try for the joy of the adrenaline rush. While Naz was in the middle of describing the small waterfall she had in mind to visit her voice trailed away into quiet... their feet stalled and slowed until she had stopped in the middle of the path and was looking left and right with big stupid eyes and a huge grin. No wait- this way! Abruptly she took a path diving straight through the jungle trees, bounding over roots and racing off towards a further away but much larger waterfall in the north of the Jungle. We can jump off this one just stick with me! @Nero had found their something to do! And without question Nazonal was ready to... jump... into this fun game.

Cute in a little way. Nero couldn't help himself: "You mean like me?" he teased, batting his snowy eyelashes innocently. He had come to terms with being small for the rest of his life, yes, but that didn't mean he liked it. If Nero could have been a behemoth like Ransom, he gladly would have traded. There was something so depressing about being small, like no one would ever take him seriously. Perhaps he wasn't the smallest in all of Amaryllis, but there was that toxic masculinity instilled in him that tiny guys weren't manly. It meant he had to make up for his stature in other ways, whatever those may have been. He hadn't quite figured it out yet.

When @Nazonal shifted gears, Nero went with her. His paws pounded the earth as he followed, a broad grin spread across his muzzle as he dipped and swerved around anything in his way. Nero laughed as he followed, happy to let them take the lead to their destination. And then it would be swimmy times.

I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard

table by sentinel / art

Tinier. They said with a smile. His batting eye lashes though... Goodness Naz couldn't help herself it was adorable. But less cute. Unknowingly Naz was staring at Nero's face while she spoke. They only realized when their cheeks began to feel hot, red with blush. Cute.. waterfall... C'mon. But it would not be the waterfall the pair was destined to see today. Naz was racing through the Jungle, turning and surging well ahead while their cheek's flush faded and returned to normal.

She slowed while the jungle began to thin around them. The sound of crashing water grew in the air around then and seemingly from the ground a plume of smoke arose. They slowed to a walk and nudged through the last of the foliage. The ground was the top of the cliff, the smoke the rising mist of the waterfall. It was a thin fall, the river feeding it was small but had a long and impressive drop down to a blue pool with lilies and beautiful aquatic plants down below. Part of the pool plunged under the rocks, making small caves and carving away plenty of places to hide. Naz glanced over her shoulder, gave a wink to @Nero and leapt over the edge to the pool below.

"That's preposterous, I'm the tiniest of all." Obviously, he knew that wasn't true. Alizabeth was still a few hairs shorter than him and he'd met a handful of others that were just as small as well, but Nero had a complex. A Napoleon complex. He felt the need to overcompensate for the areas he lacked (namely height) by using humor and beating others to the punch. It wasn't fun to poke at him if he had already poked himself first, right? A preemptive strike. @Nazonal didn't seem like the type to mean anything by her words, though, and he grinned as he followed her into the jungle.

Even though he knew they were coming up to a cliff, it still surprised him to Nazonal vault over the side without hesitation. His eyes widened for a split second, the wink they'd given him burned into his mind. He swallowed as he neared the edge, peering over to see where they'd landed -- safely, thank Vellen. It seemed now he'd have to put his money where his mouth was, but after drowning and being attacked by a shark, very little frightened him. Nero sucked in a breath and backed up a few strides before leaping off himself, laughing in the free fall before crashing down into the water below.

I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard

table by sentinel / art

For all his own issues with his size Nazonal found his stature... quite perfect? She'd grown up around lions bigger than them, stronger, Gawain and Elijah as gentle as they were she could not hug so tightly as they could her. But with Nero, and just an estimate from her mind's eye, she stood a chance to tightly hug and properly snuggle...

Nazonal crashed into the water's surface. The clear liquid slowed her fall, gave way and bent around her slowly sinking dark form. It still stung upon the flesh where contact had first made. A quick, burning like feeling ran over her body and then slowly she felt the dampness seep around her. Their limbs draped down in the water and instinctively began to paddle. A wave of droplets and ripples rushed past her as Nero's body broke through the water not that far off from them. The disturbed surface rolled, the sound of the splash rose and wove in with the waterfall only to fade away as quick as it came.

They paddled towards @Nero, reaching forwards and aiming to begin a water suspended wrestling match. Nero! Naz's voice came forth bubbling, energetic and playful.

Nero loved the sensation of being suspended in the water, a moment in time not quite frozen but slowed. He loved the weightlessness and the effortlessness of twisting and turning, loved feeling like he was light as a feather and as agile as a fox. These moments were quickly over as his lungs began screaming for air, but the euphoria from swimming was something he couldn't quite put his paw on. Maybe it was Vellen welcoming him into his flock? He wasn't entirely sure, but he was beginning to understand why the Sigrún worshiped the sea. Nero wasn't in the ocean at that moment, yet any body of water seemed to bring him the same solace. Peace. The lack of noise outside his own heartbeat. It was calm beneath the surface and he hated to come up for air, but alas, Nero regrettably needed to breathe air to survive.

When he finally broke the surface, Nero gasped in a lungful of oxygen. It was only seconds later that @Nazonal was upon him, using his name as a battle cry. He squeaked in surprise but wasn't about to simply pass up a good ole romp. Shit, he hadn't wrestled with anyone in.. ever, maybe? Not since Asteria, he thought. It felt good to spar without having anything on the line. Nero growled playfully and attempted to nom her leg, laughing.

Laughing? Since when had he known how to laugh?

I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard

table by sentinel / art

It was an interesting sensation, trying to "fight" (even in play) while your weight was suspended by water. They felt their movements were slower, took a bit more effort, but it was like their body could move in ways unable to before. She did not ever feel truly unbalanced, and the whole thing was slow and beautifully poetic. Laughter, splashes, her fur slowly growing darker and damper each moment. Down at the base of the waterfall and stone cliffs rising upwards, partly blocking off the view, their secluded little world was all that existed.

His bites fell harmless on her leg but she made a dramatic little growl anyways, lower lip bubbling and coiling over her underbite, the little bits of lower teeth that always seemed to find some light of day grew bigger. The corners of her lips grew with a smile. Nazonal tried to twist herself around @Nero and his "grip" on her leg so that she could drape over his back and begin to chew, from behind, lightly on his left ear. Thank you. The words formed between her bestial grumbles, growls, and the sounds that a body made while exerting itself even in play.