By her nature, Nineva was a busy little thing. Well, not so much little anymore. Having grown rapidly since joining the Hollow, she was beginning to rival the height of the adults around them, with still plenty to gain. It had been clear from birth to her family that she would become a powerhouse as an adult, but this had not been obvious to the princess herself, and she found herself quite shocked and even at times abashed with the turn of events. Her mind often wondered, how big had @Korrin and @Rose gotten? How tall did she stand in comparison to @Ash?

She didn't like to think about it, and so she often chose not to. A large part of her wanted to return to her family, hopefully with @Narimé and Yuka returned safe and sound, but an even larger portion of her heart was still firmly rooted to the Caverns. She had yet to learn how to reconcile the two of them, and so denial was still her go-to choice regarding the entire mess. This only threw her that much more deeply into her studies, whether it be learning tracking techniques to practicing medicine under the watch of @Titan or @Veho, or simply following along after @Rook to observe the differences in leadership between him and her parents. Always she was undergoing some sort of venture, and never did she like to be alone with her thoughts.

Often, too, did she make time for Kenelm, the man who had not only saved her life, but made her respite here within Grizzly Hollow possible. The girl had grown very attached to him during their time together within the pack, seeing him as another older brother (the best kind of familial relationship in her eyes) while still retaining the nickname of 'uncle kenny' for giggles and as a nod to their shared efforts long after they had been found out by the alpha. Today, she had decided to set aside time for him, but when she approached the den where he often rested, she was confused by his absence. Certain he was only nearby, it further perplexed her to follow his scent trail so far away and even outside of the territory. When finally she found him, the smell of him had been all but drowned out by the sickly sweet smell of fermenting apples.

The girl had never before come across such fruit before, and while she could place the smell of decay, could not know that they were not meant to be eaten as such. Especially when she witnessed Kenelm take a solid bite out of one. Enthralled, and wanting to follow in her role model's paw prints, she eagerly nosed a nearby apple before taking a bite. The taste was overpowering, but she forced it down all the same, unwilling to waste what she had taken part of. With juices splattering her paws and maw both, she finished off the rotted morsel quickly. Despite the length and height of her rapidly growing frame, she had not the weight on her to resist the effects of the apple's pulp, and already she began to feel off kilter. Without thinking, the young lady went for another apple.

Her head felt light, almost surreally so, as though she weren't really here. She wasn't quite sure whether she was enjoying it or not, but could hardly focus on the conundrum regardless. Her thoughts were shortened as the buzz consumed her, and her unfocused eyes settled upon another apple a few steps away, and could only think to try and ingest it. It did not occur to her to be worried about her state, nor could she relate its occurrence to her consumption of the fermented fruit, and so she only acted on each initial thought that entered her hindered mind.

Her jaws snapped at the targeted apple, but with each attempt she only pushed it farther away from it. After a few failed tries she stared stupidly at the object, unable to understand that she was missing and bumping the morsel with her nose rather than capturing it with her teeth. No, it was rather certain to her that it was running away. A growl fled her jaws as her tail snapped upward to come level with her spine. How dare her food disobey her! She threw herself at it again, growing more and more brisk with each attempt. Yet still it escaped her each time, and her ire began to skyrocket, until suddenly her concentration was broken by laughter.

Abruptly she jerked back, muzzle pulled against her chest instinctively as her mismatched eyes looked wildly about her. When finally they located Kenelm, who also lay beneath the fruit-bearing tree, she was prompted to wonder when he had showed up. The girl relaxed as she watched him for a moment, noting how incredibly happy he seemed to be. She wanted to know what was so funny! With a gleeful bark she alerted him that she was coming, and then took off at a sprint, launching herself not just toward him, but then atop him in something of a tackle. It was the same move she would have pulled on @Korrin or @Rose, playful tussles that seemed to have happened an eternity ago they were so distantly placed in her fog-ridden mind.

His cry should have pierced her ears, but the sound seemed oddly distant, as though something were between his muzzle and her ears to blockade it. She turned her face to look curiously at him, hadn't he known she was coming?, but then suddenly she was being tumbled through the air, landing a bit roughly on her own side. Stunned, she could only stare up at the vivid autumn sky and wonder what the heck was going on. Had she done something wrong? Or was he merely playing back? She was confused, and that made her upset.

Then he looked back at her, and the recognition that lit his face sent her tail wagging. With a few scrambling flops she managed at last to right herself once more. She assumed a playful position, though her rump remained solidly on the ground. Her chin pressed against the dry grass between her outstretched forelimbs and her tail whipped wildly behind her.

"I was followin' yuu!" she answered, briefly registering that it sounded within her own ears that she was being quite loud, but the thought was swiftly dismissed. "Kenny-elm. These are like. Thebestfoodsever. Watchu doin keepin em to yerself, eh?!" This better not be a place he came to often without her!