Sanguine Cove sleepy in a heaven's sprawl

There was a child.

Valley's experience with them, besides her own childhood, was minimal. Her parents had no longer made more children after her and her sibling's arrival.

The stages of childhood were lost upon her, but this one seemed curious. Even if it seemed to sneeze at every little thing she sniffed. It stayed close to the den, it seemed to listen intently to any voices that called out to it. Yet that all seemed to change when the child spotted Valley.

At once, she was being bombarded. The girl seemed to waddle in what Valley could only imagine was a defensive stance. A guardian-type in the making, or perhaps the largest of her litter. Were there more? She had not spotted them if so...

(This post was last modified: Aug 08, 2023, 12:59 AM by Valley.)

Eclypse had not yet heard news of the newcomer.

Nor did she actually understand how others came to be with them. After all, everyone here had just always been here. For her, at least. So when she spotted a strange figure it prickled her interest. Not to mention that this close to the den, she felt confident enough to take charge.

Which was why she fluffed herself up like a peacock. Hardly as intimidating as her guardian father or mother, but she felt as intimidating.

"Who's you?"

She wasted no time in shoving her face at the legs of the stranger, sniffing and snipping softly. Her mother's scent was present which meant that surely this couldn't be a complete stranger. Still she unleashed a mighty sneeze nearly right up into the woman's face.

Oops.

Disbelief for how bold the child had become in the face of a stranger!

Yet Valley only stayed silent and still, watched as the girl seemed to investigate her. Only to be greeted with a sharp (as sharp as a sneezy, wheezy child could be...) question of her identity.

"Val—" A sneeze smacked into her face. She truly hoped the girl was only experiencing allergies and was not truly ill. Valley had the same amount of healing knowledge as a rock. Not to mention if she got blamed for the girl being sick instead...

Her lips softly smacked together for but a moment, foreleg raised to wipe down her muzzle. As if it might save her from whatever germs had just been blasted upon her.

"Valley."

And just like with joining, she said no more than she had been asked.

Val.

Valley.

Eclypse found the answer lacking, somehow. The name was all the strange woman had said. No kind of title or news, not even a real greeting. Which only made Eclypse scowl for a brief moment. Disgruntled that her mind was not read!

"Whatcha doin'?"

Did the woman need to go patrol like her dad? Maybe she wanted to sniff plants like her mom. Maaaybe she wanted to become a jungle gym for Eclypse!

What was she doing?

The child seemed bored of her already and somehow that was a gentle blow to Valley. Did the girl not have something to go...learn? Someone to take her out on a lesson?

"I...don't know." She answered, horribly blunt even if it hardly served in her interests to be so. Then the idea dawned on her. That she could make a very safe lesson here at the den's mouth, for the girl.

"Do you want to learn how to hunt?" She did not expect to hear a rejection of her offer and so she already began to sniff around the area for something small. A bug or rodent, prepared to become a tool of learning.

Hunting sounded...like a lot.

Especially to the girl who was tired from the smoke inhalation and low quality of water. It seemed to be...slightly better these last few days, but she still suffered from it all.

So she simply figured that the other would hunt for her.

Which meant she turned around and wandered off for a nap...expected to be awoken for food when the time came.