Shroud of the Lost Ain't afraid of no ghost

RE: A celebratory balloon has drifted into the wilds of Relic Lore and is now caught in brush. What is this bright, shiny thing?!
AW but special shoutout to @Loach and @Lantana as they're close

Being out, having made that push, made her less afraid. Maybe it was her determination to no long be scared, maybe it was Loach and Lantana. Maybe it was being so far away from where he expected her to be. Her bror was still trapped there... but if trapped was what he wanted, then trapped he could be. Especially if he was going to be a jerk.

She tried not to think about him. With so little to do at their base camp in the Split, that seemed to be all Llinnea could do. So, today, she was going to be bold and wander off a little ways on her own. She didn't think Loach would move on and leave her behind... not right now. But if he did, she would be okay. She could fish now, and hunt hares. She'd be okay. She wouldn't miss him anyway.

Not at all.

Llinnea was pulled from her thoughts by a flash of motion out of the corner of her eye and she froze, eyes scanning the horizon for whatever it was. It moved again and Llinnea saw the shiny, round, floating thing. It appeared to be stuck in a bush. She crouched down, staring at it in fascination. What was it? She wondered if Loach or Lana would know. Curious, and wanting to practice her stalking skills, the pup crept forward.

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

note to self he's done this RE so he can't get RE LP

---

He weaved his way after her. Truthfully, he had no clue on if she was offended about Lana's presence or not. It didn't help that even at the best of times the girl hardly seemed like much of a talker. But he figured if he set her straight and asked her directly, he might get actual answers instead of side-eyes or silent complacence.

What he hadn't expected was to see her examining another damn shiny thing.

Lana had not seemed so concerned about their existance, but Loach? Well, he still held out on them. Now that Llinnea had found another, he felt a bit more worried about them. Haunted, even.

Whatcha make of it?

Llinnea had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized she'd been followed - an oversight that could prove to be deadly, if it had been another pursuer. Luckily, it was just her friend. The shiny thing had also absorbed all of her attention, so as she stalked closer she was still oblivious to being watched. He spoke just as she was pouncing and she flipped in mid-air, trying to see who'd spoken while keeping an eye on the shiny. She made an undignified landing, tumbling into a heap in the snow at the bottom of the brush and scrambling to her feet, snarling and ready for a fight until she saw it was just Loach.

She sniffed and straightened, still glaring, before glancing at the shiny. "It is a thing," she said.

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

It was good that she was prepared to wheel on even him with teeth. Yet it was even better that she knew to soothe herself when she saw who it was. He had no interest in handling discipline with the cubbin' as well.

Yeah, 'bout the only answer I got for it too. He huffed, straightened his spine out a bit some too. I met Lana finding one of these myself. It never did anythin', but I don't trust it. Nor could he figure out why there was another here. So close to the split, too. Maybe it was the same one? Eh, that thought soothed him no more.

Whatcha wanna do with it?

She was old enough to make decisions for herself and maybe even for the little gang, if she was smart enough.

Llinnea glanced back at the shiny as Loach spoke. He'd seen one too, but didn't know what it was? Hm. She sniffed at it, close as she was to it now. It hadn't done more than bob and weave against the gripping tangle of bush when she'd pounced and flailed. Perhaps that meant it was unafraid; maybe it was curious about them too.

Maybe it wasn't even alive.

"I was practicing hunting," she said in her usual stiff accent. "It does not seem afraid." She sat and stared at it, considering, before making a leap for it. She managed to snag part of it in her teeth and pull it down with her, only to tug against the branches and lose her grip. It slowly drifted back up and she gave a frustrated growl.

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

It doesn't seem much of anythin'. He rumbled warmly, as he hung back a few steps. Prepared to truly let her handle this situation. She needed to take charge.

Then she did.

He watched with a held breath as she pounced upon it. Expecting something. Maybe even the worse. Only it bobbed free of her and seemed to swim up again. Which made him truly think that it was a skyfish of some sort. The kind of story that grandmas had told the cubbin's on coast about. A great sea in the sky. All that feel good garbage.

So what was this skyfish doing down here?

I don't think ya can eat it, Llinnea. His only instruction on this matter as he fell silent again. Orange eyes refused to look away from the shimmering surface of the object.

Llinnea had to agree with Loach on this one; the only thing it seemed to actually be was shiny, only she didn't have that word for it in this language. She glared as it bobbed over her, almost mockingly. "Don't want to eat," she said without looking away. "Just want to catch."

She leaped for it again, this time missing it entirely and catching a stick from the bush in her paw on her way down. She helped, holding her paw off the ground and looking at it. She growled and snapped at the bush, as if that would do anything, before chewing at the pad to pull the last of the broken-off piece of wood out. At least her Mor had taught her how to do that. When she set her foot down, it left a small bloody smear in the white snow.

Okay, shiny, now it was on.

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

This would be the way she learned, he could see it.

Even if she bled, it wasn't enough for him to go getting bunched up with concern. She handled it as she should. Moved on from it just as swiftly.

So he reclined, allowing himself to sit back and watch as an observer and nothing more. Like hell if he was going to be the one to bite it. Admittedly its shape gave him pause on where to even bite it. What was the head? What was the ass?

Get it. Show it what you've learned. He encouraged warmly, orange gaze watching it bob at the girl.

Though her paw stung, it was already almost forgotten in her focus on the thing. She wouldn't abide by getting hurt and not making it pay for it! She growled again, planted her feet, and jumped harder. This time she got a good grip on it, yanking it down with her, only to hear a sharp pop and suddenly the silver was crinkly and flat between her teeth.

She dropped it and stepped back, staring with wide eyes and the now-limp shiny material hanging from the bush. She looked at Loach. "Hva?"

Currently traveling with Loach and Claw

It popped and Loach could have never predicted that type of reaction from it. Most things didn't just pop. Not even bullfrogs or bloated sunbaked fish bellies.

Well, Llinnea, I'd reckon you just killed it. If it was ever alive to start with, of course.

But now the shiny thing seemed to crinkle against the brushes, instead of silently float and bob above them. Which led him to believe that it was no skyfish at all. Or if it was, surely the girl had just damned him by such an act. Whatever. He was probably damned without her anyway.

Now what?