Dead Empress Backwater Bibbity Bobbity... Boop!

early afternoon 7/19. For @Vanadis

As a note: he is smelling a squirrel

Archer found he enjoyed learning new things above all else. Well, other than watching Eros run, of course. Watching Eros exhaust himself was a learning experience all on its own, where both boys could learn the same lessons and Archer didn't have to get his paws dirty.

Today, the youngest Valle decided to wander off on his own. He knew @Eros would be mad at him for leaving him behind, but sometimes to learn new things Archer needed to be on his own. He wondered if @Oleander, who seemed to value intellect as well, ever felt the same way.

A new smell hit Archer's nose and he paused, looking around and sniffing. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd actually smelled it before. Here, however, it was fresh. Whatever it was was close.

Archer set to tracking it, nose to the dirt. He kept his ears pricked and his eyes up; he'd learned from the incident with the stars and Eros that it was best to pay attention to his surroundings.

The trail led to the base of a tree and then up it. Archer sat and gazed up at the branches in frustration. What could climb a tree like that? It wasn't fair! He wanted to find the smell!

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Vanadis was sure that her children were growing faster than her own siblings had. Their limbs were longer than she had expected, their vocabulary better than she'd thought. They were constantly learning, endlessly soaking up information from the world around them. It was fascinating to watch, and perhaps a little sad knowing that they wouldn't be this small forever, that someday they might grow and leave her in search of their own destiny, but for now she chose to ignore that last part.

Instinct pulled her towards her son, following his scent through the trees until his pudgy black frame came into view. Her pale brow creased as she neared, noting the way that he glanced up toward the branches. She followed his gaze, finding nothing of interest before calling out, "What are we looking at?"

Archer was very proud of himself when the appearance of his Ma didn't make him jump. He was getting better at paying attention to his surroundings. See if Eros could sneak up on him next time!

He looked back at her and then went back to glaring into the branches. "The smell is there," he growled. "I can't get it." He was trying very hard to be articulate these days. He wanted to be grown up and mature and smart.

Archer stamped a paw in frustration and jumped up to put two paws on the tree trunk, as if doing so could magically take him up to the branches.

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Vanadis nodded, listening to his plight before her nose and eyes caught on to his target. "Ah, I see." Squirrels were hard enough to catch on the ground and almost impossible once they'd scaled a tree. Not to mention the fact that one usually had to expend more time and energy to catch the creatures than they were worth in your stomach. Fortunately Archer didn't need to worry about that, his little stomach filled from the caches easily enough, which made this a project of passion, and she could appreciate that.

"You must be patient" She said, though she knew that patience wasn't usually a virtue bestowed upon cubs.. or herself for that matter. "As long as it's afraid or it thinks it's being hunted it will stay up there." the young mother offered. "You have to pretend you aren't trying to catch it because it won't come down until it thinks it's safe, that's when you strike, but be ready because they're quick."

Archer didn't look at his Ma at first, wrinkling his nose when she said 'patient'. He didn't want to be patient, he wanted it now!

When it became clear she knew what it was, Archer finally looked back at her and dropped down from the tree. "Wassit?" he asked, then grimaced and corrected himself. "What. is. it?" he enunciated each word carefully, face scrunched in focus. He had to practice if he wanted to be clear, after all.

His tail swished over the ground and his ears flicked back. "How long?" he said petulantly. How long could something hide in a boring ol' tree, after all? Couldn't be that long. He certainly couldn't be bothered to wait all that long, which of course would translate to being here on the ground as well. So, in his tiny mind, his quarry would have to come down in the time that he was willing to sit here, because he was a very patient boy and nothing could be more patient than him.

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Pride swelled in her chest as her son chose to annunciate each word, speaking clearly and concisely, but of course, however smart or advanced she thought he was, there was still much for him to learn. "It's a squirrel. They're small, usually brown, and they have big, bushy tails." Vanadis felt her description was sufficient enough given that she didn't want to sit here all day sorting through everything she'd ever learned about squirrels.

To his next question she could only tilt her head and shrug a shoulder. "I don't know. It's not up to us." She settled herself down, hugging one paw close to her chest as her stomach touched the ground in hopes that her son might mimick her. "Don't let it catch you looking at it."

Archer sat and listened to his Ma's description of the 'squirrel'. It sounded funny-looking; like Eros when his fur was all matted after a tussle. He hummed.

Squirrel.[/b]

He waited for Ma's estimate of time, still glaring into the branches. He wanted to see it! It smelled good, and he was starting to get hungry. His ears flattened in irritation. Ma's answer of "I don't know" was baffling; Ma was supposed to know {I} everything!

He quickly looked down at her next instruction and when she settled to the ground he very carefully did the same, tucking his foot in the same way as well. "I can't look at it," he complained. "I haven't seen it at all."

His tummy rumbled quietly. "Can I eat it?"

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Archer hadn't been graced with patience, at least not yet, but that was fine because Vanadis hardly had a patient bone in her body.. and even then it's existence was likely a rumor. "No, but it can see you." Her peachy gaze flickered once to the trees, watching as a branch swayed with the creature's movement before returning to her son. "Listen, do you hear the branches rustling?" She wasn't sure if he would be able to pinpoint it just yet, especially since he didn't really know what to look for, but what better way was their to learn?

His next question brought a smile to her maw. "Of course." Squirrels weren't the tastiest treat, but they were edible.

Archer was very pointedly looking at his Ma and not the tree where the thing was hiding, even when she turned her eyes upwards and he desperately wanted to see if he could catch it watching him. He didn't glance up at all; not even a little bit. Nope, he definitely didn't. Can't prove it.

He pricked his ears, listening hard. He could hear branches rustling, but all the branches were rustling in the faint movement of the air. It wasn't fair to ask him to listen for specific branches! A frustrated growl vibrated in his chest. He didn't like this whole waiting business. It should just come down and face him fairly instead of doing all this hiding stuff.

"I want to eat it," he said firmly, glancing up and not seeing anything new. "I want to catch the skir- squirrel and eat it." His tummy rumbled again and he looked sheepishly at his Ma. "But I'm hungry now."

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

The fact that he may or may not have taken a peek was lost on her, though Vanadis could sense her son's frustration even before the growl reverberated from his throat. Waiting wasn't easy, especially for a cub as young as Archer, and if he was anything like her, well, then it wasn't going to get any easier.

His statement was set and full of conviction, though it faltered at the end. Offering her son a simple nod and a knowing smile, the woman offered him a choice. "I know, love." But if he was hungry now.. "We can either wait for the squirrel to come down or we can let it go and grab something from the cache." Her head cocked as she awaited an answer, curious to know what option the child would pick.