Dead Empress Backwater when i get to heaven, i'll conquer that too

RE: Torianna, you snag your claw on a root and end up tearing it! Ouch!

Torianna is 5 months old. Milk teeth are replaced by adult teeth, and winter pelage and adult cloak coloring start to become noticeable. If their eyes have not changed from their original "puppy blue" shade, they will remain blue from this time forward. Puppies now fully understand, as well as utilize, non-verbal communication. If introduced to "animism" or "religion," at this stage they may have a mentally firm grasp on it; and, if acquainted with concepts such as the "sand ghoul," spirits and ghosts, they may have shed their beliefs in them. Estimated human age: 7 years old.

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

Torianna settled in nicely to the roots that lingered beneath the massive tree. It was not far from the main den, where she had decided to make her camp with a rabbit from the caches, her teeth gnashing as she dug into it, eager to consume its soft flesh in order to sustain herself. She had big plans for the day. She’d been working on her stalking skills, and she planned to put them to her test by harassing her brothers, demanding to know what it was that they got onto when they were out of her presence. She would finally get to the bottom of it and demand the answers that were deserved to her.

It didn’t take long to consume the rabbit, leaving the bones tucked in the little hollow, a few licks to her paws to clean off some of the blood before she rose to bound out of the den… it was then that her plans were put on delay, a painful rip felt in her paw as one of her front claws tore against the roots at the base of the tree, causing her to howl with pain in an almost uncharacteristic manner, a flash of pain in her eyes as she removed the paw from the ground to nurse it, shaking it about with a soft whine.

Thank goodness her brothers were not allowed to see such weakness… or really anyone was… or so she thought.

Knowing all too well Tori's desire to escape from the watchful gaze of any nearby adults Clover kept close but out of sight. Mostly. If she was ever unsure exactly what her daughter was up to Clover had a habit of getting a quick peek just to make sure she wasn't up to no good, before returning to whatever task she had set aside. This time Tori was digging into a meal near the main den and so Clover was content to get lost in her own work of stripping the outer layer of bark to reveal the softer and more supple inner layer. While not inherently medical-related, it did have its uses in her infirmary.

So caught up in the repetitive motion of stripping bark, Clover just about jumped out of her own skin at the sudden shrill shriek that pierced the silence of the air. Had the pained noise continued she would have rushed over to Tori in a fuss and smothered her with worry, but a simple soft whine followed, letting her know that her daughter was not in imminent danger.

Clover dropped the piece of bark and hastened over to where the girl stood near the entrance of the main den, one paw lifted in the air. Her brows pinched slightly, mildly concerned at whatever minor injury ailed Tori, but visibly not seeing anything that would require any emergency treatment.

"Are you okay, darling?" She asked softly, moving closer but giving her daughter some space, knowing that the girl was obstinate and independent but still wanting to provide comfort should she seek it.

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

The adults had a habit of ruining her fun, as if she was doing something wrong! As a result, she did whatever she could to get away from them. She was certain that she was successful as well, not yet aware enough to know when she was being watched from a distance or spot the way that an adult could lurk out of sight of her gaze. She rolled her shoulders back, stiffening her upper lip as she sought to reign in the pain that was radiating from her paw when her mother appeared, causing a sneer of disdain on her features.

What was she doing here? Her mother gave her space but followed up to ask if she was okay. Tori set her paw down, a stubborn look on her face as the pain showed through the corners of her mouth and the way it twitched. “M’fine.” It was stubborn, but her tone implied otherwise. She was simply being the obstinate child that her mother knew her to be. She hated the fact that her mother had seen such weakness from her. Perhaps she’d tell her brothers and make them laugh about it when she was not looking… not that Clover would ever really do that, but Tori needed to consider all avenues.

“Go away!” The plans she had for the day were wholly dependent on her mother not cordoning her off with her stinky herbs, and that meant she needed to get away from her as soon as possible. Blood slowly trickled from her claw where she tore it, but the flow was not too bad to think it would not stop on it’s own with time.