The girl had wiggled off away from the den, curiosity and an eager mind leading her away from the redwater rocks. She enjoyed the vivid greeneries that this neighboring land had to offer. The smell and feel of the grass was far more appealing than stone. But there was a sponginess to the grass here. It gave way to her paw and sank further into the earth. Simurgh found that neat, her ears perked forward and eyes at her paws as she kept walking. The child was thankful for a cloudy day; she only needed to squint when the sun revealed itself. Bit by bit she drew closer to the waters of the lake, until the splash of a fish breaching the waters and coming back down with a splash caught her attention.

Gaze shot up just in time to see the carp fall back in. Her gaze lit up, and she would hurry forward to investigate, at least until her paws sank into the mud of the lake’s bank. This would give young Simurgh pause, a frown flicking across her maw as she looked down at her toes. Weird… the earth kept shifting… but what about that thing she saw? She looked up, waiting, but the fish did not return. Disappointment caused her ears to fall. Aww man… Did she miss getting another look at it?

"Speech," 'Thought.'

Venom was on her way to bed that day when she caught wind of one of her nieces near the lake. Curiosity, and affection, got the better of the Empress as she changed course to go and see what the curious pup might be up to. They had recently been let free on Ashen lands. There were many eyes to keep watch on the very many pups that were now wandering about. She was sure that was to both Chimera and Aliana’s relief. The fact had certainly made her feel better about her own broods.

White gloved paws carried her closer to the water’s edge when she spotted the young girl, whose attention was caught by the jumping fish. Not an odd sight especially this time of year, but when the creature did not offer a repeat performance she could see the pup visibly deflate. "Are you watching the fish?” She asked as she navigated the muddy banks, not so keen on getting her pale paws muddy right before she planned on sleeping. "Do you know how to bring them to the surface?” Venom asked cryptically.

"Venom"

For a long moment Simurgh stared at the water and saw how the ripples on its surface raced toward the bank. Still the shimmery water creature did not return… but something new did. An older feminine voice caused Simurgh's head to turn and her gaze fell on a pretty lady who kind of reminded her of her dad. She asked if Sim was watching the fish and the child gave a small nod.

"I think so. Is that what they are called?" She hadn't seen them before so the name of their kind was foreign. Her tail swished back and forth as the woman followed up by asking if she knew how to bring them to the surface. "No… but you talk like you do!" This caused her eyes to light up. "Will you tell me how?"

Venom would never cease to enjoy the wonder in a pup’s eyes as they explored and experienced something new. This new being the leaping fish within the Ashen lake, quite a sight if you weren’t expecting such a thing. The Empress interrupted her little niece who easily gave her a nod in response, though couldn’t quite hide the uncertainty that came with observing the unknown. "Most creatures that live within the water are fish, but there are quite a few exceptions.” She explained easily enough. She would one day get into the more diverse creatures such as frogs or otters.

The girl seemed to brighten considerably as Venom hinted at being able to see them better. She chuckled softly, a grin keeping her features warm. "Well, like most anything, you lure them with their stomachs.” Venom revealed. "The hard part is catching them some food, but I suspect there are a good few crickets and grasshoppers around that will make excellent bait.”

"Venom"

There were more things beside the fish that lived in the water? That was so cool! She wanted to see what else lived here, but if it wasn’t ready to come out then it wasn’t ready to come out. And besides, she wanted to see the fish again. And the pretty lady before her did know how to do that. Sim would listen, giving a nod as she said to use their stomachs to lure them out. That made sense. Even if she didn’t want to move much, if her daddy brought home food she definitely got moving then!

It was weird that anything would like eating bugs though. Sim had certainly tried them and they were pretty gross. She would move back further onto the land, gaze scanning the ground for the bugs. They were hard to find because they were tiny, but she’d find one. In the meanwhile, she kept talking to the woman. “Do you know what all other creatures like to eat?” She asked, curious about the extent of knowledge adults might have.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

The young girl was qhite interested in everything that Venom had to say, obviously eager to learn about the world that she lived in. Having been on the island archipelago for so much of her life Venom had a keen understanding of marine life. Had she been asked the woman wouod have elaborated, but maybe that was for another day. Had Sim mentioned the oddity of fish eating bugs she would have also gone on to explain the complexity of the food chain. Fish ate insects, wolves ate fish.

The pup was rather swift to catch her quarry, however difficult the arthropods were making her task. All the while Simurgh did continue voicing her curiosity. "Maybe not all creatures but its easy to make an educated guess. Herbivores, creatures that eat the grass and shrub, will almost always have hooves and their eyes will be set on the sudes of their face. As opposed to us carnivores, which possess claws, teeth, and forward facing eyes." She explained as a white gloved paw fell upon a large locust.