ooc: set before Fiori challenge

The pup found herself wandering through the mangrove, keeping to the smoother and clearer parts of the terrain and definitely far from the water. She was feeling a bit more confident travelling around the pack's territory on her own, though sometimes felt a bit lonely when she lost Jayne or her mothers. At least she had formed a vague idea of where her den was; she didn't want to go anywhere near that mocha-furred boy and his mother and that...creature. They had all frightened her, more than Bright Moon had. She liked Bright Moon, and was looking forward to becoming a healer alongside her, though she preferred to stick with her family when possible. And speaking of her family, she still hadn't found them, or they hadn't found her. Great. It looked like she'd have to continue walking and hope she wasn't approached by any strangers. Speak Thought Others

Tiburtius wandered around the pack's territory without really having a specific destination in mind. He considered going to the battlefield and getting some spar practice in, but he still didn't like being too far away from Arivae when she was sick. Right now he was trying to let her sleep and get some rest. He knew he'd probably end up going back to her den before long anyway, but for now he'd enjoy his little walk through Fiori lands. He spotted some pale fur out of the corner of his eye and he turned his head to see one of his little sisters walking a fair distance away. He smiled and turned so he could walk toward her. Of course with his extra long legs he didn't have to hurry to catch up with her. He always felt like he had to be so careful around his little sisters. They were so little still! What if he squished them on accident! His tail wagged as he got closer, saying, "Hey there, Diana." He chuckled softly and leaned his head down as he stopped in front of her so his eyes could be a little more even with hers. "What's my favorite red head doing today?" ""

It wasn't long before a large slate male approached her, and though he carried a relaxed posture, the girl still found herself frightened. She cringed when his thundering paw-steps got louder, certain that they'd stomp on her, until...they stopped. Taking a peek, emerald and ruby eyes stared right at her, and the sudden closeness made her jump in surprise. Oh, it was only Tiburtius, her older brother, right? He didn't look much like her, though he resembled her Armada mother. That was how she figured out they had to be related. Or maybe they weren't. She wasn't very confident with her assumptions and usually ended up disagreeing with herself. "H-H-Hi," she greeted in a frail voice, not wanting to use his name in case it was wrong. Perhaps she should clarify who he was; maybe she was talking to a complete stranger. "Y-Y-You're m-m-my b-b-brother?" When he asked her what she was doing, she cast her gaze to her ebony paws. She didn't want to tell him that she had lost her mothers and sister. "N-N-Nothing," she replied, pulling her ears back with embarrassment. Speak Thought Others

Tiburtius was surprised to see how nervous and even scared his little sister looked. He frowned a little and slowly lowered himself onto his stomach so they'd be almost the same height, hoping that she might be more comfortable if he wasn't towering over her. She asked if he was his brother and he frowned more. He had been around them so much with they were tiny little pups, but as he thought about it he realized that once his sisters were really old enough to remember him he had gotten occupied with watching after Arivae and had only really been watching his sisters from a distance. He suddenly felt very guilty as he nodded in agreement. "Yep, I'm your brother. Your big brother. Well, I mean, not big like in I'm big, cause I'm that too, but like your older brother." he chuckled at himself and a smile came back to his lips. He made a little note to himself to pay much more attention to his little sisters from now on. He watched over them and made sure they were okay whenever he could, but that wasn't the same as interacting with them and getting to know them. "Well, you gotta be doing something, silly! he commented, his tone teasing and light, his smile widening as he joked with his sis. "Even if you're just walking that's something!" ""

Being the quiet girl she was, she paid attention to the features of others, always noticing fine changes and linking them towards emotions. She saw the male frown, but why? Was he not her brother? She couldn't remember that far back, to be honest. Well, her assumption turned out to be correct anyway, so at least it comforted her to know she was with a family member.  For an older brother, he sure talked a lot. All these words! There were too many of them! If only everyone could talk less and have just as much meaning in their fewer words. "Yeah, th-that's it. I w-w-was w-w-walking," she corrected herself, blushing with embarrassment. Of course she had been doing something, but walking wasn't exciting or important enough to be a something. Was she supposed to be doing something else? She couldn't recall her mothers saying anything like that to her. "N-N-Not f-fun," she added, shaking her russet head.

His little sister still seemed awfully flustered, but he was patient. He'd let her get her words out, smiling as she said that walking wasn't fun. "I guess it's not. What if I walked with you? Would that make it better?" he'd offer, looking at her curiously. "After all, it's such a pretty day out. I'd be happy to spend it with my little sis." He'd get back to his paws, looking down at her with a smile. He'd motion with his nose for her to come with him and he'd start walking, making sure he was walking slow so she could keep up with his long strides a little more easily. He knew from experience with Arivae and Ama that his long legs could cause problems for them keeping up. "What kind of things do you like to do, Di?" he'd ask as he looked down at her while they walked. He didn't say it, but he was walking them back toward their mother's den, figuring that it'd probably be a good idea to get her back to them while he was at it. ""

She preferred walking on her own, to be honest, though she didn't want to be rude and decline his offer. After all, it was kind of him to take time out of his day to be with her - she had to be grateful for that. "Okay," she murmured softly, surprisingly herself when her tongue was free of any stammers. Her twinkling, emerald eyes widened with delight, and she looked up at her brother with pure joy. She hadn't stuttered! She spoke properly for once! With the day looking so much better, she scampered after him, feeling a new confidence blossom within her. "I like..." she began, searching through her mind until she came to a brick wall. "I d-don't know w-what I l-like t-to do!" She honestly didn't have that many interests. She kept to herself for most of the time, so that explained a lot. Speak Thought Others

Tiburtius walked slowly along side his sister, noticing the joy in her face. It made him smile even though he wasn't entirely sure what had made her so happy. Whatever it was it was good to see her looking a little more cheerful. She seemed to rack her brain for some kind of answer to his question and in the end she didn't really have an answer for him. He chuckled softly and replied, "That's alright! I don't think I know what I like to do either. You wanna know a secret?" He tipped his head down closer to hers and spoke more softly, like he was telling her a big, special secret. "I'm only a fighter cause I'm all big. Really I'd much rather do something more cuddly." He smiled and chuckled again, glancing up ahead of them to make sure they were still going the right direction. "You still have plenty of time to figure stuff out, don't worry. You can do whatever makes you happy, even if that isn't fighting, hunting, or healing." ""

When her brother mentioned the word 'secret', her russet features lit upon once more as she madly nodded her head. As he leaned in, she did too, wanting to know every bit of this secret. Adults had many secrets, as she had observed, and it wasn't every day one of them was willing to share it. He said he was a fighter, just like their mother, and was only a fighter because he was big. However, on the inside he liked cuddly things. She liked cuddly things too! Why, she loved snuggling with her sister and mothers. There was nothing better than being with them. "I'm gonna be a healer, j-just like mama," she announced with a proud puff of her ivory chest, feeling confidence surge through her. Speak Thought Others