With Nico riding in Nugget’s normal spot, Oscar slowly makes his way through the forest. The donkey has been making a conscious effort to smooth out his stride in order to give the coyote pup a chance to get the hang of riding. Luckily, the herd had agreed to gather semi-close to where he had found little Nico so the donkey didn’t have too terribly far to walk. Still, with him trying to make his gait smoother and Nugget wanting to forage for bugs every so often, it took the small group a decent chunk of time to make it across that relatively short distance. To keep the pup entertained, the donkey has told him stories of Rannoch and Kyren, the two antlered members of their party.

Oscar has purposefully left out Taiga, the only other predator in their herd, because he worries it might scare the kid. Plus… he really wants to see Nico’s face when he first lays eyes on her. Hey, he is an ass after all! The moss-covered ground deadens the sound of his hooves but the donkey’s voice fills the canopy around them as he says, “Now Kyren, he’s a reindeer. Don’t let him trick ya into racing across any icy lakes. He cheats.” Small tail flicks in annoyance as the donkey remembers how he had nearly frozen his balls off when the smug deer had challenged him. Stupid reindeer and their stupid hooves.

Long ears flick as Oscar slows and stops, casting his eyes around the area as he says, “This is where the herd will be meetin’ back up, Nico. Might be a little bit.” Turning his head, the donkey spies his rooster friend getting a little too far away for his liking and he says, “Oi! Nugget! Get over here!” The rooster looks back at the ass and rolls his eyes before continuing to scratch at the ground. This causes Oscar to mumble under his breath about ungrateful snacks and how he should of left the rooster back where he found him.


"Oscar Monaghan"

While Oscar walked and while he talked Nico found other ways to express his puppy energy.  The donkey’s hooves were muffled but heard as a dull sound to the young boy's ears.  Right before each step was heard would be the movement of the donkey’s muscles.  Birds could be heard about them occasionally, sometimes high-pitched sweet tones and sometimes a harsh kaw.  Nico was using his paws to drum along with the beat he heard through the various sounds and feelings.

“Well, if he cheats then it's only fair if you cheat also.” Sage advice from a young pup.  He seemed confident in his answer, hardly giving it a thought. “Well, accept you should cheat better.”

Nico looked around them as they came to a stop, his pattering paws going still as the motion below him stopped.  His eyes looked around with some curiosity but he was content for now on his seat.  As he sat there a realization came to him.  Nico was actually hungry.  His body had been hungry for a while but his desire to satisfy it was coming back.  

His eyes caught on to Nugget before forcing himself to look about.  “Hey, Oscar.  If I get off your back you gonna let me have another ride later?”l If this was a one-time thing he’d want to make the most of it as long as possible.

"Nico"

Full and satiated, what else was a giant cat to do but nap? The ash and snow feline was sprawled on her back in a patch of sweet smelling leaves. They were the perfect cushion to nap on and she quickly found herself fast asleep. Taiga had chosen this spot specifically as it was at the center of the herd. They were all off doing their own things, but she would be able to hear them if they called. It happened often, considering they were walking snacks to predators. Only a twist of fate had brought them together, otherwise she may very well have eaten them too.

Eventually Taiga woke, though, as cats are wont to do, she remained sprawled and lounging. There was nothing else to do anyway. The massive cat rolled on her back in the leaves, enjoying the crunching sound that they made as she moved. Each crunch brought more of that sweet smell of early decay. She quite enjoyed it.

The sound of approaching voices stilled the lioness and her rounded ears shifted to hear. Oscar, she could tell, but who was with him? Rising from her leaf pile, Taiga moved at a leisurely pace towards the voices. She would intercept Oscar in no time.

"Taiga"