Avantika sat at the top of the falls, just watching the water cascade down and splash on the rocks below. The trees whispered in the breeze around her. It was... peaceful. Nothing to fight, nothing to fear or flee from; just her, the water, and the wind.

She'd woken up early that morning, loped through a couple sections of patrols, and found that she was bored. Just bored. It was such a simple, easy, almost childish feeling to her. She wanted to explore, and instead of analyzing that or battling crippling terror of what would happen if she left the Hallows' land for even a moment, she was actually able to go. It was a miracle.

"Speech"

There were nights that the young girl did not sleep. No matter how hard she shut her eyes, sleep would not come. It seemed that the amount of energy that coursed through her veins would keep her awake. Not that it was a bad thing but when everyone else was sleeping, she got really bored. So it was on that morning when Bramble had decided to sneak out of her parent's quarters that she saw her favorite aunt sneaking out of the castle. Curious as to where dear Tika was off to as Bramble followed her out of the plains, Bramble tried to keep as quiet as possible. She kept her body lowered and would duck into the shadows to avoid being seen. Blind to the fact that Tika probably wanted to be left alone, Bramble was enjoying the game she just came up with. How long could she go before her aunt figured out she was being followed? Finding it hard to hold back giggles as she continued to follow Tika across Auster, Bramble was soon growing tired. Her aunt sure knew how to gain some ground! As the sun rose over the horizon and cast a glittering light over the cascading falls, Bramble peeked out from behind a tree. She watched as Tika sat atop the falls and stared off into nothing. Furrowing her brow ever so slightly she wondered what her aunt was doing out here all alone. Taking these inspecting moments to catch her breath and rest her tired legs, it wasn't long before Bramble was revealing herself. Scrambling up the falls to approach Tika with a broad smile and a wagging tail, Bramble plopped down next to her. "I hope I'm not bothering you Tika! I couldn't sleep and I saw you leave the castle this morning so I thought I'd follow you. That's not weird, is it? Sometimes my siblings don't like being followed. But I get really bored. You know? Gosh, it is pretty here!" The young pup glanced around, admiring the serenity of the falls before turning big teal eyes up to Tika.

Only a few moments after Avantika sat down, a small thing scampered up beside her. Her ears pinned back, but she realized who it was quickly enough to let them rise back to a relaxed position. Just a pup. Bramble, one of her many young nieces, who was wearing a big smile and wagging her tail, and who probably should be sleeping at this hour. She was a growing girl! She needed to get her rest.

But she would not be able to tell Bramble to go home and sleep, since the girl had already begun explaining that she couldn't sleep and that she'd been bored. Stars above, Avantika had to curb this soft spot she had for the kids. Pretty much as soon as Bramble had started talking, she found herself completely unable to stomach the idea of telling her to go away. And so she replied instead, "I don't mind. You can stay here with me for a while if you want." She gazed down the falls once more. "Yes, it's a nice place to sit and think." Fixing her attention back to Bramble, she praised, "You're very sneaky. I didn't know you were there at all."

"Speech"

Stretching her legs and flexing her toes, Bramble let out a big yawn. Even as the morning sun rose along the horizon, the young pup felt more awake than ever. Possibly a little fatigued from her trek through the woods to get here but nonetheless awake. As her mouth closed from the yawn, she let her tail thump quickly against the boulder's smooth surface. The approval from Tika to stay awhile made her more than happy. "Oh thank you, thank you!" She chirped as her mouth widened even further into a happy grin. "I've been working on my stealth lately," Bramble responds with a sure nod of her head. "I can be pretty clumsy. My legs always feel like they get tangled up," she lets out a snort through her nostrils. Being a growing pup sure was hard work! "Why are you all the way out here alone? Just to come to think? Couldn't you do that at the castle?" Her head tilts lightly to the side as she stares up at her aunt. It wasn't that she was trying to be nosy. Puppies just didn't know better.