It had taken weeks to find the perfect little hillock in the ravine. More of an odd outcropping of sod and stone set into the side of the ravine, loosely surrounded by a thicket of tangled undergrowth and mossy trees. He'd been devoting most of the daylight hours for the past week or so to digging out the pebble riddled soil from beneath the thick layer of rootbound soil that would form the ceiling of his den. His claws looked like absolute hell, and his paws were covered in old wounds from sharp stones or errant twigs ripping into him while he hollowed the space out. It was still a work in progress, but he'd been able to stay the night in his own den. You know what that means! Time to get the garden started. His wispy tail wagged idly behind him while he paced around in circles within the little clearing, planning out where he wanted his plants to go for the season. He was hoping for a few useful herbs to be at hand, and even a few edible varieties for his incoming collection of creatures. A few harvested plants were trussed up like holiday hams outside the den, having been kept hostage overnight while he slept. Once he had a vague idea of where he wanted to put everything, he wandered over to his plants to inspect them. There were some dying leaves, and a few of them were quite wilted, but he trusted himself to bring them back to good shape. "Nimbus" raindrops by sqdpxl

She had at last, come back home after a few weeks of running about and exploring everywhere her little legs could take her now that she wasn't "locked" to the island! She had been terrified of swimming to the mainland for fear of the sea drowning her. Too small to take the raft on her own. Too prideful and embarrassed to ask anyone to help her get across. But now none of that mattered since they had moved to the mainland, and she took every opportunity she could!

The pastel splotched girl scurried around the top of the ravine, looking down into the scarred land and over the horizon (or what little of it she could see, she was pretty short after all). The earthy smell was welcomed, vastly different than the salty sea air she had been used to. Yes, she much preferred this! She draped herself over the ledge, careful not to fall this time like she had the first time she had gotten too excited and hadn't paid attention to where she was going. The earth was soft beneath her small bodice, the dappled sun on her back as it streamed through the gaps of the leaves that dangled above her.

She had yet to claim a den of her own, unsure of where she wanted to have it, but she was content with sleeping outside beneath the stars for now. Sighing with contentment, she considered taking a bit of a nap since it was such a pleasant day, but then she heard something that sounded like digging, then the smell of herbs, and she got up and moved, weaving between and under roots in search of the source until she spotted her brother Nimbus in the Ravine not far below her. "Hey Nimbus! What'cha doin?"

"Speech"

Yet more digging, it was endless. All in the name of his own comfort. He was planning to mix some of the dirt he'd amassed from the deeper portions of the den site with whatever he tilled while gardening today, to get a good mix of nutrients for his new plants. Once there was a decently sized hollow in the earth on the far side of the clearing, the young male ambled back to the mouth of his den to collect his first transplant. With a bundle of alfalfa carefully cradled in the crook of one foreleg, he absolutely missed Navis' approach. She was so small, she hardly displaced the terrain around her when she moved. So naturally, he jumped a little when she called out to him in greeting. Dropped the alfalfa, too. "Fucking hell, Nav!" he yelped, shaking the tension out of his muscles as he retrieved the plant. "Well, I was getting the new garden set up, but now I might be dying of a heart attack." he quipped, his expression sour- all the while his tail was wagging happily. The little guy was probably allergic to being ornery, honestly. After a beat, he flashed a goofy grin her way. "Did you wanna help me get these transplants taken care of? Or you can just hang out, I don't mind." with the invitation extended, he resumed his little tasks. Settling the twine bound alfalfa plant into the hole he'd dug, the mottled grey male started shoving dirt into the space between the edge of the hole and the root bundle. He wanted to pack it in a little bit to hold the plant steady while he went back to get some of the extra dirt from beside the den. "Nimbus" raindrops by sqdpxl

Oopsie! She hadn't meant to scare him or sneak up on him, but honestly, she couldn't help it! She was so tiny that she barely made a sound when she walked! Honestly, a little bell system was probably necessary for her, but then she wouldn't be able to sneak up on prey and that would be no fun. "Sorry Nim, I didn't mean to scare ya!" She half slid, half scrambled down the rest of the way until she landed on the soft ground, rustling the shrubs on her way down and crackling the fall leaves as she landed.

She had to admit, it was nice here with the autumn colors! She wondered how the mainland fared in the Winter season as opposed to the island. She approached her brother with a grin as he asked if she wanted to help or hang out. "I'll help!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, tail wagging her heart out as she picked up a bundle and followed him. She watched him work for a moment before she dug her own little hole and stuck the plant in, carefully pushing soft soil around the roots to hold it in place. She had to admit, this was relaxing. She had pleasant surroundings, good company, and a nice, gentle breeze rolling over her back.

"Speech"

He stuck his tongue out at his diminutive sister when she apologized for scaring him, features scrunched up and tail wagging. Once the alfalfa was secured in the earth, he quickly backtracked to the den to shove some freshly overturned dirt into a wooden bowl. It was a bit of a hassle to go back and forth, but at least he was getting a decent workout. The young man's pink pawpads were stained brown-black with loamy soil by the time he was packing the last of the soil into the hollow around the alfalfa sprouts. "I haven't seen too much of you lately," he chirped as he peered over her shoulder to examine her progress. Not bad. In the back of his mind, the yearling was already plotting out a little experiment. He'd keep an eye on which patches he'd planted, and the ones his sister had planted. If hers thrived more than his, he wouldn't bother transplanting future seedlings with underground-harvested earth. "what have you been up to?" Nim asked as he ambled over to collect another of his purloined transplants. After a moment of deliberation, he selected a wormwood cluster. He wanted to have some handy for when the insects were back in full force once spring was upon them. "Nimbus" raindrops by sqdpxl