The child was focused. One of his parent’s companions was nearby, keeping an eye on him as the boy crept back to the land where the meeting had been held. Outou-chan and his papa hadn’t been happy that he’d tried to go toward the water, not that Shochu would have been foolish enough to get too close. It was moving fast, and observing leaves or sticks that were in it moving quickly and crashing into the rocks was enough for the boy to figure out if he fell in he’d ALSO be moving fast and hitting rocks. Nu-uh, no thank you! So instead of an impromptu swimming lesson or dying, probably, the boy turned back towards the land and stalked across the grass until movement caught his attention. He hunkered down, ears perked forward and eyes wide as he watched a young rabbit nibbling on some of the fresh flora.
Shochu didn’t know many things yet, but that looked like food to him. He had found fascination in the meat Outou-chan brought them, and he found he really liked deer. Would he like this one too? But… how did he get it without it running away? It hopped forward with its big feet, moving towards another clump of grass, this one with a couple dandelions, and Shochu let out a soft gasp. Why did it move like that? He was so fascinated by the rabbit he hadn’t heard anyone else approach, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Kotori spoke to him.
Despite hopping back, the small boy looked up at the leader with bright eyes. He was supposed to be respectful, right? He frowned a little. “Hello Kotori. Um…” He turned his head, seeing that the rabbit thankfully hadn’t been spooked like he had. He kept his voice quiet, excitement slipping back into it when he spoke. “I was watching that. Outou-chan always brings back tasty food to our den, but I’ve never seen him bring one of those back. I wanted to know what it tastes like, but I’m not sure how to get it before it tries to run away.” But… Kotori would, right? He should, since he was an adult.
His eyes lit up and his tail began to wag as he looked back at the leader. “But you’d know! How do I get it?” He was so excited he almost forgot to keep his voice down.
"Speech," 'Thoughts.'
