plant a few root real deep and let 'em grow

Hidden in the grass, Bancha looks around. The hog is content to drink from the stream nearby for now, its nose digging through the muddy bank for minerals and bugs. He is surrounded by vegetation, hardly seen with his creamy colored coat aiding him in camouflage. Off to the right, in a brightly lit area, he sees a brightly colored flower that he believes is called Agrimony. From what he remembers, the buttercup flower is bitter to the taste and one he doesn't want to try ever again. There's also boneset too, those white lacy flowers that prefer the shadier areas near the trees. The pup even notices bunches of marigolds with brightly colored petals, the perfect kind of flowers for dyes and flower crowns! Not only does he see a variety of flowers, but there's different grasses too, bushes aplenty, and a few different types of trees.

When he looks down at his paws, he notices how the soil is soft, easy to sift through, but not too muddy or wet or too dry and crumbly. Well drained by the rolling hills in the area and the winding creek that he nestles nearby. From his hiding spot, he can see how the creek bed is full of different sized river stones, round and smooth. Small fish make their way back and forth, their scales glimmering beneath the water's surface. If he listens closely, he can hear the slither of snakes in the grass, lizards scrambling across rocks, evading the grasp of birds that swoop in from above. As the breeze dies down, revealing a rather stifling heat that he hadn't noticed before, he sees rabbits and gophers peeking out from their own hiding spots. Little furry heads peeking out over the tops of grasses to ensure they were safe to travel.

The breeze picks back up, he's not sure which way though. Clouds shift across the sky, his sea foam green eyes squinting hard as he looks up to the soft blue palette of sky. With the breeze picking back up, his eyes are suddenly drawn back down to the hog he had been watching. Was the animal ready to be his friend? Had it had enough drinking of water and searching for snacks along the creek bed? Bancha peeks over the grass, his senses taking in the scene in front of him. Unfortunately, the lioness is too silent to be heard by his ears, he can only hear the rustle of grass, the flutter of birds, the snort of the pig. His paws feel the ground beneath him, a slight tremble as the hog begins to move back into the grass. Oh, this could be his chance!

Excited to try and make a new friend, the pup's eyes suddenly go wide. Frozen in fear, he leans back into a hunched over sitting position. How had he not noticed the giant cat stalking the pig he had wanted to befriend? His mouth goes dry, chest constricting, heart racing fast as he watches the scent in front of him. One moment the pig is ignorant to the situation, and the next its frightened squeals are filling his ears, drowning out any other noise around him. Yes, he's a wolf. Yes, he knows predators hunt for food, but he had not... expected his day to go like this. Blood flying through the air as the lioness expertly grabs the hog and ends it life within moments. Its frightened squeals coming to a stop. Terrified, but also so angry, Bancha turns his gaze to the lioness as she begins to lick her coat clean. How dare she!

Torn between bravery and fear, Bancha chooses to be brave. Marching over to the feline, as massive as she is, more massive than any wolf he'd ever seen, he comes to stop in front of her. "Miss! I was going to..." he stops, eyes averting over to the dead hog laying nearby. Swallowing hard, he turns to look back at the feline and suddenly all words fail him. Taking a step back, he lowers down onto his belly. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you," Bancha's voice goes quiet as he turns his gaze down to his paws. Hopefully she wouldn't make a snack out of him either.

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