WannaBEE

Spring navigation prompt
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The breeze tussled Hanako's fur as she stood there, nose twitching and ears forward, alert. What was that smell? She'd thought nothing of it at first, as there had been so many immediate sights and smells for her to take in, but as the novelty of her new surroundings wore off curiosity got the better of her. It helped that the scent was a near constant tingle in the back of her nose, sticky and sweet, like it was deliberately trying to get her attention. Her brows furrowed as she looked this way and that, there was nothing her in immediate area that could be the source of the smell. And the fact the smell got a little stronger when the breeze picked up suggested that it came from.... Hanako turned and sniffed again, harder as she dragged in a lung full of air and snuffed it out with a sharp huff of her nose. That way, somewhere to her right. Probably.

It went without saying that she wasn't much of a tracker, or a hunter, or even a fighter. Simply put, she wasn't much of anything really, and thanks to her Keeper's she'd never really been given the chance to try. After all, The Keepers had provided her with everything she could need and had quite firmly told her that her future husband and family would do the same. At times it was a little frustrating knowing that she had next to no skills to her name, but when being coddled was all she knew it never even occurred to her to question it. After all, you didn't ask the sky why it was blue. It just was.

Her weight shifted from paw to paw as she stood there, itching to follow the scent and to see where it took her. She saw no reason not to, after all her Keepers weren't around to stop her, but what if she made a mess of her fur wading through the mangrove waters? It probably didn't seem like a big deal but the white parts of her coat were a royal pain to keep clean, like fighting a losing battle on a daily basis. Hmph, her lips twisted down into a pout. It wasn't everyday that she got a chance to put her senses to good use, so was she really going to pass this up because she was scared of getting dirty?

Not today.

Allowing curiosity to get the better of her she took her first step into the brackish water, then another and another till she was up to her knees. Okay this wasn't so bad. The mud beneath her paws was all kinds of gross and squishy but at least it seemed to hold her weight well enough. She raised her snout once again, scenting the air as she put herself back on track. Okay so if she was right then it, whatever it was, was to her right and somewhere beyond those mangroves. And so she waded on, her pace slow and careful as she meandered around the trees, peeking between the roots and glancing up at the branches as she passed. She was getting closer, the scent growing stronger as her anticipation mounted.

It was then she noticed another clue, tell telltale buzzing of bees. And a lot of them from the sound of it. She paused her in steps, brows drawing as she-rather belatedly- put two and two together. Oh! Hanako would have slapped her forehead if she'd had hands. Okay, now it all made sense! That sweet smell belonged to a beehive, or more pointedly the honey that was hidden within. She tasted honey before, a rare little treat served to her as a guest at palaces and manors, but she'd never actually seen it in the wild, so to speak. Using the honeybees as her guide she pressed on, all the more eager to reach the finishing line.

There were only a few at first, flitting through the air all carefree and light. But as she moved deeper into the woods the sound grew louder, somewhat piercing and shrill as they bunched around the hive, forming a wriggly, squirmy surface. It was...not as pretty as she'd imagined it. Bees on their own were a little cute, fluffy and endearing as long as they didn't sting her. But seeing all those legs and the writhing and the incessant buzzing...Well, Hanako couldn't say that it lived up to her lofty expectations.

Besides, now she'd found the hive she wasn't even sure what to do next. She wouldn't have minded in indulging in a sweet honey snack but how was she to reach it? She doubted the bees would part way for her, no matter how nicely she asked, so what? She didn't like the idea of putting her face anywhere near all those thousands of stingers either so perhaps it was due time to throw in the towel. She'd had her fun and like all good things it had come to an end.


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