Maki had travelled a lot in her short life, followed her band along as they moved south and had even rested on her Daddy's back when her legs got too tired to move on their own. But the band had skirted around the desert and thus this was the first time she'd ever seen it. The seemingly endless rolling hills of sand stretched on as far as her eyes could see and probably even further than that! She felt like she was looking at a land of infinity, a world that ought to be found in her imagination and not as real as the grainy sand that got stuck between her toe beans. Even though the lake wasn't so far away, it felt really hot too and the sun had only just settled above the horizon. Midday was a few hours away, leaving the girl to wonder just how hot it could get here. What secrets the dunes concealed from the outside looking in?

Being a traveling band was exciting for the young girl, and she deply enjoyed the opportunity to explore even more territories beyond just a fixed settlement; after all, each region they crossed had its own unique share of flora, fauna, and treasures she so eagerly spent her days tracking and searching for. It was truly all she could ask for, and she felt as if she was woven into a family dynamic despite her not being truly blood-related to anyone. Their company was enough to make her feel safe and happy.

And of course, the new little ones made it all the more joyful!

Zoey was thrilled when they were born, and was counting down the days until she and Ulmaria could play with them and act babysitters if Miss Cell, Mister Kuroki, and Miss Cy were busy with other matters. Today was no different,and Zoey had busied herself with finding some strange trinkets and withered plants half-buried in the sand dunes as she noticed a familiar mottled blob in the distance. Squinting through her goggles, she realized it was one of the kiddos, and she was going a bit further than what Zoey considered safe. The young woman paused her excitable inspection of a strange-looking weed to lope towards Maki, grinning and bushy, matted tail wagging behind her as she slowed down to approach the child.

"Hey Maki! I noticed you were wandering a bit far from the band, that can be dangerous!" She said, voice light and not harsh or chastising. Just a nice way of letting the wandering pup know she was maybe a bit off course. She paused, grinning widely as she added, "Maybe you wanna explore together a bit, if you want? But we shouldn’t go any further than we are now, just to be safe!" To be fair, Zoey was also very curious about the dunes that lurched overhead..but if they went any further off, they risked nkt being able to get back, especially with the sweltering heat looming over them as midday approached.

"Speech!"

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Dangerous? As far as Maki knew, danger was something added to a story to make it more interesting but it never actually amounted to anything. The heros never really got hurt nor did anything bad come of said danger. The little pup frowned a little, mismatched brows furrowing as she tried to untangle Zoey's meaning, cause to her, she wasn't making much sense at all. In the end it didn't really matter though, as Zoey was quick to distract the pup with the idea of exploring, even if it was a somewhat tame compared to the sparkly and exciting ideas Maki had forming in her head.

"Hmm. Yeah, les' do it!"She cheered, clearly already distracted and eager to spend time with Zoey. She was in the Band and thus part of the family, all soft fur and a funny thing on her face that somehow suited her real well. "Where's all the grass? Why is it so sandy?" And thus began her string of questions, each one more enthusiastic than the last, as she bounded over to Zoey's side.

Though she hadn't realised it, the sun would indeed be not very nice on her pretty pink skin.