Kina

Kina excitedly headed back toward the den site, her snow white tail waving happily back and forth. She held a square of hide, the four corners clasped between her teeth so she could carry the ball of clay safely to where she wanted to work. She'd gotten it from the 'grumpy' man who turned out not to be so grumpy after all. If she was able to make a decent bowl he agreed to fire it fore her and she'd have her own little clay pot! Kina was eager to get started so she hunted around the clearing til she found a smooth flat stone she could use as a work surface. She carefully laid the hide down and unwrapped her clay ball before rolling it out onto the clay. Ok, she needed to make a bowl shape… yea she could do that. She took her paw and smashed it right into the clay ball to start flattening it out.

Jiro was not a pup that minded his own business. If he wasn't purposefully shoved into doing something intentional, he was off trying to nose his way into someone else's task. Which, unfortunately for Kina, was exactly what he was doing that day. Somehow shirking any lessons or tasks his parents would require of him, Jiro wandered about through the bamboo. His paws pranced high, trying to avoid tripping, but undoubtedly caught every rock that lay in the path. He even hummed a little tune, something similar to what their mother would sing to them at night. Totally lost in thought, not a care in the world.

That is until sweet, little Kina comes into view. He stops, paws digging into the dirt, a cloud of dust rising around him as his head cants to the side. "Kiiiiinnnaaaa," Jiro calls out, his tail wagging excitedly and his lips pulling up into a toothy smile. "Whatcha doin'?" He promptly walks over, hovering over Kina's lump of clay that is positioned on top of rock. Noticing how messy her paws are, he can't help but wiggle a little bit, trying his best not to smoosh his own paws into her project.

Kina

This task was proving a bit more difficult than she anticipated. Kina tried to move her paws in a way that would smooth out the clay into a bowl but it was difficult. Her claws would make marks in the clay where she didn't want them and get her paws to work together to make something round and not… blobby was an art in itself. She sighed, pausing in her work at her brother's call. She looked up and smile politely as Jiro skids into view. "Hi, Jiro. Well, I'm trying to make a clay bowl. What about you? What are you up to? I saw grasshoppers in the bamboo over there." She gestured with a dirty paw to the green stalks of bamboo that rested to her left where she'd seen some of the bugs. She hadn't had much luck catching them but she figured Jiro would be interested.

Kina was so kind and so smart. Just like their mother, at least that's what Jiro thinks as she smiles up at him from her pottery project. He moves to sit, but again, she's too smart and mentions that there were grasshoppers nearby. Those pesky things were always jumping out of the grass and bamboo and smacking him in the face! Ugh!

Jiro turns toward where she pointed and lowers his body to the ground until his belly touches the dirt. His pale eyes scan his surroundings, searching for those hoppy little bastards. In the meantime, he does keep one ear on his sister. She wouldn't get out of him annoying her so easily! "Clay bowl? Whatcha need a clay bowl for?" Jiro questions as he spots one of the grasshoppers. The insect takes a bounding leap from one stalk of bamboo to the next. His lips lift with a little growl in his throat. Waiting for what he thinks is the right moment, Jiro leaps forward with paws outstretched.

As he lands with a thud, his paws seemingly grasp around a grasshopper. When he moves his paws, there's nothing there. "Dammit," Jiro whispers under his breath before turning his attention back to the bamboo to look for more.

Kina

Kina carefully moved her paws, changing the position so that the main paw pad could smooth and shape the bowl without her claws getting in the way. It took some doing but soon she had a pot that was relatively well shaped. Kina pushed the sides up trying to make it a bit deeper as she grinned at Jiro. "I think I'll use it to hide some of the neat rocks and trinkets I find. Aka says they can also be used for tea. I might give this one to him in exchange for a lesson. Not sure yet." It was her first clay bowl so she was a little loathe to part with it. But maybe she could get a lesson and then promise to make one later for the older man. She gave a final polish to the bowl and grinned. Yes, this would do. Now she just needed to let it dry. She turned her attention to her brother, watching as he sprang for one. "They're such a pain! I haven't been able to catch one."

Jiro barely hears the words that come from Kina's mouth. Something about trinkets and lessons from Aka. Eh, she would probably re-explain if he asked. Right now, he was focused on the grasshopper that was always right out of reach. Its beady eyes staring at him as it rubbed its back legs together. Taunting him, begging him to catch it. Leaping forward again, his paws slamming on the ground, he looks and once more, the grasshopper is there! Aha! Jiro lets out a little yip of excitement, his tail wagging furiously as he puts his paws back over the bug. "I did it!" He exclaimed happily to his sister.