Nellie loved being a princess in the castle, but what she loved maybe even more was being a princess outside of the castle. Even though she only had permission to go so far in their home territories (and always under the watchful eye of a sibling or a companion), she often liked to pretend that she was somewhere far, far away. "Hi, I'm Nellie, Princess of the Hallows," she whispered the herself as she went. "My mumma is Lady of Cinder and my poppa is Lord of Cinder," Nellie went on, dancing through the undergrowth in Wildberry Grove. "And their names are Briar and Ar - tort - ias!" She blushed hotly, glad none of her siblings were around to hear her mess up her father's name. It was long! And hard to say! Poppa was much easier.

Today she was exploring somewhere new, Wildberry Grove. Gwyn had told them all which berries were safe to eat and which were not, and her mother had made sure to remind her again before she had toddled off from the play group. Nellie wasn't so sure yet about actually eating them - really, they didn't look all that appetizing - but at least she knew which ones were safe. Well, she was pretty sure, anyway! Ionela sang softly to herself as she went bounding through the undergrowth. Winter had cleared up all of a sudden, it seemed like, giving way to a bright and cheery spring. Ember must have been right, it wasn't always that cold, even when the cold had really felt like it had taken forever to get moving. Nellie liked the springtime much more, even if snow was a little fun to play in. She stopped to tug the light cloak back over her shoulders, adjusting where it sat so it would hold a little more snugly as she went. Just because it was spring didn't mean it wasn't a little bit chilly.

The grove was alive with springtime colors and smells. Everywhere she looked was either bright, tender green or muddy earth tones. The soil was surprisingly spongy from all of the recent rain and Nellie got some good giggles out of bouncing back and forth on her toes, testing the ground here and there. Spots with moss were quite a bit springier. Some places, though, were just all together muddy. Nellie avoided those spots as she didn't like to get dirty and picked her cloak up with her mouth so it didn't drag in the wetter grasses and dirt. Like a real princess. Very mindful. Very demure.

A light rain began and Nellie gasped theatrically and pulled her cloak's hood up to protect her ears. Oh, rats! This wasn't very fun at all. She didn't like being uncomfortable in the least, and that expanded to all facets - cold, dirty, hungry... no, she didn't like any of it one bit. But she'd come here for a reason, and she wanted to find some berries to take back to the castle and brag to her siblings about how she gathered them all by herself (okay, who cares if Briar was a shout away?!). Nellie sidled deeper into a grove, taking shelter beneath a stripling tree in full bloom. She tilted her head back and stared between the sparse branches at the drizzle coming down steadily from the cloud cover above. Was it worth calling it quits? Ionela pulled her cloak closer to her chest and hunkered down. Hmm... what would a princess do? Would she just GIVE UP?!

No! Absolutely not!

Steeled by her newfound resolve, she bounded out from beneath the tree and set her eyes and nose on tracking down some berries. Mulberries and blueberries were supposed to just be ripening now, and they were both supposed to be safe and tasty but they looked quite different. Blueberries were very round and mulberries looked like a cone made up of lots of very little berries at once. Mulberries usually grew on bigger bushes and trees, and blueberries grew on little, short stubby bushes. Nellie swished her tail back and forth in excitement, reciting these facts in her head. Just when she was certain she would have to call on her mumma for help, Nellie spotted a healthy young sapling with bright, shiny green leaves that looked promising. With a triumphant chirp, she bounded over and rifled through the lower branches of the tree. There! Little berries that looked like they were made up of even tinier berries! Jackpot!

Ionela opened the small leather satchel she wore around her neck by loosening its ties with her jaws, then carefully selected what she thought was the best few berries. They were all a dark, delicious color and she could see how juicy they were just by carefully plucking them. She added a few leaves to the satchel too, as they might come in handy. Lots of medicines were made of all parts of a plant. Right before she turned to go, Nellie stretched up on her back legs and plucked one fat, juicy berry straight into her waiting mouth. An explosion of sweetness burst on her tongue and her eyes grew wide. "OHMIGOSH... that's... AMAZING!" she shouted to absolutely no one, eating four or five more berries in quick succession. The rest were unripe and she knew from what her sister and mother had taught her that they might give her a tummy ache - and princesses totally didn't get those. Satisfied with her harvest, Nellie made a beeline back for the castle.



"speech"

coding by xarae

Out of the newest bunch of Carpathians, Ioan was one of the lesser exuberant ones. What he did have going for him was his sense of adventure. That yearning to learn more and more every day. Already, the boy was far smarter and wiser than his youth. An old soul in such a young body might not bode well for some, but for Ioan? It fit well.

Spring had broken through the dreary chill. His sister had already scampered off through the plains toward the grove. He had spent the morning examining different flowers within the garden, but there was that itch that kept him looking past the gardens and out toward the grove. What was there? What was Ionela finding?

Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Ioan picked up his pace, headed out across the plains and toward the grove. Crossing the tall grassy plain didn't take super long, but he was rather short so by the time he reached the berry and oak grove, his sister was already heading back home. Disappointment colored his expression, crestfallen gaze looking to Nellie as he lets out a yip for her attention.

"N-Nellie! W-wait. C-can you stay?" Stopping in place, Ioan scuffles his paws against the dirt path. "I kinda w-wanna look at some plants," he admits bashfully, an awkward smile on his tan lips.

Ioan

table coding by bunni ♥

The underbrush was thick this time of year, the path almost swallowed up by the greenery. Nellie glanced around at the lush bushes and trees, taking it all in as she went. She was humming to herself, half-lost in her own Nellie World when Ioan stepped out in front of her on the path back to the castle. "Oh! Ioannn," she sing-sang, jumping up and down in place briefly. "You shocked me!" she said dramatically, circling around him to stand on his other side and re-orient herself back towards the grove. "Duh! 'Course I'll stay, it will be way more fun with you here too! Have you ever eaten a mulberry before? It was, paws down, the BEST thing I've EVER TASTED!!" Ionela scampered ahead a little ways, the hood of her cloak slipping off of her head as she hurried.

Vibrant scents from all of the flowering plants tickled her nose. It was easy to get lost in the grove now that spring was in full, delicious bloom. Everywhere she looked, tender new growth was evident and everything else was shaking off winter's grasp and reaching back towards the sun. Nellie was pretty sure spring was her favorite.


"speech"

coding by xarae

Nellie's sing-song voice brings a smile to Ioan's beige lips. Even tail gives a shy wag as his sister twirls around him and comes to stand at his shoulder. She was always so excitable and fun! The energy she exuded was infectious and Ioan couldn't help but feel his body begin to wiggle a little too. Maybe exploring the plants today would be more enticing than normal now that he had Nellie for company!

His brain was too busy comprehending the energy that he barely registers that she's bounding forward after asking about the mulberries. Brow furrowing, Ioan scrambles after Nellie, easily closing the distance with his longer legs. "M-mulberries? No, I d-don't think I have!" Ioan calls after Nellie, intrigue in his gaze as he lets it sweep over the grove bursting full of fruit and berries. Meanwhile, he's trying to remember if he's learned about mulberries yet. Maybe?

Truthfully, Ioan wanted to collect a bunch of different plants to take back to the infirmary, but he would explore these berries with Nellie first. "Show me, please? I'd l-like to taste them!" Ioan smiles, continuing to trot after his sister who is all smiles and princess fairy energy.

Ioan

table coding by bunni ♥