You've Got To Float Before You Learn To Swim

The morning dawned bright and clear, the temperature swiftly warming. The redbuds opened in full bloom, though those in the shadow of Mount Volkan where it was cooler stayed the dark raspberry color before full flowering. But the flowers that caught Aureus' attention the most were the wild dogwoods. Creamy-pink flowering trees quickly caught his attention and Aureus wondered if there was a way he could get a few branches to take back home to his mother. She'd been so busy lately that he wanted to do something nice for her but he wasn't sure what. He didn't have enough knowledge of herbs to be able to help her in that way and his mind often wandered when family conversation turned to religion.

He glanced at Kali then back at the dogwood tree. "Hey Kali, think you can climb up there and chew a few branches off for my mother?" The cat stared at him like he was crazy, his whiskers twitching at the idea of chewing off some tree branches for some flowers that would die quickly anway.

"Are you serious? Why would I want to do that?"

"I was hoping I could take some home to my mom. I think she'd appreciate something pretty like that, even if it only lasts for a few days." Maybe he could find a way to put them in water so they'd last a bit longer. The feline sighed then moved to the tree. He swiftly climbed up it but stayed flush against the trunk. He was a large cat for such a small tree. Sliding onto his belly he moved along one of the lower limbs. Great claws slipped from black velvet paws as he tilted his head and worked off a few small bundles of flowers which he dropped onto the ground for Aureus to get. The youth swiftly bounded over to inspect the flowers. He was enjoying his time exploring Boreas. Now that he was a yearling he was anxious to get out on his own and of course that meant exploring the new continent. He'd heard plenty of stories of the northern continent from his relatives, not to mention a few trips he'd taken as a pup. After the tournament he was curious to see if he could find scents similar to the pack youths he fought, particularly Eurus. He didn't really have any friends that weren't his siblings. Of course he wasn't quite sure what his father might think of him making a mortal friend who wasn't part of the Risen Empire.

Aureus planned to try his luck at the Battlefield but part of him was a bit wary to go. It was one thing to journey to such a place with his family during a tournament, it was quite another to go alone. He knew he'd be risking his safety considerably. Maybe he could talk to Pyrrhic, Flicity, and Eligos and they could all make a trip to the battlefield together.

Kali was about to come down from the tree when he spied a mother mountain lion with a pair of cubs. They must have journeyed down off the mountain but it was strange to see the mother with her cubs. If she was there to hunt to feed her brood that was one thing. The mother paused as she spied Aureus and hissed, her lips exposing in her ivory fangs. Aureus didn't take well to being hissed at by the cat. He took the defensive, grounding himself and setting his defensive. "How dare you hiss at me beast. I've done nothing!" He took a few steps toward the cat, ignoring Kali's warnings. He had no intention of being intimidated.

The mountain lion didn't take to the boys aggressive behavior. The mother exploded towards him and too late Aureus realized his mistake. Mountain lion's tended to be reserved and reclusive and he was so much larger than them he was certain he could bully all but the most desperate. He'd been expecting the cat to take her cubs and flee, not attack him. She crashed into him in a flurry of fangs and flaws and Aureus swiftly retaliated, his jaws sinking into the side of the cat's neck and he pushed forward, flipping her on her back. He tried to work for the cats throat but the pain from the claws kept distracting him. She kicked violently at his stomach and he tumbled off her. Aureus quickly got back to his feet.

Still hissing the mother took a few steps towards him, her fur on end. The cubs had disappeared into the terrain, no doubt hiding and waiting for the threat to be gone. Aureus got to his feet panting. He didn't want to do this right now. If he received nasty wounds he'd have to head back home and from the look of the bleeding on his shoulders that's exactly what he'd have to do. He was furious at the cat but he didn't want to make the situation worse. Kali came up behind him which only seemed to agitate the mother but with a careful nudging of the youths shoulder, Kali turned Aureus away. Aureus got the message and trotted off toward the southern portions of the nook while Kali kept eye contact with the mother to make sure she didn't try and attack them again. When she started to back off so did he and once he was finally satisfied he turned and followed Aureus.