The young girl had little concept of boundaries, at least within the Empire itself. The border around the Empire was drilled heavily into her skull, she was not to cross that border without someone with her. However much her parents preferred she had a babysitter she was more than difficult to keep contained. Her tiny charcoal marked form hopped eagerly through the plains, she had to hop to see over the grasses but she wasn’t bothered. She had endless energy and would happily hop across the whole of the territory. Her ivory tail wagged behind her and her tongue flopped around her open mouth. She was one big bundle of joy that could not be contained.

location: tall grass plains

"Moonshine?" Iolaire had been taking a walk when she noticed the little white head popping above the long grass. Moving towards the hopping form, Iolaire peered through the greenery until she could see the tiny speckled pup. "Darling, what are you doing so far from home by yourself?" Her mother had recently killed a wolf-eatng tiger. Sirius had saved one of his minions from a giant bird of prey. Hell, the collie mix would be an ideal snack for a badger, let alone a large predator. It wasn't safe for her out here on her own. "Come along," she motioned for the girl to follow her out of the long grass and onto one of the paths of chopped grass. They were both short and it would do them both well to see where they were going.

Had she known that Iolaire was going to end her adventuring Moon might have continued to hop on her way. The healer’s voice stopped her though and she watched as her face appeared between the blades of grass. ”Hello, Io!” She greeted back, ”I’m adventuring.” She explained simply. She wanted to go go go, but her parents could hardly keep up. Then Iolaire was telling her to come with her. ”But!” She felt like her little heart was breaking. She just wanted to hop through the grass. ”Please don’t take me home.” She certainly wasn’t ready for her adventure to end.

Moonshine seemed dejected at Iolaire pulling her from her fun. She felt bad for it, but wouldn't take her home just yet. "Adventurers need to eat, right? Let's go have some lunch. I'll share my secret stash with you." With a grin, she motioned for the girl to follow.

Iolaire had tamped down the long grass in wide paths, thanks to Ila and a rolling log attached to the back of the wagon. They did it twice a week and it kept the grass flattened. She had the idea to cut it short rather than mash it down, but hadn't quite figured that bit out yet. Either way the paths made traversing the tall grasses much easier.

She led the way to her own stone cottage built into the side of the hill. The curving steppes of her garden were right next door. Motioning to the little pup to follow her inside, Io hooked the skin covering the door to keep it open and allow ample light inside.

Moonshine felt an array of emotions in just a few moments, first she was upset because she certainly didn’t want her play to be interrupted. As Iolaire told her that it was time for a lunch break Moon felt complete relief. She might not have listened very well to Pestilence, but Io was an authority figure even if she did not want to quit her running she would listen to Io. ”Secret stash?” She asked curiously, forgetting completely about her own destinations and was fully focused on Io.

The young puppy pranced along beside the older woman over the cut paths. They weren’t quite as fun as bouncing along in the tall grass but at least they would get to their meal a little faster. They approached the cottage and Moon looked on in wonder. ”Oh look at that.” She faltered at the entrance and stared up, she’d never seen an above ground den before.

The little pup followed her along as they went to the cottage. Moon seemed amazed by it and Iolaire grinned. "It's a lot of work to make something like this, but it's good for the drying plants to be above ground." She shrugged, "Plus it just looks nice." Who else had a cottage? No one. It set her apart and it set the Armada apart as well.

Standing on hind legs, Iolaire took down a bowl carefully between her teeth. Motioning for Moonshine to follow her back outside, she settled herself on a pile of furs that had been placed along the front of the cottage, but over to one side. The small woman placed the bowl between them and it was full of large, fresh strawberries. "These are one of my favorite foods. This batch is particularly sweet." She'd already plucked the stems off of them and had given them a good rinsing before she put them on the shelf. Lifting one from the bowl, she popped it into her mouth and chewed, making a sound of delight as she did so.

The young puppy’s tail wagged excitedly at her hips as Iolaire explained her home to Moonshine. ”Plants!” She exclaimed, her mother also had lots of plants. Moo had little to no interest in the green, sometimes colorful, leafy things. The scent of them should have made her feel like home but she didn’t like how strong smelling her mom’s hers were most times.

She followed Iolaire inside and watched her as she reached up high to grab something off the shelf. Blue eyes were wide with curiosity as Moon was presented the bowl. Moonshine tilted her head, unsure if she was being tricked or not. How could a plant be your favorite food? Plants were medicine and didn’t taste good. ”Hmm…” She peered back at the red berries as Io enjoyed one audibly.

This didn’t seem like a joke, if it was Iolaire was an awful good actress. She peered at Io for only a second longer before reaching forward like a flash and snatching up one of the strawberries. She chewed it awkwardly, not realizing the consistency of the fruit. Red strawberry juices stained her lips. Even so, the taste was unlike anything she had ever eaten. Little blue eyes grew wide as her tail began to wag eagerly again as her maw erupted into a huge grin. ”Mmm!” She returned while rubbing her belly.

The joy on the girl's face brought a bigger grin to Iolaire's own maw. Moonshine rubbed her little puppy belly happily and the little healer laughed. "Please eat your fill. We'll keep this bowl to ourselves, eh?" Io plucked another berry up and popped it into her mouth. She had planned to share these with Roan initially, but it was nice to have a little girl time and so she didn't mind sharing with the pup one bit.

"So, what have you found on your adventures?" Dark ears flicked forward. She was genuinely interested to see how the little pup viewed the world. The world was a fascinating place when you were just starting out. Every corner turned brought something new.