Dragoncrest Cliffs Mind my wicked words and tipsy topsy slurs

Sobo was getting bigger. Not only that, but he was getting braver, too. Not when it came to strangers, mind, but in the ways that mattered. Instead of crying and seeking comfort the moment he banged his paw against a stone or tripped and fell on his face, he made an effort to act like it didn't even hurt. Instead of running to his parents when something unappealing happened, Sobo was beginning to problem solve all on his own.

These little sparks of independence were fleeting, however. There were still many things the little loa did not know. In the late afternoon, while lounging by the lake, he was stung on the wrist by a wasp. He did not see his assailant nor truly understand the pain, but he did as he always did lately, and tried to ignore it. Only, it was impossible to ignore the way his paw swelled up, and that was what brought him hobbling back to the roja den.

Manmi? he called tremulously, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of @Erzulie. Rosalyn would have done for comfort, and he desperately wanted that, but Sobo was getting to be a big boy now. He needed to solve big boy problems without maman's kisses, like the wasp sting, and to do that, he needed info, not snuggles.

erzulie had just shoved a pile of debris from the den's furthest corners when sobo returned with a wavering voice and a call for her. the woman wiped a dusty fore-ankle across her forehead and closed the distance between she and the little prince at once.
she searched sobo for what had brought him back from play, and found his swollen paw. "kote ou tap jwe?" she asked, wanting to avoid it for the rest of them.
she smoothed her son's ears with a tuck of her muzzle.
the water ran close to the edge of their den. the obsidian walked a short ways, eventually using her muzzle to cut a furrow in the cool earth of its bank, closest to the water.
she returned to sobo with her nose and its bridge encrusted, and rubbed her muzzle sidelong against his affected paw so that its majority fell piled upon his flesh.
there were many things that could strike and kill. she did not think it was many of those, for sobo would not be with her now if so. "èske ou santi souf kout?" the obsidian asked all the same, watching her son closely to see if his eyes had dilated or his belly soured.

When she emerged dusty and weary from den work, Sobo thought Erzulie might be upset with him. His mothers both always had a lot going on; the last thing they needed was their children being unruly and causing problems. Sobo did his best, but he was cursed with boyhood, and there were few boys who made it out of childhood without one or two big upsets.

Nan Glintwater, he answered, meeting the touch of her muzzle with a crooning growl that sought some comfort after all. He was a big boy, but big boys still enjoyed their mama’s touch, okay?! Mwen pa konnen sa ki te pase.

Erzulie must have some idea, for she left to the riverside and returned promptly with her muzzle caked in mud. This, she smeared over his swelled paw, eliciting a confused giggle. Degoutan! He wanted to shake it off, but refrained when Erzulie asked her next question. Sobo vigorously shook his head, then brandished his paw and asked, Pou kisa sa ye?

glintwater. she would make a note of that. "nsèk anpil gen yon pike." the obsidian noted the size of his paw now. "ou ka di ke lè gen yon doulè byen file ak lè sa a, yon anflamasyon."
erzulie sniffed closer, satisfied that her poultice had begun to set. "lè gen yon pike, pafwa li kite andedan po an."
"se konsa, lè labou a sèch, nou pral kale li koupe, espere rale soti stenje a."
it felt well and good to teach. erzulie sought sobo's eyes, looking to see if they questioned anything she had told him.

O wi! exclaimed Sobo with a soft gasp. Mwen te santi yon zongle!

He goggled down at his paw with a thrill of irrational fear. It was a bug that did this? By now, everyone who knew him knew Sobo was no fan of insects. Most of them were downright terrifying to him, especially spiders. Whatever gods had constructed spiders were clearly sick-minded, for there could be little redeeming about a creature with eight spindly legs that spun silk contraptions over paths where innocently passing wolves were sure to catch a mouthful. Sobo didn't think they had stingers, though.

While they waited for the mud to dry, Sobo swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn't stand bugs! Sa ki te li? he asked his mother, wanting to know what to avoid in the future. All bugs, surely, but he needed specifics on this one.

"petèt yon gèp," the obsidian suggested. "yo se bèt anbarasan, nwa ak jòn."
but erzulie did not want sobo to fear the world around him, or grow resentful of its creatures. "mwen di anbarasan paske yo jwi li," she sniffed, "men kèk ensèk pike mouri apre."
"tankou myèl. myèl yo bon. yo ede bagay yo grandi," erzulie went on, considering the sky for a moment.
"men si ou twò pre ruch yo, yo tout pral pike ou nan yon fwa!"

If only it could be as simple as Sobo fearing only wasps and not all manner of insects! Alas, the boy was predisposed to a hatred of all things creepy and crawly, and it would prove much too difficult for him to separate a bee from a wasp in the future. Helpful pollinators and meddlesome carnivores alike would receive the boy’s stink-eye and a wide, wide berth.

At least it wasn’t a spider.

Mwen pa renmen pinèz, said Sobo with a disgusted shudder. Even if a sting was easy to treat with mud, he would prefer never to experience it again. Now that he knew what caused it, the pain in his paw felt a hundred times worse. Hoisting it up so his mother could inspect it, Sobo asked, Èske li sèk ase?

"li sèk," she said when sobo lifted his paw. the obsidian tossed her breath over the mud a series of times and then nodded at him. "mwen vle ou manje yon bagay epi kouche."
it had been a long and daring day for her boy. in the evening, he would be let out again to run with his siblings until nightfall came.
the cooler air seemed to dispel the stinging insects.
she kissed his forehead. "lè ou reveye, nou pral ale chache ze lanmè."

Wi, manman, said Sobo as he was shepherded back to the den. He was most interested in peeling off the mud to see the sting underneath, but he was also tired. Erzulie’s suggestion of a nap was perfect. When they arrived home, he curled up and fell asleep without realizing his leg was still covered in dried mud and they had never peeled it off at all.