Lost Creek Hollow Framed! Art joke. Continue.

outside the den doing some exploring and stuff! come play.

childhood had sure been kind to aengus. he had been able to grow into a sturdy young boy with a penchant for taking things way too far before realizing that he might have been causing trouble. his mother was doting enough on him and his siblings that he never really felt as though he needed anything beyond what they had all given him. sure, he would have liked some more attention so that he could rub it in sionnach’s face that he was obviously the favorite, but he could prove that point without trying too hard anyway.
 
morning light had struck through the den mouth and lured the little bull out into the open. he peered upward with sleepy eyes before lowering his head and sniffing the ground outside their home. already, he had started to take on the shape and size of his father. it was evident that the boy would grow into a massive beast of a creature. he still carried much of his puppy fat, but that just meant that he had ammunition to use against his sister.
 
with a few quick sniffs, aengus trotted several paces away from the mouth of the den and toward a group of interesting trees.

Ashlar was continuing to grow and learn.  He was not yet near his full size, but his vocabulary grew by the day, as did his understanding of the things and places around him.

His childlike curiosity and enthusiasm remained.  Today he was looking for a playmate and, as if by magic, Aengus was there!

Ashlar bounded up to the younger boy and crowed his delight enthusiastically.  Aeng!!  Dyou wanna, hum, go n catch frogs n stuff?  He wriggled with hopeful glee.  If Aengus said yes then they could go to the edge and "catch frogs".  There were no frogs here, and Ashlar knew better than to try and go to the stream by himself.  But that did not mean he could not pretend.

the sound of ashlar’s voice was one that caused the boy’s rear end to wag wildly. he moved with such force that it was an easy feat for him to spin around and plop down onto his rear as if that was what he had planned all along. his boyish features were stretched into a wide smile as his friend plodded toward him on longer limbs than aengus had initially remembered. he wondered if he looked all that different to ashlar, or if he hadn’t changed all that much. trying not to get sidetracked by his own thoughts, the bull rose back up to his paws and bounced twice with an excited nod.
 
“yeah, ash! lesse who can catch the most!” aengus encouraged in a loud voice. it would do them both well to practice their budding hunting skills so that they could prove just how close they were to being able to going out with the other adults. surely, ashlar had to have been itching to tag along on his first real hunt too. it was mostly all that aengus could think about. he knew that he was still a bit too young, but he was going to be damned if he didn’t at least try to prove himself.

Ashlar hadn't actually thought much about hunting.  He wasn't very interested in the idea of catching things and instead was more taken with the concept of finding things.  He couldn't imagine actually doing something like what mama had done in the river.

Yeahhhh!!! Ashlar crowed excitedly and spun in a small circle as happily Aengus agreed to his suggestion! It was such a good idea and he couldn't wait to get started!

Where d'you wanna look?  He might have been excited, but when faced with the prospect of actually leading this parade he balked.  He didn't know where Aengus was even allowed to go and Liffey frightened him.

they were certainly too young to really be capable of catching many things other than bugs or half-dead creatures that were on their last legs. aengus was still thrilled with the idea of going on an excursion with ashlar and finding something that he could try to wrestle with. what better thing could they have possibly done together? the young frostfur knew that he’d have never gotten his sister to do anything of the sort. that was why ashlar was his best bud.
 
“let’s go over here!” aengus cheered and jetted off in the direction that spoke to him. his stubby legs did not move very fast, and he wobbled a bit as he attempted to sprint, but he was still able to keep a decent enough pace. only a few seconds into their harrowing journey and aengus’ tongue was lolling from the corner of his mouth.
 
there was a small stream that ran through the area. aengus could hear the water trickling, and he imagined that there would be frogs everywhere in the water. he knew that they were slippery, and he couldn’t think of how else they’d get that way aside from getting super wet. “maybe here, ash!” aengus called to his friend, slowing to a plodding trot.