Sunbeam Lair Romance and stars, where you are

For my leaf child~! @Shiori

It was with the rising sun that the dragoness had awoken, greeting the new day right at its beginning. Away from the cluster of small bodies had she pulled herself, stepping over each of them carefully as she made her way out of the den. In the open, she’d stretched, warming up her muscles and preparing her body for the day. There was plenty to be done, but she’d not taken off immediately. Recalling her youngest daughter’s interest in the leaves, she’d peeked back into the den and sought her out. Located, the hatchling was then nudged away, her mother’s touch remaining gentle the entire time. Should the girl wake, she’d be motioned to follow—as well as avoid stepping all over her sisters—Asterr out into the open, where they would begin their days together. Since the child had displayed an interest in nature, she would be both shown and and taught more about it. Just as soon as she awoke and did her morning stretches with the chieftess, that is.

A nudge woke the little dragon, who had been sleeping peacefully, tucked up between her sisters and her father. She let out a soft cry, then a yawn, and blinked owlishly up at her mother. After an inquisitive little sound, Shiori stood and followed her mother obediently. Though she still blinked away the vestiges of sleep, Shiori thought that she had been called out to learn more, and followed eagerly. She emerged from the den and plopped down, yawning widely before looking to her mother.

Woof Yoga 101 w/ Asterr

As the child emerged from the confines of the den, it was wondered upon whether or not she should have waited until later. The hatchlings were still growing, and so they deserved as well as needed as much sleep as nature would allow them to have. Yet the cycle of consciousness and unconsciousness had been disturbed by the eager mother, a potential mistake that she would later apologize for. Presently, however, the stone had already been cast, and there existed no possible way in which she might be able to turn back time. Left with a single option, she’d moved forward through the moment, focusing on the why behind the child having been awoken.

Given that there would likely be plenty of walking to do throughout the day, Asterr approached and nudged her daughter’s side, encouraging her to stand. There was a purpose behind her actions, the desire to warm up their muscles ahead of time so that they might not injure themselves later. Should she stand, the chieftess would retreat a few steps and then drop her lower half, positioning herself in a way similar to how one might when issuing an invitation to play. There was a clear difference, though, as she’d used the form to then stretch out her body, rather than bounding forward to partake in childish antics. “You must awaken your body, just as you have your mind,” she instructed, straightening herself out and then pushing her back legs out behind her. “Once you have done so, we may begin walking.” They would move towards various plants, and each stop made would come with a lesson for Shiori.

Though sleep clung to her doggedly, Shiori did not mind being woken, as she was already excited to get to spend time with her mother. Perhaps her mother would teach her more about leaves! Shiori had retained little from their first lesson, just that the leaf she had found (which she now visited often) was called a Broadleaf Plantain (words she couldn't quite pronounce, though she was working on it) and was good. That she might learn more was thrilling, and she was glad that she wasn't asleep.

Ever the astute student, Shiori did as her mother showed her. Up she rose, then she stretched clumsily, doing her best to mimic her mother's movements. Okay, kachan, she said in response. And she bowed low, savoring the slight stretch to her muscles before looking to see what was next.

The instructions were followed, the girl praised for having done so, and then off they went. Asterr moved slow enough for Shiori to remain at her side, but said few words as they walked along. She knew exactly where she was going, as well as what she wished to show the young dragoness, but shared none of that information. It was due to a combination of wanting to surprise her and wanting to see where her imagination took her that had kept the mother quiet. Whenever she did say something it was nothing more than small talk—little things, such as asking if she was excited or where she thought they might be going. All the while, she herself was rather excited, unable to wait to see how today’s leaf of choice might be reacted towards.

When their short journey had drawn to a close, it was before a collection of strong-smelling plants that they stood. The leaves appeared to be sharp, their edges lined by misleading points. Truthfully, they were soft to the touch, despite what their disguise might suggest. The flowers that it grew were small and bluish in colour, but they were given little attention from Asterr since they were not the subject of the lesson. Carefully, she’d plucked a leaf and laid it down in front of the hatchling, giving her an opportunity to investigate it. “This is wild mint,” she’d lead with—right before sliding into, “You may eat it if you would like to.” Some didn’t like the taste, whilst others did, but there was no way of telling which category a wolf might fall into. All one could do was let them try a leaf, then wait to see what happens afterwards.

The little dragon followed doggedly, every so often hopping as she tried to jump to where each of her mother's paws fell as she walked, tracing her mother's steps as well as she could. When she tired of that she followed beside Asterr, babbling inanely, but happily. She was all-consumingly excited by this outing, and her best outlet for that excitement was her limited vocabulary as she told her mother all about when she and Kaori played with a stick.

Finally they came to their destination, some new plant that Shiori had never seen before. It's little blue flowers caught her attention first, drawing a gasp of delight before she focused on what Asterr had to show. It seemed the flowers, though lovely, were not the focus of this lesson. So Shiori turned her attention to the leaves, which had a wicked edge to them, but seemed otherwise harmless. With total trust in her mother, Shiori nipped at one of the leaves, jerking her head to tear one off. She chewed contemplatively, then hummed in delight at the cool sensation of it in her mouth. Mint, she repeated. What do? She remembered that the goal was to learn what different plants were and what they did, though she didn't understand the latter in any form other than the abstract.

The reaction to the mint leaf wasn’t a bad one, which was good. They couldn’t be used for a whole lot, but it was still nice to know that, should it ever be needed, she’d not have to force it into the girl’s mouth; doing so most likely wouldn’t have been necessary, anyways, given that there were plenty of plants that could have the same results as mint. Still, she’d smiled, happy with the outcome witnessed. It was for the best, anyways, that each of the girls get used to as many peculiar flavours as was possible, for many herbs didn’t exactly taste the greatest. Many were bitter, which made the current leaf of choice a pleasant surprise.

With the leaf tried, she was prompted to continue the lesson. What were mint leaves capable, exactly? Well… “The leaves can soothe toothaches,” she began. “If ever something has happened that makes one of your teeth hurt, these leaves may be able to help take the pain away.” Assuming that it was an actual toothache, of course, and not something different. If one of her teeth were to break, the mint wouldn’t be able to fix that. “They can also help with easing your stomach, if ever you are feeling sick,” Asterr continued. There were a few others uses, but she felt as if two were enough to be taught for the time being. Things had to be taken slow, that way her mind would not be overwhelmed.

Shiori smiled, listening patiently as her mother spoke. Whether or not she would retain any of the information presented was irrelevant, she was fascinated that such a little thing could make you feel better. However, Shiori had no idea what a toothache really was, considering she had never had one. Context helped, of course, and she nodded eagerly. Mint tasted good and was a helpful plant. She could at least remember that. More? she asked, keen on learning about morew new plants.

For as much as the girl wanted to learn, Asterr wished to teach her. Never had she been presented with an opportunity to teach the young of her place of birth prior to leaving, so to do so now was exciting. There were times when she wondered if she was acting as a teacher was meant to, as well as if the elders of the tribe would have praised her methods, but more often than not she left her memories of the past alone. Each member of her family was someone whose life she cherished, but that didn’t mean that she had to constantly look to her own lessons from them in order to show that. Those of the tribe had remained back with the family, whilst she was there and watching over her own. As long as she focused on the necessary topics, and stayed true to her roots, she believed that any method her mind might concoct would work well enough.

Prompted by Shiori’s interest, the dragoness turned her head one way, and then the other, scanning her surroundings. Finding different sorts of plants had never been a difficult task for her, but finding ones that were child-friendly had proven to be somewhat problematic. The longer she thought, the less she found—and then something came to mind, which had made her smile and motion for the girl to follow. Her steps were slow, allowing for the child to keep up, as she made her way towards an area where the sunlight could touch the ground. The opening in the ceiling overhead was larger than many, allowing for so much of the sun’s glow to reach the ground that the soil had become far drier than the shaded areas surrounding it. There, within the parched dirt, grew tall flowers with sizable centers and purple petals. Looking them over, she’d selected a single one and plucked it from the ground, then laid it before the hatchling so that she could inspect it.

“Purple coneflower,” the mother noted, nodding towards the plant. “This one can be used in many ways, such as for wounds or bug bites—snake bites, too, though I hope you will never encounter one of those.” A snake’s venom was a terrible thing, capable of delivering an agonizing death. “You must be careful when handling this, just as you should with every other plant. If you use this on someone that is allergic, they could very well perish.” Death was not a topic that she touched on often, but she’d done so then as a precaution. Shiori was still learning, having yet to even be shown the Chieftess’ herbal cache, and so every warning that should be given would be.

She hardly needed the invitation to follow, for as soon as Asterr began to walk, Shiori sprung into motion, gamboling at her side. Yet when they reached their next subject, the little hatchling was quick to settle down, slipping back into a more studious mood. This new plant came in plenty, and Shiori longed to dive into the cluster of purple flowers, but there would be time for that later. Besides, her mother came back with one, and when it was placed before her, she stood to inspect it. A few careful sniffs later she looked up to her mother, sitting back down to listen to the explanation. Sneak? Allergic? she asked, cocking her head to the side in hopes of an explanation.

As the child inspected the flower, her actions were observed, just as Asterr always did. Never did she lack curiosity when it came to her children, and especially now that one had started to show an interest in plants. She wished to watch and see how each flower was reacted to, as well as how the knowledge obtained now might be used in the future. Excitement filled her breast as questions were asked, both of which possessing only a single word. Understanding what she wanted to know, the mother started with the snake, whose company she still hoped might never be shared with her daughters. “A snake is a long creature with terrible fangs,” she began, following it up with, “They do not have any legs, but instead move by wiggling across the ground. If you see one, you must get away from it—it takes but one of their bites to kill you.” How they had developed into such deadly creatures, she knew not, nor did she wish to get close enough to question one.

The second topic was a little less intense, for not all allergies could lead to death. “Allergies are not as bad as a snake, but you must still be careful of them,” said the dragoness. “They do not have a body, but they can still hurt someone. If you give someone a herb that they are allergic to, it could kill them, just as the snake does. It will not always happen, but you must be cautious anyways.” As far as she knew, there existed no way to prevent someone from having an allergic reaction to something. It was another scenario that she hoped Shiori would never have to go through, believing that being responsible for the death of another would be far too much for her to bear.

As the lesson was drawn to a close, and it seemed as if the girl had no more questions to ask, Asterr smiled and began leading her back to the den. Once there, the mother-daughter duo would rest together, their lessons to be continued at a later time.