Blacktail Deer Plateau I don't wanna end up like Sonny Bobo.

fambly?? @Arielle @Akavir @Ibis

So BORRREEEEEEEEEED.

Lilitu was so bored. Days and nights and more days and more nights had gone by since they'd come to this plateau, and while wolves came and went, it was mostly just the four of them. She didn't even know what this place was called. Did they have any packmates like in the valley? Were there other kids?

Ariellllllle, she whined aloud, prodding a wayward grass spider. It recoiled at her touch, skittering away, and she instinctively reached forward and smacked it—oops. Maybe too hard. It wasn't moving. . . Come look at this, she called out, grimacing.

Wait—no! It moved a little, obviously stunned by her blow. Lilitu watched it carefully, making sure it didn't wander too far before someone could look at her newest little treasure.

Arielle didn't much like this place either, although she was happy to have her mother and sister back with them. Before, she hadn't been sure she would ever see them again, and it had been a very sad time. So, as she had been clingy with papa when it was just the two of them, she was also now just as clingy with Lilitu and mama. She was never very far away from either and when she heard her sister call out to her, she happily crashed through the grass to find her.

When she saw what Lilitu was playing with, she scrunched up her face. Ewww, a spider, she whined. Don't play with it; it might bite you and make you sick. She wasn't aware that not all spiders would hurt you like that, but even if she was, she probably wouldn't risk it.

How do you know? asked Lilitu in response to her sister's warning. Her voice wasn't all that sassy, just curious. Did a spider bite you? And if so, why hadn't she heard about it?! It must have been when she had been away traveling with Mama.

She observed the spider now hobbling away; it had three legs on one side and four on the other. Hmm, that was strange. Perhaps she had accidentally taken one away. Feeling a bit guilty, she prodded it more gently, sending it into the tall grass. Some other predator could have its way with it.

Lilitu sat back with a huff, craning her neck to look at Arielle while she awaited her sister's great arachnid wisdom.

Arielle looked around a little sheepishly when her sister questioned her knowledge. Um no, not a spider, she admitted. Some other black bug. But the spider looked gross and she didn't want to be forced to interact with it just because she wanted to spend time with her sister. I think all bugs bite, she added, although this was just her assumption; she had no real proof. They should just stay away from all bugs.

They're all gross anyway, Arielle pointed out. Let's look for flowers instead. She wagged her tail and smiled. Flowers are pretty and smell nice, and they're not gross like bugs. There was no arguing that logic, she thought.

Hmmm, Lilitu said dubiously as Arielle voiced her opinions on bugs. It wasn't that she didn't believe her sister, more that the blanket assumption sort of quashed her exploration of the world and all its creepy-crawlies. Still, she couldn't deny that flowers were prettier than insects.

That being said, they were in short supply, lately. Have you seen any pretty ones? All the ones I've seen are all wrinkly and brown, she pouted, frowning deeply. Gone were the vibrant hues of late summer, of even the golds and reds of the season's change. Everything seemed so drab.

But maybe it was just the plateau. God, she hated it here!