Lion Head Mesa dreams of the world

tavina oft brought with her lovely things that enchanted the young toula. they were a grand distraction, and had done well to keep her and her most-adored mirror image occupied. all that she knew to desire, toula had. she was truly happy. what more could there be to life than this?
nothing, surely. lavished as she was, and loved, toula thought this the right answer.
but the day prior, as tavina had entered, the light from beyond danced around her and the dust motes spun in pretty circles that for the first time caused her gaze not to follow the sesh to where she moved to. toula saw, then, that there was something uncharted. 
that night, she dreamt of the light. it was warm, as her mother and her brother were. so when she woke, toula rose. she was steadier on her feet, now, but slow in her uncertainty. toula let out a little mewl that @treva always answered, with a reassuring touch or a kiss. toula did not go into the great beyond, not yet... she settled near the entrance, but made no move to go outside.
she remembered firstlight. it brought her into this world, and her brother too. it had been good, to go toward it, but it had brought a momentous change. and this light brought goodly things, like tavina and her gifts. toula did not know fear, only a great and mounting curiosity.

she had figured, from the moment they had started toddling, they might be planning a great escape. this was punctuated by the way toula seemed to find the den's light. the soft mewl of her daughter a great summoning sound.

she would nudge along @Sethnakht before she rose. striding carefully to sit beside her daughter at the mouth of the den, leaving room for her son too if he came along. admittedly she poured very much of her focus into toula, but that did not mean she neglected one for the other. far from it. they were her everything and gave them everything in turn.

do you want to see it already?

in but a few days the world of the little family confined to the mazoi den would expand. perhaps it was best to introduce the concept of change now.

toula looked to see her mother come to her, and a little note for her brother sounded then, too. she was happiest when they three were all together. toula was never without him for very long. but her mother was then behind her, tall and mighty and wonderful. her seeing was better now, and toula found her mother very striking.
she liked the way that her mother sat. it was slow, and pretty, and toula made to move the same way... though her hinds had not the strength her mother did, and the way she fell upon her hindquarters was with far less ceremony despite the effort. still, toula felt she had done rather well, and beamed up at her mother. her attentions had shifted, and as her mother spoke toula was distracted again, now by her lovely sounds.
ooooooo, toula dragged the note out, eeee... she turned her head, distracted a third time by the light beyond. toula rose and turned to face outside, letting out a sharp bark to meet the world with. her mother behind her, and her brother near, toula was emboldened. should her mother not stop her, toula would gather herself before taking her first step into the beyond.

she wondered how much their father might care to be here for a sight like this.

was he busy, she wondered. preparations underway that she had stayed hidden in the dark for, the final days of mourning. some part of her wondered if he might find some sort of comfort in this sight. the healthy development of a new daughter and son.

she let out a soft sound for @Ramesses — by no means a demand, but an open invitation.

toula seemed steady, ready to emerge into the sun. treva made sure her brother followed along with a gentle herding of him.

perhaps you'll have visitors.

some part of her hated the idea.

dad and brother welcome at any time!

the minute that she was out, the light became harsh. toula squinted against it, before blinking many times. she looked up to her mother, her own expression comical as she wondered if her mother needed to do the same. but then, her eyes grew used to the change, and her blinks slowed to their normal rate. her mother made a sound, then, and toula turned to make a similar sound. it was higher in pitch, and not nearly so long, as she sang in three high notes for ramesses without knowing. it caused her weight to rock, and her ears fanned back as she looked at her mother.
despite having entered the outside world, she did not yet look upon it. her eyes next were for her brother, her mirror image, who she pressed her nose against. her mother spoke again, and toula babbled back, matching only her intonations.

that video <333

treva had not spent a horrible amount of time outside lately. too content to confine herself into the den with her babes, stepping away only for quick private meals or some other necessary functions.

the sun did not sting her eyes as harshly as her daughter's, but she found it awfully bright all the same. blinked softly before she took a few more steps forward. the sound of her daughter warmed her features considerably. they seemed to grow in such quick bursts. one day stuck to her side, the next out of the den.

you world will keep growing in the coming days, you two. she hummed and moved to run a nose once over toula and one over sethnakht. you'll still have me and tavina whenever you need, but you're likely to see lots of new faces too.

she knew they did not understand in full but still it felt important to talk to them.

in the internal protection of akashingo's cavern system, light still bled within. the longer she lingered in it, the more accustomed to it toula became. her head followed the movement of her mother, and she kept near her. it was now her attentions turned to the hallways, which fascinated her the way they turned and curled. some pathways led to darkness, and others were illuminated by the sun, the earth made amber as it refracted against the red rocks.
then and there, toula did not wonder where these things led. she preferred the beauty made by treva, tavina, and ramesses too, of the whelping den. in those warm walls were her gifts and baubles she could play with. 
but it seemed toula had a heart for mystery, as she did not quit the scene to go to these things. if her mother was still here, perhaps there was something worth their attention? and so toula explored the earth, pausing only when her mother spoke to look up at her. ababa, beabea, AYs ah baea ajda, she rejoined, tail wagging. it was then something shiny caught the corner of her eye, and toula looked that way. here again the sun refracted its light against something, and the amiirad gasped as she toddled that way. it was not so far from her mother, who would likely see it, too.

the girl babbled at length and treva could only wonder what on earth was being said. not that it really mattered, did it? toula seemed happy and content with this one-end conversation they had with each other.

although she did move after something. treva's eyes traced to see that it was nothing more than a shimmer of light.

she wondered if crystals could be found, if toula might like one to see the radiance of light reflected through. things to consider as she moved near her daughter. briefly deciding to test her...awareness! treva would step in front of the ray of light briefly to block it before moving just as quickly and letting the light back in.

when her mother stepped in front of the thing, it was gone! toula paused in her own stride, looking left, right, straight again... yes, gone! but as her mother lifted her leg, there was that bright light.
what magic was this! toula was awestruck. she marveled at the power of her mother. lightbringer! lightmaker! toula cooed a note of worship, stumbling toward her. her own paw covered the stone. the glimmer was gone again--
had she inherited her mothers power? she looked to her mother, wide-eyed. and when she bounced backward, there was the light again! toula crowed, and beamed up at her mother with a wagging tail. did you see?! how powerful they two were! toula seemed to stand a little taller then.

she supposed it made sense that toula might think this was an otherworldly event. she was still but a babe and treva understood that her brain was still developing.

this too was surely why she mimicked things.

treva would regard her as if she was also the most magical thing here.

look! she beamed as she repeated the motion again. light, no light, returned once more. then she motioned for toula to do it again as well.

you're so smart to know how to do that already.

last for me here <3 <3 <3!

another gasp! she and her mother were magick. this was logical to the amiirad, and also, in her young, imaginative heart, it was right. and so for the remainder of the day, she practiced what the Gods had blessed them with; she continued to impress (and be impressed!) the woman she so adored. then and there, the stone could not be prized free from the earth... but this would be a place toula would return to.
she could not wait to show her brother! but for now, she delighted in this discovery with her mother.