Verdigris Ravine Lessons

Today she’s playing with a bug

Today the young one was full of energy as she sat outside the den in the dirt. A bug began to crawl in front of her and she inched her nose closer in curiosity. It made noises that were strange to her and as she inched closer the bug jumped.

Its action scared her slightly as she jumped back and yapped at it. Playfully she bowed before picking it up and throwing it in the air.

The sun guided her path today.

She had made a game out of avoiding the shadows cast by the rocky outcrops of their home, darting between sunlit dunes and stopping only to quench her thirst in a glistening stream. Her journey ended as a sound disturbed her silence. Head whipping round, the sunling caught sight of a girl; wetting her nose confirmed her to be one of the others. But still tribe - family.

Snaking her way closer revealed the source of the girl's displeasure. It was a bug, unfortunate enough to have found itself the plaything of the young tribekin - poor girl. There were more exciting things to do than play with bugs. The insect's trajectory was cut short by a streak of brown as Ki'ra caught the thing in her teeth, landed, and promptly ate it with one quick crunch, head tilting as her tongue drew lazily to clean her lips of any beetle debris.

Her fun was halted as someone else came and caught her new toy and to the pups dismay. She ate it! “Awwwww.” The girl sulked softly as she sat there looking at the one who just ruined her day. “I was having fun.” She wasn’t much of a socializer nor did she really interact with any of the others. She stuck close to her siblings and parents

Ki'ra gazed bug-eyed at the girl (pun intended) as she began to speak. She had thought her display of acrobatics had been fun, and it had certainly been fun to crack the shell of the beetle beneath her sharp teeth. So then why didn't this sunling like her game?

One paw reached out to prod at her new companion to draw her attention away from the loss of her toy and, perhaps, in an odd attempt to comfort the other. "Fun. We find." Her voice was diminutive and dry from a lack of use as she dropped to the earth in search of more bugs to torment. If it would remove the ugly pout, she was also willing to let Aylah have first dibs.

Her frown disappeared as the girl seemed to be understanding. the girl pressed her nose to the ground and began sniffing. Perhaps they would find else more fun. She found a bug but it wasn’t like the one she had found previously and something about it bothered her; it hopped like to bug but had fur like her. She looked to her exploring companion confused hoping perhaps she knew what it was.

Ki'ra's search for bugs took her nearer the cave entrance where she proceeded to peer into the dim space. Movement caught her eye; it was a spider beginning to build a web just within reach of her curious jaws. Though it lost a leg or two in the process, she was careful not to eat this one as she returned to see her companion invested in something.

With the spider still clutched precariously in her jaws, she came to crouch beside Aylah as she gazed at the creature. It hopped - towards her - and the girl quickly pinned its tail beneath one inky paw as it struggled to break free. She had no idea what it was, but it certainly seemed fun to chase.