Northstar Vale Away We Rush We Run for the Hills

Hotaru is now old enough to leave the den! All welcome esp family. Assume @Reiko is right behind until she gets the chance to pop in. @Sumi @Haruki set for mid-day Friday

Hotaru had no concept of time, but within the days that passed walking had become a breeze. The familiar white blobs of her family had grown with clarity and now she was beginning to tell each member apart. Her mom had been the easiest, she was always here and much bigger than her and her siblings. Sometimes another adult visited, larger than Reiko with brown adorning the bridge of his nose. The Princess had yet to put a name to it yet, but she had learned to find comfort in @Takeshi's presence as well. Then there were her siblings, together they made one happy little family unit, or so she thought.

The horrors and drama that consumed the Empire were unknown to the girl, in fact, most of the Empire was unknown. She had learned with time that the light shining through the entrance was not bad, but she had been instructed to stay close. Now that her eyes had developed, the harsh light no longer bothered her. In fact, the glimpses of the world outside were mesmerizing, beautiful, a land unlike any she could ever imagine. It would be no surprise that with time for the idea to grow on her, Hotaru too wanted to explore past the reaches of the den.

Hotaru did not know much, but she did recognize the need to stay close to her mother. Ensuring that Reiko's eyes were open, the little girl would paw at the Empress' leg before turning to bound towards the entrance of the den. She wanted her to follow, and with a small tail wag, she'd vocalize the need before turning to leave the mouth's entrance. Hotaru was still forced to squint upon exiting the den, but she had learned that she just needed her eyes to adjust first. The world was so much bigger than she could ever imagine, she wanted to see all of it, but going alone was a terrifying thought. Rather or not her mother had moved to follow, the young girl would turn back to the den's entrance letting loose a series of babbled barks to gain the attention of her siblings and hoped they would come too.