Northstar Vale Colored indigo

SETTING:Moss Rock Garden

Weather:Sunny
Hot
Midday
TERRITORY: Northstar Vale
TAGS: @Hotaru

Hot. Hot...

'It's so hot,' he thought with his jaws open and tongue lolling out. His mouth had dried up long ago—before the sun had reached it's highest point and the herds had taken refuge within the shade. Now the boy saught the same comfort within the inner depths of the Vale. A place he could relax and stop the disgusting sweat that built up under his coat and gave him a sheen of waxy-looking fur.

Luckily he had found the garden, lush and green and filled with soft spongy moss that was much cooler than anything else in the territory right now. Bliss.

Sweet bliss.

The girl could feel her legs and pads strengthening. Each day large paws carried the girl a bit further as she explored the vale. Never before had she made it far past the communal dens, but today she saw something different. Splotches of green and trees that towered into the sky. They were different from the green by her den and the blobs of trees in the distance. It was intriguing and curiosity drew her near.

Reaching the edge of the forested rocks, the girl paused to sniff at the spongey substance. It was musky, but not quite offensive enough to turn her away. Hesitantly she whacked lightly at the moss finding the surface soft and spongey. The sensation felt strange, but there was something nice about it and the coolness that seeped into her pads. Deciding that she liked it, the young Princess ventured further giggling at how her paws sunk slightly the moss.

Giggling had caught the commoner's ear, and with an eye that cracked open he tossed his head over his shoulder to find a figure of white at the edge of his paradise. Small enough to be prey, he squinted his eyes in an attempt to make them out before noticing it was none other than the cub of The empress.

Flicking his tail, Clay stretched out his lanky limbs and did a quick roll, drying his back out on the moss before turning over to face her. "You sure are far away from the den," he stated with a muddled voice, tipping his head with a nonchalant gaze.

A voice struck her ears, one foreign and free without the constraint of a body. Hotaru froze quickly glancing around the garden until she finally realized the grey man was not one of the rocks nor was he covered with the funny green substance. He was unknown and just like that other pup, looked nothing like her or her family. Had she wandered too far? Was this his home? He didn't seem mad at least, but she couldn't help but back up a few steps, Nehhhh!

Maybe she should leave, in fact, she probably would have had she not been so interested in the moss. It was unfair to come this far only to leave now after making a new discovery just because this guy was here too. He wasn't mad though and since she hadn't been carried away or scolded, maybe he didn't mind her exploration. Blue eyes stared unblinking, waiting for something to happen only to relax after several moments passed with nothing. Relaxing a bit, Hotaru took a few steps closer, nose low to try and sniff at the ground near the stranger.

Judging by the girl's reaction, Clay assumed that he has spooked the poor thing. He felt a twinge bad, feeling his ears pull back and chin lower to rest upon his paws—hopefully the display was docile enough not to warrant her running away in fear. Though he supposed that wouldn't be so bad as he could finally get peace and quiet.

But watching her timid reaction upon backing up almost reminded him of when he was a few months old himself. Shy, cowardly, unsure of everything and anything. Nightwalkers. Easthollow. Hopefully the girl would never have to face that. Never know the trials and tribulations of war, of deep-seated anger.

"You're uh... Empress Reiko and Emperor Takeshi's daughter, right?" He questioned, watching her again as she stepped forward. "I'm Clay—commoner of the Empire."

The man lowered his head, perhaps relaxing himself as she drew near. Maybe...maybe it was her who spooked him? As she neared he spoke, the names familiar. Reiko— Takeshi— though she knew them as mom and dad, she had heard the words repeated enough to at least acknowledge them. Hotaru let her rear plop down on the soft moss as she glanced up to the man again, Weyko! The pup's head tilted to the side as if a weight had pulled it. Most of his words seemed strange, but two other words seemed to strike a key in the girl's head Emp—Emperr comm—on—er. Another giggle escaped her at her own success as a paw reached out to slap once more at the spongey substance.

closer.

The girl continued to draw near before deeming a safe distance and sitting... er plopping down—or maybe she was just interested in that particular patch of sponge. Regardless, it was close enough for the boy to reach out on his own. His claws scrapping at the same nestle of moss she seemed preoccupied with.

He was calm in her presence, relaxed. Until she had spoken.

Raising his brows at her babbling, he blinked. 'Oh god's, she can barely talk. How old was she? When do pups even begin to hold normal conversations?' "Reiko," he corrected. "Em-per-rer" he punctuated, hoping that would suffice in teaching her. Clay didn't know how to exactly navigate the current situation; holding a conversation with a child. But maybe he could help her speak formally.

Turning a paw, he pointed at himself. "Clay," and then the moss... "moss."

Soon another paw joined hers drawing the Princess' gaze back up. The man once again said her mother's name, but she wasn't quite sure why. That's what she said? Then came a drawn-out word. Hotaru squinted, but she tried again Emm...mprr—errr Had she done it? She expected some kind of praise just as her parents had given her in her feeble attempts at requesting songs.

Then he gestured to himself, drawing the girl's eyes back up. Clay. Then to the ground, Moss. C—Ccway— moss. She wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but she did her best to at least repeat his words. Both were unfamiliar, but something about the way he pointed made her think they might mean something. Since his paw was directed at the moss between them she'd scrape at it with her own until a  small patch of dirt had been revealed.

Thankfully his sad attempt at teaching seemed to get through the girl's juvenile brain. Her muddled attempt at talking and saying emperor improved, though she still struggled and stumbled over her words. Was he like that? Did he say such things as a cub? Clay would have to ask his mother next time he went to go see her at Easthollow.

But just as the boy felt he was on to something, connecting with her, he noticed she likely had no idea what he meant, judging by the look in her eyes. Sighing, he repeated himself once again. "C l a y" he spoke slowly and loudly, as if talking to a magpie whilst pointing to himself. "I'm Clay—that's my name."

Once more he began to point—this time at her. "What is your name?" He continued the motion of pointing at himself and saying clay before pointing back, hoping the princess would understand and begin to pick up on what he was putting down.

Again, the girl tilted her head as he started to gesture between the two. The word from before had been repeated several times as he pointed to himself. Soon she looked down at her own small and feeble body before looking back to the boy. Cway? Was it him? She had never heard it before so it couldn't be her. Name. That was also a familiar word, although not as much as the ones repeated by her mother.

Hotaru looked back to herself as the boy...Clay??? left his gesture in her direction. Her...her? HootahwuuShe identified with that at least. Whenever she received the attention of her parents it was usually followed by Hotaru. That was her name if she remembered that word correctly.

'cway'

It seemed the girl was still unstable to pronounce his name and at this realization, his face fell flat. Brows furrowed as he looked unimpressed towards the little princess. His paws crossed and raising his head he leaned back and let out a loud-sounding groan of exhaustion before rolling over on his back and dropping off the rock.

Out of sight.

He stayed there, his paws peeking out from behind the boulder as he pondered on what to say.

"Hootaru? That's your name?" he questioned, tail curling and slapping the rock as he thought. What an odd one. Perhaps the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to her parents and their foreign-sounding names.

Clay frowned soon letting out a groan similar to her sister's after she had been dragged back to the den before...rolling and disappearing! The girl jumped to her paws as he fell out of sight, a small growl rising in her throat at the rock for swallowing what might have been a new friend. Though, soon she'd realize some of his limbs have yet to be consumed.

His voice followed shortly after. He was able to talk still? Maybe the rock had not fully consumed him... Her ears perked as he said her name, although kinda strange. Again the word name came up, to which she could only reply again, Houtawoo! That couldn't be the final words of this boy. Tottering on stick legs, Hotaru approached the mossy rock, batting at it once before leaping attempting to get on top and defeat it as her brother and sister had done before. 

There was a skittering noise as small claws scraped at the moss for some sort of grip, falling several times before she eventually scooted atop the rock with a small oof. Upon reaching the top, Clay was once again revealed earning an excited tail wag from the girl.

Once again, the girl had adventurously moved forward into his space. Onto his rock where he once perched. He could feel her looking down on him, her purple gaze taking in his state. Probably to see if he was alive and responsive.

Though Clay, bored and not wanting to continue to teach the girl deemed that playing dead would be a better option. He laid limp, head tossed to the side and cheek fur obscuring his face, eyes closed. The rock had killed him, the fall too mighty. He was slain.

Dead.

Gone.

He would peek open his eye just to catch her staring, but would then close it again, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue for good measure.

editing for an exit since Clay is now actually dead!

Hotaru waited, innocent eyes staring simply thinking the boy was sleeping, though after a long pause he seemed to take no notice of her. For a split second, an eye peered at her before closing once more to continue his ruse. To the young princess, she took it as an attempt to ignore her. That wouldn't do...she enjoyed their interaction! A small growl formed in her throat as the girl let out a warning bark and should she be ignored longer she'd fling her body off the rock using the man's side as a cushion, though seeing that he continued to play dead she would quickly lose interest and wander off to explore a bit more.