Northstar Vale Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you are a racist, I will attack you with the North."

The swelling from the bee sting had gone down, but Lilitu remained wary of any flying objects or the flowers that might attract them. She played with inanimate objects instead, focusing her time on rocks and old bones, on dead leaves and dirt. She would be safe from that dastardly yellow-black menace here. Right?

She had found one interesting stone in particular today, just outside the den. It was half-buried in the ground and needed a good polish, and so she flopped over, enjoying the shade and licking the dust from the rock. It was perhaps half the size of her head, with rough, jagged edges.

As it came clean, she noticed it was different from the other rocks—not gray or black or nearly white, but a vivid set of red-browns. It immediately became her most prized possession, and once she had finished caring for it, she clutched it close to her chest, nestled between her forelegs.

Her mouth opened in a wide yawn, but her eyes remained wary. Still looking out for that darn bee.

Maybe this time they can be friends :eyes:

Hotaru knew better than to run off far, that's why she stayed in familiar areas. Other kids existed, they lived around here she had seen them more than once now, but it seemed whenever she was out and about she couldn't find them? Maybe they were better about staying home than she... It would be nice to play with someone new though.

Maybe that's why her paws led her to a nearby den. What once was simple exploration led to a new face, two actually, though the other girl was quickly removed from the picture. The young Princess remembered the bark that she carried though as she tried to offer it before said removal. Did she also want to play?

The girl was far too shy to poke her head in the den as those other two had, so instead, she lingered. Maybe if she waited long enough someone would come out. Unfortunately for her, she failed to check the den's surroundings and completely missed that Lilitu was already outside.

Realized that she might be like right in front of the den if so ill edit! I took it as her nearby instead of right at the entrance.

you're good!

A glimpse of white immediately had her guard up. It wasn't the yellow-black she was looking for, but it was nearly as foreboding. Lilitu shrank a little into herself, clutching the stone tighter, closer to her chest. 

By the time the pale pup came into view, she was all wariness, all but bristling. 

Lilitu lifted her chin in query, having not yet the words for interrogation. Her eyes, slowly morphing from blue to gold and currently caught in a strange murky teal, surveyed the girl impassively. Where was her. . .mother? The mean woman?

She surely couldn't be too far. And that was a real bummer.

It was quiet, even from within. Maybe it was a bad time... or the little family was out and about as her parents had taken her and her siblings before. A frown threatened to spread as the young princess tilted her head debating her options before glancing around to ensure one of her said family members weren't around to whisk her away. It was then that darkening blue eyes landed on the grey girl.

For just a moment, Hotaru froze caught in the act of waiting and once again unsure what to do. The other was rigid and the pale girl couldn't tell if she might flee or attack. Ears pressed back against her skull as she shrunk into herself, careful not to meet her eyes for too long. Should she say something? Would that only make it worse? What if she did run? Was that really the worse option when compared to her fangs? Hotaru didn't want to fight her, H-Hi— The words barely squeaked out of the girl as she sat and waited for any form of response.

The girl was shy, but Lilitu didn't altogether buy it. What if the woman appeared again? She lifted her chin, staring around and past the other pup. No sign of her. . .yet.

Ha, she echoed poorly, still not quite having the knack for speech (though absorbing plenty of words for later use). She let herself smile, her shoulders relaxing. 

Then she stood, sliding the stone to the side where it remained hidden in a tall patch of grass. She padded over to Hotaru, head cocked in question. Why had she come back?

Amends could be made today, if everyone played nice.

A moment passed until her greeting was mimicked, though she too tumbled over words, perhaps more than herself. Then after doing something in the tall grass, Hotaru was approached causing her ears to perk once more. As the other drew near, she half expected her to get shoved back again, but this time no adult was around to separate the two. It made her hopeful and she'd show it with a wag of her tail.

D'you live here? The Princess glanced back to the den mouth. It wasn't far from her own yet they looked nothing alike. Surely that meant their families were friends, right? If she was dangerous Mama wouldn't let her venture this far on her own. The other girl's head tilt would be met with one of her own as she waited for a response.

She understood the question, at least, and her gaze followed Hotaru's before returning to rest on the other's face. She nodded, adding a brief, mmhm, for further clarity. For a moment, she surveyed the immediate surroundings—and found a short stick, crooked and dusty, nearby.

Lilitu sashayed over to the object and picked it up. Wary. That witchy woman could appear at any moment. She approached Hotaru as if the other girl was a bomb she was trying to defuse. The Hurt Locker, Reneian style.

But then she extended it, eyes dancing, daring Hotaru to grab it. Her tiny paws moved like a jogger in place, tail wagging joyously behind her. So far, so good, and if she were to get an uninterrupted play session, then the day was already looking up, up, up.

Her thoughts were confirmed, though shortly after the other girl began to wander off. Hotaru let her head tilt to the side, was that it? She couldn't leave yet! Hey— Though before the word could really leave her mouth, Lilitu was carrying over a stick.

The young princess froze, blue-purple eyes shifting between the object and her potential new friend. She had never been super physical, Sumi and Haruki took that trait for her, but...who was she to deny the other girl? Hesitantly, the girl stepped closer, maw slightly agape as she lightly took hold of the stick.

This is what she wanted right? Eyes darted back to the other's face as she gave a weak tug hoping she didn't misread the situation and look like she was trying to take Lilitu's stick away.

It took a little while for Hotaru to catch on, but Lilitu's lips stretched in a smile as she took the other end of the stick. To demonstrate, she planted her paws firmly upon the ground and tugged ever-so-slightly backwards, feeling the tension between them.

Well, hopefully. If Hotaru didn't understand, and let her teeth slacken, Lilitu would just end up yanking it out of her mouth. And while she did savor victories, this one was too easily captured. She wanted a game, a fair game!

She raised her eyebrows at the pale pup, wriggling her butt like a playful cat.

Her grip was light, though the tug back instinctively tightened her jaw to prevent losing the stick. Something in her felt almost possessive now as the other lowered herself to wag her rear. A small smile spread across her maw, clear as day even with a stick wedged between.

Hotaru dug her paws into the ground and leaned back pulling at their game with more force than before, though she wouldn't be barreling the other over easily. She was more certain of the action now, her own tail wagging behind her with the excitement that only came from a new friend.

They each were cognizant of the other, pulling hard enough to make a game of it but not so hard that a puppy went flying. Somewhat like a see-saw, Lilitu and Hotaru went back and forth, back and forth, and Lilitu giggled all the way. It was good to have another friend.

Still—she kept her eyes peeled for that mean woman. She expected her to come out of the woodwork any minute.

Eager to impress her new friend (and now a little more trustful of her) Lilitu let go the stick and scampered over to where she'd hidden the rock. Carefully, she took it between her teeth and brought it over to Hotaru, placing it on the ground before the pale girl. 

Eyes dancing, as if to say, Look at this treasure I found!

The other was quick to giggle and the pale girl found herself laughing right along. The other's cautious glances were missed, too absorbed in their game until Lilitu let go. The abruptness caused Hotaru to stumble a step or two until she was left standing with the stick as the grey girl scampered off. What happened?

The Princess let her head tilt in confusion, though soon her friend would come scampering back, something else clasped between her jaws this time that was placed before her. Pale purple eyes widened as the stick fell from her mouth. It seemed like a rock, though she had never seen something as vibrant as it before. Red wasn't a super common color amongst the vale, or at least so far in her exploration. Cautiously she lowered herself to sniff before pawing lightly at the object.

After her inspection had finished, star-filled eyes looked up to Lilitu with awe, Whysit look like that?!