Redhawk Caldera leafstone

brecheliant was peaceful, often filled with the sound of children's laughter as they moved through various play and stages of growth. 
the raven fished, she visited maia, she even set foot on the little lake island where her daughter had been born. sorana — she missed the girl so fiercely, each day, and yet she knew sapphique might give to her a side of reyes that teya had not known.
today she stacked pebbles idly by the waterfront, wondering if one of her brood would come and join her, or the little ones who had been born in the blackthorn den.

The three youngest Blackthorns accompanied @Eljay and @Maia on daily forays away from the den to stroll around the territory. Frolic tried to stick close to @Glee in particular, though often she couldn’t resist the urge to run ahead. She loved trying to gallop as fast as she could over open stretches of ground, even if she almost always ended up tripping over her own feet. Her chin and elbows were covered in scabs.

The family trailed closer to the waterfront for a respite from the July heat. As soon as they shifted directions, Frolic gamboled to the front of the party of five. She spotted Teya’s familiar figure and shouted, racing toward the Raven. In her excitement, her stockinged legs tangled and she tumbled ass over teakettle into the woman’s collection of pebbles like a furry bowling ball.

Unaware of what she’d done, Frolic grunted and sprang back to her feet, offering Teya a toothy grin and a loud, Henlo!

The child rubbed absently at her elbow, where one of the small stones had opened up a scab. Fresh blood oozed slowly from the reopened wound, prompting Frolic to sniff at the air with sudden vehemence.

You gots food? she asked excitedly, sniffing circles around Teya in search of the bloody meat she smelled.

little frolic came to greet her, and teya grinned to see how large her niece was getting. "you bleeding!" the raven said next, her face growing solemn as her coolwater eyes checked frolic's wound.
but the girl didn't seem injured, just hungry. teya flicked her paw out over the water's surface. "you want to fish, frolic?" the raven asked with an encouraging smile. "we get food out of lake."

Rather than offer food, the Raven inspected the child’s latest wound. Frolic shrugged and allowed it for a moment, then slipped free and bounded out of the Raven’s reach. She didn’t want to play doctor, she wanted something to eat!

Despite her ravenous appetite, she happened to be a very picky eater, so the word “fish” immediately triggered the stinkiest of stinkfaces. Frolic stuck out her tongue and shook her head so rapidly, her ears flapped and slapped against her golden cheeks.

No! she replied vehemently. Fish’s yucky! BLECHHH!

"you not like fish, frolic?" teya asked with a gasp of faux surprise. "but fish so fun to catch!" a flicker of movement showed itself, and she pointed at once across toward the bank beside the island.
a trout jumped. then another. 
"maybe after you catch one, you see how tasty they are," teya suggested, glancing down at her niece.

No! she repeated emphatically.

She raised a brow skeptically when Teya insisted it was fun to catch them. That might be true, though that didn’t change her opinion of the taste. Frolic wrinkled her nose.

The Raven pointed out some movement in the water. Frolic gazed at the leaping fish, fascinated despite herself. She licked her lips, eyes returning to the Raven.

They’s dicksgustering! Frolic insisted. I cash, you eat! she boldly declared.

teya chuckled, but did not correct frolic. how better to learn the water and its edible offerings than to be part of the lake? guarding the little one from going so far; she waded out until the shallows gave way to deeper water, which licked at her elbows.
"i watch. you fish," the raven encouraged, sluicing water over her muzzle as she waited.

Teya countered, “I watch, you fish,” and the look on the baby’s face said, Challenge accepted!

She bounded into the water alongside the Raven, nary a thought in her head about scaring away the prey. Frolic giggled and shivered simultaneously as the water engulfed her stockings and licked at her belly. She arched her back like a cat, giving a little scream when she kept going and it eventually closed over the striped slope of her back.

I’s a fishy! she declared, ignoring the task at hand.

so sorry! do u want to keep going or fade? <3

teya laughed at that. "then i going to catch you!" she exulted, splashing in after frolic.
remembering the horrible experience with sorana in this lake, teya moved beyond her niece, keeping the girl between her stronger legs and the bank behind them, or at least attempting to do so.
"what do fishies eat?" she asked the little one, grinning again.

Teya made a playful threat and leaped in after her. The Raven’s splash partly drowned out the child’s subsequent shriek—literally, since the wave of water sloshed right into Frolic’s open mouth, resulting in a fit of coughing and sputtering.

It didn’t take long to clear her airways. As soon as she could breathe properly again, Frolic burst into a fit of giggles. There was something very delightful about being in this aquatic environment with her aunt. She didn’t think about it on any conscious level, of course, but water certainly made for a softer playground.

Toes! she immediately yelled in reply to Teya’s question, diving to snatch one of the Raven’s digits in her teeth and give it a little nibble.

Of course, that was the other thing about water: it’s impossible to breathe if you’re only pretending to be a fishy! Despite learning this lesson just a moment prior, Frolic made the mistake of inhaling whilst her blackened muzzle was submerged. Rather than get a mouthful of delicious toe beans, she got a lungful of water, which led to another, worse fit.

It was loud enough to draw a concerned Maia over to the nearby water’s edge. When Frolic recovered a second time, she glanced at her mama and waved. Just like when she gained another bump or bruise from falling over on dry land, Frolic wasn’t about to let a little bit of H2O spoil her fun!

No apologies necessary! I wouldn’t mind lightening my load a lil’ bit, so want to fade and archive? :)