Verdigris Ravine This one is free

Andi left her sibling sand her mother behind. But she wondered if her sister would follow her. She wanted to stretch her legs. She found her paws sinking into the soft sands of their home. A small smile on her maw as she danced along the seams of sands.

The hot arid air, curled around her ears and dipped into her fur. She felt alive, free, happy. There was something that sang in her blood for the desert climate and she couldn't quite hide it.

She sniffed at the ground, following small furrows in the dirt of the creatures that lived there. Trying to discern different scents for different creatures.

And one sister did follow.

Perhaps not the one Andi was hoping for, Ki'ra slunk after the scent of her kin. She was easy enough to track; not only did her trail smell of tribe, but her tiny pawsteps left faint indents in the sand. The hot desert wind was quick to cover them; the sunling upped her speed.

Her sister came into view - she was tracking too. Immediately, Ki'ra stiffened, tail twitching with glee as she sank into a clumsy hunter's crawl. She was a coyote, and Andi was her prey.

Andi didn't mind the presence of any of her siblings. Happy to have them. She was so engrossed in the scents below her though, that she didn't catch Ki'ra's until it was too late.

She didn't have a chance to guard her back. She was making this easy for her sister so far.

Andi didn't seem to notice her, giving ample opportunity for the girl to creep closer and closer... and it was almost too boring. She would pounce, her sister would tumble beneath her and their game would be over. Ki'ra's teeth ground - how could she make this more fun?

Darting to the side, the sunling slipped under the cover of some nearby desert bushes, hoping the flowers and small, dense leaves would obscure her silhouette should Andi look behind her. From here, she breathed in deeply and released an exhale, pushing the air through gritted teeth so that it mimicked the whistling call of a native bird. Tensely, she waited to see her sister's reaction.

Andi found a beetle scent. And there was something that smelled a bit musty. She could also smell a trickle of water beneath her, but was unsure.

Though a noise and she lifted her head. Head canting to the side. Ears perked forward. A step nearer to the flowers. She freq in a long breath trying to smell. The pollen though wreaked havoc on her senses. And she thought she caugjt a scwnt of sister smell. But it quickly was pressed away by blooms.

One step two steps closer. Her tail weaving behind her.

Andi had heard her. Good. Ki'ra kept her breathing very quiet and her body very still, resisting the urge to rid her ears of insects that made a home among the flowers. She let them crawl upon her face and around her eyes as her gaze remained transfixed on her approaching sister.

Until she was close enough to reach out a paw and touch - but the sunling had other plans. Quickly, she thrust her head forward through the branches in an attempt to startle Andi - and promptly tripped. A loud yelp accompanied her tumble as she landed face first in the sand. She spat out the offending grit, gazing up at her sister with a frown. Well, that had gone well.

Andi had heard her sister, but hadn't seen her. So she wrote it off that her sister was elsewhere, but close enough. Which was true, but closer than Andi had realized.

Andi was certainly startled she fell back on her own rear, right onto a bees butt. She at first laughed until the pain in her tiny bum began and she turned her laugh into a crying screech. 

She got to her feet and twisted and turned trying to find out why her backside felt fiery. Not seeing the trampled yellow and black bee.

Her antics were met with a burst of laughter, earning a grunt of displeasure as she picked herself up from where she had fallen. Sand coated her chest, but she let it remain there as her attention rounded on her darker sister. She was supposed to be scared, not find her funny! 

As if the spirits of old had heard her wishes, Ki'ra watched transfixed as Andi began to scream, something akin to glee bubbling in the sunling's chest as she writhed, and twisted, and turned as if suddenly hit with a curse. At such a young age, she had little concept of pain, or how much was too much, and knew only that her prank (although botched) had proven successful.

Circling her sister revealed a tiny black smudge against the sand. The source of the curse, maybe? She pawed at it curiously, gaze flicking between the insect and Andi as if it would elicit a change in her movements.

Her sister grunted at her. Clearly nonplussed. But that quickly left Andi's mind. She was no longer happy nor scared, no. She was hurting. And the pain only grew. She was too little to understand the stinger would need removed.

Andi continued to screech. The pain growing. And it also itched and burned. What was this? Had the gods cursed her.

Tears and snot fell from her face as she ran away from her sister with a yelp. This was Kira's fault somehow it had to be. She had scared her made her fall and get this pain.

Touching the insect had done nothing but make her sister scream louder and louder as the curse raged its course. So loud that she wondered idly if it would draw the attention of @Sari. Dimly aware that something was very wrong, Ki'ra continued to crouch and stare as Andi turned tail and ran.

It was curiosity that drew her to eventually follow, paws sinking into warm sand as she kept the dark sunling within her gaze to observe what would follow.

S'ari did indeed hear Andanari's screeching, torn from her nap in the desert sun. Filled with terror, she raced along the sands, calling to her daughter, and found the girl running headlong straight toward her, clearly not watching where she was going.

Tell mother what is wrong! she said, skidding to a halt before her child. Tell S'ari! Is this one hurt? What has happened? She looked up and around for her other children and saw the darker shade of Ki'ra slowly approaching. Ki'ra, what happened? There was no accusation in her tone, only worry.

Andi was racing headlong. There was no stopping her. Until she almost barreled into her mother.

She sucked in a hard breath. Whimpers continuing past.

Sometin bit this one!

She buried her face into her mother. Loud hiccoughing noises. As she tried to get herself under control.

Her mother - frantic - approached a babbling Andi as Ki'ra continued to keep her distance for now. A sinking realisation that she had caused her sister pain began to creep into her subconscious, but she was powerless to help or do anything more than utter a brief explanation.

"This one is cursed," her chin jutted out indignantly as S'ari's attention rounded on her. From her teeth fell the fuzzy body of the bee where it came to lay unmoving on the sand. Mother would know what to do, right? She could remove the curse?

S'ari gave a sign of relief as understanding washed through her. She gave a bit of a coy smile when Ki'ra showed her the dead insect. Ahhh, she said, snuggling close to Andi, yes, Mother is afraid this one is cursed. But worry not! She knows the cure! Here she looked at Ki'ra. Is this one watching? Ki'ra may need to know how to do this one day. The cure is simple, but can be difficult to achieve. One needs... patience, and finesse.

She pulled away from Andanari then and said. Show Mother where it bit Andi, hmm? And when her little daughter produced her rump, she intoned, Now, hold still. This part is very important. Mother cannot remove the curse if Andanri moves. She then proceeded to slowly, carefully, pull the stinger out with her teeth. Whether this actually worked or not was very much up to her daughters...

Andi wasn't sure what to expect. And her lower lip wobbled when mother agreed she was cursed. She whined softly, but then this ones mother said she could fix it.

The relief wasn't instantaneous, but there was a lessening. Andi sighed with a soft aound. And buried her head into her mothers fur.