Dragoncrest Cliffs for all the sacred selfless days

clueless to the stench of death which rattled around sapphique, cheri spent her afternoon as most girls her age did — pestering her siblings.
but, perhaps unusually, this was not her intention. a ways beyond the den she had found a rather annoyingly large branch, which she, naturally, decided to cart back to her family in the hopes of showing off her catch. it made abhorrent scraping sounds against the dirt and was only muffled by the grass for short intervals before it picked back up again. worse, however, was the thudding which banged against the outer fortress as she tried — and failed — to get it inside.
stubborn as cheri was, she simply refused to ask for help; only backed up on her stubby little legs and tried again, again, again. as many times as it would take!

he didn't know about the old woman's death, yet. that was probably for the best. still rattled by finding cayetano, he stayed closer to the dens—and there he encountered the gilded cousin cheri, struggling with a long stick. 

lemme help, lafayette offered, rushing to her aid, despite not meeting her formally before. he'd watched her bounce off the entrance to the den one too many times; he couldn't not help.

the ruddy boy took one end in his mouth and told her, turn wi' me. we go in.

thus beginning the shifting of branch and wolf, and journey into the den with her. . .treasure.

cheri pauses abruptly, warm baby blues shifting toward the boy who now approached her. in the glint of her gemstone eyes is a speck of shifting tint, guard hairs flared; the branch makes a loud thunk as it hits the ground.
i dun' need your 'elp, she states matter-of-factly, thin puppy tail sticking straight up. 't's my s'dick.
because obviously, he was trying to steal it, right? she flops down on top of the branch as if to guard it, but yelps in surprise when she gets poked by a shard of loose bark right in her armpit.
she pauses, staring wide-eyed at lafayette, pale cheeks dusting with an embarrassed shade of rouge. she must not let down her guard, lest his kind gesture be a ruse — she was not to be bullied, not to be a target! she ignores the crocodile tears that begin to well in her eyes, lips tersely knit into a stiff frown.

a'right, a'right, he agreed, backing away. only to see the gilded-pelted girl stumble and hurt herself, lying open-mouthed upon the ground.

instead of seizing the stick, though, he stayed where he was, coolly appraising the situation.

it too big fa' you on your own, lafayette remarked, bluntly but not unkindly. i was tryin' to help. not tryin' to steal.

his face contorts, slightly, into sympathy. i can help hide it, he offered, shrugging. so it can be your treasure.

lafayette was convincing enough. you bedder not be lyin', cheri scoffs, hiding her sniveling behind a brush of her wrist over her face. finders keebers. she hesitantly shuffles away, hissing under her breath over the soreness under her foreleg. where we put it? she asks, gaze softening somewhat beneath his cool, assured countenance. i'on' wan' nobubby findin' it.

not lyin', he vowed to cheri, smiling a bit. he took the limb gently from her and walked slowly but deliberately into the underbrush that surrounded the den. no one will know to look for it in here.

lafayette dropped the stick and dug at the soft, loamy ground, making a long, shallow score in the earth. he placed the stick there and then covered it up—then, for final flourish, plucked a few leaves from the bush and wedged them here and there along the burial ground.

he turned, poking charcoal-red muzzle out through the green to speak to cheri. it's safe hid, kouzen, he announced softly, then crawled gingerly out to the clearing once more.

the boy had noted her discomfort, though. you all right? he asked.

cheri toddles after him as he takes her branch, bristling still with unease; watching resolutely as he begins to paw at the earth. she decides the right thing to do would be to help him, crawling forth so she can reach into the little crevices of soil that he can't. she wished to place her prize into the hole herself, but she cannot angle it right — lafayette would've likely had to take it from her yet again in order to actually get the job done.
by the end of their little project, she is pleased with him and the follow-up of his promises. her coolness melts into a visible warmth, albeit a bashful, almost apologetic one. t'ank you, she mumbles, stubby little tail swishing against the dirt. nobubby find it, oui?
the nagging scrape in her armpit was getting increasingly hard to ignore; a burning sensation now crawled down her forelimb, and now her elder cousin begins to notice. how embarrassing! she was stronger than this!
de stick hurt me arm, she grumbles, gaze averted toward the floor as she dangles the pale forelimb in the air. is' okay doe. i be fine.

oui, he promised firmly, nodding. 

he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or on the spot, but she was clearly in pain. problem was, he didn't know what to do about it—other than calling one or both of their mothers, that is.

and neither option seemed appealing to him in the moment.

you sure? lafayette asked, when she declared herself 'fine.' sometimes, i hurt when runnin' 'round de rocks by de sea. but it doesn't hurt anymore after a while.

hopefully, that was the case for cheri.

how you git it ta go 'way? a pale little brow arches, her jaw tightening as she slumps her shoulders, the forelimb sagging once again — but the friction of her armpit made it worse. it burns, and she winces audibly. dis reawy ann-- annoyin' me.
cheri abruptly decides that the best thing to do is to walk it off. she rises to her feet, stumbling somewhat over the pile of dirt in front of her, beginning to pad out towards the creek which fed the glintwater. she twists her head around owl-like in a beckon, tail flashing in a wave that suggested lafayette should follow — because she certainly wasn't going alone like this; she was terribly injured!
her limp is exaggerated only by her frustration, and halfway to her desired destination, she flops down in melodramatic anguish, snot bubbling in her nostrils as tears spill over her sweltering cheeks.

i walk it off, he was indeed about to answer, but it was clear that said action was not helping cheri a bit. his heart hurt as she sat and cried, and came closer to her—near enough to embrace her, if she wanted, but at enough distance to piss off if she did not want his pity.

you may need some healin', lafayette said, lips drawing tight to one side in indecision. maybe your manman or mine could help.

and yet, he knew that she would be loath to employ adult attention to her injury.

or it may stop hurtin' soon? he added weakly, with a shrug of his scrawny russet shoulders.

he shuffled her toward aid, making sure embarrassment was well behind them. she was just exploring, after all, and the earth could be cruel.