Nimbus Summit She can kill a smile, she can wound with her eyes

Highly aware of exactly how far she (and her siblings) were allowed to go from the den, Lilia wasn’t the sort of child who needed to be constantly corrected and watched to make sure she didn’t stray too far from their established perimeter around the den area. Of course, they were given more freedom with time, but Lilia was a shrewd about obedience. She’d rattle on any of her siblings for being out of line in a heartbeat- especially Raelle. 

She’d recently become aware of the fact that at this stage of her life, she was incredibly ungainly. She noticed it first in her siblings- how their bellies were still round, their legs grew longer and their feet were impossibly huge. They were clumsy and graceless. And when she tried to move like her parents did, she soon realized that she, too, was going through a super awkward growth phase that left her tripping over her own feet. 

That wouldn’t do. 

There was a fallen log that was near enough to the den site that she took advantage of practicing her balance on it. It was thick enough through the middle that she could walk along the length of it, but as she neared the top of the tree, the trunk narrowed, making her really test out her balance. 

She was going to rid herself of this clumsiness if it meant spending all day walking back and forth along the log.

antha was trailing her secondborn daughter, having left the other children in @Tessa's care. of the bunch, it seemed lilia and raelle were the most driven. they had taken to a sort of unspoken competition with one another, perhaps with something else underlying it. they were still so young, it was hard to tell what they truly thought of one another.
a bit of healthy competition would surely encourage their development, but antha couldn't quite shake her worry, so she kept a close eye on the girls. she was careful to try to praise them in equal measures, to avoid placing one above the other. even in these early stages, the balancing act was tiring. children were tiring. but she loved them.
she smiled to see lilia balancing on a fallen log, approaching carefully to avoid startling her darkling daughter. when the witch girl had halted her movement, antha called out her praise.
well done, lilia, her tail swayed as she stepped near enough to plant a swift kiss on the girl's head. perhaps you'll be a dancer one day.

She’d leapt from the end of the log and landed somewhat awkwardly, but perked up when she heard her mother’s voice. She’d been seen- but her balancing act had been fairly decent, or so she thought, so her mother’s praise was well-received. Her tail arched over her back and waved from side to side, and she puffed out her chest. 

”I’m be drathe-ful,” She boasted, adding a little shimmy to her shoulders. “Graceful” was the word she’d tried to say, but certain letters were still tough for her. ”Lee-Lee-ah don’ be dan-thuh,” She agreed. ”Wat-th Lee-Lee-ah doin’ balanth, Mama!” She shouted, before she hopped onto the thicker part of the log again. Eagerly, she waited, making sure she had her mother’s full attention. ”Wat-th Lee-Lee-ah, Mama!” She demanded cheerily.