Dragoncrest Cliffs We leap from the cliff and we hear the wind sing

Confined to the upper levels of their home, Suzu spent her time either in the den in Fireblood Stand, or she would wander out through the forests where the great sequoias stood near the cliff's edge. When she walked, it was with her right paw help up, so she wouldn't put any weight on it. The jellyfish sting had left it blistering, and she wanted to keep it as clean as possible. Plus, it was unbearable to walk on a foot covered in blisters, but she managed well enough. 

She couldn't really go down to the beach, it was too far of a walk down through the tunnel and if it was slippery, she'd have a rough go of it on three paws. So without being able to learn more from the ocean, she would have to learn from the forest, instead. 

"Spruce, spruce, cedar?" It wasn't a game. She'd been learning to identify the trees by their height, their bark, and how their nettles were bunched or shaped. The ropey bark of the cedar smelled good. "Mmmm," She said, rubbing her muzzle up against the red, fragrant bark. The next tree had longer needles. "Pine..." She said, and lifted her head to look at how the needles were bunched. They were grouped in fascicles of three, and they were relatively short and pointy for a pine. "Three-needled-pine," She said, not knowing the proper name for a ponderosa pine. She continued along, skipping a step whenever her right front was needed, investigating and taking note of the differences from one tree to the next.

Sobo held a bone from the whale carcass between his broad paws, working his jaws to gnaw the blubber and flesh from it, but paused in his work to cup his ears in the direction of a youthful voice.

Leaving the bone where it was for now, the Jade hauled himself to his paws and rounded a stand of trees to find Suzu inspecting one of the many conifers. Sobo couldn't tell one from the next, himself, but any thought of joining her in her investigation fell by the wayside when he saw how she held her paw aloft.

Ach, Suzu, he said softly, quirking a dark brow. What you gone and done to your paw, mm?

With each different tree that she studied, there seemed to be differing characteristics that weren't simply their nettles. Some had cones- but where the cones were place, in which direction they pointed, and their size- it made for additional factors to be filled in. At the base of one large tree there was a massive mound of little cones, but each had been pried open and the seeds had been taken out. When she looked up, she thought she saw the outline of a squirrel, high in the branches. She moved on, though, not wanting to bother it. But the fact that that squirrel clearly loved that kind of pine cone...That was useful information. 

Sobo appeared, and as soon as his eyes fell to her foot, she knew she was in for a checkup. She greeted him, tail sweeping the ground, nosing the corner of his jaw with the tip of her nose as a sign of affection and deference. She then side-stepped awkwardly so he could have a look at her paw. It still had its last bandage of kelp on it, but she held it out for him to investigate nonetheless. "Well, I be doin' research down on de beach," She explained. After all, she wanted to be a scholar- she hadn't just been playing. "An' dere be a whole pack of jellyt'ings washed up on de shore when de tide go out. I'm pretty sure dey be all dead, but I wanted to investigate dem, as I never get to see dem up close an....I touch one of its tentacles a bit too close an it burned by paw." She admitted. "But Etienne, 'e showed up right away an we put my paw in de saltwater, an' he pull out de little...stingers, an' he wrap my paw up. It be feelin' better today," A lie, but it hadn't gotten worse, so she figured that was a bonus.

As Suzu explained that she got the injury as a result of researching jellyfish, Sobo winced sympathetically. He had not experienced it himself, but it was a common enough occurrence among coastal wolves. Even a casual swim could lead to a sting from a nearby jelly if the tentacles were drifting in the right direction.

Dey be like somet'ing not from dis world, mm? he said conversationally as he nudged his niece gently in the direction of the medicine stores. Dere not be many creatures dat can still cause harm even when dead. Or maybe dey not be dead at all. De sea has many strange animals and some of dem, I t'ink, be invincible. Put dem back in de water and tada! Dey be alive again. Or at least it seemed that way with some.

Dere not be many remedies, I'm afraid, but time and rest, he said, Etienne be very clever, no? He did de right t'ings, but I t'ink a little pineapple weed be helpin' de pain and de itch as well. It would take a little while to get back to where the pack stored all its herbs, so in the meantime, Sobo asked, what did you learn about de jellyfish besides de sting?

The mild fear she'd felt in having to confess her injury to her uncle was swept away as he gracefully sidestepped chastising his niece and instead picked up the conversation with the invite to talk not about why the experience was bad, but what she'd learned from it. As a star pupil, Suzu was more than happy to get the opportunity to share her observations. 

"I wonder if de jellyfish come back to life after de tide come back in," She mused thoughtfully. If Sobo was right, then they might very well be the sort of creature that could come back to life once it was back in the water. "De sea 'ave such funny ways. So many sea creatures dat die an' come back to life in de water, or dat can lose an arm or a leg an' dey just grow back!" She said. Naturally, with her study of the ocean had come a great appreciation for its powers. 

Etienne did not seem to feel quite as sure about her explorations, but at least he was a reliable healer when she needed him. "He be a great brot'er," She said. "I t'ink someday he would make a great mot'er too- er, fat'er, I guess," She said. Having not had one, the term wasn't one she used often. "He be a caretaker," She explained. Thus, she concluded that he would also make an excellent parent one day as well. 

In terms of the jellyfish, she exhibited a bit of remorse. "Well...I did not learn much, ot'er den dat they sting. De jelly do not 'urt, just de long...de long sting-y parts. It look honestly more like a plant den a fish. In de meantime, I 'ave been learning about trees." She admitted.

Dat may be so, Sobo agreed, lifting his nose into the sea breeze and drawing in a long breath. De sea be magical in her own way. Perhaps it is she dat brings dem to life and dat be why land creatures not be doin’ dat. And dere be de loa all around us, too. Perhaps they used the jellyfish as vessels.

Suzu hadn’t learned a lot about the jellyfish, but Sobo thought it was plenty from a first encounter. Their bouncy caps did not possess the same stinging capability as the dangling arms. Dey have some uses, Sobo shared. Dey do not retain water long, but if you get dem fresh and de stingers have fallen off, de squishy parts can feel nice pressed on sore leg or a bump on de head. The closest thing a cold compress a wolf could get, perhaps, besides snow. To word of Etienne, Sobo nodded along, ignoring the sensation of his heart squeezing to know Etienne would need to fight hard for the opportunity to ever be a father here where there were already so many mothers.

Tell me what you have learned of de trees, he invited, and this would perhaps be a good learning opportunity for him as well.

"De loa," She said softly, reverently. It was something she wanted to learn more about- as she believed it involved the energy which created the land, and all of its creatures and plants. She would have asked to know more, but wasn't sure if it was her place. Perhaps she was too young, yet, to know those secrets. Perhaps the wolves who knew the most about them had been chosen. 

And Sobo asked her about trees- that was an easy way to sidetrack her. Her features brightened. "Well, in dis area of de land, on de sea-side edge near de cliffs, we 'ave a few different types of trees." She said. "I 'ave learned dat....Dis one, dis one 'ere. Smell it- is like pine, no? I t
'ink it be pine, but I be callin' it 'cat pine' because when you get de sap," She said, plucking a low-lying branch off, so that the sap would pool slowly from the wound. The aroma of pungent feline urine came in wafts from the tree. "See? I 'ave not decided yet if dis be a defense mechanism, but I t'ink it be so." "Dese ones, wid needles? Dey be evergreens. Dey do not lose deir leaves, not like de ones closer to de meadows." She said. "Come wid, I show you de tallest ones!" She said, keen to leave the foul smell of the white spruce behind, and lead him toward the stand of trees that lined the edge of the cliffs where the great redwood grew.