Eudeyrn =
Josepi =


Josepi had found himself a little more curious and a little more paranoid in his new juvenile body. Places he once fit in perfectly he could barely squeeze himself into without a long and arduous battle with the opening, and the heights he could not reach now didn't feel so far away. It was an odd experience, because he couldn't properly gauge himself on what was a safe decision and what wasn't when it came to play. Could he get himself down, or would he need to call his mother? It was all confusing.

Right now Josepi sat atop a large rock he had managed to climb up on. He felt like a king overlooking his subjects and held his head high with a little bit of unwarranted pride. He was taller than his Dad sitting on this rock, and it was kinda cool. Now the only obstacle was getting himself back down. He peered over the edge a little nervously and made a face. That was an awfully long way down. If he slipped he'd surely fall and snap his neck, like when the bone eaters came and snapped the necks of the dead. Off in the distance he caught sight of his brother and ducked down. If Eudeyrn saw him he'd no doubt disapprove.

Eudeyrn had once again risen before dawn to go in search of offerings. This morning he had come up with an entire batch of bright yellow petals, collecting up those that had fallen from their flowers in a sling the other priests had helped him make. He had left them at the altar places, satisfied with the hours work. Now he made his way home, deciding as he walked that he would go back for the bulk of the flowers for his evening offering. As he approached he spotted his brother, a sour look coming over his face. "You shouldn't be up there!" he called, letting his sling slip back over his front shoulders, "You're going to get hurt and then we'll have to take you to the healers."

It was too late, he had been spotted and his ears instantly pressed against his head as he looked away from the watchful gaze of his sibling. Eu was such a sourpuss sometimes. Josepi knew that there was the possibility injury could ensue if he fell, but getting to be this high up in the air was a risk he felt he was willing to take. He peaked his head back out over the rock and gave his brother a small view of his tongue as he stuck it out at him.

"I'll be fine! It's not that high up! Besides... I can see EVERYWHERE up here," Josepi said peering from one side to the other and pointing over to the direction Eudeyrn had come from, "I can even see the shrines from here!"

"You could see them just as well if you went to them," he sighed, settling on a lower rock where he could comfortably look up, "Not that I've ever seen you there." And he was there quite often, more since he had encountered Haruma and begun to share his beliefs. He set himself up on his paws, his tail wrapped around his hips. Even as cautious as he was he looked the worse for it, his eyes sunken and his mouth pale.

"Well.... Mommy takes us! She takes us when she can!" Josepi said, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout, "And you know how busy Mommy is. She has to take care of us and all the children in the pride who doesn't have Mommies or Daddies or who's Mommies and Daddies are sick, so..."

In his mind it was a legitimate excuse, but he knew to Eudeyrn it probably wasn't. I mean, sure, it was nice and all that their mother trusted Eu so much as to not get himself into trouble when he visited the shrines, but Josepi wasn't allowed that far from the den or from Eppie unescorted. And even than, when he was, Veena had to be with him. Maybe because he happened to get himself into trouble so often, but pssht, that was normal. He was supposed to get into trouble, he was a juvenile. Right?

"Why don't you ask Veena to go with you? I'm sure she doesn't go very often either," Josepi said, already trying to find a safe route off the rock and failing.

"I leave before everyone else wakes up," he said softly, running a paw over the softened hide of the sling, "That's how I stay out of trouble, I don't run into anyone else." Except perhaps Haruma, but she was often doing her own work for Gerda, gathering useful herbs that were not often the pretty sort he lifed to lay in tribute. He watched quietly as his brother searched for a way down, amusing himself with the idea that he might yet fall. And then who would be right? That was a cruel thought though, he couldn't let things like that come into his mind.