Welcome to Gaia! ::

More confident, Smoke Beetle didn't think much of his own departure. The memory of his first dream was still vivid, and he wouldn't be surprised to stumble on an ethereal insect. However, he was still a fragile foal, his steps were very clumsy, and the world was blurred. He hadn't seen any other Kimeti yet; actually, he only crossed a couple birds that flew away when he got too close. He was sure he could take care of himself for now, but that's only because he hadn't met any predator yet.

A sudden noise caught his attention. Among the tangling plants, he heard a voice, the first person he's heard talking yet. He came closer eagerly, almost tripping, stopped near a hole his leg almost fell into, and asked playfully, trying to distinguish the female from weeds of the same colors: "And you, do you need help?"

Smoke snickered. “You need to practice, then!” He moved aside as his sister shook her fur. “You’ll need to walk more, then, you’ll be able to stand and walk properly!” He rose his right leg, to show he was (barely) able to keep his balance.
As he chuckled, he felt an unexpected brush against his leg standing near the hole. It surprised him greatly, and jumped, losing his balance, causing him to fall in turn in the water, head first.
He emerged, stunned, and stepped back near the other Kimeti. “What was that?”, he asked, water getting in his eyes, blurring more of his vision.

Smoke shook his head and stuck out his tongue. He shook his head as well. “I was just kidding. You’re doing just fine. Everyone must watch their step here.” It was embarrassing enough to be caught tripping at that moment…
His ears pricked up at the mention of the animal. “Oh, really?” He got up and came to sniff the hole as well. Smoke Beetle was careful enough not to push or hinder his sister, despite his interest. He lowered his head to see what was going on, without much success. With his muzzle he pushed a tiny rock inside the burrow. “So, it eats snakes? I think I can force it to show itself. I want to see it!”

Jumping Frog’s brother grinned. “How? Like this !“
With his hoof, he began working on the hole to make it larger. He scraped off the mud around the entrance. When he deemed there was enough space for him to shove his front leg inside, he did so, however slowly enough as not to completely upset the mongoose. “When I’m done, it’s gonna get out. I’ll catch it then!”
Smoke felt the annoyed critter gnawing at his foot, but he didn’t show the discomfort. And if his sister could see it, he would just pretend it was just a way for the tiny predator to show its affection.

Smoke’s smirk betrayed his mischievous mood. “Because I wanna tame it! I’ll keep it, and it’ll share its food with me.” He had a pretty precise idea of what he wanted to do with the black and yellow mammal.
His leg left the hole. Instantly, a muzzle emerged from the darkness, mouth half open, showing a collection of short teeth. “That’s a pretty mongoose! Look at its stripes!”

The yellow and purple kimeti smiled at his sister’s reaction. “Told you so.”
He lowered his head to see the critter better. “I’m not sure yet. Something unusual. Do you have an idea?”

“Bah. Sorry, I don’t think that’ll fit.” Smoke shook his head, and decided it was a male. The mongoose stayed there menacingly. “I think I’ll stay around here until he gets used to me” proposed the young kimeti with determination, “and if I find by chance some meat, I’ll give it to him. Or fruits. Do you think he eats fruits?”