nessiaing
Jioni yawned, he had managed to find the perfect tree in the jungle. It dipped in a u shape and was wide enough that he was able to have a nice nap there. Really he should be studying, he was to become a bone hunter when he reached adult hood and he loved studying but sometimes you one just needed to have a nap.

He shifted positions peeking over the edge of his branch, he was several feet in the air but it didn't phase him, from a young age Jioni had been in the trees, sure he had suffered a number of falls they were pretty rare now.

Painted Moose
For once Kishin wasn't hiding out in some hole or shoved so far up in a tree that no one would find him. He had made his way out into the open; a rarity for the introverted adolescent. Never being one for socialization, he had spent most of his youth shuffling away from larger groups until eventually his life was enveloped by the shadows.

However, his version of 'open' was still fairly secluded in the tree branches, albeit the lower ones. On his way down he spotted one of his brothers, and momentarily thought about avoiding him, just because conversing tended to exhaust him. Still...he did like his brothers, so...Kishin carefully hopped down an upper branch, landing just above his brother. "Hello", his voice, much like his paw steps, was a soft whisper.

nessiaing
Jioni had become distracted by a rodent that was scurrying around the jungle floor and hadn't actually heard his brother making his way towards him. It wasn't until he heard the whispered hello that his head quickly twisted to be looking above him instead of down.

A smile grew on his face when he saw his brother. It actually made him feel a little special that Kishin had stopped to greet him. Jioni knew that his brother wasn't really much one for chats. "Good afternoon Kishin. How are you doing today?" Jioni asked as he shifted his position laying on his back so that he was facing up towards his brother. He loved that his branch allowed for so much movement.

Painted Moose
Kishin shifted a little with his brother's attention on him. His tail slipped between his legs, and he looked down; wary but curious. "...'m fine." His voice was a little squeak of vocalization, barely above the murmur he'd given before. "I saw new birds today. Little ones...hatchlings..." Was that stupid? It probably was, but he thought it was nifty. They were so small and delicate. It was even nicer because he was friend's with the mother, and she hadn't tried to run him off.

"How are you? How is the apprenticeship?" There was little he saw of his brother's after becoming an apprentice, but he still liked to keep tabs.

nessiaing
Jioni personally wouldn't have been interested in newly hatched birds, but he smiled happy to hear his brother sharing something with him. He somewhat wished he was closer to Kishin. He kinda felt bad for him, he didn't seem to be close to anyone. Jioni thought everyone needed a friend in life.

"I am doing well. I had a glorious nap. Seriously any time you want a comfortable place out of the way where you can just chill come to this tree. I will totally share with you." Jioni told his brother. Where his brother was introverted Jioni was an extrovert always bubbly and full of energy.

"The apprenticeship is going well. I am learning more and more about the colony's history everyday soon I will be more knowledgable than Deker." Jioni said with a laugh. It was a well known fact athat all though Deker was leading the colony to the best of his abilities the leopard didn't know too much about the history of the pride.

Painted Moose
Napping in a tree so close to prying eyes wouldn't be restful for Kishin at all, but he gave his brother a meek smile, never the less. He was trying, and Kishin loved him for it. Even as they aged he didn't seem anymore capable of understanding his bubbly brother anymore than Jioni could grasp Kishin's personality.

Scrunching up his nose a little, Kishin piped in, "You shouldn't poke fun of him. He could hear you." Kishin gave an almost unhealthy respect to authority; in truth, anything that jeopardized his days of solitude, like punishments or having a guard watching him, didn't sit well with the young leopard. And besides, he didn't want to see his brother get in trouble for sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

nessiaing
Kioni wanted to argue that his comment really wasn't that bad, everyone knew that Deker had little knowledge of what happened in the pride prior to his arrival. However it wasn't worth causing his brother clear discomfort. He decided instead to go back to a topic his brother would feel better about talking about.

"So these baby birds how many were there?" he asked. He wanted to smooth out the situation and see his brother relax more.

Painted Moose
Kishin had never known a time when Deker wasn't the soul leading councilman. He had been born after the great lion incident, and this...he knew Deker wasn't as knowledgeable as others, but there was a reason he was leading them, right?

"...three. There were three." He relaxed, though only slightly. Kishin kept craning his head from side to side as if looking for others who might be spying on him. "One is really small though. I don't know if it will make it." The mother bird was concerned, but not as much as he thought she should be. Her focus was on trying to make sure the whole nest survived, but Kishin knew if she had to leave one behind she would. "Do you...do you think that one day we'll have a full council again?"

nessiaing
Jioni was surprised when his brother transfered talk back to the council again. "Of course we will." He answered quickly with a nod. He knew it was what his brother wanted to hear. From the histories that Jioni had already studdied Deker had taken over during a time of crisis and was only meant to remain the solo leader while the colony got their s**t together so to speak. Of course things were better now and yet the colony remained with one council member instead of five.

"I am sure they will even happen soon." Jioni noticed that the sun was starting to get low and a chill ran over his pelt. "Come on we better get home. Mom hates it when we are out after dark." Personally Jioni thought it was silly having to be home before the sun was fully down they were nearly grown males but he wasn't in the mood for a lecture tonight.

Painted Moose
I hope so. Kishin didn't like to see the adults so divided, even if they didn't say much out loud. He knew about the female named Chiyo who had spoken out so vehemently against Deker, but he had yet to see her. What if she was all talk, and never made good on her word? Or worse, what if she did?

"I...I'm going to stay here tonight." His parents would be concerned, but Kishin liked it better in the trees. He climbed heights no one else would dare, so in a way he was safe. "Goodbye, brother." Kishin didn't wait for a rebuttal; instead, he reached for the branches above him and climbed out of sight.

nessiaing
Jioni gave a little shake of his head as his brother climbed higher in the tree. He would tell his parents that he was alright. He seriously hopped that his brother would find a little more peace in life soon.