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Barnesi was rolling about in the sand, literally. He'd just been paddling a little bit, venturing out as far as legs would carry him at the moment but he knew better than to push his luck, especially without his mother around. Fair enough, he was within earshot of the Pombuka, but it meant leaving the rest of the pomboo vulnerable whilst she had to rescue him.
And that just wasn't polite, now was it?
His fur all wet still, he rolled about in the loose sand, coating himself in the golden stuff and toying with that idea of 'what if I was a different colour?'

Not unlike the deep purple cub, Poseidon was willing to walk away from the Pomboo for a time. His father and brother quite often took him to the border, but for right now he was enjoying spending time with the youngsters of the pride, those of his age. Lifting his dark ears he padded across the sand quickly, having spotted the sandy hurricane dancing not far away.
"Hey thar are ye bein a monsta?" He called pulling himself to a stop, was there such thing as a sand monster? If ther was surely this was it, a lion covered in the golden sands, spotted with odd purple furry blobs. "if yer is, yer best be careful lad, ah've got right dangris paws and I aint fraid ta useum!"

Barnesi stopped in his playful rolling, but for only a few moments after seeing it was only a fellow pomboo.
"O'course I'm not a monster!" he guffawed. "Do you think the grown-ups would let a monster onto the beach? I don't think so."

The young black and white cub batted his paws in the sand, huffing angrily "Wull, mah pa says when he aint hyar I's gotta protects the fambly so you mighta been a monsta fer all I knew." He huffs puffing out his small spotted chest.
Moving closer to the other lion he patted a paw at Barnsi's shoulder dusting away the sand "yer look like a sand monsta out 'o' a story, taint my fault yer actin like a crab tryin ta bury ya sen in the sand." He huffs, pouting a little at his foolish mistake.

"If'n I was a REAL monster, I wouldn't even talk to you. I'd have just...just..well..I'd have just gobbled you all up!" he said with glee before pouncing on Poseidon.

The young black and white juve fell backwards as the purpe male pounced him, he puts his paws out before hin and chuckles "Aye, but I woudne ave been caught by no monster, I'm much too canny fer ta be eated!" He humphed, bitting a sandy paw playfully before sticking out his tongue "Pleh! Sandy tongue!"

Barnesi just laughed. He didn't mind a bit of rough and tumble play, bites and claws were of no consequence to a cub as brave as Barnesi...although he had jumped at the sight of a jellyfish before.
"Have ya ever seen a real sea monster before?" he asked casually, but with the hint of something in his voice.
"I think I might have before."

Poseidon pushed the other youngster off him, bitting one of barneys ears and growling playfully until the all important question was asked. Had he seen a real monster? "I don't know." He mused looking to the sky.
"you've seen one? fo real? where?"

Barnesi followed his line of sight to the sky and snirked. A sea monster wouldn't be in the sky! Unless it could fly as well...that'd be a really scary monster!
"I think its a monster...and I didn't see all of it...and I didn't see it all at once," he began in a mysterious way, as if telling a tale of intrigue.
He stopped wrestling with Poseidon and looked out towards Leporogo and some of the jagged rocks just off-shore.
"Over there. One morning, I saw just a black shape above the water. Mum says it was 'flippers' I saw. And then on another morning, I saw a big black shape actually SAT on Leoprogo! It was all squidgy but as I went to get a better look...it musta heard me or smelled me or something..." Barnesi took a dramatic pause.
"...'cause then it jumped back in the sea! And then it stretched out more and had those flippers instead of feets!"

Poseidon listened, entranced in the tale, though his brow soon furrowed and he pursed his lips. "You sure it was a monster? My dad says there are lions in the sea that doesn't has any furs." He looked thoughtful.
"My pa told me about sea lions, they don't has any paws but they have lots of flippers and fun." He grins "pa says if you stay in the sea too long your furs will fall off and your feet will fall off and you'll become a sea lion."

"Sea lions? I didn't fink they were still around, I thought thats we used to be," he replied, a little confused now, and perhaps a little bit downheartened.
He liked the idea that he'd seen a real sea monster.
Poseidon pursed his lips "well pa says that if you stay in there too long you returns to the sea like our ancestors. I dunno if I wants my feets ta fall off though. I kinda like my feets."

Barnesi of course was now given something totally new to contemplate...and even be tempted by.
"I'm gonna try it one day!" he declared suddenly and with great joy. "Being able to swim around all day, no fur to get wet and mussed up and smelly, and no feets to get tired!"

Poseidon pondered this, he supposed living in the sea would be cool. "but if you didn;t have fur, I don;t be thinkin' you'd be able to play with your parents no more, an you wouldn't be able to walk on the sand." He pouted.
"I like me tha sea but I would miss tha sand and even tha sharp grasses an, an tha leaves." He huffed looking towards the dens. "We best be gettin back, afore someone thinks tha sea eated us."

Barnesi continued to ponder the advantages of permanently being a 'sea lion' with much fanciful joy. As usual, most logic had escaped him and he could only muse on the joyful side of things.
"Yeah, you're right, some of the pombuka can be pretty strict and antsy if we're gone for too long..." he agreed finally, standing up straight and rattling his body until all sand had been shaken loose. "Race ya back!"
He practically shouted his challenge, tearing off back up the beach toward the gathering of cubs and nannies.

"Hey!" Poseidon chuckled and raced after the other youngster batting playfully at Barnsy's tail happily. It was good to have a friend who didn't mind playing rough and talking about real boy things like monsters.
"When we get back we should wrestle I bet I can beatcha! Poseidon laughed heartily speeding after his new friend to rejoin the cubs.