Ank was lost. Fool that she was she'd charged into a dense forest after some prey. Which she'd lost only moments before loosing her way as well. Rarely had she felt so helpless. It barely mattered now. Unless she found someone to help her or someone came looking she was on her own and would have to make it back out on her own as well.
Nthanda wasn't out looking for her sister. She was looking for something quite different. Still though, coming across her sister was a welcome accident. It'd been a while since she'd seen her last."Ank! Is that you?" she yipped happily.
Her ears flicked in the direction of the noise and she turned to great her sister.
"Nthanda!" she called out with a barking laugh. "What a happy coincidence to find you here!" She scrambled over a log. Once on top she jumped down and ran over. "I hope you mean to be here at least! How have you been!"
She grinned at her sister and hurried over to her, nipping at her lovingly. "It's so good to see you! It's been too long. " she cried, her tail whipping along behind her. "I've been fantastic, how about you?"
"I have been well, until today! I chased a vole into the forest and I lost it, as well as myself! Please assure me, sister, that we are not both lost," she sounded honestly worried as she cut her own joyful welcome short to look up at the tall trees around them.
"I've never been to fond of forests..."
Nthanda looked up at the trees herself. It did sometimes feel like the forest was closing in on you. Someone as small as themselves certainly had to take extra procautions. Turning back to her sister, she nudged her playfully.
"Aw, Ank. I thought you were the smart, brave one!" she teased, grinning from ear to ear. "Naw, I know where I'm going and how to get back home. Don't you worry!"
Ank looked rather sheepish at the mention of 'smart and brave'.
"Dumb enough to fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book," she sighed. "Thank you, though. I'm grateful I don't have to find my way out alone. Mmm..." she pulled her attention away from the surrounding trees and looked at Nthanda. "Have you settled down yet? Any pups?"
She lovingly gave her sister a little bump with her hip, then started in a seemingly random direction.
"Not yet. I'm looking, but I'm just having fun. I'm only young! I don't need to settle down yet! Pups would just get in the way." She laughed, and turned to look over her shoulder to look at her sister. "What about you?"
The bump caught her off guard and she missteped. As she regained her balance she giggled.
"Me neither. You know how mama is though. If we ran into her without a litter at our heals she'd likely take a sudden interest in the sky," she was exaggerating a great deal but Nthanda would know that without being told. "Frankly, I haven't run into a single male I would be willing to have a litter with," her tone suggested a few of them had felt that way about her too.
Nthanda laughed and bobbed her head, agreeing. She knew how their mother was.
"Well, Ank! We're too young to be tied down anyway! Who needs males and pups. They'll just complicate everything." Remembering her younger days, she shook her head. Their mother had barely left the cave when they were small. Aunt Ananzi did virtually all of the hunting.
She didn't want to have to rely on anyone, not yet.
"Well I'm in no rush!" she tittered. "But I can't deny I wouldn't hold back any if I thought it was love~"
A strange caught her attention and her ears fell back, flat against her head. "Say, Nithy? How much further until we're out of here?"
She couldn't stand the thought of ending up in the belly of one of those snakes.
"Oh, not much further," she said, her tone unconcerned. She glanced over her shoulder at her sister and flashed her a grin. "Are you scaaared?" Throwing her head back she let out a cackle, not really waiting for an answer, as she hadn't expected one anyway.
"Have you seen anyone else from the family lately? I can't say I have. miss them sometimes."
Continued in [PRP] Where fireflies call home (Ank & Nthanda)...
