Arquia poked her head out of the hole in the tree, refreshed from a night of rest. Kethri had gone out to do some things, leaving her and Anselm alone. From what she knew of the owl, they liked it when she and the rabbit were productive, and she had an idea for what the two could do that was not only going to please the owl, but also be fun. It was hard to do something that wasn't fun. The hole was high up from the ground, and Arquia used her tail to grasp nearby branches, swinging her way down. Her cloak flutter behind her, and the hood had come off by the time she had reached the bottom. The dragon tugged it back on.

"An-- se-- lm!" she called out the name of the rabbit. "Co-- me!" Arquia walked towards the plot of land, covered in grasses and weeds. It was hard to forget how much Kethri wanted a garden after the owl had gone on a long rant about it, and the dragon had almost fallen asleep. She sat down, and waited patiently for Anselm to arrive.

@Anselm

Anselm heard the rustling of Arquia. But Anselm didn't twitch. Didn't move a muscle. Content to pretend to sleep. And, hopefully, after enough time Anselm would be sleep once again. Then, Arquia called her. Anselm was reluctant to do anything having to do with leaving the tree. But Anselm could not ignore a call. An order. Her eyes blinked open. Anselm's nose poked from the hollow first, twitching once or twice. The rest of her head followed, her eyes traveling about the ground until they found Arquia. The hare's ears flicked back. She had to get on the ground again.

Anselm's back leg thumped once, nervous. Anselm set a paw on the cusp of the nest. Then the other. She braced her back paws against the trunk. She tried to slip out, sleek as the ocean at midnight. By the time she realized her back paws had lost their grip, it was too late.

Anselm's eyes were blown open, and she squeaked in fear, falling on her back. Anselm sat there for a solid second, before launched herself back up, grooming the grass and dirt from her coat. Once satisfied, Anselm spoke. "Arquia." The rabbit said. She tucked her body low. Her head flicked from side to side. Searching for any other lessers. Or greaters. Kethri, mostly. Anselm feared her cold, quiet disapproval. Dreading if she found out how clumsy Anselm's descent had been. Anselm wouldn't have their reputation tarred. Finding little sign of danger, the hare's body slipped closer to Arquia. Her ears pricked forward. "Yes?"

@Arquia

Arquia had been wondering how Anselm would get down the tree, since she didn't have a long tail or sharp claws to help her. The rabbit perched on the edge of the hole, preparing, and the next thing the dragons was Anselm falling out of the hole. Was that planned? Probably not, she concluded, as the rabbit squeaked in fear and fell on her back.

Looking around, she noted that Kethri was still not back, and turned her attention back to Anselm. "You is lucky they no here." Arquia knew that the owl would not tolerate weakness, and what the rabbit had just shown would not be tolerated. But that was not why she had called her. "We plant gar-den. Very fun. O-K?" She used her tail to motion to the weed covered plot of land. "First kill bad plants." Getting right into it, she used her claws and teeth to start tearing at the weeds.

@Anselm

Anselm sneezed. Her ears flicked downwards, for a moment. Arquia knew as well as Anselm did. "Yes." What if Kethri gave up on her, because she failed? She was relieved when Arquia spoke again, taking Anselm's mind off it. A garden. Yes. It was a great idea. It'd please Kethri. Anselm padded over to Arquia's side, trying her best not to hop. Her muscles strained, and highlighted spots of pain on her back and side, aching in the way developing bruises did. Anselm sniffed.

"The brood will not delate?" She said. Anselm's eye squinted. The ears went down a tick. Without waiting for a reply to that, Anselm was quick to follow her movements, and do as told. Anselm's crystal hummed, growing in warmth. It shot to the tips of her legs. Not in any comfortable way.

The hare's feet prickled, the pain steadily growing. Outward there was no sign of this, save the ever squinted eyes. Anselm planted her feet at the base of the plants Arquia uprooted, and patted the ground itself with them. It took a while for the still green plants to burn. But they found the woodsy smell of the smoke was oddly comforting.

@Arquia

"Yes." Arquia gave a slight tilt of her head in response to the rabbit. It was strange the bond that they shared. In any other circumstance, the two would never have met. And even if they did, Arquia would not have stayed. She would not have made friends with her.

But was Anselm really her friend? Or something else? Allies in a silent war against the dictator that was also their caretaker, yet also their master? Or perhaps they were just acquaintances caught up in the same situation, nothing else. It was quite confusing really, but Anselm was someone who she trusted more than usual. Even if the rabbit spoke weird. Carja... why did that thought keep coming up? Arquia had met that dragon once, but why did she keep coming into her thoughts? Shaking her head, she turned her attention back into the matter at hand.

"The brood will not delate?" Arquia was used to Anselm speaking like that now, but it didn't mean she understood what the rabbit was saying. Anselm went away without waiting for a reply, so she didn't have to answer that riddle anyway.

As she pulled out bundles and bundles of weeds, she stole a glance back to see Anselm burning the weeds. The smoke came up to her nostrils, but it didn't really affect her. She was a plant dragon, sure, but the smoldering plants didn't bother her. In fact, she thought it was kind of cool. "How? How do that?" she asked, stretching her tired paws. Could she do that?

@Anselm