Tupu was in Eridanus. Poco and Sorda nowhere to be seen. Tupu seemed to have wandered away from them. But Tupu was unaware. Her mind engaged in the brainpower burning task of grazing. They were stuck in a ritual. Their lips nosing for greenery to add. Each blade of grass a new discovery of taste. Each discovery of taste reminiscent of grass. Tupu didn't care. They just mowed down blade after blade. There was no rational thought in there. Or any at all. Their trail of chewing lead to a tree, and they bit up the surface of it. Her gaze caught bright red pods. Their smell was rich and fruity, and Tupu wanted it.

Tupu lifted upon her hind legs, holding her forelimbs at her side like a skinny bigfoot. She stretched her tongue towards the cocao pod. It shook, but didn't fall. Tupu screamed at it.

@Angela

I'll spend forever flyin', I'll be singin' to the sky

She was just beginning to learn to spread her wings, not quite ready to take off and gain a lot of altitude, but it was enough for her to hop nimbly through the trees, gliding from one branch to another, light enough to minimize the shaking of the trees when she landed. Sometimes her wings got caught and tangled in the leaves, but she was getting better at finding the best paths to minimize those issues.

She glided through the treetops now, landing deftly on one branch and, with a thrust of her wings, immediately took off against without putting down her second foot. To the next branch she soared, repeat, repeat, giggling to herself as the wing whipped through her hair and her feathers.

A screech caught her attention and she stopped, landing on a branch and folding in her wings, turning towards the source of the sound. It wasn't far away - only a few trees from where she was. Was someone in trouble? Was someone hurt? She wouldn't leave them, then. If she could help, then she'd help. She'd do what she could, however little it was.

Opening her wings just a little again, she jumped from the tree and glided to the ground, landing gently and taking off, sprinting through Eridanus, still a little clumsy on her feet and stumbling and tripping over the roots and undergrowth that got in her way until she arrived at the place where Tupu stood.

She paused, looking at the odd creature, which, to her, was not odd, only new - she only knew of Attikias and Vivilene, and Volta, and Hunter, and Asteri. Attikias had told her that two-legged creatures were not so common so she was a little surprised to see this one standing like the did, screaming at a plant. She immediately stepped forward, dodging behind a tree and peering out shyly. "Are you...like me?" she whispered, a little nervously from her place.

@Tupu

Tupu flicked her ears. Tupu heard words. Something talked at them? Not big scary no see. Tupu reared her head back, looking for the source of the noise. Her blank eyes absorbed the various greenery. Angela was easily distinguished. Purple amongst the greenery of Eridanus. Purple gerenuk? Tupu leaned her head in closer to Angela. Gerenuks came in purple. Tupu didn't know this. She snorted. The purple gerenuk didn't seem dangerous. It was safe.

"SAW-WEE." Tupu said. Tupu didn't know words, really, but Tupu knew what sorry mean. All clear. In a rare moment of grace, driven more by instinct than thought, she spun. Tupu shifted her weight on her forelimbs, and bucked, kicking at the tree trunk.

The tree shook, and a couple of leaves fell. But most importantly, Tupu's prize fell. A deep orange cocao pod. It bounced off her hide and onto the leaflitter, where she snapped it up in her jaws. Tupu gave it a loud crunch, chewing through the thick rind. The pod dropped as she bit through it, though she picked it up seconds later. Oblivious to the dirt and dead leaves stuck to it. The cocao bone was bitter, but there was a nice sweetness that kept Tupu from dropping it.

She approached Angela slowly, constantly chewing on it. Tupu sniffed Angela, like a comparatively smarter dog might've. Tupu bleated, muffled from the tasty chocolate.

@Angela

I'll spend forever flyin', I'll be singin' to the sky

Angela backed away a little bit as the thing approached her, crunching on its prize and no longer on two legs. So, not like her. Maybe it was a mistake coming here, but she was still a little curious about what it was. She let it sniff her arm, although she was still trying to work out why it had apologized to her. "Um...what are you eating? Is it tasty?"

She hadn't seen something like that before. Or, at least, Attikias hadn't shown it to her yet. There was a lot she didn't know, even about her forest home, and especially about this think. Tentatively, she reached forward to pat it on the head, unsure of what to do. Was it even intelligent? Was it just a really bold, curious Lesser? Wait but hadn't it spoken before? Or was that just sounds.

She wasn't sure, so she just patted its head softly.

@Tupu

Tupu had no idea what Angela was saying. She stared, with a vapid expression. Tupu didn't understand why all these gembound kept moving their mouths. Why not just eat. Like Tupu did. The big flat face said one word Tupu's singular brain cell could process, though. Eat. Tupu could eat. Tupu was eating. She dropped the snack. Angela must want Tupu to use big word. Tupu used the only other word they knew.

"Snacc."The big purple gerenuk touched a hand to Tupu's head. Unsure how to respond, Tupu froze. Trying to process why there was a hand on their head. But Tupu must follow the herd. Although the hand on their head was awkward, they would return the favor in kind. Tupu raised a leg, attempting to put it on Angela's arm. They were in the same herd now.

Tupu would help herdmate. Tupu backed away, snaking their weird neck down to look for greens. They crammed clumps of grass into their mouth, ripping it up. Occasionally forgetting and swallowing a bit. Satisfied with the amount of grass, they grabbed the cocao pod. She shoved her face into Angela's, staring with dopey eyes. "Snacc," They said, garbled beneath the gathering of grass and cocao.

@Angela

I'll spend forever flyin', I'll be singin' to the sky

She was a little confused by the leg coming up to rest on her arm and hesitated in petting Tupu's head. Did it not want her doing that anymore? Did it not like it? Why didn't it just say so then? Did it not like talking, like Vivilene? But hadn't it said something before? It had apologized to her for some reason. She was a little confused and, just to be safe, retracted her arm and held them to her chest a little nervously.

She watched with barely veiled confusion as it began to pick grass. Did it not really care she was there anymore? Perhaps this was as good a time as any to leave - she'd only come to see if someone was in trouble but, obviously, this thing was fine. But before she could turn to go, it was striding back and shoving a cacao pod in her face. She backed away, a little frightened. What, was it offering her a snack? She raised her hands, waving them in front of her face as if to say "no." "Uh, no thanks I already ate today, um, you can have them."

@Tupu