Lanky, chestnut legs propelled forward at a clumsy- but brisk- gait. The girl, still small and lithe and rather sorry-looking, was apparently on a mission.

She didn't know what for, but her mind was moving just as fast as her body. She'd been reminiscing of her confusion upon emerging, and praising herself for her current knowledge that, to her, was endless. She was excited to explore, after all, and explore is what she was doing.

Panya never stopped, tail held high and chin even more so as she surveyed the area. She'd stumbled across the banks of a large river. She'd never seen so much water before. Of course, she'd noticed a few droplets on leaves here and there after her hatching, but this? She couldn't have imaged such a scene. Curiously, the cub crept forward towards the still, glassy surface.

Naturally, she sunk low to the ground and gave it a sniff. It wasn't much of a smell, that's for sure. A tentative raise of a paw, claws sheathed and hesitant. As she touched the top of the water, her fur bristled- it was cool, a nice sensation- and as she looked closer, she saw the mud caked in her coat begin to melt away.

A delighted expression stole away her suspicion. She could squeal, she was so excited. Still, Panya held herself still and gave a critical glance towards the rest of her legs. Filthy. Without missing a beat, the youth tromped into the river until it reached her chest.

Grin still plastered upon her cheeks, Panya allowed her lower half to drop into the river with a satisfying plop. She was more than content to remain here.

@Peach Scone

Peach Scone decides she rather likes the water.

It feels cool and refreshing and right against its skin, draining the worries of the day away.

They still haven't found Leo. But that's a problem for another time. Right now, they can bob around in this water, which is just as good.

Then they catch sight of another creature--a catlike thing, brownish in color. They're washing mud off their fur. Peach Scone speeds over, too quickly for comfort. She must know--is it prey (shinyshinyshinySHINY) or is it a potential ally?

Then their eyes meet, and Peach Scone recognizes the light in them.

Not food, then.

"Greetings," they chirp.

@Panya

Now, Panya does squeal. It's a squeaky little sound, failing to be even a little intimidating. She hadn't noticed the rush of ripples coming towards her until.. it.. was nearly nose to nose with her.

"Who are you?!" She hissed, her fur on end yet again. This was only her second interaction with a gembound, and this one was far more weird looking than Bacchus had been. She didn't have the experience, nor the vocabulary, to put a name to the qualities of this creature- but she could sure try. To her untrained eyes, it looked as if it was almost melting. She blinked several times over.

Once the saffron irises were confirmed to most definitely not be misleading her, Panya allowed herself to gape at little. By now, she'd soothed herself enough to not be quite so defensive, and wriggled her tail through the water to announce her already obvious infatuation.

"Do you... foods? Prey?" She asked, head tilting with the pitch in her voice. Although it wasn't quite clear, she was trying to figure out if this little creature was hungry. So far, hunting was the only thing she'd really ever done before- her attempts at friendship, some may say. Brows furrowed, the lion leaned forward- as close as the water-serpent would allow- to get a better look, sniff, or even lick of it.

@Peach Scone

Peach Scone blinked several times in succession as Panya licked her on the nose. She did not have a procedure for 'what to do when licked by stranger'.

She did, at least, know what to respond.

"No, no," they said hurriedly. "Not food. Friend...? Don't be scared. My name is..." What was its name again? "Peach Scone."

@Panya

The girl perked up at the mention of what the creature was called. She’d yet to grasp what was normal and what wasn’t for a name, but if she did- she’d probably comment on it.

Still, though, she was quite pleased with both her successful lick and the creature’s offer of friendship. ”Hmm. Peach. I am Panya.” She said shortly, moving to exit the water and hoping Peach Scone would follow. Dirt still streaked her lower half, but less so. Panya did not, however, enjoy the feeling of little pebbles and clumps of dry dirt re-solidifying into her fur.

Letting out a little groan of frustration, she shook her paws with unnecessary violence. She said one of her most familiar words- “Stupid! Stupid, stupid dirts. Peach! Come.” She squawked, nearly tripping over herself in her scramble for somewhere less than grimy.

@Peach Scone

"Panya. Funky name for a funky creature," she said with a dip of her head. "That was a compliment," she adds after a beat.

Peach Scone floated out of the water and followed Panya.

"Water...is good," she said hesitantly. "Can get rid of the dirt, and it has tasty shiny things swimming in it. Do you want to hunt with me?"

@Panya

Panya smiled a little at the work funky. She didn't know what it meant, but she was a fan.

"Water? She said, quick to put the pieces together and realize that is what she exited. She had a general sense of what was around her, but often failed to pick the right words. "Mmm.. I like to hunt." That was a word she knew- and she had an idea of how to do it.

Unfortunately for her, though, she'd also never seen a fish. She clambered back into the river, not giving herself a moment to think after Peach Scone said it'd get rid of the dirt. She peered close to its surface, bright eyes searching for something apparently shiny. When she laid eyes on one, she carefully looked to Peach. "Like this?"

@Peach Scone

Peach Scone's cerata vibrated with excitement. "I love hunting!" She chirped. "My favorite thing in whole wide world, except maybe water..." she stiffened as she caught sight of the gleaming fish, swimming languidly through the water, unaware of the death that was soon coming to it.

She dove down eagerly with a flick of her tail (?), jaws open wide...

@Panya

And closes it around its head, snapping its spine in one clean bite. Triumph surges through her, and she resurfaces to drop the fish at Panya's feet and nudge it towards her.

"Here," she says proudly. It's not really hungry, after all. It just wants shiny.

Panya's expression lit up on seeing Peach's success. When the fish was dropped in front of her, she took a tentative sniff before biting into it. It tasted very unfamiliar, but not exactly bad.

Giving Peach Scone a toothy smile, she plodded through the river, eyes scanning once again for a fish. When she saw the flashes of silver surrounding her legs, she promptly plunged her entire head right in, teeth gnashing wildly. The sensation of rushing water filling her nose and mouth was utterly horrible. The cub came up sputtering, spewing droplets of water from her nostrils with a cry.

As she expelled all the water from her airways, though, she noticed a little, wriggling thing with fins clasped between her teeth. "I got one!" She exclaimed, muffled behind the fish in her jaws. She almost offered it to Peach before deciding otherwise, snapping it up quickly.

@Peach Scone

To say Peach Scone was delighted was an understatement.

A fellow hunter, accomplished as them despite her young age. Yes, Panya would be a very good partner indeed.

"Wonderful," it chirps. "I'm gonna use my Super Cool Magic to see if I can find any more..."

@Panya

There.

Somewhere within the murky depths, there lies Shiny.

They flick a tail towards the depths. "There's more down there."