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Description
Rue
The sun was low on the mountains as Rue padded quietly out of camp, her bundle of a shy son at her heels. Nereus didn't get out enough if he could help it, and after getting back from the all girls trip Rue got the feeling Nereus could use a little one on one time, since Astrael and Anderson had few fears about playing with the other boys in the Empire.
She glanced back to check on him, get a mother's eye kind of feel for his feelings on this outing.

Nereus
Following close behind, the small cub glanced around apprehensively; drinking in the golden light around them all. He knew they had come out to see something, and so he was absorbing their surroundings with intense vigour. After all, if it was important to mom, he was important to him... when he found it.
Through his searching Nereus just caught sight of his mother glancing back at him, and he sheepishly smiled back with a gentle blink. Perhaps he'd get a bit closer to her still, he thought; his small legs flicking up dirt until he was besides Rue. It was safer near her.

Rue
Rues tail tapped him in a loving way as he did, a warm smile in return. "How is your rock collection son? Have you found some good ones lately. Evelyn was so excited to bring you that shell." She said to start the conversation for their walk

Nereus
"Spotty quartz is fitting in very well." He chirped, dwelling briefly on the gift his sister brought him, "I'm worried someone's going to break him though. He's not as strong as the other." He had only ever seen a few shells other than Spotty, and they had all been cracked or in pieces. What if that happened to Spotty? He shook his head and ears slightly, trying to brush the thought away. "I have lots of flint though. Cae says they are strong." Admittedly, flint was a bit boring to look at after the 5th piece, however it was different and it was strong like his Dad. Dark and strong rocks were good for his collection.

Rue
Rue nodded in agreement as they made their way up the path, the camp out of sight now the hill sloped down again and Rue ducked under a low fallen tree and kept going "Shells are made by the ocean, quite a bit faster than how the mountains make rocks, so yes, they break a little easier but you're a very careful collector Nereus, I think Spotty is going to last a long long time. Percy mentioned to me he would be willing to give you pieces left over of gemstones after armor is finished for Gladiators. Is that something you would like?"

Nereus
The young cub tried his best to put into his memory everything his mother said. Did that apply to other things? If a plant grew faster than another, would it be weaker? Or a cat? The questions were on the tip of his tongue, however what his mother said next drowned out everything else. "REALLY?" He squeaked in happiness, a wide smile reaching across his face before he caught himself, embarrassed. However, he couldn't stop the wild grin as he tried to reply more controlled "Did he actually say that?"

Rue
Rue laughed a warm motherly laugh. "Of course he did. Percy can't promise they will always be very big but when he found out you were collecting he offered that when we last spoke." The hill sloped further down and more grasses started to grow in this area, the sun getting lower

Nereus
"Wwwowww" Nereus whispered, and he made a mental note to go meet Percy when they got back from their trip. The cub wondered what colours and types his older brother had, and maybe if he had a collection himself? His paw slid about on the changing earth as his mind wasn't focused on the path. Only as mysterious stalks started to brush up against his leg did he jump back into reality, skidding around to regain a normal posture. Oh, it was just grass. Looking around, there was a lot more grass around here. He glanced up curiously at his mother - oh! Maybe the thing was here! The mystery thing could be hiding in or on the other side of it. His paws itched to leap on into it all, however he held back - just in case he was wrong.

Rue
There was a scent of deer, faint from hours previous of them stepping over a deer trail but as the sky turned to reds and pinks for its last goodbye, Rue took Nereus into a grassy clearing and looked around. "This should be good. Now, we wait." Rue lay down comfortably, her front paws crossed

Nereus
...
Sitting down Nereus looked around confused. "Are we... waiting for someone in particular?"
Glancing around, it had only been a few moments, however time for a cub always seemed to pass really slowly. He shuffled his paws awkwardly, not wanting to look ungrateful for whatever was about to happen. "Can I... go look at some of the grass whilst we wait?"

Rue
Rue gave him a side glance of a smile. Part of this outing was also so he could feel more comfortable being farther from camp and exploring. Her rock loving cub couldn't spend his life in a cave.
"No we are not waiting for anyone. You may explore anywhere I can still hear you."
The grove was getting louder with the sound of crickets the darker it still got. Rues eyes had begun to illuminate with the cat like glow of the night.

Nereus
Nereus glanced around, still unsure however happier to move now he had permission. The night sky was just starting to peer through the sunsets haze, however all Nereus could focus on was the really loud grass. When he had first started looking at the long shafts of green, it had proved significantly less interesting that rock collecting. However, not wanting to lose face, he continued around the edges of the clearing. Perhaps there was a hidden type of red grass he just didn't know about yet.

Soon, his efforts paid off. A loud patch started to sing out, and he cautiously approached it out of curiosity. He didn't know grass could make noises like this. The cub poked his head into the grass, and immediately recoiled. A cricket had landed on his nose, and soon he tumbled back further into more grass until he landed with a thud in the waves.

Rue
Rue had been watching him of course, senses keen for any other animals that could be a threat to her cub. Fortunately this area was more frequented by deer and opossum than hunters.
As Nereus suddenly tumbled Rues ears perked forward, watching more concerned. It didn't look like he had encountered a snake, and there was no outcry.
"Find something Nereus?" She asked

Nereus
Once recovering his breath, Nereus shook his pelt and hopefully whatever that strange creature was. At his mother's call he ran back to her voice, "Mom it was green and pointy and had weird legs!" He whined, pining after her affection. He scooted up besides her nervously, but somewhat more excited. "It was weirddddddd." Trying to pinpoint where it now was from the safety of his mother, he couldn't see where it had gone. Maybe it has gone... he pondered, unaware of the small green bug on top of his head.

Rue
Rue tried not to laugh and scooped him safely closer. "It sounds like you found a cricket, they are those little bugs that are singing our pretty night time songs. You don't need to be afraid." Carefully she watched the one on his head, make sure it didn't crawl into his face. If it started to wander Rue would rescue him, but she wanted to see if it would chirp while up there.

Nereus
"Wow," he purred, "They really are weird!" Singing bugs? How often did you see something like that! It was an amazing thought to him, however it lost its awe when he became painfully aware of the cricket itching closer to his ears. He held his breath in intense concentration, not wanting to make a fool of himself again. After what seemed like forever, it finally jumped off. He let out a gasp for air. "Did you see that?" His voice was hushed, as if the cricket could still hear him. They really were weird.

Rue
Rue beamed, so proud. "I did, I saw the whole thing. You're so brave Nereus he decided to take a brief ride, said thank you and went back to his home. How did that feel? Tickle a little?"

Nereus
His eyes widened slightly dwelling over what his mother said. "Yeah... wow I did that? I mean, yeah!" Was that what the cricket did? If he was that small then he would probably want to ride on someone taller than him too. He cautiously glanced towards his mom with a thought, however pushed it aside. He was probably a bit too big to sit on his mother's head like the cricket did anyway.

Rue
Rue giggled and snuggled his nose with hers. "Yes you did my little man. What are you thinking about now? I know that look."

Nereus
Nereus's checks puffed up with embarrassment, and he squirmed slightly as he tried to think of the best way to think about it. "Do you think he... wanted to be taller. Maybe, like, as tall as you?"

Rue
Rue thought this over. "Perhaps, little birds like to fly just as high as big birds don't they?"

Nereus
"Yeah..." He started, looking down at his paws, before looking up again. "Do you... think little cats like to fly too?"

Rue
Rue grins "oh absolutely. How high do little cubs want to go?"

Nereus
Oh, how high did he want to go? He wasn't sure but if he had to pick... "Maybe as high as a tree," he mused, rearing up on his hind legs to reach his paws up high. If he balanced right, they lined up with the treeline behind them. "Then, maybe to the moon!"

Rue
Rue laughed and scooted her nose under him to bounce Nereus up to her head. "Only the highest for my little warrior, but if you go to the moon, you won't see what I brought you to see." Tiny yellow lights were flickering in the grove now, first one, then several, then over a dozen

Nereus
Initially Nereus scrambled to keep steady on top of his mother's head, giggling at the unexpected action. Once he was somewhat stable however, his eyes widened as his focus changed to the landscape around him. Stars appeared and rose from the grass, dotted in the field in small yellow dots. From this height, it seemed that they went on forever. "Woohhhh, what are they?" He whispered, reaching out a paw gingerly towards one.

Rue
Rue's tail flicked behind her calm and happy. "Lightning bugs, or fireflies. They don't hurt at all, but they speak to each other using their little lights."
One little firefly landed on Rues ear beside Nareus, blinking on and off.

Nereus
With names like that, they don't sound harmless,* the cub frowned, however decided to continue with his attempts. His paw brushed against his mother's ear, and the bug lifted into flight again. It was hard to keep his focus on it from his stationary position, however soon it landed again, and this time on his shoulder. "Mom, what do I do?"

Rue
Rue glanced up, her ear flicking at the gentle touch. "Just watch, they are very fragile bugs. Even your tiny paws could squish it very easily and then no more light."
"If you want, you can help him back into the air." She offered

Nereus
Gentle reaching out his paw, he fixed his eyes on the small light, trying his best not to squash it. It made it hard to stay on Rue's head, however slumped over he was able to cup the bug into his paw and lift it off into the air.
For a moment after that, he simply stayed quiet and watched it fly off to join the others, paws now dangling either side of his mother's head. "Thanks mom." Nereus purred quietly, watching as they slowly began to merge in with the other stars in the sky

Rue
Rue purred under his paws. "You're welcome son. Thank you for playing with me tonight. I'll remember it forever."

Word count: 2082

Will Nereus stay a hermit forever? Thanks to the loving support of his family it doesnt seem likely!
This is a beautiful collab with CCWashi where i sketched, she lined, i coloured, and she bged and shaded! It turned out amazing and AGH this RP is just so cute - I love Rue and Nereus <3

CC's Upload <3

Nereus belongs to UnityUniverse
Rue belongs to CCWashi
EmpiresBeforeClans

Description
Rue
The sun was low on the mountains as Rue padded quietly out of camp, her bundle of a shy son at her heels. Nereus didn't get out enough if he could help it, and after getting back from the all girls trip Rue got the feeling Nereus could use a little one on one time, since Astrael and Anderson had few fears about playing with the other boys in the Empire.
She glanced back to check on him, get a mother's eye kind of feel for his feelings on this outing.

Nereus
Following close behind, the small cub glanced around apprehensively; drinking in the golden light around them all. He knew they had come out to see something, and so he was absorbing their surroundings with intense vigour. After all, if it was important to mom, he was important to him... when he found it.
Through his searching Nereus just caught sight of his mother glancing back at him, and he sheepishly smiled back with a gentle blink. Perhaps he'd get a bit closer to her still, he thought; his small legs flicking up dirt until he was besides Rue. It was safer near her.

Rue
Rues tail tapped him in a loving way as he did, a warm smile in return. "How is your rock collection son? Have you found some good ones lately. Evelyn was so excited to bring you that shell." She said to start the conversation for their walk

Nereus
"Spotty quartz is fitting in very well." He chirped, dwelling briefly on the gift his sister brought him, "I'm worried someone's going to break him though. He's not as strong as the other." He had only ever seen a few shells other than Spotty, and they had all been cracked or in pieces. What if that happened to Spotty? He shook his head and ears slightly, trying to brush the thought away. "I have lots of flint though. Cae says they are strong." Admittedly, flint was a bit boring to look at after the 5th piece, however it was different and it was strong like his Dad. Dark and strong rocks were good for his collection.

Rue
Rue nodded in agreement as they made their way up the path, the camp out of sight now the hill sloped down again and Rue ducked under a low fallen tree and kept going "Shells are made by the ocean, quite a bit faster than how the mountains make rocks, so yes, they break a little easier but you're a very careful collector Nereus, I think Spotty is going to last a long long time. Percy mentioned to me he would be willing to give you pieces left over of gemstones after armor is finished for Gladiators. Is that something you would like?"

Nereus
The young cub tried his best to put into his memory everything his mother said. Did that apply to other things? If a plant grew faster than another, would it be weaker? Or a cat? The questions were on the tip of his tongue, however what his mother said next drowned out everything else. "REALLY?" He squeaked in happiness, a wide smile reaching across his face before he caught himself, embarrassed. However, he couldn't stop the wild grin as he tried to reply more controlled "Did he actually say that?"

Rue
Rue laughed a warm motherly laugh. "Of course he did. Percy can't promise they will always be very big but when he found out you were collecting he offered that when we last spoke." The hill sloped further down and more grasses started to grow in this area, the sun getting lower

Nereus
"Wwwowww" Nereus whispered, and he made a mental note to go meet Percy when they got back from their trip. The cub wondered what colours and types his older brother had, and maybe if he had a collection himself? His paw slid about on the changing earth as his mind wasn't focused on the path. Only as mysterious stalks started to brush up against his leg did he jump back into reality, skidding around to regain a normal posture. Oh, it was just grass. Looking around, there was a lot more grass around here. He glanced up curiously at his mother - oh! Maybe the thing was here! The mystery thing could be hiding in or on the other side of it. His paws itched to leap on into it all, however he held back - just in case he was wrong.

Rue
There was a scent of deer, faint from hours previous of them stepping over a deer trail but as the sky turned to reds and pinks for its last goodbye, Rue took Nereus into a grassy clearing and looked around. "This should be good. Now, we wait." Rue lay down comfortably, her front paws crossed

Nereus
...
Sitting down Nereus looked around confused. "Are we... waiting for someone in particular?"
Glancing around, it had only been a few moments, however time for a cub always seemed to pass really slowly. He shuffled his paws awkwardly, not wanting to look ungrateful for whatever was about to happen. "Can I... go look at some of the grass whilst we wait?"

Rue
Rue gave him a side glance of a smile. Part of this outing was also so he could feel more comfortable being farther from camp and exploring. Her rock loving cub couldn't spend his life in a cave.
"No we are not waiting for anyone. You may explore anywhere I can still hear you."
The grove was getting louder with the sound of crickets the darker it still got. Rues eyes had begun to illuminate with the cat like glow of the night.

Nereus
Nereus glanced around, still unsure however happier to move now he had permission. The night sky was just starting to peer through the sunsets haze, however all Nereus could focus on was the really loud grass. When he had first started looking at the long shafts of green, it had proved significantly less interesting that rock collecting. However, not wanting to lose face, he continued around the edges of the clearing. Perhaps there was a hidden type of red grass he just didn't know about yet.

Soon, his efforts paid off. A loud patch started to sing out, and he cautiously approached it out of curiosity. He didn't know grass could make noises like this. The cub poked his head into the grass, and immediately recoiled. A cricket had landed on his nose, and soon he tumbled back further into more grass until he landed with a thud in the waves.

Rue
Rue had been watching him of course, senses keen for any other animals that could be a threat to her cub. Fortunately this area was more frequented by deer and opossum than hunters.
As Nereus suddenly tumbled Rues ears perked forward, watching more concerned. It didn't look like he had encountered a snake, and there was no outcry.
"Find something Nereus?" She asked

Nereus
Once recovering his breath, Nereus shook his pelt and hopefully whatever that strange creature was. At his mother's call he ran back to her voice, "Mom it was green and pointy and had weird legs!" He whined, pining after her affection. He scooted up besides her nervously, but somewhat more excited. "It was weirddddddd." Trying to pinpoint where it now was from the safety of his mother, he couldn't see where it had gone. Maybe it has gone... he pondered, unaware of the small green bug on top of his head.

Rue
Rue tried not to laugh and scooped him safely closer. "It sounds like you found a cricket, they are those little bugs that are singing our pretty night time songs. You don't need to be afraid." Carefully she watched the one on his head, make sure it didn't crawl into his face. If it started to wander Rue would rescue him, but she wanted to see if it would chirp while up there.

Nereus
"Wow," he purred, "They really are weird!" Singing bugs? How often did you see something like that! It was an amazing thought to him, however it lost its awe when he became painfully aware of the cricket itching closer to his ears. He held his breath in intense concentration, not wanting to make a fool of himself again. After what seemed like forever, it finally jumped off. He let out a gasp for air. "Did you see that?" His voice was hushed, as if the cricket could still hear him. They really were weird.

Rue
Rue beamed, so proud. "I did, I saw the whole thing. You're so brave Nereus he decided to take a brief ride, said thank you and went back to his home. How did that feel? Tickle a little?"

Nereus
His eyes widened slightly dwelling over what his mother said. "Yeah... wow I did that? I mean, yeah!" Was that what the cricket did? If he was that small then he would probably want to ride on someone taller than him too. He cautiously glanced towards his mom with a thought, however pushed it aside. He was probably a bit too big to sit on his mother's head like the cricket did anyway.

Rue
Rue giggled and snuggled his nose with hers. "Yes you did my little man. What are you thinking about now? I know that look."

Nereus
Nereus's checks puffed up with embarrassment, and he squirmed slightly as he tried to think of the best way to think about it. "Do you think he... wanted to be taller. Maybe, like, as tall as you?"

Rue
Rue thought this over. "Perhaps, little birds like to fly just as high as big birds don't they?"

Nereus
"Yeah..." He started, looking down at his paws, before looking up again. "Do you... think little cats like to fly too?"

Rue
Rue grins "oh absolutely. How high do little cubs want to go?"

Nereus
Oh, how high did he want to go? He wasn't sure but if he had to pick... "Maybe as high as a tree," he mused, rearing up on his hind legs to reach his paws up high. If he balanced right, they lined up with the treeline behind them. "Then, maybe to the moon!"

Rue
Rue laughed and scooted her nose under him to bounce Nereus up to her head. "Only the highest for my little warrior, but if you go to the moon, you won't see what I brought you to see." Tiny yellow lights were flickering in the grove now, first one, then several, then over a dozen

Nereus
Initially Nereus scrambled to keep steady on top of his mother's head, giggling at the unexpected action. Once he was somewhat stable however, his eyes widened as his focus changed to the landscape around him. Stars appeared and rose from the grass, dotted in the field in small yellow dots. From this height, it seemed that they went on forever. "Woohhhh, what are they?" He whispered, reaching out a paw gingerly towards one.

Rue
Rue's tail flicked behind her calm and happy. "Lightning bugs, or fireflies. They don't hurt at all, but they speak to each other using their little lights."
One little firefly landed on Rues ear beside Nareus, blinking on and off.

Nereus
With names like that, they don't sound harmless,* the cub frowned, however decided to continue with his attempts. His paw brushed against his mother's ear, and the bug lifted into flight again. It was hard to keep his focus on it from his stationary position, however soon it landed again, and this time on his shoulder. "Mom, what do I do?"

Rue
Rue glanced up, her ear flicking at the gentle touch. "Just watch, they are very fragile bugs. Even your tiny paws could squish it very easily and then no more light."
"If you want, you can help him back into the air." She offered

Nereus
Gentle reaching out his paw, he fixed his eyes on the small light, trying his best not to squash it. It made it hard to stay on Rue's head, however slumped over he was able to cup the bug into his paw and lift it off into the air.
For a moment after that, he simply stayed quiet and watched it fly off to join the others, paws now dangling either side of his mother's head. "Thanks mom." Nereus purred quietly, watching as they slowly began to merge in with the other stars in the sky

Rue
Rue purred under his paws. "You're welcome son. Thank you for playing with me tonight. I'll remember it forever."

Word count: 2082

Will Nereus stay a hermit forever? Thanks to the loving support of his family it doesnt seem likely!
This is a beautiful collab with CCWashi where i sketched, she lined, i coloured, and she bged and shaded! It turned out amazing and AGH this RP is just so cute - I love Rue and Nereus <3

CC's Upload <3

Nereus belongs to UnityUniverse
Rue belongs to CCWashi
EmpiresBeforeClans