Act reached into the river, carefully washing off the berries she had found earlier. Adapt stood next to her, carefully handing her fruits to wash off. They had gone foraging with Woodland, but Act had slipped and fallen. Unfortunately, the belemoid had landed in a huge pile of mud, dragging Adapt down with her. Both whelps, as well as everything they had been carrying, had been covered in mud. Woodland had sighed, telling both whelps to wash up in a nearby stream while she looked for something nearby. "They would've been muddy either way." Adapt muttered as he swapped a muddy fruit with one of the now clean one in Act's paws. Act shrugged. "I don't mind cleaning them though." As the two spoke, another set of Xunari walked up to the river. Aria and Litto walked side by side, Aria occasionally gently nudging Litto to make sure the other didn't trip over rocks laid in the grass. Litto perked up when he heard the distant voices, but Aria was quick to reassure him. "Just some reef belemoid whelps. They don't look like they'll be any trouble." Only with Aria's confirmation did Litto carefully move forward, ((pushing away the reeds

growing by the river to clear some space to wash off their own fruits.)) He carefully shuffled over, stopped by Aria just before he took a final step into the river waters. Act and Adapt looked at the pair from across the river, whispering to each other. Neither Litto nor Aria could quite catch what the two were saying, but it didn't seem to be anything bad judging by their facial expressions. Aria shrugged the presence of the other two whelps off. "We should be alright to wash them off here." she said, handing some of the fruits they had gathered earlier. These fruits had turned out to be particularly muddy, so Litto ha suggested they wash them off first before adding them to the food storage at home. Glancing across the river, the other whelps seemed to be doing the same. Aria was wondering why the duo was so muddy when she suddenly heard a loud splash next to her. Litto jumped back, not having seen the fruit hit the water. Aria shot the whelps on the other side of the river a glare. "Don't worry Litto, it was just some fruit." she reassured her brother. Litto still seemed

confused though. "Why'd they throw a fruit at us?" Aria wasn't sure either. She glanced at the whelps across the river again, and noticed them pick up another fruit and tossing it at her and Litto- except they tossed it rather strangely. Instead of throwing it in a vertical arch, they threw it almost horizontally. The fruit bounced off of the water a few times, before landing just in front of Litto and Aria. Act and Adapt seemed to consider that a win, excitedly looking at each other. Aria reached over, picking the fruit up. "I think they were just playing a game?" Litto raised an eyebrow. "Throwing fruits as a game?" Aria nodded, "Yea, I think so? They're making it bounce on the water a few times before it sinks." Litto frowned. "That seems like an odd game- do you think I can give it a try?" Aria shrugged, pushing a fruit into one of Litto's hands. "Feel free to give it a try. They're throwing it horizontally, which I think is what's making it bounce." Litto tossed the fruit over the river. It didn't make it far, although the Tsabhua did manage to make it bounce once. Looking

over the river, Aria noticed a smile on the other whelp's faces. Act nudged Adapt, who handed her another fruit. She slowed her movements, unaware that Litto wouldn't be able to see, in an attempt to show the other whelp how to make the fruit bounce across the river. Aria frowned. She gently reached for Litto's hands, guiding him in the movement. "Like this, I think." she let go, letting Litto give it another try. When Litto tossed the fruit again, it bounced over the river, landing just in front of the two belemoid whelps. "It made it all the way to the other side!" Aria said, excitedly. The whelps on the other side seemed excited, too, picking the fruit up to add it to their collection. Just as they were about to send another one back across the river though, Woodland popped up behind them, telling them that it was time to head back. The belemoids complained, pointing across the river where Aria and Litto still sat, but Woodland shook her head. It was time to go home. The belemoids waved across the river, picked up their fruits, and left Litto and Aria to finish washing their own fruits.