Lesson Number Three (Solo)

[Fari]

Timestamp: 49th of Fall, 511 AV. Time: Mid-morning It had been a long stretch of training days in a row and the cubs were finally given a day off. Most of the cubs spent the day in the nursery or for the lucky ones with their bondmate. Bijou should have been with the nursery cubs, but often times the things Bijou should do and the things Bijou actually did were worlds apart. Today was no exception. It’d taken Bijou well over two weeks to find out just why she’d been given her bell and why they had later made her promise never to remove it. Several failed escape attempts made her realize her adorable little bell was giving her away the older members of the guard. Finally last week Bijou had figured out how to silence the bell. She ended up dropped her front legs, letting them drag beneath her and propelled herself through the snow with her hind limbs. This forced snow into the bell which made it unable to make noise. After using this tactic several times Bijou had the timing down pretty well. She had about twice as long as it took her run from the back of the barracks to the front before enough snow inside the bell melted and it would begin to tinkle again. This tactic had worked once and from dropping a few eaves Bijou had learned that the adults hadn’t yet figured out her trick so it was still good. She executed her trick quickly in the back training yard and made a dash through the halls of the barracks, trying to look nonchalant each time she passed someone and trotted at normal speed in their sight. When she got to the front of the building, she was running low on snow and water was beginning to drip out of the bell and into her fur. Waiting precious breaths for her distraction to arrive, she finally saw the other cub go blasting through the front door between the guards at full speed. She’d had to promise to let him cut her in line in the mess hall line every day from now until the next break day to get him to help. The guards reacted quickly, especially since escaping cubs was becoming a bit of a problem with Bijou around, they took off after the cub. As soon as they left the door Bijou scampered out and went a different way than her distraction cub. It didn’t take long before the other cub was caught but by then Bijou was well off down the road, her fur helping her blend in against the snow. Mark down another successful escape attempt for Bijou, although she was running out of ideas soon she’d need to get very creative.

[Fari]

Bijou took a fork off of the road this time, she’d already seen the market it was time to explore somewhere new. After quite a while of wandering down the road and at least one side trip to yellow the snow, Bijou came upon a very large building. She wasn’t quite sure what it was but its wall looked excellent for a good scratch. And so Bijou waddled up the wall, at first being cautious of how deep the snow might be around the wall but she found it to be well packed down. With a steady ground to walk on Bijou had no trouble getting her back situated towards the wall and hoping up into a standing position. Standing on her two back paws Bijou began to scratch her back against the building. It was a good scratching spot for sure, she’d remember this place. She even let out a content cub growl and closed her eyes happily before allowing herself to fall back onto all fours. From here continued her activity getting her hindquarters a good scratch as well. It was at this point, rump on wall that Bijou realized she’d been lazy and hadn’t smelt the approaching Vantha. The instant she became aware of the presence her eyes flew open and she let out a startled yelp. Bijou’s jaw fell open as she noticed it wasn’t just any Vantha that had happened upon her scratching spot, it was a member of the Icewatch. What was a watchmen doing patrolling a random building? Oh dear he looked upset. Bijou swiveled her head to look up, she must have been scratching on a hold for such a reaction. What she saw horrified even her; she’d probably crossed a line this time. In retrospect there had been several clues that the cub should have picked up, the combination of which should have forced her to realize where she was. The well packed snow that implied frequent visitors, the immense size of the building and certainly the icewatchmen should have been enough clues for the little bear. Unfortunately it wasn’t until she got a glimpse of the ice towers that Bijou realized what she’d done. She’d just been caught rubbing her fuzzy bear arse on THE ice palace. Bijou looked to the watchmen; she was both mortified and terrified. Even if he hadn’t been of the Icewatch Bijou was unmistakable, one mention of the bell hanging around her neck and almost every bear in the barracks would know which cub had done the deed. She didn’t know what to do; there was no lesson on how to react in this situation. She couldn’t talk her way out of this one, there’s no chance the watchmen would turn a blind eye to something like this. Furthermore, Bijou understood that whatever punishment was the result she deserved it she was mad at herself for this. Bijou let out a distressed groan towards the guard and ran off. The little bear sped away as fast as she could to hide her humiliation.

[Fari]

Bijou refused to stop running until her legs were shaking and she couldn’t catch her breath. She hadn’t even picked a specific reaction, just away from the palace. So when she looked up she wasn’t entirely surprised to find that she’d wound up somewhere almost completely unknown. She was able to indentify it by its location on the shore, she’d found herself in front of Coolwater Hold. Looking back Bijou could still spot Morwen’s palace and she knew there was almost no where in Avanthal she could go that it wouldn’t be in sight. Although not entirely sure how to get home from Coolwater, she would was sure one of the Vantha would give her directions if she asked. But for now, Bijou wanted to be away from others and so she looked out towards the sea. She wasn’t an accomplished swimmer but she certainly knew the basics as any cub would and she knew there wouldn’t be any one out there to bother her. Charging the shore, Bijou ran out over the ice using her claws to keep traction as the older bears had taught her. It seemed to work just as she had been told although she was still tired from her earlier run. Eventually she slowed to a walk at the edge of the ice. Here she promptly lay down, completely tuckered out, allowing her legs to splay out around her. Facing out to sea as she was, the ice palace was no longer in her sights and allowed her to calm down. Watching the water let the little cub reflect on what she knew about her misconduct and also on watch she knew about Morwen. She’d been told stories of Queen Morwen when she was too small to even leave the room, of her kindness and strong character. Alongside the stories of how great a ruler she is, were the stories of what she did to her enemies. Bijou remembered the first time she learned of Morwen freezing someone into an ice statue, at the time it had seemed like an amazing display of Morwen’s power for the good of her city. Now Bijou’s imagination ran wild, was scratching her rump on the Queen’s castle enough to constitute such punishments? Bijou knew better too, there was no good excuse. There was only one thing that seemed an appropriate reaction to the cub, she needed to apologize. Apologies always seemed to work in the past, especially if she clearly outlined what she’d done wrong; adults loved those kinds of apologies. She recalled the story of the polar bear stuffy that Morwen was rumored to keep, it was a gift, maybe if this little polar bear brought an apology gift that would help her cause. But what sort of gift could a cub give to a Goddess-Queen? She had no crafting skills and few mizas. Whatever Bijou brought to the Queen would have to be spectacular; she really didn’t want to be an ice statue.

[Fari]

The cub watched lounged on the ice for several bells watching the water, lunch came and past before Bijou finally decided to get up. She didn’t want to face the scolding but she was getting hungry and she’d already missed one meal. If she didn’t make it back for dinner she’d feel guilty, hungry and grumpy. Bijou began her long trudge back to shore over the ice. The worst part about her return trip was that she had to see the ice palace on the horizon the entire way back. The sight kept her worries fresh and Bijou still hadn’t been able to figure out what to get as an apology gift. She didn’t think Morwen would be impressed with something Bijou merely purchased, a Queen could buy – In the middle of her thought the little bear slipped and fell. The momentum sent the little bear sliding off the side of the ice and into the water. It wasn’t that big of an issue she knew how to swim, just an annoyance. Bijou climbed out of the frigid water and onto the ice field again, her polar bear coat was perfect for holding out the water and she really didn’t feel the cold at all. After a few steps away from the edge Bijou took the time to shake out her coat and watch the newly formed ice crystals fly off her. Bijou watched the ice crystals fly, it was strange like they slowed down and she was able to see how they caught the afternoon sun. It was perfect! She’d give the winter goddess the sun! The dire polar bear cub ran back to the edge of the ice field and reared back. She dropped all of her weight and strength into her front paws hitting the edge of the ice, trying to break it off. Eventually a chunk broke off it wasn’t much bigger than Bijou’s paws but it would do. She pick up the chunk in her mouth and ran as fast as she could back to the barracks. It was a long run and the cub’s mouth was freezing cold by the time she got there, the ice chunk had shrunk a little but keeping it in the cold air kept it from completely melting. As she approached the barracks Bijou went and dug a hole by a memorable tree and buried her chunk of ice because she knew it’d get taken away with how much trouble she would be in when she got back. Finishing her adventure for the day, Bijou returned to the barracks through the front door. She suspected they all knew even the guard gave her a grim look. She was only a few paces into the barracks when a pair of large bear jaws grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. This was going to be bad. She’d grown big enough that female bears couldn’t pick her up this way which meant whoever had her by the scruff was a male bear. She couldn’t get much of a look at him but during one of the swings she received curtsey of his gait she got her nose shove against his chest and a good whiff of him. She didn’t know him, but she’d never forget him now. The elder bear deposited little Bijou in the center of a room she’d never seen before. Ahead of her were two Vanthas she’d never met but their body language showed understanding of wild ways, they demanded respect. The elder bear also chose not to leave instead he stood stiffly and waited, somehow seeming uninterested but still attentive; he seemed like a perfect watchmen. This was what she’d known was coming, her scolding, but she didn’t expect it to come from strangers. That is the exact moment when understanding lit her dark eyes; she was causing more trouble than just scratching her rump on the palace’s wall. The voice that came next confirmed it and the tone made Bijou stand up straight much like the elder bear was doing. “Cub, every time you escape it reflects poorly on the Icewatch. You make a mockery of your superiors by defying the rules and now you have disgraced yourself in public while on one of your little jaunts.” Bijou ducked her head low, she’d known this was coming but it still hurt. “I’ve been informed by your keeper of a quality you possess that may prevent this situation from occurring in the future. You do not go back on your word. Shift Cub.” Bijou complied without hesitation, anything she could promise this voice that would make things better she would promise. The brief moment of shiny lights that had before always seemed so happy to Bijou held no joy today and the display was over quickly leaving a small naked human girl in its place. The bell around her neck was too large to restrict her change and so it just hung loose around her neck, the bell reaching her navel. She kept her gaze on the ground and waited for further instructions. “You will now promise not to leave the barracks without a direct order to do so or without an escort of an adult employed by the ice watch until the end of Winter season. Repeat it, Cub.” Bijou nodded and spoke Vani in a clear childlike voice, “I promise to not leave the barracks without a direct order to or the company of an adult of the icewatch until the end of Winter season.” It was harsh but the cub understood that she wasn’t really supposed to have left to begin with. Bijou would hold true to her word, she didn’t lie. Her only concern was how she’d make her gift for Queen Morwen now, but it wasn’t the time to ask. Bijou’s pledge was accepted and she was ushered out by her clearly stressed keeper. The rest of Bijou’s day flew by; it was a quiet dinner where the other cubs watched her but didn’t speak to her, a quick dunk in the baths and off to bed. This was the day Bijou learned why bears should never scratch themselves on Morwen’s palace.

[Cheshire]

Character: Bijou Experience: Stealth +1, Running +3, Negotiation +1, Observation +1, Swimming +1, Digging +1 Lore: How to Silence a Bell, Don't Scratch Your Rump of Morwen's Palace, Bringing Shame to Icewatch Additional Note: An Adorable thread, as always! PM me with concerns.