With the festival being halfway through, the Jaquins are still enjoying themselves. Most of them, not all…
Skylar laughs mildly over his successful attempt in hitting Veje with a piece of left-over bell pepper. A victory in his book! The reaction by Veje, being one of surprise, only strengthens Skylar's belief of Veje being his "besieger". Veje tries to inspect the fur on his shoulder for any remains of the bell pepper. Sienté starts helping him and rubs some of it away. She then turns to Skylar, her eyes widened while shaking her head sideways slowly in disbelief. Veje looks at her. Softly, so only she can hear him, he says: "Let me return the favour."
"No! That would only instigate him in doing it again, and likely makes Nico join, too. You will not want to disgrace yourself." Sienté replies commandingly while keeping her eyes on Skylar.
However, it's not only she who keeps a close eye on him. Migs, too, does this. When Skylar picks up another piece of food, he snorts out of annoyance. He pains himself by thinking: *When will he finally grow up? He has so much to learn about being responsible still…*
Skylar brings this piece of food toward his mouth, though. "Are you going to hurdle this food also?" Verago asks slowly.
Skylar freezes in motion, his eyes widened of terror. *Ay! I forgot he was here with me… This time I am in real trouble!* Skylar thinks to himself without trying to make eye-contact with his father.
However, he cannot sustain this and slowly directs his gaze toward Verago. With a stern look on his face, Verago eyes his eldest son in a judgmental way. "Heh… I – I was just throwing away – a bad piece of food… I guess." Skylar says mournfully and cowers down with his head lowered in submission.
"You keep amazing me, Skylar. But unfortunately, not in a positive way.' Verago says indignantly and looms over his son curious in knowing the following, 'How can it be that the crown prince keeps disregarding the teachings of his father?"
Verago sighs tiringly. While awaiting a reply from his eldest son, a thought crosses his mind: *Why do I have to give this talk about responsibility now? The festival is always fun but at moments like this, it can be equally cumbersome as well. Though, I should not worry. After all, I am sure Skylar will show responsibility one day. I just hope that day will come soon…*
"Eh, heh…' Skylar starts off uneasily but recovers and continues with a soft voice, 'Nico started it."
"This may be so. However, you and I are here now so I am addressing you first. I will have a word with Nico about this soon. Remember, Skylar. You are of royalty, like me. One day, you will become king of the Jaquins. From that day on, you will come to reign over us all. That is a heavy burden to carry, and with great burden comes great responsibility. How do you think others are to take your example and follow you as their leader in the future when you act carelessly today? You know I expect better from y…"
"Eee-eww!"
Suddenly, everyone looks up as they hear a familiar voice carry across the open woodland. It's Avira, standing in terror with her eyes wide open, her face displaying disgust. "How… Why are – are some of you cov–ered in… food?" she asks slowly of the distasteful sight she just laid eyes upon.
Right after asking this, Avira gets ample time to receive a reply. Tornado stands close to the feeding flock of those very same Jaquins. "Listen up! Each one of you knows to keep your paws off of my trapping beans unless I say you can!' she bellows at the group and holds up the trapping bean being hidden among the food earlier, 'So, who took this trapping bean?"
Dióntan realises he's responsible. He gulps hoping not to be betrayed by his posture… or Luna. He looks her way from the corner of his eyes. She's looking at Tornado still. *Phew! She has not realised yet… I just hope no one finds out…* he thinks uneasily.
"Tudor!" he exclaims before realising it.
Tornado gazes at Tudor first. Her stern and irate look, one she displays may times often, reveals she means business this time. Then, she switches her gaze to Dióntan, and says: "I have a complaint about you…"
Tudor starts snickering while pointing one of his paws at Dióntan. "I am talking of you, Tudor." Tornado states unmoved.
Tudor startles, quitting on his scornful laughter. "Huh? What about me?" he asks indignantly.
On his turn, Dióntan starts laughing while looking at Tudor. Tornado starts looking irritably and says with a raised voice: "Nothing of what I am saying is funny!"
Tudor gazes around him to see whatever he could've instigated and directs his attention back at Tornado. "Did someone put that bean between the food? Haha! That is awesome."
"I could have known it was you…" Tornado says and sighs.
"What? I did not put that there! But it is funny still, hehe."
"Mm-hmm. Do it again and I will trap you in it for an entire day!" Tornado says loudly and points at the trapping bean using a wing of hers.
Amidst this distraction, Skylar feels he's not exactly amused to the fullest. He rather feels how he thinks Migs is feeling day in and day out: grumpy and boring. He should be enjoying himself, instead. After all, today is meant to have fun, and relax all day long; no quota, no preparation for anything, not even a grooming session. Today should all be about feeding, dancing, and paying one's respects to the Sunbirds through chants, even though those very Sunbirds haven't shown themselves since time and day, seemingly not hearing the Jaquin's paean on this day of their honour.
Skylar seizes the opportunity in moving away from his father unnoticed. He sneakily walks over to Nico and says: "Nico, come on. Father wants to reproach you for starting this food fight. Let us go somewhere fun, instead… Ooh, the funfair. At least it has "fun" in it!"
"Yeah, I do not want dad teaching me a lesson today…' Nico replies peevishly yet stands up and continues heartily, 'Okay, I will come with!"
At the same time, Luna feels stuffed. She never has been a big eater. She gets up from her comfortable position and goes to sit upright next to Cruz, who's still lying. He finished his portion of her food and now feels content. He feels drowsy and ready to take a nap. Luna on the other hand feels energetic. From that upright position, she immediately notices Skylar and Nico heading for the funfair. Luna looks at Cruz and says: "I wonder what Skylar is going to do at the funfair… He has no idea how to teach cubs. He is probably going to play with them, I guess. Someone should be teaching those cubs. They must have no clue what they are supposed to do, and neither does Skylar."
Migs, who can overhear the conversation while making his way to the food corner with Dulce, chuckles and replies: "Do not forget to add Nico to that list."
"Uh-huh." Luna agrees.
All of this unleashes a desire coursing through her now. She feels a compelling need to pay the cubs at the funfair a visit. She wants to see how well cared for they are, knowing that she, Dulce, and Shaniqua all share a highly intrinsic will to look after the little ones, especially with Skylar near them as he will only want to play and not teach.
Upon arrival, she notices Skylar and Nico there as well. They're standing next to the high-striker. The cub standing in front of it is Kamil. He looks puzzled, much like other cubs watching him and see what they're supposed to do with this novel activity.
Meanwhile, Tudor and Kamil are on their way back to the funfair. Kamil is determined to take part in the other activity at the funfair: the Pillar of Quita Moz, a device acting much like a high-striker. As they walk there, they go past another little Jaquin: Llemopaz. This Jaquin cub is returning to see his mother, coming back from the moulding board activity. To him, this was easy. Llemopaz has always been a clever cub, trying to figure out multiple approaches to a single problem. Besides his complex thinking, he also likes to regularly mull about the world around him and all that concerns him. Arriving with his mother, he has a new and difficult question to ask her. Something she might shed some light on. Something that troubles him during the moulding board activity. After succeeding in placing the wooden figures shaped to the matching holes in the board, he put one of his little paws through one of the holes. Seeing his paw on one other side of the board while his body was on the other side still, he got puzzled. Therefore, Llemopaz truly sees his mother as a source of inspiration, one whom he can draw fresh new ideas from when asking her all kinds of questions.
His mother has just acquired herself food, enough for both herself and her young son. That is of no importance to him, however. He's rather busy figuring out how to ask her this very important question, one that certainly cannot wait. "Mamita, is everything of my body stuck?"
"There you are, Llemopaz. How was the activity?"
"Not important! I want to know if my body has everything stuck."
"… Stuck?"
"Yes! So, my head is stuck to my… neck and my neck is stuck to my – my body. Right?"
"Yes… That is true."
"So, is the toe on my… hind leg stuck to my head?"
"Uh… I – do not… That is a good question, Llemopaz! Why – not ask chief Zephyr – when you see him? He certainly knows the answer to that question!"
"Okay!" he replies exuberantly and flies off in search of the grey old Jaquin.
His mother sighs. *All these questions…* she thinks tiringly.
And not only that. Llemopaz has really has been thinking them over. Each time, she needs to come up with a deliberate answer to keep him busy so she can tend to her own needs. Her son is a bright chap but sometimes this trait of his gets on her nerves.
By now, Kamil and Tudor reach the funfair. They immediately head for the high-striker. However, there are some cubs standing around it already. Feeling energised from eating lots of delicious food still, Kamil lifts himself onto his big brother's head. Tudor chuckles at Kamil's antics. From up there, Kamil looks at the high-striker and starts making joyous sounds. Feeling that Tudor should be doing the same he grabs his brother by the ears. Kamil starts pulling on them and yells joyfully: "Make weird faces, too!"
Tudor produces some high pitches of agony as Kamil plays particularly rough. His face shows scorn for Kamil's action. "Not like that!" Kamil exclaims impatiently and pulls somewhat harder.
"Ah…! Stop it!" Tudor yells scornfully.
At this point, the cubs standing around the high-striker are looking at the two, completely forgetting about the device they're surrounding. They pay their full attention to the two clowns. The cubs start laughing and a few even try to produce the same sounds Tudor was making just now. Unbeknownst of becoming surrounded by the cubs, Tudor gets to grab Kamil and puts him on the ground before him, after which he quickly starts massaging his pained ears.
Kamil goes to stand in front of it. He looks at it and sees the pillar extend all the way up. *It is so huge!* he thinks while staring at the top.
He then looks down to the octagon ring that envelops part of the pillar. He softly touches the pad in front of him. "Come on, Kamil' he hears Tudor shout encouragingly and looks at his brother, 'Slam the pad as hard as you can with those little paws of yours!"
Kamil starts looking irritated and shouts back: "I do not have little paws!"
He looks down at his paws. All he sees are big paws. He's right: his paws are not little! Though, the paws of his big brother somehow do look so much bigger than his own… Yet, Kamil's dedicated to utilising the high-striker. He looks his brother in the eyes, who in turn bears a huge smile on his face and nods at him for some more encouragement. Kamil nods back happily. He turns around and looks at the pad one more time. To everyone's surprise, the little Jaquin lifts himself up in the air a little, hovering above the pad. Then, he slams his entire body on it! He lands so hard on it, the ring flies up fast. Kamil sees the ring move all the way up the pillar. The ring rams the top piece of the pillar with a thud… and remains there. It doesn't come back down, something that everyone expects it to do. Kamil is so very proud of himself! He's done no one else ever managed to do! Excited in how strong he is with his supposedly small paws, he turns around and looks at his brother. "I am stronger than you, big brother!" he yells and starts cackling.
Tudor bears an agitated look on his face. Feeling ashamed that the high-striker seems broken and replies with a sigh: "Oh, Kamil… look what you did. The device is stuck completely! How are others supposed to play with it now?"