Pals Encountered:

Pals Mentioned:

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Juniper lay blissfully cuddled up in a pile with her two Pals. Eyes closed and enjoying the warmth from the bodies pressed into either side. Up until the first grumble of her stomach had them shaking lightly with laughter. 

"Someone's hungry!" Aurora announced before untangling herself, sitting up, and stretching her arms up high. By now, the morning sun had come clear of the horizon and was comfortably on its way to the noon position. Around 9 am, if Juniper had to guess. 

"I could eat," Vesta agreed before doing much the same. Now that she was on the mend, her body gave off a pleasant heat. Much warmer than either Juniper or Aurora's natural temperatures. That would certainly come in handy on cold nights. As if Juniper needed another reason to snuggle up close with the newest member of their little group.

Subsequently, Juniper’s head turned to the stone shack at the mention of food. "I think we have some berries left over from last night. We'll have to go find some more though to make sure everyone gets enough. Do either of you know where some bushes might be? Different than the ones we scavenged from yesterday, of course."

In response, Aurora’s face twisted into that confused look that meant Juniper had probably said something silly. "Why?" Aurora asked, confirming the expression on her face.

Still, Juniper proceeded anyway since this was an important point. "Because we picked all the fruit on those yesterday, right? They'll need time to regrow."

Aurora and Vesta glanced at each other and then both smiled back at her. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Aurora started. "The grass attuned Pal's regrow the food quickly. If it wasn't for them, we'd probably all be a lot worse off." 

Vesta nodded in agreement and cast her gaze towards the ocean. "Obviously, we don't just eat berries but they grow lots of stuff. I think it's only Glumos in this area though. Well, the Mammorest too, but she usually focuses on whole trees. She’s a lot more powerful, you know."

"Glumos?"

"That's right!” Aurora nodded. “They do their thing early in the morning before other Pal's search out their breakfast. They aren't really nocturnal though, just early risers."

"I see. I suppose that's very handy..." Juniper’s face remained thoughtful where she lay and persisted like that even after she sat up. This was an interesting development. They didn’t have to wait for food to grow like back home. Could that be used to her advantage in some way? Beyond the obvious.

"Very!" Aurora agreed before standing tall. Once she was up, she moved to where Juniper's clothes sat in a pile. Partially dried from the sun but still nowhere near dry enough. "Looks like you'll be going nude this morning. Unless you like wearing wet clothes.” To emphasize her point, the Lamball picked up the shorts and panties and gave both a gentle shake. 

Juniper's eyes moved to the garments and she audibly groaned at the sight. Still, she got up as well before moving to gather up the shirt Aurora hadn’t. "I think I'll pass on that. It couldn't hurt to go in the buff this once. Besides, I know you'll certainly enjoy it!" She followed the words with a wink and then moved to lay the shirt out to dry properly in the same place they put the sleeping bag the day before. On the chairs brought out from the shack.

Speaking of the makeshift bed, that was going to need a cleaning too. And so would Juniper considering what lay splattered across her stomach and leaking down her thigh. "Better take our bedding too. We can wash it, and ourselves, in the pool." Cleaned and fed the three could get down to the business of the day. As nice as it was outside last night, she really wanted to be indoors the next time it was time to sleep. 

"I've got it..." Vesta stood and rolled the sleeping bag up before shoving it under her arm. She didn't exactly sound excited by the prospect of carrying the thing but didn’t complain either. 

"I'll get the food!" Aurora bounded off into the house, nearly at a skip after she was done hanging up the shorts and panties. 

Juniper briefly considered taking her flannel back and at least covering up partially. However, in the end, she decided against it. When in the Palpagos islands...

When Aurora came back and stood beside her, Juniper looked between her and Vesta. Both carried things for her and it almost made her feel…useless. Even guilty. Like she should be doing something to help. "Thank you both, I appreciate it." 

Aurora gave her an energetic thumbs up and Vesta looked as though she might die of embarrassment while otherwise nodding. 

"Right, let's get going then." Juniper turned and stepped off, intent on going to grab the morning's berry bounty first. Maybe they would even catch a glimpse of that...what was it? A Glumos? That's what the other two had called it. Again, it sounded a little ridiculous that a creature could make something grow, but Vesta had literally breathed fire earlier so Juniper tempered her doubt. This was a whole new world. 

Not long after setting off, thoughts about attunement and what Aurora had said this morning finally boiled over. "So, all Pals have some kind of...affinity or attunement? Like to an element?"

She hadn't asked anyone in particular and it was Vesta that answered first. "Mm...something like that. Not exactly 'elements' but that's a good enough place to begin."

"Right, so...fire, earth, wind, electricity...that kind of stuff?" Juniper continued, trying to guess the types herself.

Vesta nodded, then paused and shook her head. Ultimately, she raised her free hand and wobbled it side to side. "Kind of, besides wind. There are also other attunements like ice, dragon, and dark." 

"Dragon!?" Hot damn there were dragons on these islands? 

This time Aurora nodded in confirmation. "Yup, dragon. Pretty rare to see though."

"Wow..." Juniper was honestly taken aback at this revelation and remained silent for a few moments while she absorbed it. However, something quickly stuck out in her mind. 

"Wait...Vesta is attuned to fire, but what about you, Aurora?" As far as she could tell, there was nothing immediately apparent to give an answer away. 

"Normal." The Lamball followed her answer with a shrug and otherwise kept walking. 

Juniper lifted an eyebrow and turned her head to stare at the Pal for a few moments. "...normal?" 

"Yup! Plain Jane. Nothing special here. Lamballs aren’t good at fighting against anything else." Though Aurora tried to remain chipper, Juniper could tell there was a slight bitterness in the words. 

"Well, I am not a good fighter against anything either, Aurora. So, you're in good company. And, normal or not, you're special to me." To help cheer her up further, Juniper raised a hand and squeezed her shoulder. Which earned her a bright smile in reply. 

"Thank you. You're right!"

"Besides," Juniper hooked a thumb over at shoulder where Vesta walked beside them. "We saved Vesta, right? All on our own and I'm sure she can repay the favor if need be."

She followed the statement by looking over the Foxparks. Who nodded vigorously before flexing her free arm. "Damn straight! Never fear, ladies. I'll singe anyone's ass that gets too close."

Both Juniper and Aurora giggled and Juniper brought up a hand, pointer finger extended upward. "Unless they want to be...friendly. Then they can get as close as they want!" 

"Jeeze, she's already primed to go again!" Vesta piped up before bending forward and looking over at Aurora where she walked on the other side of the taller woman. 

"Yeah, she is. That's our human, though. An energetic pervert." 

"Hey! Am not!" Juniper tried to protest but the look Aurora gave her said she wasn't buying it. Not one bit.

"Ok, fine. Maybe that's true..." 

"Well, I certainly hope so!" Vesta quickly added before all three broke out into full laughter.

The easy conversation continued until Juniper caught something out of the corner of her eye. “Oh!” Following the snap of her head, she brought up a finger and indicated the Pal where it stood still. Gazing back at the trio. “That's a new one!”

Aurora and Vesta both looked and simply nodded, stopping beside Juniper. “That’s a Chikipi. Normal attunement and pretty harmless, like me and the other Lamballs.” Aurora explained with a shrug but otherwise let her human enjoy this latest discovery. 

Juniper continued to stare at the Chikipi from a distance and didn’t move to get closer. The Pal looked vaguely birdlike in appearance. She had white feathers on both sides of her head, around her ears, framing short, orange hair that sat on her head. No beak though, only a very pointed nose. More feathers ran from her wrist up to her shoulder but she otherwise appeared to have hands like Aurora and Vesta.

 “Can Chikipi fly?”

 “Nope, other Pals can but not them.” Vesta added, similarly giving Juniper the time she wanted to observe.

Others could? Could the dragons? What about other bird-like Pals? After another minute or two, Juniper smiled and waved at the Chikipi where it stood before turning and heading off towards the berry bushes.

"You'll probably start to see more Pals out and about. I think your little stunt this morning earned you some goodwill from everyone." Aurora noted while turning her head and searching the forest around them. 

"Really? How do they know about that?" That was only a few hours ago and Juniper didn’t remember having an audience. 

"Others were no doubt watching from safety. Probably Vesta and the other Foxparks first and then your rescue. Not many humans would jump off a cliff for a Pal.” She paused and looked over at their companion, her expression softening. “Sorry, Vesta..."

"No worries." The Foxparks shrugged. "You're right, after all.” 

That was terrible! Was life so cheap here? "Well, I would gladly do it again. However, let’s try to avoid dips in the ocean for you, hmm? And making very large Pals angry..." Juniper brought a hand up and poked Vesta just below the ribs. Causing her to jump away and protect the spot.

"Hey!" The Foxparks stuck her tongue out but otherwise nodded her agreement." Yes, Miss Juniper. I'll behave." 

Well, hopefully not too much. Not with their little group, anyway. Still, it was encouraging to see more Pals out and about. Despite her unease with being stranded here, Juniper's curiosity regarding these strange, wonderful creatures continued to grow by the minute. Purely for scientific reasons, of course!

Still, the trio encountered no other Pals on their way to the food and, once they arrived, they all set about gathering berries. True to her Pal’s assertion, the bushes had completely regrown their stock. Juniper worked diligently to remove the red fruit from the branches, popping a few in her mouth every so often. They were sweeter than blueberries but just as firm. However, as yummy as they were, Juniper knew she couldn't subsist off these alone. Aurora told her what her what Lamball typically ate but what about Foxparks?

"Vesta?"

"Yes?" Her head quickly appeared from behind a bush, ears sticking straight up, mouth moving as if she was chewing something. 

"What kinds of things do you eat? You know, besides berries." 

She scrunched her face for a moment in thought finally swallowing and shrugging. "A few other things we can forage for. Also, fish from the streams and ponds when we get lucky." 

Juniper nodded and made a mental note to add seafood to the list of potential meal options. And speaking of the sea...

"Are there Pals that live in the water? In streams, ponds, and in the ocean around the islands?"

"Yup!"

"Yes."

The two answered nearly in concert and Juniper smiled even as her mind raced with what they might look like. "Interesting. I’d really want to see them one of these days."

"That probably won’t take long. It’s mostly Celaray around here. They're pretty harmless for the most part." Aurora spoke from behind her own bush as she similarly plucked and snacked. “You’re probably sensing a pattern about the kind of Pals that live around this area of the island.”

Juniper nodded but was honestly glad for it. While the prospect of meeting new Pals excited her, knowing there were ones with more violent tendencies gave her pause. "Celaray. Got it." So many new mysteries to explore. So many questions that needed answering. But they would all have to wait. For now, Juniper had to make sure she lived to get the opportunity to seek out what she wanted to know. 

Once they were done with the food, both eating their fill and filling up the flannel shirt, the trio set out to the small pool that Juniper and Aurora had used the day before. While they had no reservations about jumping in, Vesta sat on the side and simply used handfuls of water to wash. Which, made sense considering what she'd been through earlier and what affinity she possessed.

Back in the water proper, Juniper washed herself first and then scooted closer to Aurora where she stood. "Go on, turn around." The Lamball looked a little confused as to why but otherwise complied. It wasn't until Juniper began to run her hands all over her back, and rear, that realization dawned on her face. 

"Oh, this is nice." Aurora closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the feeling of being doted on. 

"I thought you might feel that way." Juniper smiled and continued, thorough in her task. When she was satisfied, she leaned in against Aurora's back and gave the Lamball a kiss on the cheek. Prompting Aurora to turn and get a proper one on her lips only a second later. 

"All done," Juniper announced before turning and settling her eyes on Vesta where she sat staring at the two in the water. "Your turn..."

The Foxparks' expression brightened a little and Juniper saw the tail that lay out behind her wag a few times in excitement. After she closed the distance, she commanded the same of Vesta and set about cleaning every part the Pal would’ve had a hard time reaching on her own. And, even though Vesta could no doubt reach it herself, Juniper couldn’t help but ensure that the large, bushy tail was free of any debris. "And...done!" 

However, before she could offer the same reward, Vesta turned around and looked up at her expectantly. Apparently, someone wanted to skip light pecks planted on her skin. Juniper smiled in amusement but otherwise did as the Pal wanted, planting a kiss on her soft lips to top off the work. Before she could move away though, Juniper felt another body press into her back and her shoulder blessed with a delicate press of lips. 

"You're so good to us, Juniper. Let us return the favor." She could feel Aurora’s hands begin to do the same, running over her back with cool water. Scrubbing and massaging as they went. Of course, Vesta nodded in agreement and began to wash places that she'd gotten herself moments ago. However, she wasn't about to complain about four hands freely roaming over her body. 

A few heated minutes later Juniper was as squeaky clean as her two companions. She had almost given over to her desire to expand all those touches, but there was still one thing that needed a rinse. The sleeping bag. So, she reluctantly freed herself from the grip of her companions and beckoned for it to be thrown in the water. Once Vesta did, Juniper and Aurora set about cleaning it as best as they could. Getting out the accumulated dust and…fluids. 

"After we finish this up, it's back to the shack for me and Aurora,” Juniper declared while her attention remained on the washing. “As much as I enjoyed sleeping outside, I'd like to have a roof over my head tonight." Her eyes shifted up to Vesta then, already anticipating the question that was surely to come. "Vesta, I'd like you to go and try to get some of that fish you were talking about. Just enough for a meal. Think you can do that?"

The Foxparks nodded and then rose from where she sat. "Yes, ma'am, I can do that. Anything else?"

Juniper didn’t answer right away, her mind forming and going through a checklist of things they required. "We're going to need more firewood for tonight but let’s worry about that after lunch."

"Sounds good. I'll go get started on that if it's alright."

A nod indicated it was and she tilted her head so she could look past Vesta to the forest behind her. "Sure. But be careful, please." 

Vesta looked a little bashful for a moment but quickly recovered and gave a little two-finger salute. "Get fish, be careful. Got it!" With that, she turned and started jogging off, her tail waving behind her as she went.

Once they were alone, Juniper turned back to Aurora and started to move closer with the sleeping bag. Gathering it up as she went. "Ok, let's get this back and hung up so it has a chance to dry before tonight."

“Yes ma’am!” Aurora helped gather it up before moving to hop out of the water. Once they were both out, they stretched it between them and wrung as much liquid as they could from the fabric. They would probably need to come back later to refill the canteens too, but if Juniper had to guess, she would want another rinse before she considered settling in for the night. There was plenty of hard work ahead, after all.