The warm sunlight was making her drowsy. As Colibri relaxed, she caught the sounds of a curious scuffling nearby. She let her ears swivel without opening her eyes, judging it to be a small animal. There were lemmings and voles and other little creatures that could be found scampering in the hills, none of whom stirred her interest today. She was too weary to want to hunt, so she let it pass her notice. That was, until she heard it distinctly approaching her, dragging something behind it. What the...?
Coli blinked, bright daylight momentarily blinding her. As she squinted through the haze of her obscured vision, she was met with a most unexpected sight; a little black and white puppy with a bundle of flowers in her jaws. Coli straightened up, tilting her head as she silently studied the little girl, letting the sounds of her chattering nonsense flow uninterrupted. The only pups she had been aware of were Temeraire Stormbringer and Elias Rosen, both of whom were rapidly growing up. This little one, with her overlong tail and floppy ears, was much younger than those boys. She must be the child of a new member, one whom Coli had not been introduced to yet. The girl's distinct markings seemed more like a dog than anything else; it shouldn't be too hard to find her parents in town, she determined.
The spirited puppy began waving her paw in the air, eliciting a tired smile from Coli. She loved children, even if she did not have the vitality to play with one right now. "Hello there, sweetie, what's your name? Did you bring these flowers for me...?" She glanced down at the clump of stems, roots encrusted with fresh soil. The flowers looked familiar. Chamomile daisies, purple thyme, these were all... Her ears fell back, eyes widening. Oh no, they couldn't be. With dread, she let her eyes follow the trail of dirt clods from the little puppy, back up the hill, to... "The herb garden! Why did you do that?!" She stood up abruptly, meaning to rush up and check on the damage. But the sudden rush to her head caused a wave of dizziness to wash over her, and her knees buckled, dropping her back to the ground again. She was not well enough to go running around like that. With a groan, she rubbed her aching temples; she would have so much work to do now, and she could barely walk.