Lucetta had never known what having a family was like. No older siblings to mess with her and no parents to cuddle with at night when struck with a particularly frightening nightmare. All she had known was a bullying caretaker whose words struck sharper than any knife. But the green girl had never held it against the clouded leopard-mare; she wasn’t supposed to be the one to survive. No, it should have been the red stillborn child who lived, not the green girl who had been left to die within the harsh jungle’s grasp.
She nods in agreement to her sudden promotion to leader and gestures for the other to follow after her. Lucetta fills with a quiet bitterness with mention of her so-called mother. She had had nobody. It was obvious that this girl was truly love and coddled by her family. But the green girl had been left to die and to fend for herself. Even with all of Kagerou’s hurtful words, at least she had been relatively cared for. But then she too had left her alone in the jungle as well.
“Lucky? Well I wouldn’t really know.”
Her words are accompanied with a half-hearted shrug. She was merely speaking the truth after all. She had no idea if her mother had been green, or black, or purple, or even marked like Kagerou had been. She had no knowledge of her lineage. All she had was the jungle’s fond embrace and the little ocelot she had adopted as her brother. Her stride briefly stumbles after the other girl’s words but she is quick to adjust her balance. Staring at her with bewildered green-brown eyes for a moment, Lucetta then turns her head in the other direction in embarrassment. A rosy blush paints her green-hued cheeks and she is quite uncertain she’s never heard nicer words.
“Uh, thanks. I like you too.”
This is, of course, uttered in a quiet murmur. She’s much too embarrassed to be confident in her replies now. Lucetta wonders where the girl gets her self-confidence and liveliness. They remind her of the troupe of tamarin monkey she is quite fond of. Perhaps she would lead Sarkis to play with them for the day. It was exhilarating to have another by her side. She had never had a friend which was of her own species before. And this girl wasn’t stingy with her offers of friendship – something that was quite invigorating for the green girl. Lucetta smiles softly at her companion.
“Yes. A friend is definitely a good thing.”