Her smile only brightened when Ashur agreed with her that he would be able to jump up in the tree soon. She truly believed in him, so she was glad he believed in himself as well. Melee was young and perhaps somewhat naive to the reality of the world around her, but she was still a pup. There would be time to deal with reality when she was older. Besides, what harm did it do to encourage another to believe in their dreams? Her mind was filled with many dreams of her own - perhaps not so much of grandeur, but adventure and happiness and friendship. And today she'd made her first friend outside her family, so she was already on her way to achieving the things that filled her heart!

Of course the reality that she had wandered rather quite far not only from her den but also the perimeter that her parents had set for her and her siblings was inescapable. The girl grinned at Ashur, doing her best to keep from appearing guilty. They were having fun, after all - no need to spoil that! The fun could continue, and she could share something with him in return for lifting her up onto the log and showing her the world from this new height. Plus, maybe if she showed up back at the den with an older escort it would placate her parents - she wasn't roaming alone, she had a friend to keep her company! Naturally the fact that her father might not appreciate that that friend was a yearling boy didn't occur to her. All was innocence to her.

Her pink tongue protruded from the front of her open mouth in a wide, happy grin when he agreed to accompany her. When he suggested she take the lead there was a moment when she looked around doubtfully, unsure how to get down. Could she leap safely from this height? But then Ashur sidled up alongside the log and offered himself as a step stool once more. Eagerly she clambered down his head and neck, lowering her body over his shoulder and then effectively sliding down his leg to land on the ground once more. Jade eyes looked up at him happily. "Thanks! C'mon, we'll go...this way!"

Setting off at a prancing jog, she headed up a path near the general direction she'd come from. As long as they were going uphill, she figured they'd be going in the right direction. After a little bit, she slowed to a walk, the excitement of the day starting to catch up with her. Eventually they reached a fork in the path, and Melee paused for a moment. Glancing back and forth between the two, she wasn't entirely sure which way to go. Both looked like they would continue up into the higher reaches of the mountains, but she wasn't confident about which would get them to her den quicker. Instead of feeling worried about it, she looked up to her friend with a smile. "Whatcha think? Left, or right?" No reason this couldn't be a bit of an adventure. They still had plenty of daylight to work with, after all.