Veins of virgin gold ran thick as wagon axles beneath their traveling cloaks, gleaming across the windswept granite plateau in dazzling rivers of raw wealth.
Loccy crouched low upon the stone, extending a finger to gently tap the glittering yellow crust with wide, mesmerized eyes.
Before her fingernail could graze the surface, Juna caught the rabbit girl by the collar of her tunic and hauled her backward across the stone.
"Hands off the merchandise until the treaty is signed, little rabbit!" she murmured in a low whisper, her ears angled forward in intense vigilance.
"I just wanted to see if it makes a chime like a copper bell!" Loccy pouted, kicking her heels against the granite.
"A single chipped pebble could awaken ancient mountain wards," Vella reminded them, stepping between the rabbit girl and the exposed minerals. "Show proper restraint when standing upon sovereign soil."
