Big day. Time to get up. The girl was no lunker, small and petite, and her mothers gentle nudge had her roll into her elder brother. She roused, slowly, but not at all quietly. She emitted sounds every now and again so all in the vicinity would know her displeasure. In time, she would come to be an early bird. But now? Now, the youngest Argyris detested it entirely. When she was up at last, there was a pivotal change. She was used to seeing, but now, she saw clearly; her eyes had been a blurry film that she hadn't truly utilized as much as she had her nose and ears. But now, into her focus came a massive beast—her mother—and, for the first time, she stood. Her muscles were too weak to enable her to do so for a long amount of time, and so when they failed she stumbled backward and fell onto her stomach, confused as to what was going on. But her mother departed, to her disdain, and she was left yipping loudly in confusion, looking then to her brother and lastly, to her father. He was another massive figure she had no idea about, not really, but his presence here...


It was enough. She crawled over to him, not strong enough yet to quite be able to walk, leaving her brother behind without a thought until his warmth was gone. She was confused, having never separated herself from him, and stopped entirely to mourn this loss of contact that she could not understand was able to be fixed in seconds.

To say that the ivory regal slept less than before his birth of Kyros and Hypatia was an understatement –only four weeks of age, they were far more tender and delicate than he had recalled his previous experience to be, and in the dark of night, curled beside his family, he was loathe to move lest he crush one of the little buggers. Of course, aside from that, all it took to stir the wolf from slumber then was the smallest of noises to gurgle from their throat, the lightest of twitches to overcome their body and the male would freeze, always wondering if they were alright.


As Borlla’s nose jabbed to his side with more insistence than usual, Phineas emitted a soft grunt in response, his eyes only squeezing shut tighter for the moment. His mate wasted no time in ignoring this fact, and while he missed the smile on her muzzle, he could picture it as her howl rose across the lands, summoning the members of the Glen.


With a soft sigh, the alabaster wolf pushed himself up to his haunches, his shoulders rolling back in a leisurely stretch as his fiery eyes fell upon the squirming figure of Hypatia. She moved toward him, slowing as her tiny body lost contact with her white counterpart, and with a smirk, the father bent his muzzle down to groom the girl, hoping she seemed presentable to the pack. Kyros slept on, and with a surge of fierce protection washing over him, the Argyris male knew he would introduce his son last – and damn the first wolf that questioned them over the boy’s missing limb.


Gently, Phineas went to grasp Hypatia at her scruff, moving toward the den entrance to where she would be presented to the pack. His ears fell back to his skull, another wash of worry coming over him as he thought about his son. Never before had he felt a love so intense as he did for these two very small beings, and he could only hope the pack approved of them. Placing Hypatia next to her mother, Phineas gave a crooning growl to Borlla as he nudged her cheek with his nose, his eyes falling to Erebos. He gave a nod to his brother, his figure naturally lifting itself before he turned back to the den, hoping to coax Kyros out to meet the family.

When his eyes were shut the world made sense; the world was dark and warm and his paws churned in the softness of his mother and his mouth found a nipple and that was that. Life only got rough when his mother turned over or moved away — he could handle his sister and her pushing, that was fine. And in the darkness, everything was equal, everything was fair. These concepts were not something he knew of at first. It wasn't until the sunlight filtered in through the slits of his opening eyes that he realized that there could be anything else.

Because he wasn't quite like his sister.

Knowledge sprung upon him all at once as his eyes trailed over her velvety cub-fur, down her legs, to two miniature, perfect forepaws. What? Kyros pretended to be asleep, even though his heart was racing. And then she was doing something weird, she was bigger in some way, supporting herself like the way mom and dad did. Sure, she fell down moments later, but the fact that she had stood at all was something to the little boy. He was in awe. When he looked down at his own paws, though, he remembered: there was something different about him—

A form at the mouth of the den flooded the cave in shadow, and Kyros could no longer make out what he had been looking for. But he smelled dad. "Wherd Hippo go?"

i'm talented at breathing, especially exhaling, to let

lucero

my chest rise and fall with yours

There hadn't been a single day or night that she hadn't mulled over this a million and one times. Borlla had come to be her best friend, so it was given that the birth of her companion's children was both exciting and anticipated. Many days, Luce had hung around the den where Borlla and Phineas had welcomed their litter in case she might be needed for something, or anything. When she wasn't on standby, she tried to be out doing things—hunting or scouting the land, gathering herbs or marking the borders. Some days she would top off her productivity with some play time or exploration with Ataneq, but at the end of every day she would drift off into restless sleep thinking of two of a number of things: one being when she would see her friend again. She was hardly upset about their lost time, knowing full and well that Borlla was more than just a friend now. She was a leader and, most importantly, a mother.



It was, then, with a rush of hope that Borlla's song met the ashen girl's ears. Water dripped from the smooth angle of her jaw as her head shot up in surprise. It was time. Or, at least she hoped it was. Wading her way through the water of the creek that was frigid even in the summer heat, Luce hit the bank with a running start. The thrumming of her paws did little to drown out the clamor of thoughts in her head, and with every step that brought her closer to the gathering she became more anxious. How was Borlla? Did they look like Phineas? Were they healthy? Was she healthy? Maybe she shouldn't have eaten that squirrel earlier. Would they like her? Could she babysit them soon? What if they didn't like her. When the scents of several of her packmates filled her lungs, the pace she'd kept slowly faded away and she approached them all with an whetted interest and an open heart. After all, first impressions were the most important, and she wanted to make a perfect one.


At the den mouth was Phineas, to whom she gave a respectful and encouraging nod, with Borlla at his side. A wide smile grew along the planes of her cheeks at the sight of her companion. In reverent and patient silence, Luce was sure to keep her distance for now, settling submissively to her rear end as she stretched her neck in an attempt to peek at the children who hadn't quite made it out of the den.

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RE: kids - Ataneq - Jun 06, 2013

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<b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#004A80;"> <b style="font-family:georgia; font-size:12px; color:#144034;"> Ataneq consistently did as best he could under watchful eyes, doing things for the pack that he would want from his pack members if he were King. Ataneq, as seen now, knew that he would not be under Phineas and Borlla’s reign forever—he would soon follow Siku wherever it was that she would raise claim. Whenever she was ready to begin anew here, he knew that he would be ready. So far it didn’t seem like the time was anywhere near so the swarthy yearling did what he could to provide for the pack that he was a part of, which he greatly enjoyed because he had Lucy. Lucy (or Lucero) had somehow and miraculously become a friend but what was more than this—she was his first friend. That was something to celebrate (though to his mother or siblings he was void of emotion to it, almost embarrassed) by itself, glad that he and Lucy had hit it off. Though, he really would need to figure out how not to be overcome with nerves when in her presence. He was unusually good at covering it up with his skill at guarding his feelings, but even he couldn’t resist showing her everything about himself. It came as no surprise that the instant that Borlla rose her head to announce that her children were ready to be seen, he felt a mix of emotions. Ataneq would not know how to deal with children, nor did he know what he would feel towards them. Though he knew that he had once been a puppy just like Borlla’s children, he had never been around any… what would happen? But then, he knew that Lucy would likely be there to see this which automatically forced him to turn around in the howl’s direction. Yet another excuse to see her. With her scent drawing nearer, as well as others and the natural scent of birth, he smiled—for all to see. Lucero was here, and she was smiling a big smile which all by itself made Ataneq very happy. “Lucy,” he moved to be next to her and bumped his shoulder against hers lightly as he sat next to her and looked in the direction that she did. Quickly reaching the assumption that the children would make their debut soon.

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RE: kids - Zia - Jun 07, 2013

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With the rising of the sun, creatures stirred from their slumber, preparing to greet yet another day. For Zia, life was beginning to return to normal. Fully integrated within the pack, she was slowly but surely finding her rhythm. Faces that had been nothing more than strangers to her, were glimpsed on an almost daily basis. But they were only glimpses, for she had yet to establish any real connections within the pack. She blamed herself for this, always too caught up in her own role to make sure nothing was ever out of place. Although she liked her work, perhaps it was time to ease off and focus on forming a solid bond with some of the others. She already knew of one wolf in particular who she could call a friend, so more wouldn't hurt. Friendship was an aspect that had been sorely lacking in her previous pack.

Ever since finding Phineas and his band several months ago, Zia knew that they would be blessed with new life sooner or later. The Glen now was home to two more precious lives, and ever since their arrival, Zia had kept an extra careful eye on the borders. No outsider would be stepping foot onto this patch of land, so long as she was around. As the sky brightened and the air warmed, a lone silhouette patrolled the eastern edges of the territory. Steely blue eyes looked out to the land beyond, while the soothing trickle of the creek greeted her ears. The magnolia trees were in full bloom, their pink blossoms dotting the leaves of many a tree and lending a refreshing hint of perfume to the air. Well traveled paws grazed the grass, still damp with the morning dew, while a relaxed pace carried her forward. Her thoughts drifted to the pups. How long had it been since they were born? How many were there? And when would Borlla decide it was time they met the extended family? Anxious as they were, the adults could only wait.

A quick, cold drink from the shallows of the creek was a fitting break from her relentless patrol of this section of the territory. After she had her fill, dark lips pulled away from the icy water, ready to resume the chores of the day. Just before she had time to turn around, a howl from Borlla stopped her. The pack was being summoned, and without having to guess why, Zia knew. It was time. Here on this day of celebration, the pups would meet their guardians. Without haste, in a silver blur, Zia made off in the direction of the howl. As she drew closer to the den of Borlla, the scents of several others was strong. Upon reaching the congregation, she was pleased to see that she was not the last to arrive. Lucero, Ataneq and Erebos, all of whom she didn't know personally, were all present. Even Inkheart was there, to whom she took a seat next to, smiling briefly. Phineas and Borlla had her utmost attention, as she acknowledged them with a humble dip of her head. Settling her nerves, Zia waited patiently for the pups to emerge, silver lined tail wagging to a merry beat.

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psst, trix, you didn't close the two

tags you had open and it was breaking the board. i fixed it though don't worry :3 just keep that in mind next time :3 -sarah

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RE: kids - Siku - Jun 08, 2013

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That there was new life greatly aggravated the once Issumatar. It was not her own, and thus not worth much at all. All the same, she had made something of a promise to Phineas. Pack kept her belly full. Pack kept her sons belly full, too. She was here solely for survival. Those were the perks. And the downfalls were the obligation of viewing the life she sought for herself. Alone, her tail was lifted over her hindquarters, reveling in the days where it had been her others had sought and come to. In time, that day would come again. Plume lowered to resume her typical position of the second subordinate. The Tartok Matriarch would, in time, come to see her reign resume.


Long-legged strides took her to the site of the cubs den. One was outside, now, a lovely little thing, frail, edible—she kept her jowls shut. Her time had come and gone to conceive, why waste the life that had been? There was no desire to bring harm to these cubs, though she wished they could have been her own. Siku was around, but kept some distance from the likely protective mother.

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