Arion practically screeched as his mother presented a new toy for them to play with. The sprig he had placed in front of his father had been abandoned and was no longer of value to him. No – what was really important was the enticing fox pelt that his mother held between her teeth. Once more, his body began to vibrate with excitement as he bounced on his toes. He watched Bracken with burning curiosity as she tugged on the pelt in a feeble attempt to get it away from his silvery mother. A small frown creased his dark lips, offsetting his features as he stepped toward them.

His tawny partner in crime abandoned the pelt briefly to get his attention; the invitation couldn’t have been clearer. Without hesitation, the boy pranced up to the pelt, his small maw grabbing hold of it beside Bracken. Surely with two of them they could overpower the pelt – it couldn’t be that strong, could it? R was just as oblivious to his mother’s involvement in the pelt as Bracken was – all he was concerned about was conquering the ‘mighty’ fox pelt.

As he readied his body into a crouching position, the shadow glanced over at his partner. “One…” he started, his brows narrowing as he redirected his attention on the pelt. ”Toooo… Tree!!!!!” He yelped with a mouth full of fur as he began to pull on their toy.

The furry pelt was fighting back and Arion did not like it one bit! He knew that by combining their strength the pair would be able to defeat the pelt, but it definitely was not going down without a struggle. A frown cut into his lips as he dug his tiny claws into the dirt to gain leverage, his brows narrowing furiously as he pulled back. Bracken was an excellent partner in crime, and together it seemed as though the pelt was nearly vanquished—until…! Bracken tumbled back, causing his own footing to falter as he tried to regain his balance, a snarl emitting from his throat as he dug his teeth in deeper. Within moments Bracken was back at his side, growling furiously around the pelt. They heaved once more, their strength slowly fading as it became more difficult to fight against the pelt.

It seemed as though their energy disappeared at the same time—first Bracken fell away from the pelt, followed quickly by little R. Slumping down beside his partner in crime a big yawn stretched his tiny maw apart, denim blues blinking sleepily at his mother. It was definitely time for a nap—for both of them. Curling up beside her R rested his little chin against her side; he was not quite ready to move yet, even though he knew Zia would relocate them soon. Through heavy lids he glanced over at the dark figure of his father and half-yipped, half-yawned at the ebony statue. Arion couldn’t wait to curl up next to both of his parents and claim the rest of the afternoon as ‘nap-time’. For now, Bracken was doing just fine as his current pillow, but he wanted to be surrounded by all of the wolves he cared about.