" Enough I said!" The Woodland queen's voice rang out louder and sharper than normally. Her ears were flattened back, copper eyes blazing as she reached out and grabbed up her oldest daughter, pulling her away from her siblings. The bright russet pup wiggled and kicked, trying to get free and return to fighting her brother, but Aideen clamped down harder, turning in the den to put her full body between the misbehaving girl and her favorite target. She should have known better, naming the little demon after her grandmother had been inviting trouble; So far away and yet you continue to frustrate me! She silently cursed her mother, though a hint of a smile snuck onto her face. Baby Flair might be a pawful and a half, but she had the fiery spirit of her ancestors, and it warmed her mother's heart. Still she struggled in her captor's hold, and Aideen was drawn from her nostalgia, a growl erupting from her chest.

Just then, the call of a familiar voice filtered down to them, the approach having otherwise been masked by the ruckus inside the den. Just as well, the vixen shewolf thought, rather resignedly; We both need a time out! With her daughter still tightly clutched between her jaws, Aideen crawled up the small slope and stepped out of the den. She looked at Bella and Duck with warm eyes, and what would have been a smile, had it not been blocked by wiggling, rusty-red fur. The two had become quite a central part of the pack, even if the boy mostly tried not to be. The queen nodded at him, then met his mothers warm eyes, surprised to see the light in them, an expression not quite like she'd even seen on the woman before. Lowering her child to the ground, Aideen gave a warning rumble before releasing her hold, ordering the pup to stay put between her paws. Then she looked back up at her visitors, now smiling clearly. "Bella, Duckweed, what a nice surprise," She greeted, tilting her head a little a she wondered if they had come for a particular reason. The young man especially seemed to have stayed clear of the puppies so far, perhaps unsure of how to handle them. Turning her eyes on him now, the leader kept her voice light as she asked: "Come to say hello? Or is there something else you needed?" Her gaze trailed back to the chocolate woman at that, again noting this indeterminate change in her; What's going on..?

Word count: 423

She huffed and snarled, kicking the best she knew to get loose, but to no avail. Aideen might be known as a gentle soul to others, but Flair had quickly come to associate her with an iron grip, and had yet to see the day when she was able to free herself from it. Before wide, baby-blue eyes, the bodies of her dark siblings grew more distant as she dangled through the air, carried away from them both and out into the open. It wasn't fair! She'd only been playing. @Cinaed was so wonderfully fun to tussle with, he always fought back. Not like Enia who seemed utterly repulsed by the whole affair. But for some reason, their ever vigilant mother had deemed the game too violent, and now Flair was being taken away, causing a wail of protest to rise from her chest.

Really the situation was both good and bad: On the one paw, she was removed from her favorite chew toy and the comforting surroundings in which he had no escape; On the other, the den was terribly boring, especially when you weren't even aloud to have a small brawl. So while she was carried outside as punishment, the fiery girl wasn't entirely displeased with the turn of events. She was surprised though, when she was put down in front of others, adults whom, though she vaguely remembered one of them, where not family. Her tiny maw snapped at her mother's as she was scolded, but it was mostly in reflects as already she was focusing on the strangers. Above her head the adults were talking, but she paid no notice, eyes fixated on the pale wolf in front of her, who seemed equally interested.

Dutifully, she remained seated as her mother had commanded, but her ears were perked at the white lad, who seemed to revere her with an interest she'd only seen mirrored on her father's face. Such reacting similarly, Flair bounced to her feet, skipping forwards and stretching up to paw at the quirked muzzle, a bright puppy-smile on her face.

Word count: 347

The smile on Bella's face spoke volumes, and Aideen gave a reassuring one in return; This was a dance the darker woman knew all too well. The queen was pleased to have another mother to discuss her struggles with, and it seemed the younger woman was happy to share her experience. Nina was a good friend and advisor, and her knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth had been greatly appreciated by her former pupil, but Belladonna was closer to Aideen's own age and general place in life, she was a girlfriend where the matriarch was more of a mother figure. So it did not surprise the delicate fae at all when her visitor seemed to speak her own exact thoughts, a sheepish shrug conveying as much, as she finally took her attention off her troublesome offspring; A break would be great..! Bella's next words were more puzzling, maybe not so much the request, but the way it was made. In her time in the Woodlands, Aideen had come to know the Calor as an open and eloquent woman, seeing her this flustered was very strange indeed. And, she had to admit, it piqued her curiosity.

Copper eyes, sparkling despite the tired, heavy lids, sought the opposing wolf's face, searching for clues as to what exactly she might have come to talk about. It was very clear that this was no run of the mill discussion, pack or motherhood related alike. Rather Bella seemed, well it was a strange mixture of eagerness and apprehension, or perhaps more like shyness. It was such an odd thing though, to see the otherwise confident shewolf stumbling like this, especially beside her son, who was usually the bashful one; Though, perhaps therein lies the issue… The fellow mother had come to talk about something that did not concern their offspring, and perhaps was not for their ears either. Feeling a sudden thrill, Aideen smiled at her friend, nodding lightly; "I'd appreciate some time off, and a conversation with someone who can talk beyond to-word sentences!" Her voice lowered as she added the later, ears flattening slightly in a sheepish manner. As adorable as her children's babbling was, she feared she might go crazy after too long without more coherent discourse.

The mother's gaze turned to her daughter, no surprise registering to find that the devil was once more on the move. She felt a little bad having admitted her weariness in front of Flair, even though she doubted the girl had understood, or was even listening. Most of the time, she could deal with her puppies mischief, even found their vigor entertaining, but everyone came to a lose once in a while; Right? The lively girl seemed no worse for wear, regardless, waltzing towards Duckweed with clear purpose. "I think she likes you! Better watch it or she'll show you so with her teeth, they're growing quite sharp." She chuckled at the pup's antics, already passed their conflict; "Would you watch them for me, Duckweed? While a talk to your mom?" While the young man might be blissfully aware of his mother's intentions, Aideen had quickly grasped the implications. "They should be calm enough, I just feed them and they're about ready for a nap," She quickly assured, motioning with her muzzle towards the den where no other puppies had appeared in her wake. Looking back to Flair, reaching for a hold on the pale boy's nose, she crinkled her brow a tad; " Should be, at least. I'm sure she'll start nodding off soon, if they become too much you can just call, we won't go far." She smiled and nodded, as if agreement had already been given, and then turned back to Bella, ready to follow her to a more secluded part of the thicket.

Word count: 630

One ear was turned back at her mother's voice, waiting for the reprimand, but it seemed she was busy with other things, Flair certainly didn't hear the tone that usually meant warning. This was a victory to her and she returned her full focus to the pale face, reaching up with both her paws to try and grab on, and drag the muzzle down to her level. She didn't even notice that the grown-ups made to leave, only when the darker woman moved in to embrace her son, such drawing his attention from the pup, did she realize. She bumped down on her rear, head tilted, eyes shifting between the two as some exchange she couldn't decipher passed between them. Then the two adults walked off, leaving their children to stare after them. Though Flair didn't bother to stare long, this was not her first time being left with others, and frankly she was much more interested in the young lad than what her mother was up to, and her eyes quickly returned to him.

He seemed more reluctant to look away though, causing a small frown to form on the impatient girls face. She was curious, she wanted to figure out who this boy was, if he was any fun. Finally the grey gaze was back on her, though they had an odd look she never remembered seeing before, almost frozen. She stared back, eyes wide, almost mesmerized by this unusual reaction. Then he spoke, voice shaking oddly, though she made out the word at the end; "Hi!" She parroted it back loudly, lips parting in a smile; "Hi, hi, hi!" Jumping from her seat, she reached for him again, dancing excitedly on the spot. Paws jabbed at him, trying to elicit a response, eager to play with this newest toy.

Word count: 302