Round Stone Crest colors of the wind

Each day was a new adventure. Each day brought her a little further away from her den. Sometimes, Marianna sought to visit places she'd previously seen, wishing to investigate her mother's territory further. It was a curious sight she chased, or an amazing smell she simply had to sample again. Today was no different. Previously, the child had stumbled upon the slow stream lazily winding its way through the crest wolves' territory. The burbling and babbling had not been that different from her own sounds she'd made only a few weeks prior, but that did not take away from her childish wonder and desire to see it again.

Remembering the way was a bit trickier than aimlessly wandering, so overwhelmed was she by all her senses operating more acutely with each passing day. After what felt like hours to the young girl, she slowly to a halt and planted her haunches against the cool earth. It felt much kinder against her fluffy pelt than the sun shining filtering through the trees and the child sighed happily, nose wiggling as she glanced upwards. Ears too large pricked forward as she sought to find the sound of the stream again, envision the crystal blues across her gaze, but instead she heard something entirely different.

It was more musical than anything Ari had ever heard, winding through the trees like a veritable sunset of sounds. It was beautiful – she had no other word for it as her jaw fell open and her ears strained, greedily devouring each note offered to her.

"Hello?" she called into the forest, seeking to find the maker of such a wonderful feast for the senses. "…hello?"

Minka had finished her rounds with typical swiftness, thankfully nothing had been out of the ordinary and she could head back quickly. When she had left all of her children had been close to the dens entrance and now it would seem that they had all wandered off. Smiling wistfully she glanced around to see if any could be hiding in the immediate area. The trio were growing so quickly, everyday they became larger, learned new words and wandered farther. It seemed that in a blink of an eye they had changed from helpless bundles to actual children who spent their days exploring the Crest's territory. The rules were simple, they could go where they wished within the territory without supervision except for the mesa and could not cross the borders without an adult. Of course if they were anything like @Kova had been the last rule would probably be ignored, her eldest son had been punished for breaking that rule more time than the mother could count.

When her brief search resulted in nothing the mother followed the freshest scent trail she could find. It seemed that Ari had been heading towards the eastern side of the territory, though her trail snaked this way and that at times. Suddenly Minka raised her head as the wind picked up, the sound like a whistling song as it filtered through the trees and stone. It wasn't the wind but the sound of her daughter's voice that caused the bright smile to break out upon the alpha's face. Pushing through some denser foliage she came upon the russet girl who had called out, "Hello yourself." The words were followed by a chuckle, truly nothing brought the Lagina woman greater happiness than her children. Ever since the loss of Tokino she had had to fight harder than ever before and all of it was in an attempt to give her pups the life they deserved. Their father might not be able to be with them, but she would be parent enough for them both if she could.

As the wonderful sounds continued, the child almost forgot that she'd called out to begin with. After all, the only response was another rustle of the wind, the whistling through the trees as organized as any proper symphony. When someone answered back through the forest, the pup jumped straight into the air, her blue eyes wide as she whirled about. "Momma!" she cried, immediately recognizing the voice once her paws touched the earth again. No sooner than the Crest Queen appeared than was her daughter stumbling over her feet to dash over to her as her personal orchestra was temporarily forgotten.

Bobbing on paws entirely too large, the princess crashing into Minka more than she did bump in a friendly greeting, but in now way did she seem cowed. Stumpy tail wiggling, she clicked her jaw excitedly as she tried to lean up and lap at her mother's jaw. While other children her age might be struggling for there freedom and independence (which may well clash with what their parents desired for them), she saw no conflict between her desire to spend time with her dam and her wishes to explore the world around her. Not yet had she realized there was a life outside of Round Stone Crest's lands. And that was fine. She was happy. She was more than happy.

"Momma," Ari crowed again, demanding her mother's full attention. "Momma, do you hear?" She didn't quite have the words for the sounds dancing through the forests, but surely her parent would understand. It was like nothing she'd ever heard before, and if Minka couldn't explain it, she could at least give her daughter the word for it.

Minka couldn't help when her chuckles turned into full laughter as her daughter jumped and then came trampling towards her. Feeling the small body thud against her legs with minimal grace the mother looked down at the pup whose stubby tail now beat against her. Reaching her muzzle down the mother smothered her daughter with kisses, her salmon tongue smoothing over the tawny fur of her daughter's face, neck and shoulders. Ready for the giggles that would be sure to escape her small body the alpha gently nudged her muzzle into her daughter's side as she often did when they wrestled. The play session was halted though as Ari asked her about the sound she had heard and the fae opened her jaws ready to placate her with a brief answer of 'the wind' before returning to playing. However something in her gut stopped her.

Easing her body into a laying position Minka used her snout to nudge Ari closer towards her legs. The light tawny face melted into a warm smile as she looked over her daughter, she reminded her so strongly of her sisters in her birth pack. Waiting for the girl to settle before beginning the golden eyes were still warm but serious as she spoke, "You know Ari you and your brothers are very lucky. You have your mom and you dad @Gent but you also have your father and his name is Tokino. Your father and I were very much in love and together we made you and @Kino and @Draven but unfortunately he can't be here right now. He will always love you though and always protect you when you need it and some days if you listen closely like today you can hear him singing to you." Minka couldn't help the moisture that brewed in her orbs as she finished speaking but she quickly blinked them away so her daughter wouldn't see. The pups weren't old enough to know what had happened to their real father but the mother had always wanted them to know about him and that he was with them every day, even if they couldn't see him.

The child's ears wiggled as she listened to the sounds and jingles of the forest. Her tail thrashed behind her as her entire body writhed between her mother's legs. Marianna was overwhelmed by sound and sensation, but oh, how joyful she was for it! Only when her mother paused did the child even glance up, ears pricking as she tried to study the alpha's face. Whatever she saw there meant little to the girl – she could read the expression, but could not quite decipher what it actually meant in terms of what the adult felt. As far as she could tell, her mother was thinking, and that was that.

The tone suddenly changed, and Marianna tipped her head to one side, confused as to why the play had stopped. As far as the child understood, the situation was the same it had been a moment ago, but before she could ask what her mother was on about, the alpha spoke about herself, and Da, and Tokino. The name had been mentioned before, but made little sense – Tokino was a wolf that did not exist, a spirit that wanted to be here but couldn't, and the child had a terrible time trying to wrap her young mind around the notion.

With a whuffled sigh, her brows furrows and ears flattened, the whirring behind her eyes almost visible before Minka informed her that the singing was this wolf. "He's real!" she shouted in surprise, backpedaling rapidly to lift her nose and listen to the songs once more. Her tiny tail wagged rapidly with this sudden discovery – morose as her mother was, the child was delighted to realized this Tokino resided in the forests as well. "I like the singing. Can we sing, momma?"