Cedarwood Forest you're gonna grow and have a good life

With all the work she had done herself, it was amazing what a few more paws could do together. At Rook's fair question, Pip had no answer, however, and only stared blankly. Thankfully, Lily rushed in to the rescue. Experience would always win out over baser instincts and Pip was grateful again for her friend's presence. She vowed to help her Alpha dig out her own den as well when it came closer time for her, but Pip worried she would be more of a hindrance than a help based on how Amaryllis was doing.

Wisely, the mute stood on Rook's far side, graciously allowing the male to serve as a buffer between her and any flying dirt from Lily's paws. Finally, the woman took a break and the little sea wolf cautiously dipped below ground to examine her work. Orange eyes popped wide with surprise. Of course, there had been a lot of dirt passed back up to the den's mouth, but she never expected to come into such a spacious den!

No way she would have been able to do all of this on her own! Misty eyed and grateful, the little mute peeked her head back out from her new birthing den, tail wagging happily before she practically danced to both of them and set fairy like kisses upon both of their chins with love and adoration. They could never know how much this meant to her. At the very least, it set a lot of worries to rest. Now, here within the Cedarwood Forest she called home, within range of the pack but also well enough away that Kjell would be welcome, her puppies could be born in safety and comfort. It would be their home for weeks to come until it was safe enough to move them back into Grizzly Hollow territory.

Just behind the mouth of the den, breaking through a light dusting of snow, the first of the laurels blossomed in silent promise of the life that spring could fulfill.

Last post for Pip. Feel free to add your own closing posts if you want or archive. <3 Otherwise, I will archive so we can get our LP and get this territory going. C:

When Rook had stepped back, Amaryllis took over, nudging him out of the way. He smirked at her, watching her tail wave about in stride as she picked up where he had left off. He almost went to take a seat beside Pip when he heard Amaryllis tell them both to move aside. Oh... Yeah... that would be good. He waited for Pip to move before finally sitting next to her, watching as the dirt flew and piled up behind his mate's tawny heels. Eventually, after a few well-deserved breaks, she disappeared into the earth altogether and Rook stood back up to try and peer in, getting dirt tossed on his nose or straight between the eyes a couple of times. Two attempts were made to get her to stop, but she did not, would not budge. Wherever he tried to put his paws to help her or make her move over, they collided with her own, caking his with even more dirt (as if the mud stains up to his elbow weren't enough already). Ultimately, he backed away, letting her have at it. Being a male and all, his instincts, honed or innate, would probably never quite understand the whole idea of nesting.

He had thought a third time would be a charm when he got a dirt clod in the face. He gave his head a sudden shake before peering back in. Nope, there was no stopping her now. This part, that Amaryllis was now working on was his favorite: actually carving out the den space and perhaps because this part allowed more underground space, Rook found it the easiest part. The only toughest part of it all was not piling the mud so high that one lost sight of the entrance.

He looked into the darkness with narrowed eyes, seeing just a trace of the Leader's side before she forced pile upon pile of claw and mud and unearthed pebbles in his direction. As best as he could, he pushed the dirt back up and out of he tunnel, letting Pip assist whenever she felt like getting up or using his hind legs to move it out of the way. Soon, the piles grew smaller and Amaryllis' scarred face emerged, fur muddied and nose covered in loose soil. Rook took a step back and allowed her some space, only to take a seat and allow her to lean against him. Her legs shook and he could feel the tiny trembles that wracked her body from the effort of it all. With an encouraging nod, he motioned for Pip to go and see the underground space.

As the Mizuno crept over to the spot where she had begun digging - the place no longer just a hole in the ground but an actual sizable den - Rook turned to the Leader at his side, ducking his head down to drag his tongue across her nose and up along the bridge of her muzzle. "You amaze me," he whispered towards her grey-furred ear. "You know that?" He had just nestled his forehead to hers when Pip came bounding back, lapping at both of their chins. Rook would admit that he had not done much, but he accepted her dainty kisses anyway. This was the start of the good deeds that Rook had intended to do since coming to Relic Lore, the way things were supposed to be when Bishop and Quil and Cinder had come along with him to the western parts of Southern Eden. Where he was well-loved and his pack mates were well-loved, where they helped one another and, even for just the slightest of moments, leveled with each other to get things done. He tenderly bumped noses with both of the ladies beside him, all smiles as he caught sight of the early, frost-covered laurel blossoms just above the entrance of the den. He gave a sigh of relief as he leaned back into Amaryllis' side, allowing Pip to see to things as she saw fit. There was still a bit of spirit in the Cedarwoods yet and what had just conspired here could only assure him that things were going to be all right after all... most especially when Veho returned.

(Fade.)

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.

When Rook sat down, allowing Amaryllis to lean against him,, the woman followed suit, resting her rump on the ground as she watched Pip disappear into the den to inspect it.  Her ear flickered to took as he spoke. Thank you for your help ." She told him with as much honesty in her tone that she could muster.
       
And when Pip came back out of her den, Amaryllis allowed a lazy grin to cross her face at Pip's reaction to the den. It may have taken some time to dig out and she was now exhausted beyond belief but it was worth it, for this, to see Pip bounce around them with stars in her eyes and a safe place for her and her pups.

"I'm so glad you like it." She murmured to the younger female, the smile still on her face. And she was truthful. She was so glad the other liked it.

Hopefully her pups and mate would enjoy it just as much.

-fade-

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2017, 09:47 AM by Amaryllis.)