Paradise Falls New Experiences

OOC: Indigo getting ready to leave the den @Hazelnut @Ryder

Indigo's first few weeks were spent crawling blindly around her birth den, frequently bumping into her mother. When her eyes opened, she went from blindly exploring to stumbling. When the rounded dirt walls became familiar, the young girl moved to that bright circle that her mother would sometimes disappear into. From it came smells unfamiliar to her, and sounds that made her want to poke her head out. Sometimes she even saw shadows cross the entrance, large enough to send her skittering back across the floor and bury her head into her mother's belly.

Now she was straining with curiosity. She had not been given permission to leave the den just yet. Her mother came back smelling of the outside and that drove her closer and closer to the entrance. She was positively wiggly just thinking about being able to go roll in all those interesting smells.

Indigo sat only a few steps from the yawning mouth of the den. If she craned her head, her nose might pop out into the strange, fresh air. Her tail wagged behind her.

Indie's curiosity was evident in her proximity to the edge of the world, or her world, at least. Hazelnut imagined it must have been a lonely thing to wait at the mouth of the den, to wonder where her mother had gone, to have no on else to cuddle up to or play with. Of course, those days were early enough that Hazey did not remember them herself, but the thought of it was enough to sway her to pull Indie from the den as early as she could.

The day came quickly. The perfect day. One that was not too hot or too cold. Not too sunny or cloudy. She debated on whether or not she would call for her child's father, whether she wanted to keep these precious moments to herself, but in the end, she extended the olive branch and let loose a howl.

"Come, my little one." She cooed in hopes that it might coax the girl from the den. Come and see the sun. Come and be a little less lonely here.Perhaps it wasn't just Indie's loneliness that had her feeling this way.

Ryder visited each and every day to spend time with his daughter. When Hazelnut was not already resting within, he'd crawl inside the den to curl up with Indigo and when her mother was, he'd rest right on that threshold, forelimbs and head just inside so he could at least marvel at her. Be with her. Play with her even, sometimes. There was only so much he could really manage with her being still so small, with her world being limited so. With he and Hazel lacking affection.

Visiting now, Ryder heard the woman beckoning and his spirits lifted with hope. Was it finally time? His eyes were bright as he neared, hoping to see the tiny girl toddle on out any second. They would flit away only now and then to Hazelnut's face, the quickest of glances to gauge; was she excited too?

Indigo wriggled at her mother’s voice and began to walk toward it. She hesitated with her head peeking out of the den and saw her father as well. Their pale faces formed a warm welcome for the pup and she hopped the last paces until she was fully in the open.

The entrance of their den had provided an odd, framed view of the space surrounding, and seeing everything now in its entirety made her gawk. The blue above was so big, the stone and trickling water so much louder now. She could hear things squeaking, chirping, tittering in the wide space around her. She went still, mesmerized by the greatness of it all.

Indigo broke into a run. She was still clumsy as she bounded forward out under the sky. Her nose twitched eagerly, and she slowed some to lower herself to the ground and sniff the myriad of scents that gathered in the dirt. Many were unrecognizable, but there were two that stood out-- her mother and father. Indigo remembered them next to her and turned toward them to roll over. She grinned up at them, eyes sparkling.

Ryder's arrival, as always, dredged up a flood of conflicting feelings. Hazelnut was willing to share these moment with him, of course, knowing that he was entitled to them as Indigo's father, but every time he appeared she was left feeling empty and anxious with an insatiable longing. She'd imagined moments like these long before the two of them had met and long before Indigo was even an idea. She had hoped to actually share these experiences, to look at her partner with soft eyes and have them look at her just the same, to know that they had gotten here together. She had wanted love, and affection, and for her child to have a family that was whole. But here they were, on opposite sides, raising a child as they lived lives independent of one another.

He was a good father, so Hazey supposed she should be thankful. He was attentive with Indie, willing to care for her whenever he could. He made it a point to see the girl every day, to spend time with her. It was more than a lot of people could have asked for, the woman's own mother included, but his love for their child did nothing to quash the yearning in her soul.

Hazelnut held her breath as Indigo emerged, trying her best to look at peace with the day's activities. Perhaps it was selfish to wish that she could have kept her in the den a little longer, could have saved all the sweet moments for herself. In allowing her out into the world, Indigo was gaining independence and experience, but there was so much Hazelnut would be losing.

Their little girl seemed a touch uncertain at first, but appeared reassured by them. Atara used to look at him that way. Caspian, too. Turned out, though, Ryder was a pretty shoddy brother. His toes curled down against the earth with anxiety while he put on his breeziest of smiles, the storms temporarily cleared from his eyes and replaced with warm fondness. Being a father was meant to be so much harder, how on earth was he gonna pull this off?

She was off, a wave of excitement hitting the pup as she began to really take in what was now available to her. As she explored his tail lifted and began to wag, step by step as though tentatively. He peeked at Hazel from the corners of his eyes one last time, gaze returning to Indi just in time to see her turn belly-up. His heart and reservations both melted, a rare open-mouthed smile blooming across his lips. This was a big day, and he needed to act like it.

Play did not come very naturally to Ryder, especially now that it had been so long since he'd ever genuinely had an interest in it. He knew the basics well enough, though, thanks to having had siblings. Taking big, plodding steps over her, the newly christened father used his best goofy monster voice to give warning.

"I'm gonna getcha!"

If she didn't gather herself back up and run, little Indigo would be subjected to tickles with his leathery nose. If she did, Ryder would of course take chase, letting her stay juuust ahead.

(This post was last modified: Jul 03, 2024, 11:28 PM by Atara.)

Atara can be skipped unless interacted with. <3

Still she was not as good of an aunt as she had wanted to be. It was more difficult than she thought, with her niece being den-bound. No one had made her feel unwelcome, and yet it felt like an intrusion to ask for entry. Instead, she just continued bringing occasional gifts and snacks and asked Ryder often about how things were going. He never gave good answers; it was a wonder Atty still bothered talking with him at all. Yet she hadn't befriended Hazelnut yet either, had she?

Yeah, she was definitely the worst aunt, actually.

Her ears perked up as she neared their whelping den, hearing her brother's words. Gosh, the last time she'd heard him talk like that was so long ago, his voice had been different. They'd both been kids. It... made her sad, in a way. But! It also sounded like they were outside?

Atara picked up her pace, intrigue scrawled clearly across her dark features and shining in her beryl eyes. When they came into view, it was indeed all three of the small family. She had never seen Indigo so fully, and the girl was currently half-obscured between the grass and her father. Atty couldn't help but smile with equal measures relief and warmth as she stopped to watch.

To her, it was clear they were having their moment, and there was no need for her to interject herself. She was lucky enough just to be a passerby.

With a dramatic squeak Indigo bowed to him, wiggling her butt in the air and wagging furiously. She then clumsily pulled back up and started to run. It was a short circle halfway around her mother's body and she looked back with a wild, goofy expression with her tongue lolling out.

The young wolf then tripped over her own front feet and went down with an "oof." The fall didn't bother her a bit though.

She immediately rolled on her back with her paws in the air, giddy from the play. She batted at the air as her father approached and wriggled back and forth on the ground. Her back legs readied to kick out, albeit weakly. They were big and felt heavy but she wouldn't let that get in the way, if her happy yipping was anything to go by.

Watching Indi experience life for the first time was incredible. She seemed unsure at first, frozen by the onslaught of newness that came with leaving the den. She was worried that the cub might not bounce back, that perhaps they had allowed this day to come too soon. She was nearly ready to scoop their child up and slip back into the entrance when Indi broke into a run.

The quickness of it made Hazey jump, though a warm smile spread across her maw. Instinctively, her eyes shifted to Ryder, catching the corner of his gaze for just a second before she looked away. Had he seen it?  How embarrassing.

Rather than join in on the fun, Hazey was content with just watching. There was no denying Ryder's affection for Indi. He was good with her. Great, even.  He wasn't nervous or awkward, wasn't overly protective or too lax. Though he might have had some anxieties, Hazelnut had never perceived them, had never even considered that he might have them too.

Indi's antics, falling, and rolling, and batting the air as Ryder loped behind brought a giggle to the mother's throat. It felt so nice, so normal to exist in that moment. Hazelnut found herself wishing that time would stop, that the three of them could live in this moment forever.  The sun would never go down, the day would never end. Ryder could chase their daughter endlessly in circles, and Hazey would watch. All would be well, she was certain.

Of course she ran close to her mom. Ryder followed without thought, at least until Indigo took another benign tumble and he was made to stop at Hazelnut's flank. It was a bit ridiculous, the way it made his stomach squirm as though it were filled with caterpillars wanting to become butterflies. To be embarrassed about getting too close to the mother of his own child raised the emotion itself to a level nearing humiliation, even if it wasn't outwardly shone to be properly perceived by others.

If only he knew the little similarities between his and Hazey's hesitation, or even any way at all to begin fixing what was clearly wrong. Ryder intently focused on Indigo instead. He grinned big and dropped his head, alternating between tickling her belly and sides and pretending to chomp at and fend off her little legs. She was obliviously having fun, for now, and that was all that mattered.