Grizzly Hollow growing up is hard to do

A Solstice thread for @Oula!

It was cold out in the early morning, but not as cold as it had been the past several days. Felix crawled out of the pack den and gave a soft shake, inhaling the crisp air as he gazed around the dim light. Dawn was still far off, with only the first rays trickling over the horizon, but it did not deter the boy. He had a plan. A very important plan, and this was a good time. At least, he thought it was. If he messed up, no one would be awake to see him laugh, and there would be plenty of time throughout the day if his first (several) attempts went awry.

Deacon had taught him how to hunt things, after all, and while the Macieo had no intention of going after anything large like they had, a snowshoe hare seemed small enough. And there were plenty of them. And hopefully, Oula would be proud.

It took the boy several hours, but his pre-dawn planning had paid off. The morning was still young when he carried the freshly bloodied kill to the mouth of the pack den, dropping it down gently as he poked his nose in. “Momma? You in there?” he whispered, brows furrowing. “You awake?”

@Felix

It took a little while to get used to sleeping in the pack den again, without the stars sparkling overhead or the threat of some greater predator ambushing her in her sleep. But it wasn't long before she was sleeping like a log again, and fortunately the terribly short days afforded Oula the convenient excuse for rest. Her paws even twitched as she dreamed of chasing a hare, the dream so vivid she she could even smell the blood. Until a little voice broke through her dreams. 

You awake? 

She automatically grunted in response, rolling and stretching her legs and toes out in front of her as she gradually stirred to wakefulness. 

She looked up, sage eyes blinking into the darkness as she sought out Felix's form. "Yes, I'm here. I'm awake." She murmured back. Carefully she stood up, gently tiptoeing around her sleeping packmates as she navigated towards the den's entrance. She yawned off the remnants of sleep as she stepped out into the chilly air outside, smacking her lips. 

"You're up early. You beat the sun up, even," she mused, finally noticing the dead rabbit at her son's paws. It looked quite fresh, the white fur free of frost and the blood still glossy. "Oh, did you catch this yourself?" She asked, looking at Felix, who now stood eye to eye with her in height and would probably even surpass her soon. She hadn't been gone long, but he had grown so much.

(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2016, 09:32 PM by Oula.)

Yes, I’m here. I’m awake.

Felix winced softly as he listened to the rustle inside the den – he’d totally woken his mother up, hadn’t he? That wasn’t a very nice thing to do at all. Here he was, just trying to… The boy allowed his thoughts to trail off as he waited for Oula to emerge. No sooner did he had her pale sage attention did he lean down and nudge the rabbit closer towards his mother, eager to show off his (limited) hunting prowess.

“I-- Yes. And yes! I, uh, wanted to make sure I had enough time,” he explained sheepishly, ducking his head to stare back down at the rabbit. It stared back at him unblinking like a full moon – a dead full moon, perhaps. Felix frowned, realizing his thoughts were getting away with him again. “Enough time to hunt,” he clarified. “I wanted to bring you something for the solstice. Oh! Happy solstice, mum!” he tacked on sheepishly, ears swiveling hither and fro as he stumbled over his words. It didn’t matter that Oula was his mother, all the anxiousness remained. Or perhaps it was heightened by their relationship, for the boy wanted little more than to impress the woman; he could only hope the hare was a respectable start.