Cut Rock River outer heaven

@Karina @Orren

Aleksei found running to be a most difficult task. He hadn't fully grasped walking in the first place! So his clumsy, messy gait was often littered with stumbles and fumbling, flailing movements that he hoped would propel him away from his younger brother. Karina's puppyish cheer was like a hyper voice to him and he awkwardly grinned, his mouth falling open as he chugged along, wobbling the whole time. Grass tickled his paw pads and occasionally his chin, the sound of rustling and trickling all around him. It was all so very exciting, almost unbelievable. Was mother keeping it a secret this whole time? It was then that there was a dull thud and the eldest Baranski sibling froze, tentatively attempting to turn around. Orren had fallen over and was now flat on the ground.

“Rrrrr! Yip!” He tumbled forward himself, and then suddenly there was a noise. What on Earth was that! Aleksei watched as his brother blinked once, twice in surprise. And then he made the sound! How'd he do that?! Scrambling awkwardly to sit in a slouched position, the eldest twisted his head this way and that way. “Rrrr … rrRRrrrruuh,” he attempted, horribly disappointed because everything much too quiet. It was nothing like Orren's! Sucking in a huge breath, the pale cub wriggled around before he let it all come whooshing out. “RrrrRRRROOOOooOOoooo!” His stubby little tail whipped the floor. “Arr! Arrrip!” He called for Karina to scoot over and join in. He'd never in such his short life made so much noise before!

Karina yipped with impish delight as she saw Orren nose-dive into the dirt. In her eyes Aleksei had vanquished him and he would no longer come after either of them. A bark sounded from somewhere nearby, and it was not a voice that Karina recognized. Not her mother or father. Before today, Karina’s entire world was made up of things that could be tasted or smelled, and seen now that her eyes were open. She had just now discovered that there was a whole new part to the world that she hadn’t even imagined existed, and that frightened her. What else could actually exist that she hadn’t already imagined existing?

She forgot all about the disembodied bark when Orren began to make a very sad, very loud noise that their elder brother tried immediately to imitate. Of course, Aleksei’s nose wasn’t the nose that was hurting, so he wasn’t getting it quite right. Orren had feeling behind his howl, and despite her young age Karina’s heart reached out for her middle brother. Maybe he bit her a little hard sometimes.. but he didn’t deserve to be in pain. Karina wriggled over to his position, licking Orren’s nose out of some strange instinct that she didn’t understand. It tasted like dirt.

He and Aleksei were both howling now, and it seemed to Karina it was just for the sheer fun of it. The pain was gone from Orren’s voice, so she started to get excited all over again. There was something about the noise that made her heart pound and gave her energy that she hadn’t had moments before. She joined in their fun with gusto. ”Arrp! Arrrr.. AAArrriiiip!” She had trouble achieving the same resonance as her brothers. They didn’t seem to even notice though, as much fun as their little musical klatsch was having.

I'm really sorry for taking so long to respond!

Orren thought he might have heard something odd, but then in the next instant, Karina was there with a comforting with a lick on his nose, and Aleksei was trying to sing along, too. Orren gladly lifted his voice in song again, his chest swelling up with pride at having discovered this new activity. RrrrroooOOOOOOrrrrr he squealed, trying to show his brother and sister how it was done. On his own, he was making quite a deal of noise, but when Aleksei's voice broke into a bright howl alongside his, the sound was truly cacophonous. He bounced up and down on his toes, eagerly nodding at his sister in hopes that she'd get the hang of it, so she could join them too. Together, the three of them could surely raise a truly unholy racket. Orren's stubby tail beat back and forth as he yowled happily, and then all at once he remembered both the other voice he'd heard, and the bump on his nose.

Cutting off his song with a lilting whine, he licked his nose a couple of times, gazing out at the dizzying expanse around them. Wha wazzat?! he questioned, looking from Karina to Aleksei with wide eyes. Was the wind itself laughing at him? Orren gave an indignant little huff. Again he looked about, and now, his eyes beginning to cope with the array of colors and light, he was able to make out a shape... a form... in the shadows by the den's opening. Kari, Leksei, look! Monstah-wolf! he gasped, the fur on his tail and spine puffing up all at once.