Broken Timber Pines polarize

come meet little Ari :) @Zia maybe? and any of the other BTP pups
eyes opening

Life was good for the little Celencio. There was an abundance of food – which was readily accessible with a bit of poking and proding – and he was able to sleep whenever he wanted (and for however long he wanted). There was always warmth, as he was almost constantly being embraced by his mother, and always felt safe. Arion had no desire to leave the comfort of his parents den… at least, until now. Without warning, his denim blue eyes appeared from behind his dark lids; while he was only greeted with darkness, there was a peculiar light source that had caught his attention. At first he blinked a few times, trying to focus his blurry surroundings without success. Perhaps he was dreaming… perhaps the light wasn’t real. Instantly, he closed his eyes once more, this time holding the lids tightly shut as he attempt to fall back into a slumber.

His attempt failed, and little R’s eyes re-opened once more and landed on the blurry light-orb-thing. Shuffling forward the boy grunted and whimpered as he attempted to crawl toward whatever the light was. The unfamiliar feeling of curiosity fueled his movements, only fueling his movements as he continued his pursuit. He did not know why, but he needed to know what this was… his life, up until this moment, had been filled with a comfortable darkness. Was this light a threat; dangerous? Or was it something else… something exciting…

Flopping onto the ground outside of the den, the boy gasped as his milky eyes danced around his new surroundings. What was this place? Why had mother kept it hidden from him? Everything was so bright, so different! He loved it! He loved all of it! He wanted to see more! Yipping excitedly R bounced about the entrance to his home; he was ecstatic over this new discovery. He wanted more! Now! He yipped louder, hoping to grab his mother’s attention, as he continued his bouncing.

(This post was last modified: Jun 15, 2015, 06:46 AM by Arion. Edit Reason: Location )

considering Io and Zia's dens are so close I figured this was realistic

Mom had said to 'stay here'.

Well, actually, she'd done a little bit more than just say it. Iopah had sat her younger daughter down, using the end of her muzzle to gently push down till the child's gray rump meet the ground and withdrawn slowly, as if Bracken was a band-aid that would fly free with movement. The request itself was spoken into the gray down of her shoulders and her mother's voice was so soft and low that the words felt more like a hum. Not that Bracken would have really followed or understood them anyways. The whole time the gray pup had been swiveling on her butt to smear puppy-kisses and test tiny needle teeth.

Just as soon as Iopah slipped under the thorny curtain of salmonberry Bracken was moving. She circled the clearing, cramped to an adult wolf and vast to a pup. Bracken was old enough to walk now, but she had months to go before reaching any of her mother's grace. She toddled to and fro, tripping over her own feet in excitement and lack of coordination.

She stumbled upon the perfect toy by accident. The sprig of salmonberry snagged the gray of her coat she shuffled past. The thing seemed harmless, but it stuck like glue to her! By the time Bracken managed to pull it away every thorn had been rubbed off. Bracken was in the process of bringing it to show @Ember when she heard Arion. It was another puppy and they were looking for something! She scrambled under the salmonberry curtain, sprig clamped between milk teeth. It flipped up and caught on the plants for a brief moment. Planting her feet wide, Bracken pulled with a soft growl and went sailing head-over-heels as it came free. She followed the yips and the sprig dragged under her. By the time she arrived Bracken was as dusty as her prize. She watched Arion for a moment, tail whipping behind, then opened her mouth to spit out a mouthful of saliva, dirt and salmonberry sprig. "...'viss?"  She inquired, wondering if "this" is what Arion wanted.

It seemed as though his mother was not interested in joining him; sleep had too strong of a hold on the silvery female. Overwhelmed with a sudden grumpiness, Arion flopped onto the ground with a cloud of dust. An over-exaggerated sigh escaped him as he slapped his forepaws against the ground in irritation – he just wanted someone to play with! He knew mother was tired (due to taking care of him), so it wasn’t fair for him to be so upset over her absence. R wished that his father wasn’t always so busy with pack stuff… but, from what he understood, it was important and Arion liked that his father was important. Another sigh rolled off his tongue as he flopped onto his back, exposing his belly to the warm sunshine above.

He was just so bored. He wanted to see the rest more of the light-filled land, but he knew mother would not be pleased. The little smudge also had no idea where he was, and if he left he would surely be lost forever. It was the sound of movement that pulled R out of his daze – someone was coming! His yipping started once more as he struggled to find his footing and return to his frantic bouncing. Someone had arrived to play with him!! This was so exciting!! The yipping turned into a strange, hi-pitched howling as the other ball of fluff appeared with a strange twig-like thing in its mouth. The fluff spoke to him; it seemed as though she was referring to the thing she had brought with her. “Viissssssss!” He responded excitedly, his paws still bouncing as he began to circle the female pup. “Visssss, visss, vvvviiiiiss!” He did not know what it meant, but he enjoyed saying it.

Zia is nearby, just watching for now.
<3

Motherhood was challenging. But it was worth it! Zia Celencio wouldn't have had it any other way. Now that one of her greatest goals had been fulfilled, a sense of peace...of completeness had settled into her heart. She and her dark mate now had everything they could have ever wanted. A fresh start in a growing, strong pack. Protective yet caring Leaders. And of course, a healthy, robust young son. The little black star named Arion. Throughout all her life, Zia had naturally been drawn to puppies, wanting nothing more than to shelter them, to teach them the ways of the world. And now that she had a child of her own, it was certainly no surprise that her maternal instincts had exploded. It was as if she had been meant to be a mother all along. She rarely left her son's side, spending most of her days in the den underneath the redwood tree she had picked out. As soon as he was mobile, opening his eyes, she allowed the curious boy to explore, but never any more than within the safety of his earthen home. He was still too young yet to go outside, and so whenever he got too curious of the light from the outside world, she gently pulled him back, praising him for his enthusiasm, yet reminding him that he needed to stay close. Of course as he grew, the time would come sooner or later when he eventually would take his first steps into the outside world. It was bound to happen. And what better chance for a bold, adventurous young pup to sneak outside when his mother wasn't around? Zia had only stepped outside just for a short while, to gather some materials for a fresh change of the bedding lining the den. Inkheart may not have been around as much as she liked, but his visits were appreciated, the gifts he brought even more so. He was doing a fine job of providing for mother and child, and also juggling the task of keeping a watchful eye on the borders of their new home. Perhaps once he felt more settled, he could come by more often to spend time with his mate and son.  On her way back from her brief trip, Zia walked confidently through her territory. Easily stepping over large sticks or fallen trees. She was happy to get out, to stretch her legs. The weight she had put on during her pregnancy was slowly shedding, but not as fast as she would have hoped. She remembered the conversation she had with Iopah not long ago. Of the possibility of sharing a den, so both their children could grow up together. It was not only a nice idea, but a good one. At least one of the mothers could be present at all times while the other took care of business such as hunting of exercising. Hanging from her jaws, were the ragged remains of a red fox. The vermin had been all over Relic Lore as of late, and the last thing Zia needed was an opportunist at her doorstep. She had disposed of most of the carcass, leaving only the silky russet pelt mostly intact. It would make for a fine lining inside of her den, and the bushy tail would undoubtedly make for an entertaining plaything for Arion. But as she approached the densite, she was greeted with a surprise. Her little black shadow was out and bouncing all around excitedly, babbling about something. Charcoal ears pricking attentively, she held her place behind one large log, only partially hidden. There was another voice...another movement in the protective tangle of thorny bushes that separated Iopah's clearing from Zia's den. Her blue eyes quickly found the small brown frame of yet another pup, of whom could only belong to Iopah and Koda, tumbling forward eagerly towards Arion with a sprig. Instead of bounding forward protectively, Zia simply sat and watched fondly, like a sentinel, wondering how long it would take either of the pups to notice they were being watched.

Chunga-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Jun 16, 2015, 01:33 AM by Zia.)

The man was off some ways from Zia but he, too, had been watching the two children frolic. So far he had found that being a father to one was troubling -- exhausting -- but well worth the hassle. All the memories that were being created were enough to make the man feel lighter. Arion was a burst of energy that he no doubt had to have gotten from Zia and her family. Though as the time progressed forward and he watched his son bounce and yip at the front of the den, the husband and father ventured closer. Especially when he noticed one of Iopah's cubs venturing close and making contact with his young son. Clearing his throat the man was able to stop himself from approaching any closer, mostly to allow the two to make contact without interfering. 

In a way he was hesitant to even let Ari explore outside of the den because it meant that he would soon be making friends with others that weren’t his parents. That Inkheart would no doubt see Arion grow up as quickly, if not quicker, than he already had. Orange eyes flicker towards Zia to try and grab her attention to come closer to him. The distance he created sometimes he did his best to fix but new things often scared him, but Arion and Zia never had. They made things real and worth it and being a part of a pride again felt great but he knew he could do something better to make his membership a little bit more personal. 

i'm always looking for threads, so message me if you'd like one!

There was only time for a brief passing glance from the sprig to Arion. She regarded the spit-and-dirt covered thing, then looked up to boy-pup questioningly. There was no time for a hopeful glance back down at the sprig (for that was certainly her next move) when Arion launched into motion at that instant. Slate blue eyes went wide with delight and her stubby legs started bouncing without any sort of inhibition. He circled her and she moved in turn, chirping back happily with every 'viss'. It didn't matter who he was or if this was part of a game or not... this was fun!

It took a moment to notice she'd misplaced the salmonberry sprig. Bracken stopped suddenly and spun a clumsy circle to locate it again. She pounced on it and shook it with what she imagined was great vehemence. Her butt hit the ground as her 'great vehemence' knocked her off-balance. She toddled to her feet and pranced over to her new play-mate to solemnly lay it at his feet. She beamed at him proudly for a minute, entire hind-end swaying, before realizing the problem. Two pups and one toy. They would need another toy.

The clearing of a throat caught her attention. The girl twisted around to see Inkheart and her visage perked up. Good! She toddled to the adult male and, despite not knowing him, whined up ingratiatingly. 'Help us?' her whine asked. Bracken tried to cement the appeal with an affectionate lick to his inky forepaw, before leaning back expectantly. In her limited experience, adults always helped and she expected this to be no different.

<3

He watched the tawny girl’s bouncing movements with his baby blue’s as his toes wriggled excitedly in the dirt. The previous yipping had ceased as he watched her fumble around to locate the spring that she had misplaced, her rump falling against the ground once she had found it. Ari gave an encouraging series of high-pitched barks as she regained her balance and made her way toward him to place the sprig at his feet. Prodding at it was a paw the boy barked once more, excitement consuming his small body once more – so much that his body began to vibrate.

However, just as the girl paused, Arion also realized their dilemma. A frown creased his dark features as he glanced around frantically in search of something else for them to play with. Frustrated, he prodded the sprig once more… what else could they play with?

Something had caught his new friend’s attention – tearing his focus away from the search for a second toy, Arion realized that his father had arrived. “Da!” He barked excitedly as he took several fumbling steps toward his larger, mirror image. Wait. He quickly retreated back and scooped up the sprig in his mouth before scrambling toward his father once more. Spitting the sprig out in front of Inkheart, he looked up at the fiery-eyed male with wide eyes. “More!!!?” Surely his father would understand that they were looking for something else to play with… or maybe he would play with them instead?

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Apparently she had not been the only parent nearby watching her son and little Bracken play. Inkheart, by chance and even luck, was there too. A clearing of his voice, and a flash of deep orange eyes quickly grabbed the mothers attention. Slowly, delicately, she picked her way over to her lover, trying to keep quiet so as not to disturb the the pair of puppies. Sitting by his side, Zia nuzzled into the deep midnight fur of his scruff, blue eyes shining with pride as she watched the children. They were adorable...both of them! Knowing they would grow up in a community surrounded by others their own age made her happy. Their childhood would be full of fun and adventures. It was not long before their cover was blown, the daughter of Iopah being the first to notice the adults. She bundled over, with Arion not far behind. Apparently they were in need of something more entertaining than a mere sprig, and the answer just so happened to be right there between Zia's teeth. Her love of puppies now shined brilliantly as her tail lashed back and forth excitably. Easing down onto her belly from her seated position, in a rather playful and inviting display, she rolled onto her back, paws splayed out. Sapphire eyes gleaming, she gave the russet fox pelt a gentle shake, trying to entice their interest. It was new...soft and full of strange exotic scents. A perfect toy for them to share...or to shred.

Chunga-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

going to skip @Inkheart, but he is welcome to pop back in!
also, I kinda sorta assumed a tug of war game with @Zia. is it ok Trix? I can totally change it!

It took very little to entice Bracken to play, and the fox pelt dancing before her was more than enough. Slate-blue eyes went wide, following the rusty fur back and forth. Stubby legs crouched as the puppy made her stealthy approach. A pink tongue slipped between milk teeth in concentration. With a scramble of paws and enthusiastic yip, she sprang forward!

Tiny teeth sank into the pelt and a flood of scents filled her nose. Bracken froze for a second, surprised to have caught it and surprised by the smell of it. Wow! It moved under her teeth, possibly from Zia's manipulation of it, and instinct kicked in. Four weeks old she might be, Bracken was a wolf. She growled happily and set her tiny feet into the dirt as she pulled back on the pelt.

No matter how hard she tugged it would not move! The game was not quite as fun when it was so one-sided. Bracken squinted up at Zia, wondering what part she had in the fox pelt's unexplained strength. She dropped it slowly, making sure it wouldn't try to vanish once puppy teeth let go of it. Bracken was a little too young to understand that it was dead and Zia was the one controlling it now. "'Viss!" She exclaimed to Arion, bouncing excitedly over to him. Together they could conquer the might fox pelt!

The smudged pup toddled towards him, vibrated in place, and ran back to the pelt. Her little mouth was small enough, and the pelt would stretch enough, for their to be space for the two pups to grab hold. With one last excited bark, Bracken gobbled up a mouthful of fox hair and readied herself to pull!