Round Stone Crest Look, Ma!

ooc: @Minka and anyone else who'd like to ooh and aah over Draven's first mouse. Backdated 8/13/15.

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Another sharp piece of leaf stuck in the dark prince's foot as he passed over it. Draven growled but didn't stop trotting happily along towards the den, his mouse still clamped securely in his teeth. He didn't have time to worry about his bites now! He had to get home and show everybody what a great hunter he was - a mouse on his first try! A mouse that had fought back! He was sure @Ari and @Kino hadn't done anything nearly as cool! They were gonna be so jealous! He glanced back to make sure @Raela was still following him. He wanted her to be there, too, so she could tell everybody how awesome he had looked while he was hunting the mouse! He hadn't been able to watch himself, and anyway he couldn't really remember a whole lot about it now except getting bit and pouncing and biting the mouse. She was going to have to fill in all the other stuff he couldn't remember, so she had better be keeping up! Finally he found himself prancing happily into the den, limping a little bit on his bitten foot - at least it wasn't bleeding anymore, although that was sort of too bad, because what was a war wound if it didn't bleed a little? Now it just looked like a regular old scabby spot... oh, well. They might still be able to tell that it was a new cut, so it was probably okay. Plus it hurt still, so he didn't want to mess with it just to make it look cooler. That was just dumb. He didn't really wanna put his mouse down, but he couldn't really call for anybody until he did, either. He finally set it carefully on the ground in front of him, then pranced excitedly about and called out as loud as he could: “Momma! @Gent! Ari, Kino, @Kova! Everybody come see what I got!”

(This post was last modified: Aug 19, 2015, 12:25 AM by Draven.)

She was still a bit concerned over his injured foot. The prince had tried to convince her that it was nothing to worry about, but it at least needed cleaning now that they were home. She'd tell Minka once the matriarch arrived; it wasn't quite her place to grab his foot and start licking it. Each time he limped she winced a little inside. It was no fun to see puppies in pain, but he had gotten his first kill, and it seemed a fitting first battle-scar. The agouti woman met his excited glance with a smile and an encouraging nod. They were just about there. It had been a decent little hike to get back too. She was thoroughly impressed with his energy, but there was ample reason for it. No pup forgot their first kill, and he was quite young to have accomplished something of such note. She trailed him faithfully right up to the Crest's magnificent rocky den; ceasing her advance just outside. Draven was still prancing with happiness, and she wasn't about to dampen it. She was proud too! She'd taught him how to hunt, and that was sure to garner the leader's appreciation. Being trained as a pup-sitter did have its perks sometimes. With glowing eyes the subordinate observed the juvenile excitement as it burst from the boy in leaps and bounds. His voice rose into the air a moment later, calling anyone who would listen. With a soft chuckle, Raela thought she would help him out a bit. The woman tossed her head back, exposing her ivory throat to the hills. Her song was excited, but spoke nothing of urgency. It was simply a cool thing that had happened that the pack ought to see. She hoped she wouldn't be disturbing anyone. The notes rushed down the mountain and over the trees in waves, ending low as her head sank back down.  She passed a knowing, anxious grin down to Draven. That'd get them.  Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Yet again, Calanthe was beyond the den, exploring some of her new territory and feeling very much like a yearling freshly allowed to roam beyond the den. It gave her a warm, fuzzy sort of giddiness to again have time and protection enough to afford to wander at her leisure - even if only for the moment - although for now that happy feeling was still soured somewhat by a faint shimmer of nostalgia that twisted in her gut. She gave her mane a hard shake; no use in fretting over that for the moment. Sorrow was just another part of the quiddity of the world, but that was no reason to wallow in it when were were so many other facets to be enjoyed, too.

The pale wolf didn't hear little Draven's excited calls for the pack to gather, but she was well within range to hear Raela's far more impressive summons. After the conversation she had had with the agouti woman the other day, Calanthe was happy to follow her voice back to the den - especially since it sounded as though her new... friend was excited rather than in any distress. (And it was strange to think of her as a friend, even though honestly that was very quickly how she was coming to see the older woman. Calanthe couldn't remember if she had always been so quick to open herself to others as she had to Raela; all of her old friends had been as good as family, if not truly related by blood.)

She trotted up to the den site with more ease than she had on her arrival here weeks before, and couldn't keep the pleased smile off her face as she came within view of Raela and little Draven. She practically glowed with satisfaction in her own improvement as she dipped her head in greeting to the pair - and then she saw what had Draven so excited, and her smile turned into a great grin.

"That wouldn't happen to be your first kill, would it?" she asked the dark prince, her voice warm but tentative. She didn't want to end up accidentally patronizing the boy, who was after all royalty, even if he was very young royalty still. On the other hand, if that little mouse was his first kill, that was no small milestone - certainly, it was an accomplishment worth celebrating for any pup, but especially for one of the princes!

It was rare to find the man sleeping without @Minka and the children tucked against his side, the timber king rarely seeing a need otherwise. Occasionally, however, his schedule called for short daytime slumbers, and it happened to be on such a day that Draven had completed the undertaking of his first hunt. As his young voice bounced around inside the den, Gent stirred, the sound of his child enough to rouse him from sleep even if there was no fear or sadness to it. As he slowly opened his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Draven, something limp at his oversized paws and the pale limbs known to belong to Raela. As he closed them again, pushing his legs out from his body to stretch them, his ears swept back against his skull as the woman's howl reverberated particularly loudly within the shelter.

The king rolled over onto his stomach, before extending his forelimbs before him and arching his back to lengthen it and release the stiffness his nap had brought to his muscles. As the last remnants of dormancy left him, he stood and approached the child. Calanthe had appeared by then, the word 'kill' leaving her lips just as Gent recognized what had been deposited on the ground by the young boy; a murdered mouse. Behind him, the man's tail began to wag, a slow grin easing its way over his face.

He waited for the child to answer their newest addition to the ranks before lavishing him with praise, and also hoped for more of the wolves to gather, especially Draven's mother and siblings, so that they could share in this triumph and help make the boy feel all the more proud.

Kino hadn’t been feeling particularly well for the past few days, and because of that he’d been confined to the den. At first napping all day had seemed great, and he’d been given all the food he’d wanted and even some sweet stuff to help wash down his nasty medicine. But, midway through the second day it had gotten old. He’d tried to go outside, but the adults had told him to go and lie down again. This had happened each time, never making it much farther than just outside the communal den before being ordered back to bed. It was like being grounded, but on top of that he’d felt like crap. The little stomach virus had run its course and he was in recovery, likely it had been from the meat which he still wasn’t entirely completely used to, yet he still wasn’t allowed to go very far. This simply wouldn’t do for his wanderlust nature, and because of this he had been in a very unpleasant mood for the past few days.

When his brother’s call came from outside, he’d raised his head and glared out the opening. While his siblings were out exploring, he was cramped inside which made him rather jealous though he wouldn’t admit it. Now it seemed that he wasn’t to gloat in his face. He got to his paws grumbling, padding to the opening of the den and plopping his butt down here refusing to go any further. He squinted at what his brother had, and was surprised to see it was a mouse. How had Draven managed to catch prey before he had! His expression, which had been slack jawed, now turned into a scowl. He looked away, pawing at the dirt with a grunt. “What’s so special ‘bout a dumb mouse,” he huffed.

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ooc: No post order, folks!

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Draven danced around in a circle next to his mouse as first Calanthe, then Gent, then Kino came out to see his first kill. First kill! That made it sound so much cooler than it already was! The little black pup stopped circling and wiggled happily instead, grinning up at Calanthe as he answered, “Yup! My first ever mouse! Raela showed me how to catch it,” he added, casting a glance over his shoulder at the agouti woman. “It tried to get away, too, but I pounced it and bit it before it could--” Kino's grumbling broke in at that exact moment, stopping Draven's enthusiasm cold in its tracks. What's so special? He knew Kino was sick, but was he going blind or something? It was a mouse! A mouse Draven had killed all by himself! How could that not be special? “Whaddaya mean what's so special about my mouse?” Draven demanded, turning on Kino as his dark fur started to spike up in anger. His tail swept up over his back as he raised himself up as big and tall as he could and growled menacingly... or at least made his very best attempt at it. “It's my first mouse, and I killed it all by myself, and I killed it before you or Ari got any of your own mice and you're just jealous because I got one first and I did it all on my own!” The pup growled again, sore foot completely forgotten as he wiggled in place to get himself balanced, just in case Kino didn't apologize and Draven ended up having to fight him for it. This was a huge thing and he wasn't about to let Kino be a grump and ruin his day just because he was too busy being sick to get his own mouse!

OOC: Rae was chewing my arm off to get this post up so here it is! 

One by one the others trickled in. Calanthe was the first to receive Rae's warm smile and a soft tail wag as she approached. She grinned at the prince; perfectly comfortable with him answering for himself. A small chuckle passed her lips as she saw him bubble with excitement. Then the boy's adoptive father appeared, garnering another grin and more wags. She was going to be smiling and wagging for a little while now; that much was clear. And it was so hard not to be happy as Gent praised the child. She felt her own pride in the young boy's accomplishment growing; nurtured by the presence of the others. She even puffed out her chest jokingly as he mentioned his teacher by name. What a good memory this would be for the pup. No criticism, no quiet, distant approval, just pride and verbal applause. His prancing had her bubbling with gentle laughter as Draven began recounting the epic tale.  But it was not to last. Kino's voice caught her a bit off guard, quiet as it was. She knew the poor child had been sick, and he had every right to be a bit grumpy, but dumping on his brother's accomplishments wasn't something any of them would allow, or at least she hoped so. The awkward silence that followed lasted only a half-second. Sensing the dark child's impending reaction, she had already begun figuring out what to do as the oh-so-predictable defense came spitting from his mouth. While it was usually comical to see a child trying to act threatening; right now it was just a problem. She had to act before any of the others did. She swept to her paws and turned to face the boys in one smooth movement. Draven was posturing already so she lowered her head a bit and spoke to him first.  “Easy Draven,” she started, her voice even and firm but far from angry. She wasn't angry yet; perhaps just a bit irritated with Kino's actions. Still, she could understand what was happening here; all too well in fact. “I'm sure Kino didn't mean it.” Her eyes shifted suddenly to the turquoise pools of the silver lad with a seriousness that called for his honest answer and attention. She thought that Draven would likely settle more easily than Kino, so she focused her attention on him before any more shouting could take place. “I'd be happy to take you out hunting too Kino when you're feeling better,” she allowed, lifting her head from its position near the youngest boy but keeping her gaze steady. “And we will all congratulate you like we are Draven. You would want him to be happy for you wouldn't you?” The agouti woman lifted her brows, a tinge of genuine curiosity in her voice. Kino was a good boy; that much she knew. Raela was almost sure he would understand.  Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

He listened to Draven's recount of the events, and at the mention of Raela being the tyke's teacher, Gent threw her a grateful smile. Turning back to take in the rest of the exciting story, his pale eyes fell upon Kino as the grumblings left his tiny mouth. Gent expelled air in a shadow of a laugh, finding the clear jealousy within the sibling amusing. It was, after all, incredibly mild compared to the treatment that occurred between his own siblings, and viewed such things as natural. As the youth aged, if he stubbornly clung to such an attitude, correction would be necessary. But at this moment, Gent saw it only as a child being a child.

Draven, of course, was outraged however. Like rapid fire he listed off the many reasons why his kill was such an astounding feat, even going as far as puffing himself up as menacingly as a four month old could. It was clear that Draven was ready to tussle over such an insult, and once more Gent felt inclined to sit back. If things turned from wrestling to violence, he would be sure to step in. Otherwise, such scraps were natural as whelps learned to both how to use their growing muscle as well as where they belonged in the hierarchy.

As per usual, Raela had a different approach, however. The king's eyes turned upon her as she spoke up and stepped forward to diffuse the situation, as was her nature. A silent observer still, Gent merely watched for the children's reaction to this intervention.

Draven Lagina
I won't stay small forever

ooc: Draven sweetie please chill out just a little bit...

Draven growled and lowered his head sullenly, but he did also let himself relax just a little tiny bit. “I guess you're right,” he mumbled to Raela. For now, anyway. He couldn't just ignore Raela after she had taught him how to get his mouse. That wouldn't be polite, and he would feel bad if he did - but Kino had better just watch out and shut up, or else Draven would... he would... well, whatever he did, Kino would be sorry if he kept making fun of Draven's first mouse!

He ignored Raela while she tried to make Kino feel better (and she didn't need to do that because Kino was the one being a jerk, not Draven!) and pawed at his mouse, dragging it a little closer to himself and a little farther away from Kino. The grey pup would probably try to mush it up or something because he was being a big dumb jealous butt.

He was making himself angrier and angrier just thinking about it, and it was starting to sound like a better and better idea to pounce Kino anyway, so Draven thought maybe he should talk to somebody else for a little bit until Kino stopped being dumb. Instead the darker Crest pup looked back at Gent again and bragged some more to the giant: “It was being really quiet, too, and it looked like a leaf until it moved. It thought it was being sneaky, but I was even sneakier!”

(This post was last modified: Sep 10, 2015, 04:32 AM by Draven.)