Secret Woodlands the myth of fingerprints

@Aideen! Set by the den where she keeps the puppers, who are more than welcome to join in! if you want to toy with a Duck

What had once been a comfortable daily ritual had been rendered almost impossible. The most mundane of tasks, ones which she had previously taken pleasure in doing right, were now the hardest to complete, for they offered so little to discourage her... distractions.

When patrolling the borders just the other night, she'd walked headfirst into a knot of brambles and actually managed to get her head stuck for a few moments. It was a good thing the fur on her neck was so thick, otherwise it might have hurt, but if you looked really closely there were a few long, thin, telltale red lines which ran down her muzzle as evidence.

Why, it was almost as though her head were simply in another place entirely. A place such as... the little secluded glen among the crab apple trees, you say? Slander! Just because she hadn't been able to hear the sound of trickling water without thinking about it, that didn't mean anything! It did make going with Duck on his regular fishing trips quite hard, though... she'd had to bow out of most of them after spending one time staring so hard at her rippling reflection in the river that she'd managed to completely blank out that her son was yelling at her. Apparently a prime fish had swum right underneath her nose and she hadn't seen it at all, and, unable to explain why, had had to endure her son's scolding and patronising reminder of why she had come here in the first place. According to him, it was to fish, not to gawp at herself like she didn't know what her own dumb face looked like.

Who had said that before?


She laughed as they walked, leaning in to shove his shoulder teasingly, instantly sorry as he stumbled forward before catching himself at the last moment. He turned to stare accusingly at her, and the surprise on his thin white face just made her burst out laughing again, to which the boy stuck out his tongue and did his best to push her right back, but she skipped away, feeling a little light-headed at the game and simultaneously guilty for coaxing her son into playing a role he wasn't aware existed. He chased her for a few moments before she paused, realising that they'd come close to where Aideen had relocated her puppies, and in that moment Bella found something which distracted her.

"Come on," she urged, "you can't avoid them forever!"

He would and he could! Except he wouldn't and he definitely couldn't. Though he pouted at her stubbornness, Duck did a quick self-assessment and found that, today, he felt good, maybe good enough to do it. Ever since talking to @Miccah, he'd felt strangely closer to the Athesilas, even more eager to serve them, which was probably half the point anyway but who cared, it made him happy to think that they really did appreciate his efforts.

Maybe all the change was in him, then, but he could have sworn that his mother had been weird lately, drifting off into daydreams even more frequently than normal - and she didn't even stare at that stupid mountain anymore when she had them, which was what had tipped him off that something might have changed. But she seemed cheerful and not like anything was bothering her, and not wanting to upset the status quo he'd settled into, Duck just hadn't pried about. After all, maybe it was just in his head. No point rocking the boat.

With a begrudging nod, he turned towards the den where Aideen's scent was heaviest, intertwined with those of the tiny wolves she'd produced and that of Miccah. "Maybe you could offer to teach them to fish one day," Bella whispered to him, and the thought danced up his spine and planted a shy smile on his face.

"Yeah."

With a gentle laugh and sloppy kiss to his nose, Bella trotted past and towards the den, her son following at a more leisurely pace. "Aideen?" he heard her call softly, just in case they were asleep, and Duck listened attentively for any sign that the family didn't want to be disturbed.

Aideen Athesila   " Enough I said!" The Woodland queen's voice rang out louder and sharper than normally. Her ears were flattened back, copper eyes blazing as she reached out and grabbed up her oldest daughter, pulling her away from her siblings. The bright russet pup wiggled and kicked, trying to get free and return to fighting her brother, but Aideen clamped down harder, turning in the den to put her full body between the misbehaving girl and her favorite target. She should have known better, naming the little demon after her grandmother had been inviting trouble; So far away and yet you continue to frustrate me! She silently cursed her mother, though a hint of a smile snuck onto her face. Baby Flair might be a pawful and a half, but she had the fiery spirit of her ancestors, and it warmed her mother's heart. Still she struggled in her captor's hold, and Aideen was drawn from her nostalgia, a growl erupting from her chest. Just then, the call of a familiar voice filtered down to them, the approach having otherwise been masked by the ruckus inside the den. Just as well, the vixen shewolf thought, rather resignedly; We both need a time out! With her daughter still tightly clutched between her jaws, Aideen crawled up the small slope and stepped out of the den. She looked at Bella and Duck with warm eyes, and what would have been a smile, had it not been blocked by wiggling, rusty-red fur. The two had become quite a central part of the pack, even if the boy mostly tried not to be. The queen nodded at him, then met his mothers warm eyes, surprised to see the light in them, an expression not quite like she'd even seen on the woman before. Lowering her child to the ground, Aideen gave a warning rumble before releasing her hold, ordering the pup to stay put between her paws. Then she looked back up at her visitors, now smiling clearly. "Bella, Duckweed, what a nice surprise," She greeted, tilting her head a little a she wondered if they had come for a particular reason. The young man especially seemed to have stayed clear of the puppies so far, perhaps unsure of how to handle them. Turning her eyes on him now, the leader kept her voice light as she asked: "Come to say hello? Or is there something else you needed?" Her gaze trailed back to the chocolate woman at that, again noting this indeterminate change in her; What's going on..? Word count: 423 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

 

PLOT WITH ME!

Bella recognised that tone of voice all too well, and endured the pangs of nostalgia with a smile on her face. Still, she could not resist glancing back at Duck, marvelling, not for the first time, how much bigger he'd gotten since the days when he was nothing more than a tiny slip of a white pup, wriggling by her side. By all accounts, he was still a tiny slip of a wolf, but she saw a young man now, not a baby. Duckweed had grown up, whether he believed it or not, and seeing how well he'd taken to this pack was a source of constant pride. At least she could witness the successful blooming of one of her children, but she did not doubt that her other children were thriving. They had Wolesh's drive, after all. Duck only had Bella.

More than prepared to take a hint and leave if Aideen had too much going on to be disturbed, Bella lingered on floating feet, ears perked forward as she peered at the mouth of the den - from which a familiar face, full of puppy, quickly emerged, looking a familiar kind of weary. The chocolate woman could not help the warm smile at the sight of it, feeling envious of her leader while also being quite glad it was no longer her, and the juxtaposition only added to her already-strange mood.

"Sorry if it's a bad time!" she said, casting a quick, cheery glance to the scolded Flair, her gaze lifting back up to the girl's mother with a knowing grin. "I just thought - you might like a break. I was... hoping to talk to you, actually, about... something..." she broke off, feeling silly talking about it in front of her son, like it was a childish little secret not for his ears. Which it wasn't. He would hardly want to hear his own mother's girlish gushing about the utterly bizarre and wonderful experience she'd had, because Bella was quite certain that she couldn't keep it to herself for one more moment, and was equally certain that she couldn't talk to @Ash about it, the sweet man was far too over-protective. No, Bella needed a female friend, and the evidence of Aideen's successful love life was plain before them all now.

Though she was being deliberately coy, there was a sheepish grin on her face which would have told Aideen that whatever happened wasn't bad - far from it. She hardly wanted to worry the poor mother, who she knew full well had plenty to worry about already.

The sound of commotion drew Duck's ears back in discomfort, but he came to stand loosely at his mother's side anyway, because it was dumb to be scared of tiny children. True, Duck had never really seen any newborns since he was one himself, so it was a touch freaky. Had he really been that small, once? Yeah, he was small now, but... unreal. As he looked at Flair, all attitude and energy, he imagined what he'd been like at that age, and could only conjure up the image of a sad little soggy white ball. By all accounts, he'd almost died no less than eleven times before his first moon cycle was over, just because that's how fragile a newborn he'd been. No wonder his father had thought he was worthless. Looking at the fiery-coated tiny Athesila reminded him of Tauza, and the association made him fidgety.

Still, @Aideen's warm greeting, despite her preoccupation, brought a small, shyer one and a gentle tail wag from the scrawny wolf, who was yet to realise what his mother was up to. As his mother answered, Duck's gaze dropped again to Flair, head turning to the side as though she was a curious object to study. He was oblivious to the insidious implication behind what had just been said, the possibility never having crossed his mind. Poor wretched creature was too trusting.

   

She huffed and snarled, kicking the best she knew to get loose, but to no avail. Aideen might be known as a gentle soul to others, but Flair had quickly come to associate her with an iron grip, and had yet to see the day when she was able to free herself from it. Before wide, baby-blue eyes, the bodies of her dark siblings grew more distant as she dangled through the air, carried away from them both and out into the open. It wasn't fair! She'd only been playing. @Cinaed was so wonderfully fun to tussle with, he always fought back. Not like Enia who seemed utterly repulsed by the whole affair. But for some reason, their ever vigilant mother had deemed the game too violent, and now Flair was being taken away, causing a wail of protest to rise from her chest. Really the situation was both good and bad: On the one paw, she was removed from her favorite chew toy and the comforting surroundings in which he had no escape; On the other, the den was terribly boring, especially when you weren't even aloud to have a small brawl. So while she was carried outside as punishment, the fiery girl wasn't entirely displeased with the turn of events. She was surprised though, when she was put down in front of others, adults whom, though she vaguely remembered one of them, where not family. Her tiny maw snapped at her mother's as she was scolded, but it was mostly in reflects as already she was focusing on the strangers. Above her head the adults were talking, but she paid no notice, eyes fixated on the pale wolf in front of her, who seemed equally interested. Dutifully, she remained seated as her mother had commanded, but her ears were perked at the white lad, who seemed to revere her with an interest she'd only seen mirrored on her father's face. Such reacting similarly, Flair bounced to her feet, skipping forwards and stretching up to paw at the quirked muzzle, a bright puppy-smile on her face. Word count: 347 ”Speech”

Tambako the Jaguar @flickr

@Belladonna wanna split off Aideen and Bella here and leave this thread for Duck and the pups? Or were you thinking the other way around?? <3

Aideen Athesila The smile on Bella's face spoke volumes, and Aideen gave a reassuring one in return; This was a dance the darker woman knew all too well. The queen was pleased to have another mother to discuss her struggles with, and it seemed the younger woman was happy to share her experience. Nina was a good friend and advisor, and her knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth had been greatly appreciated by her former pupil, but Belladonna was closer to Aideen's own age and general place in life, she was a girlfriend where the matriarch was more of a mother figure. So it did not surprise the delicate fae at all when her visitor seemed to speak her own exact thoughts, a sheepish shrug conveying as much, as she finally took her attention off her troublesome offspring; A break would be great..! Bella's next words were more puzzling, maybe not so much the request, but the way it was made. In her time in the Woodlands, Aideen had come to know the Calor as an open and eloquent woman, seeing her this flustered was very strange indeed. And, she had to admit, it piqued her curiosity. Copper eyes, sparkling despite the tired, heavy lids, sought the opposing wolf's face, searching for clues as to what exactly she might have come to talk about. It was very clear that this was no run of the mill discussion, pack or motherhood related alike. Rather Bella seemed, well it was a strange mixture of eagerness and apprehension, or perhaps more like shyness. It was such an odd thing though, to see the otherwise confident shewolf stumbling like this, especially beside her son, who was usually the bashful one; Though, perhaps therein lies the issue… The fellow mother had come to talk about something that did not concern their offspring, and perhaps was not for their ears either. Feeling a sudden thrill, Aideen smiled at her friend, nodding lightly; "I'd appreciate some time off, and a conversation with someone who can talk beyond to-word sentences!" Her voice lowered as she added the later, ears flattening slightly in a sheepish manner. As adorable as her children's babbling was, she feared she might go crazy after too long without more coherent discourse. The mother's gaze turned to her daughter, no surprise registering to find that the devil was once more on the move. She felt a little bad having admitted her weariness in front of Flair, even though she doubted the girl had understood, or was even listening. Most of the time, she could deal with her puppies mischief, even found their vigor entertaining, but everyone came to a lose once in a while; Right? The lively girl seemed no worse for wear, regardless, waltzing towards Duckweed with clear purpose. "I think she likes you! Better watch it or she'll show you so with her teeth, they're growing quite sharp." She chuckled at the pup's antics, already passed their conflict; "Would you watch them for me, Duckweed? While a talk to your mom?" While the young man might be blissfully aware of his mother's intentions, Aideen had quickly grasped the implications. "They should be calm enough, I just feed them and they're about ready for a nap," She quickly assured, motioning with her muzzle towards the den where no other puppies had appeared in her wake. Looking back to Flair, reaching for a hold on the pale boy's nose, she crinkled her brow a tad; " Should be, at least. I'm sure she'll start nodding off soon, if they become too much you can just call, we won't go far." She smiled and nodded, as if agreement had already been given, and then turned back to Bella, ready to follow her to a more secluded part of the thicket. Word count: 630 Thoughts ”Speech”

Dawnthieves.de

 

PLOT WITH ME!

Under different circumstances, she may have paid more attention to the sweet exchange between her son and Aideen's daughter, but Bella's mind was spiralling quickly onto entirely self-absorbed matters. The urge to talk about what had happened was insatiable, and Bella could see that her friend had spotted the change and was curious. It made her want to cry out and laugh and just blurt it all here, but no - not in front of Duck. She had to draw the line somewhere, and this was the arbitrary place she had chosen. It wasn't like she was in an entirely rational state of mind.

Once Aideen admitted to wanting a break, though, the promise of being able to talk about it soon was enough to instil some patience into the normally-patient woman, and finally she glanced down to watch Flair hop towards Duckweed. Able to guess perfectly well how that was going to go down, Bella's eyes slipped onto her son, who had gone rigid and wide-eyed, and all his heartless mother could do was laugh.

Aideen had caught on to Bella's implications just fine, and if possible Duckweed stiffened even more as his leader made that sugar-sweet request that he wouldn't be able to turn down. It had become all too clear that he would do anything for his new leaders, something which brought Bella a lot of joy, that finally he had found someone beyond herself to respect and admire. Bella turned to move after Aideen, but a high, quiet whine from her son gave her pause, and she saw that he was staring at her in distress. Slipping forward to press her cheek against his, she heard him frantically whisper "I'mnotokaywiththis," each syllable higher than the last, but the cruel woman just laughed again and planted a kiss on his nose.

"You'll be fine," she said, knowing that he would even if he didn't believe it himself, and then danced after Aideen with a grin, calling back a "Thanks, sweetheart!"

{exit}

Open to @Enia and @Cinaed too, who are currently inside the den :] Puppy, let me know if you want me to start the next one for Bella and Aideen or if you're okay to do it <3

What was a safe and unthreatening object from afar was abruptly much less so up-close and in his face. For a brief moment, Flair had just stared back at him, and he'd felt a strange warmth in his chest at how cute and tiny she was, but then she'd jumped up and her paws were in his face and he'd just frozen to the spot. He had no idea what to actually do with one of these things - she was so tiny! Even smaller than him, and he was already one of the most runty wolves around! What if he hurt her by accident, or upset her?

It also became painfully clear that this wasn't going to be a short-lived torture, as Aideen chuckled and warned him about sharp teeth and them promptly put him in charge of those sharp teeth. What. From the look on his mother's face, she was totally in on this, and Aideen's words of comfort were hardly comforting as he realised he'd been betrayed.

But it was too late - in moments, they were gone, his plea brushed off under the guise of appreciation, like he'd volunteered for this, or something. Staring bitterly at his mother's rear as she trotted off - why was she so happy she was evil how did he never see it before - he was brought back to his present reality with a nasty jolt, Flair's puppy blue eyes staring at him with that adorable evil innocence.

What was he supposed to do with her? What kept puppies occupied? What if she ran away? She was probably faster than him, because that's how twisted the real world was. Or he'd just fall into a conveniently-placed rabbit hole and break a limb. Or she'd eat something bad. She was tiny and precious and belonged to Aideen and Miccah, and therefore the idea of being her charge was entirely terrifying. "Huh-h-h... hi?" he squeaked, wondering if she even understood.

   

One ear was turned back at her mother's voice, waiting for the reprimand, but it seemed she was busy with other things, Flair certainly didn't hear the tone that usually meant warning. This was a victory to her and she returned her full focus to the pale face, reaching up with both her paws to try and grab on, and drag the muzzle down to her level. She didn't even notice that the grown-ups made to leave, only when the darker woman moved in to embrace her son, such drawing his attention from the pup, did she realize. She bumped down on her rear, head tilted, eyes shifting between the two as some exchange she couldn't decipher passed between them. Then the two adults walked off, leaving their children to stare after them. Though Flair didn't bother to stare long, this was not her first time being left with others, and frankly she was much more interested in the young lad than what her mother was up to, and her eyes quickly returned to him. He seemed more reluctant to look away though, causing a small frown to form on the impatient girls face. She was curious, she wanted to figure out who this boy was, if he was any fun. Finally the grey gaze was back on her, though they had an odd look she never remembered seeing before, almost frozen. She stared back, eyes wide, almost mesmerized by this unusual reaction. Then he spoke, voice shaking oddly, though she made out the word at the end; "Hi!" She parroted it back loudly, lips parting in a smile; "Hi, hi, hi!" Jumping from her seat, she reached for him again, dancing excitedly on the spot. Paws jabbed at him, trying to elicit a response, eager to play with this newest toy. Word count: 302 ”Speech”

Tambako the Jaguar @flickr