White Fir Notch Safe and sound is all you'll ever know

Backdated to 7/17 - @Jynx @Sylva @Merys @Gent - any or all of you are welcome to show up and help move the babies to the communal den if you like once I post again with Raela. c: Don't hesitate to let me know if the date is an issue for you. 

7/17/2016

Weather:

71° F, 22° C

Overcast

10:33 AM

It had been a standard morning for the new family nestled among the fir trees. The pack, though small, had been dogged in its protection of the young lives in their midst, and no serious threats had come to call as of yet. The three children were free to play around the den site without worry, just as they had for many days before. That didn't stop the anxious mind of their mother, but Raela did her best not to smother them with her own demons. If all three were within earshot, everything was fine. 

Lucia consumed most of her efforts; too enamored with the world to be afraid of monsters and danger she had never seen. For that the new mother was as grateful as she was tired. More often than not, the solution lay in keeping the pup and her similarly adventurous siblings occupied with games or the learning of new words; something that the little ones had suddenly become very keen on practicing as of late. The Queen of the Notch had been dragged into their play more than a few times, and she was all too happy to oblige; be it as prey, predator or just furry climbing rock. 

The role of referee was a constant one, as the young Lieris' continued to establish their own ranks and test their teeth. They had slowly begun to learn that yelps meant “stop” and that hurt siblings didn't like to play very much. No serious injuries or accidents had happened, and Raela was left to marvel at the rate at which her brood advanced socially and mentally. It was not as if she was new to the presence of children, or their development, but it was so much more marvelous to see the growth in her own kids. Already they were better than the Asurn pups, who'd been raised to despise the weak and throw their weight around as much as possible; hurt hides and feelings be damned. 

Sometimes she would remember Minka's pups and worry; they too had started out so pure-hearted and perfect. Perhaps as their parents, she and Gent could make sure that would never change. Raela had to believe it was possible. She could not bear to consider otherwise. Her sunshine-colored eyes drifted over to the three little ones just then, engaged in another activity of some sort. They seemed to have more energy than the sun had light.

The thought directed Raela's attention upward. It had become more cloudy as the day had progressed, affording the pack a cooler, calmer atmosphere. The sun was nowhere to be seen, now that she thought about it. It had been so very hot lately, and this little break seemed quite perfect; so long as it didn't rain. The idea settled squarely in the matriarch's idle mind. As reluctant as she was to end their stay in this peaceful sanctuary, (she had already put it off for a little while) it had to be done eventually. The kids were getting bigger by the day, and they ought to have more interaction with the pack that had been taking such good care of them.  

That, and it would also be safer to have other adults around more consistently. The reclining woman let out a long, slow breath through her nose and stood. Her smooth voice carried across the clearing and into the trees as she padded forward. "Hey guys?"  She called, giving them a moment to stop whatever it was they were up to over there. The Queen's voice grew softer as she drew within speaking distance, and her tone lilted with genuine curiosity. "Do you guys want to go over to the big den today?" Forcing them to make the trip when they might be tired or hungry really wasn't on the mother's agenda. Her tail swayed a little both in greeting and friendliness as she watched their little faces for a response.  

(This post was last modified: Jul 31, 2016, 04:53 PM by Raela.)

            

The girl hadn't grown much in size, but that was the only bit of development stunted. Lucia was vivacious and polyphonic, sharp and indomitable. Her shadowy face and nape were now adorned with silver and red ticking, and her eyes were greening as they made their shift from blue to gold. She was always on the move, always seeking and parotting and gnawing on something or another, whether it be a stone or a bug or one of her siblings. Today was no different, and her mother's voice reached out to her, she was in the middle of stalking a fat brown grasshopper.

Her tiny ears jumped to attention as she swiveled around, completely forgetting her prey. Going anywhere was at the top of Lucia's want-to-do list, and certainly to anything that could be described as big. Lucia liked big things, probably so much so because she wanted to be a big thing. Unfortunately for the toddler, it her was her sister that was dominating in that department.

"Big den big den!" she shouted out, stamping her unwieldy paws with excitement. The girl bounded to her mother in great leaps, nuzzling her leg before taking a few big, dramatic steps forward and chirping, "Le's go!"

@Ryker

By now it was pretty typical to see Aleris latched onto her sister's presence more often than not. When the little girl had noticed her smaller sibling stalking along the ground, eyes intently focused on... something; something that had to be at least a little interesting if her stare was anything to go on. Hunting as the tiny group they were was always fun, and it was almost instinctual for Aleris to ignore her previous activity and follow quietly behind the onyx-coated pup. The grasshopper was done for, that was certain – until Mama called for them. The eldest daughter perked up just about the same time, teal-green eyes searching the foliage for the reason their expedition had been interrupted.

The big den? Confusion covered her face for a moment while she tried to remember what Mom and Dad had said about the 'Big den,' but Lucia was on it like lightning. She watched her litter-mate's little show for a moment, and her own face slowly brightened. "Ah wan go!" She chimed in, trotting forward with a little bounce in her step. Again, if it had Lucia excited and Mama was smiling, it was usually a good fun thing they were going to do. Aleris' fuzzy bottle-brush tail flicked back and forth at her sides as she stared expectantly up at the Queen. If this was going to be as good as Lucia obviously thought it would be, she wanted in.

(This post was last modified: Sep 02, 2016, 02:43 AM by Aleris.)

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Ryker had been chewing on a stick when his mother called for them, the feel of the bark feeling nice on his gums and teeth. His sisters were off somewhere else in the clearing nearby, chasing after some bug Lucia had found.

A bigger den? Ryker perked up excitedly at those, his still blue eyes fixating onto his mother. Of course, he didn’t know his eyes were supposed to be changing colour, like his pelt was but he didn’t care. A bigger den meant that his sisters and he wouldn’t be so squished together anymore and it also meant a bigger area to play in! There had been plenty of times where the siblings had been playing and while Ryker joined in often enough, he also sat out just as often to study other things quietly. But that also meant get tumbled into while his sisters played as roughly as they sometimes did.

“Wanna go too!” The small boy yipped happily, bouncing over to his mother but like he had done with Merys when he first met the man, he misjudged just how close his mother was and bonked his nose on her legs. Wrinkling his snout lightly, he glanced up at the slightly blurry figure of Raela, seemingly unconcerned by the fact he bumped into her. He was always bumping into things. “Ish tha’ where you an’ papa sometimes?” The boy was honestly curious, because he often wondered where his father went to sleep when he wasn’t near their current den.

OOC: @Sylva @Jynx @Gent - whos up for this? c:

It was no surprise that Lucia was the first to both react and voice her opinion on the matter, as well as the first to reach her mother's feet. It was hard not to chuckle as the little black ball of fur advanced toward her in leaps and bounds, followed immediately by the other two and their chorus of excitement. Raela had hoped they would like the idea, though she knew the 'big den' wouldn't be quite as great after the long walk and inevitably tired paws it would create. For now though she soaked in her babies' jubilance with a broad smile and the occasional soft laughter. 

To the runt of the litter she gave a kiss atop the crown, before the toddler toddled right off. She wouldn't make it very far on those little legs, and the Queen turned instead to the eldest of the three, returning Aleris' happy little wags. Ryker grabbed her gaze next, surely not wanting to be left out and, thankfully, in full agreement. Good, that made this much easier. The child kept coming, but instead of nuzzling her legs as his little sister had done, he smacked right into them, prompting Raela to draw a paw back in a bit of apology. Her ears pricked forward with concern, but he seemed to have little reaction at all. They were clumsy little things, but she supposed she must have been too, when her legs were so very new to being used. 

Raela's smile returned with his question. "Yeah, sometimes," she responded, inwardly impressed with his lingual progress. The sentence wasn't what you'd call correct, but it was long, and the inquiry more complex. Ryker might have been the sharpest of the three in that department; she wasn't entirely sure though. Swiftly then, the mother remembered the wandering of her most zealous baby, and turned to find that no, she wasn't out of sight yet. "I think Lucia has the right idea," she grinned, looking at the aforementioned pup, "c'mon. We can go right now," she added, knowing right now was always the best time for anything the little ones wanted to do, though not always possible. It was spoken like a special treat. Raela bobbed her head in the direction of the den, only slightly different than the one her daughter had picked.  She wasted no time in raising her voice into the summer air, hailing the whole pack and asking for anyone who wanted to join the escort, or had some free time, and Gent of course. They could at least start walking while the others traveled their way.     

(This post was last modified: Oct 11, 2016, 03:48 AM by Raela.)

            

will put gent in next round <3

Lucia was only willing to wait for so many short moments before the need for motion overtook her, and then off she went. The tiny girl seemed, and was, completely oblivious to the fact that her mother and siblings were not right on her heels. Assuming that she knew the proper direction without a second thought, she kept on with her furious waddling in one direction. It wasn't until she heard them tromping past her, diverging steadily from her own path that she realized she was mistaken. Eagerly, she made up for it by bounding as quickly as she could back to her mother's side.

Once reunited with her family, Lucia wound herself around Raela's pawsteps before the shine of their destination began to rub off. The longer they walked, the more dull the event became. Her excitement would be sparked again once they arrived, but this in the meantime quickly became intolerable. So, in order to stave off the boredom, Lucia did what she was best at: annoying her siblings. Specifically, @Ryker.

Falling into step behind him, she started nipping at his tail every time it passed by her face, a devilish grin on her short muzzle.

It was a good thing that her little brother was in a similar mood. Aleris' wide-smiling face turned to catch his answer, pivoting suddenly back toward Raela in anticipation of the “yes, lets go” she so greatly desired. Mama spoke to @Ryker first, but the wonderful words weren't far behind. The Queen mentioned Lucia, who Aleris had almost forgotten in her excitement. The fuzzy black shape of her sister continued its grand toddling into the underbrush, and it took only another moment for the eldest sibling to launch into a prancing lope behind her. They were going right now! No waiting, no boring standing around, now. It sounded wonderful!

Her course shifted at the sound of their mother's call, reminding the child that it was Mom who knew the way there, and Mom who she probably ought to follow. The mottled Lieris girl bounded back on track just as quick as she had deviated, not yet aware that Lucia was still set on her own path. Aleris darted ahead of the group, stopping to sniff and swat at whatever looked new or fun, but each time her teal eyes would sweep back to the rest of the family, with the feisty runt now finally in tow. It was during one of these glances, somewhere further along their journey that she noticed the tiny flash of baby teeth somewhere behind Mama and Ryker. She paused, slowly figuring out that it was Lucia's teeth clicking open and closed; just barely missing the middle pup's tail with each lunge.

The girl couldn't help but giggle, ceasing her short bursts of exploration to trot back toward them and watch. She wondered what the boy would do if Lu-lu actually caught her prey.

At first, Ryker didn't notice his sister nipping at his tail, as light as they were and as excited as he was to be moving somewhere new as he bounced next to his mother. But when a particularity sharp nip caught his attention, he let out a loud yip and spun around to face Lucia, pouting.

"Stop!" He squealed in indignation at her, knowing even at a young age she was teasing him and that he didn't like it. But not having thought about just how close Lu had been to him, his sudden stop and turn tail caught him off guard and he tumbled to the ground as they bumped into each other. Letting out a small whine, Ryker sniffed yet the pup stood right back up. He also knew Lu and Ris did things to annoy him and get reactions from him so he thought he'd act like a 'big boy' and not give them anything to tease him about. Lifting his nose in the air, he turned to continue walking beside his mother -

- and promptly fell right back on his face, having not seen the rock right in front of his paws. Letting out a cry of shock, Ryker followed it with a pained whimper, though the only thing that was truly hurting was his small puppy pride.

(This post was last modified: Dec 02, 2016, 01:11 PM by Ryker.)

Raela had been on high alert as they walked, despite being well within the pack's scent markers, and her attention was effectively split between all three little ones and the forest around them. She was glad to see the littlest of them all catch up all by herself, and no one was traipsing out of sight. Aleris and @Ryker seemed more than happy to be in a new place, and their exuberance etched a soft, near-permanent smile onto the Queen's maw. They hadn't actually made it all that far, at least by adult standards, when the most reliable of the troublemakers began her antics. It was long enough for at least Lucia to grow bored, and bored was never a thing that encouraged good behavior or compliance from a pup. She hadn't thought that one of them might not be so enthused as the others; especially the one most excited to go in the first place. 

From the corner of her eye she could see the quick lunges of onyx fur, right in time with the wagging of her son's tail. For a short few moments it was harmless, and her focus continued to shift between the brood and the woods. Then the eldest toddler took notice; drawn closer once more by the foolishness occurring beside her mother's legs. And then it went a bit awry. Ryker's squeak caught Raela's full attention; pulling her head around in a blink. It was more reflex than actual panic, but their journey paused nonetheless. Her agouti-pelted son barked out one of the words the kids had become very good at very quickly, besides “no” and “yes,” and promptly collided with Lucia. Her ears pricked forward and she turned, watching him and reassuring herself that it was only a small tumble, and that he would get up. For the moment she held her tongue, ignoring the laughter of Aleris behind her and curious to see what would become of her child's attempt at (literally) standing up for himself now that she was pretty sure he was alright. Raela tracked the boy with bright gold eyes as he rose with a huff, turned... and proudly tripped over a rock. 

Again she cringed for him, this time stepping closer and offering the child the comfort of her tongue while even more giggling bubbled from her eldest. "Come on you guys," Rae began, her voice only a few notches lighter than stern as she lifted her head once more. "We got a long way to go yet," she added, glancing between them but letting her gaze rest pointedly on the little instigator. "Is there a game you wanna play while we walk? Other than 'bite your brother's tail'?" The second part was delivered with a hint of a smirk. Really, there was no harm done yet and Ryker had told the girl off himself. Unless Lucia went after him again Raela was willing to leave it at that. They'd probably forget about the incident if she could get the trio playing together again. That's how it usually went.