Charred Ash Draw I'll turn around if you beg, if you beg me to

Little L's life was much enriched by her introduction to the outside world. Ever since being permitted to leave the dark of the den, she never wanted to return to it. She fussed incessantly when forced to go in for naps or when the sky fell away at night time. Already the stirrings of her soul were forming her personality: she did not like being contained.

Much of her time was spent lingering in the yawning mouth of the den, staring outward and memorizing every little detail about her home. She'd encountered so many things since being permitted to go to where the light came from. Dozens of bugs, hundreds of smells, the sight and sound of the Draw's trees, squirrels and birds and thousands of other things. The stimuli was still overwhelming enough that Lacey napped many times a day, but she was learning very quickly what was her world.

A light rain sprinkled Charred Ash Draw that afternoon. Lacey sat under it in the muddy den entry, staring up at the gloomy sky and blinking with tiny giggles or snorts whenever a raindrop broke against her nose or eyelids. Her thin tail thumped the ground eagerly behind her as she took a step out, then another, heedless of the den rules for a few moments while the rain captured her fancy.

 

He was resting easy in the den, watching Lacey with sleepy eyes. Kerberos feared not for her safety for in his mind the Draw was one of the safest places to be. It was easy for him to drift in and out of sleep as she played in the light rain. A little spring shower never hurt anyone.

Yellow eyes watched as she toddled out into the rain and away from the den. Of course, his head lifted to make sure she was alright. A smile tugging on his features as he watched his daughter. Slowly he raised to his paws, crawling out of the den and standing at the mouth of it. He was content to watch her for now. There was no need to intervene for she was merely exploring. He wouldn't wish to stunt her learning.

The lead carefully sat down to think. A visit to Naira, Triell, and their children might be due soon. Lacey wouldn't be kept in the dark that there was another family here and nor would she be hidden away from those who called the Draw home. With her energetic paws, she could likely use some play mates. That was, of course, if Naira and Triell didn't mind.

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It would be several moons yet before Lacey understood weather enough to wonder about the water from the sky. For now, she had only the capacity to enjoy it and know that it was not a threat to her existence, having yet to harm her. The stretch of canopy overhead kept the majority of it from her downy fur but enough made it through to keep her thoroughly enchanted. On strong little legs, she made her way to the edge of a puddle, where she stopped to stare at the turbulent surface in her very first physics lesson.

As physics was wont to do to humans, so too did it quickly bore Lacey, who turned away from the puddle just in time to see Kerberos emerging from the gloom inside the den. A wide grin split her face and her tail began to windmill behind her as she hastened toward him, stumbling once or twice on the wet grass as she went. Already she was able to properly recognize her parents and seek them out. It was only a matter of time before she was proficient enough to recognize pack mates and locations as well, and then her free spirit would make its true debut.

For now, it could all be chocked up to a pup's unceasing curiosity. Any onlooker witnessing Lacey returning so eagerly to Kerberos might make that conclusion and expect that she would grow to be obedient and agreeable. What they didn't know was that Lacey, even young and tender as she was, made simple choices. She was free to make those choices, and returning to her father to coo out a quiet, ooooooh, as she glanced back up at the spitting sky was just one of many future choices she made for herself.

(This post was last modified: May 26, 2017, 08:27 PM by Lacey.)

 

The father watched as she made her way to a puddle. He was curious if she would play in it. It meant she might get a little muddy and dirty but he didn't mind. Certainly was nothing a little cleaning couldn't fix. Besides, she needed this kind of exposure. Puddles were rather harmless compared to all the other things that lurked in the world beyond his daughter's den.

It seemed she wasn't very amused. A smile tugged on his features as she turned around to see him sitting there watching. That speedy tail and smile never failed to swell his heart. Instead of closing the distance, he let her toddle on over to him. Her legs would get stronger with more work. When she was close enough he would lower his head to place a kiss upon her damp head.

The soft "ooooooh," was not missed by Kerberos. His own tail thumped at the earth below. "Do you like it?" He asked Lacey softly. His own head tipped upwards for a moment to catch a glimpse of the falling droplets. Once his head was lowered again he leaned down to whisper. "It's called rain, Little L." There was a lot he could have added onto that small chunk of knowledge but he didn't. It was easier to try and build a base of understanding before building upon it.

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

walking through fire like i'll never learn

She loved it when her parents talked to her. Lacey was beginning to recognize words, although she was far from being able to properly comprehend the meaning behind the whole sentence, and she responded to them physically if not verbally. Often she would coo and babble in response, or at the very least turn toward the sound. She ran when they called her name, although for how much longer that would last was anyone's guess. Her grin only widened when Kerberos spoke to her.

The words that most stuck out were the ones ending in high sounds. Rain was therefore the word of the sentence she latched on to. Her tail wiggled happily and she pranced in place, cooing out reereeree, in an effort to mimic Kerberos. Soon she would be able to form words. For now, she was able to form syllables of words she heard, though her tongue mixed up the sounds more often than not. Rain was reduced to ree, and she didn't fully understand that it was connected to the water from the sky, but she repeated it incessantly nonetheless.

Reereeree ree ree! chirruped the pale Rigel cub, until the moment a fat drop of water from the edge of a leaf overhead landed on her nose. Instantly she went cross-eyed and swayed in place, uttering another hushed, ooooooh, right before the water trickled into her nostril and elicited a sneeze.

stronger than ever, i'm ready to burn

(This post was last modified: Jun 02, 2017, 11:00 PM by Lacey.)

The new father swore his heart melted every time his daughter gave him that smile. To see her tawny, chocolate-dipped muzzle carry a smile made him happy. It was a way for him to know he was doing this right. Maera had been the one to be so nervous when he brought up the idea but now that the idea was here in his life he felt just as nervous. Sure, he had helped with Reiko and Treyah a bit but they had already been mostly grown. They'd even be yearlings now soon. Lacey was nearing one a month. So young and so much to learn. Kerberos wanted nothing more than to do everything right. Perhaps he could ask Naira and Triell for some advice...

His head nodded softly as she proclaimed the rain to be reereeree. She would learn soon enough. His tail thumped against the damp earth as he admired Lacey with a large smile. The tawny father watched as a rain drop seemed to plop right onto her little nose. For a second he grew still and silent, wondering how Little L might react to the sudden appearance of water. Kerberos figured that sense she had reacted well to rain that she would do well with this.

As she sneeze he offered a chuckle. "That was a rain drop. Tickled, didn't it?" He leaned down again to offer her a gentle bump against her crown with his nose.

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walking through fire like i'll never learn

She worked her jaw instinctively and snorted, ridding herself of the rain's remains. Already another tickle was building in the back of her nose, but it was interrupted momentarily when Kerberos bopped her on the head with his wet nose. She fell over onto her side, more on a whim than from any force he had exerted, and she rolled partially onto her shoulder while her hind limbs flailed about. Her forepaws came up to reach for her snout whilst jaws gaped in a futile effort to catch his nose in its grasp. Rain dripped freely on her belly and into her open mouth, but she scarcely noticed.

When the first of his whiskers brushed over her soft paw pad, she abruptly forgot the mission. Her paws quickly withdrew to her chest and she wriggled in place with a gasp of laughter, smearing wet dirt all along her spine and flank. Her tail whipped errantly around at her rear, flinging mud hither and thither. She was blissfully unaware of it as she reached for Kerberos' tickly snout once more, but before she could locate his whiskers a second time, the sneeze building in her sinuses reached its pinnacle and she released it with a tight squeeze of her eyes.

When she opened them again, it was to go cross-eyed staring at a snot bubble that had sprouted from her nostril with a curious coo of, ooooh.

stronger than ever, i'm ready to burn

(This post was last modified: Jun 03, 2017, 01:08 PM by Lacey.)

so sorry bout the wait :C <3

 

He wasn't going to deny his daughter play time as she swatted at his muzzle. The father giggled along with her as his whiskers seemed to tickle her still sensitive paws. Kerberos didn't fail to notice that she was making quite the mess of herself but he didn't care.He really hadn't expected the girl to stay pristine forever. Especially since she was such a curious child. Surely when and if she began to play with the Tainn children she would come home caked in mud, twigs, dirt, or leafs.

His daughter's sneeze caught him off guard, he lifted a slightly muddy paw to wipe at his face. Perhaps really only doing more damage than that of Lacey's snot. In the process of wiping off his face, he heard her soft ooooh and had to wonder what had gotten her attention. Yellow eyes opened to see a snot bubble hanging off of her face. A soft sigh left his mouth but he still smiled. That was gross but he reminded himself that she was just a child and he was likely the same when he had been her age.

"Snot." He told her as his head hung over her, watching her and that nasty bubble. "Bubble." He said next for her. Kerberos had made sure to speak both words slow so she could grasp onto them the best she could.

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Snaw, she repeated clumsily with her eyes still trained on the dwindling bubble hanging from her nostril. Her tail whipped back and forth beneath her as her focus went from interested to intense, and suddenly she lifted a pudgy foreleg up and slapped her paw awkwardly down on her snout, crushing bubble and nose together in a spectacular burst of germs.

For a moment, Lacey stared wide-eyed at her own ankle, and then for reasons even she didn't fully understand, her eyes began to prickle. The sweeping of her tail faltered, then ceased entirely as her brows began to crinkle. Her ears pressed flatter against her head, and as she lifted her limb away, the first sob slipped past her lips, and it was a tide unstoppable.

Lacey cried openly, unsure whether it was because bopping herself in the nose was startlingly painful or because she was upset that her fascinating "snaw" bubble was gone. It was probably a mixture of both. The babe didn't care. She rolled into Kerberos' embrace, sobbing and hiccoughing, and dramatically shoved herself as close to his armpit as she could get in search of reassurance and comfort.

(This post was last modified: Jun 13, 2017, 01:04 AM by Lacey.)