Whitestone Monadnock you are the pearl, i am the swine

open 4 anyone <3 @Wraith @Piety @Cheedo @Rowan @Saradathia

He could hardly control his little paws as they carried him from the depths of the old coyote den into the clearing. The little smudge was eager to see more and explore the world outside his den. Now that he had already seen some of the monadnock he could not stand hiding in the darkness any longer. He was impatient and wished for his legs to grow so he could cover more distance without growing tired, for napping was such an inconvenience. Of course, he could not resist the heavy hands that guided him into a deep slumber, but he certainly tried. Sleep was for nighttime when the sun fell behind the lowlands and the moon rose in its place. The night, however, was fascinating as well, for it was a world he had not experienced much of.

As per usual, the little Kael stumbled into the clearing, for his paws were growing much faster than the rest of his plump body. He was greeted by the warmth of the morning sun, his denim blues narrowing as they adjusted to the shift in light. Cyril liked the way the sun felt on his back, for it had not yet gotten unbearably warm on the monadnock. It was like being curled up next to his mother, just without all the fur in his face.

He shuffled forward, his blue eyes scanning the clearing for signs of older wolves. Without having any siblings to play with, or other puppies in the pack, Cyril was growing to be comfortable on his own and enjoyed the brief solitude he was granted when he snuck away from the den. He did not mind the presence of his older packmates, but they were always ushering him back to the den, spoiling the possibilities of adventure. Except for the blue-eyed bird-coloured female. She had allowed him to wander—not too far, but far enough to satisfy his wanderlust. A small smile cracked his dark features at the thought as he clambered up a boulder. He was trying to get closer to the warm ball in the sky for he wanted to be smothered in it, even if it made him sleepy sometimes. His legs shifted awkwardly as he tried to position himself, his forelegs trying their hardest to pull him onto the flat stone. With a loud grunt the boy flung himself forward, his little stomach connecting with the boulder and a soft oof! escaping him. A triumphant grin was plastered across his little maw as he remained where he was, savouring the moment while star-fished against the smooth stone.

@Piety

When she had first come this far south, the sun had been a comfort and giver of life, something rarely seen and in the arctic circle, and it’s stays brief and appearances too short, it had lead to an almost religious worship by her old pack, but now, now, as she trekked up the dusty trail of the monadnock, tail swaying behind the small arctic wolf, she couldn’t help but think such blasphemous thoughts, far to the north, it had never gotten this warm, this hot, this miserable Dare she say it, Saradathia was starting to hate the constant heat and humidity, a slow longing for the snow capped mountains and icy tundras stirring deeply. The thoughts though, only lasted briefly, however, as the massive slab of stone she worked her way up now was her home.

Saradathia paused as she came near the coyote den, the old home of her sister when she had first come to the Lowlands, and now the home of Piety and their pup, Cyril. As her thoughts drifted toward the ebony pup, Sara blinked, there, on a nearby rocked seemed to sit a similar shape. Am i see… her thoughts trailed off as she realized that indeed, it was her alpha’s child, trying to become one with a rock maybe? Was this normal for a pup? The thought crossed her mind, was he broken? Having had little exposure to children as young as Cyril, the Kethian was truly unsure if this behavior was normal or not, she watched, mouth open, “You….ok?” Tempted as she was to nudge the child back into the den, she wasn’t sure if Piety may have slipped off to relieve herself, or perhaps to get a meal, so, unwilling to leave the child to his own devices without supervision, because, one thing Saradathia did know, children that young had a bad habit of trying to hurt themselves.

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

the beat of my heart, the beat of the drum

Piety Kael

While she hadn't been watching Cyril closely, she always stayed close enough to hear him. The mother wasn't opposed to the idea of sticking by his side ninety percent of the time but the other ten percent of the time she had things she had to do. Restroom and the food mainly consisted of those things. If she was lucky she could get Cyril to settle down with @Wraith so she could have a quick stroll before settling back down with them. It was rather blissful if she was being honest.

The mother had been finishing up her business as she heard Saradathia's voice. Piety only knew that Cyril was nearby so she assumed the mostly absent second was talking to her son. Instinctively her tail raised up as she moved back onto the scene. Her dark son sprawled out on the rock as she moved to gently run her nose over his back before her eyes looked to the smaller pale female. Physically there were a few similarities between them but when it came down to personalities...well, Piety wasn't entirely sure how different they were there. Despite Saradathia sitting in the second position, the leader wasn't familiar enough with her.

"He's quite fine." She spoke proudly as her eyes briefly glanced back to her dark son, expecting a chirp or some sound from him but she wouldn't demand it of him. Piety was content if Cyril wished to mind his own business. "How have you been? I believe we are a bit overdue for a check up." The pale leader gave a soft chuckle to let the Kethian know she wasn't upset but Piety's dominant stance didn't waver.

# C W T

For a brief moment he was alone. At first he was frightened by the idea of being alone, for anything could happen without the watchful eyes of Piety or Wraith glued to him. But the longer he remained on the rock, the more comfortable he became with the rare moment of solitude.

However, it was short-lived.

Of course.

The pale female that looked remarkably similar to his mother approached, infringing on his personal space. His denim blues narrowed as he turned to get a better look at her, his ears pinned forward. The little Kael grumbled in response to the female’s question and dismissed her with a wave of his paw as he flopped onto his side. It was at that moment that his mother replied, her comforting voice filling the air between them and causing a smile to tug at his lips. His rump wiggled in excitement but he did not move from his spot on the rock. He was far too comfortable to leave his throne just yet, and it appeared that mother wanted to talk to the scarred wolf. Cyril had not yet grasped the concept of speech so he was not interested in joining in their conversation. Disrupting it, perhaps, but not joining.

Smoothing his body out onto the rock once more he disregarded the adults for now, his baby blues focused on his oversized paws in front of him. It was almost like he was alone again, just with some background noise accompanying him. 

Her silver gaze and attention locked on the pup, Piety’s arrival caught the arctic wolf off guard, starting slightly as she turned toward her Alpha and nodding quietly “I’m glad to hear it.” she said quietly, not one to use useless fluff and dancing around something, Saradathia truly meant it, Cyril was the future of the pack a his health and well being rested on each wolf of the Monadnock's shoulders, she was quite happy that he was doing well, though her discomfort at the lack of knowledge she possessed when it came to raising children evident.

Her torn ear flicked slightly as Piety addressed her directly, she swallowed, nodding in agreement to the truth of the statement, she had been responsible for the slight wedge driven between herself and her packmates and truth be told...she hated it. Unaware of just how social of a wolf she was, finding herself craving the close interaction with the others as she watched the sun rise and fall each day. The soft chuckle didn’t do much to help, it still gnawed at the white wolf’s mind “Yes ma’am..I’m sorry about that, with everything that’s happened, hunting so much seemed like the solution..but it’s not..I’ve missed so much between the snatches of sleep I had.” {b} she paused, slightly hesitant to add {b} “I want to work on it, I want to become the wolf you can depend the most on to have your back Piety.”

@Cyril and @Piety

after the cut comes the blood

Piety Kael

The warm welcome that always came from her son could automatically put her in a good mood. No matter what was on her mind that wiggly rump and puppy kisses always made her feel more whole. Of course, she was pulled from her affection to remember that Saradathia was present. It was rude to not give the female attention while she was around. Her head nodded softly. Cyril had been in good care since the day he was born.

Piety listened carefully to Saradathia's words. "I understand." She rumbled softly. "But what has happened is in the past and we can't do anything to fix it. What matters is here and onwards." The mother could have sworn she was beginning to sound as noble as her mate. "I will not deny you the chance to work on that but it will take just that - work." In truth Piety had found herself growing close to @Cheedo but @Saradathia was her second. The pale leader was curious how the younger girl intended to make this bond, though.

Her gaze moved over to her son for a moment who seemed to be content on his little throne. A small smile tugged on her face before she returned her attention back to her subordinate. "What is it you wish to do, Saradathia? Still fancy being a hunter?" The Whitestone leader let her smile linger as kindness shone in her eyes.

# C W T

Adult talk was soooo boring. He grumbled but did not move from his position on the rock. Instead, he flopped to the side, his back facing the two pale females. The ebony Kael did not understand most of what was being exchanged between the two older wolves, but he also did not care. He could tell the conversation did not include him; therefore, he was not interested. His tail flicked in annoyance, for he wanted to slink away and leave them to their boring adult-stuff, but he worried his mother would follow after him.

So, for now, he remained. His tail thumped lifelessly against the cool stone as he struggled to tune out the two females. He needed a distraction—something to hold his attention. He rolled toward the edge of his rock, his little body flopping ungracefully across the stones. Once he reached his destination the boy peered over the side of the boulder, his denim blues searching for something—anything!—to cure his boredom. Cautiously he reached down to swat at a few pebbles scattered below, his brows twisted in determination as his tongue poked through his needle-like teeth. His plump body threatened to spill over the side of the rock but his hindlegs kept him latched firmly in place. Although the conversation behind him did not interest the child he also did not want to ruin it, for he worried it would upset his mother. And that was the last thing the little Kael wanted to do.

awkwardly wrapping this up on my end bc sara is inactive now @Cyril

It seemed that the pale female wished to excuse herself. Piety raised a brow but nodded, allowing the huntress to go off wherever she needed to be. It was a peculiar situation but never mind that.

Her attention turned to her son now, offering him a short nudge. "I'm going to find something to eat." She smiled softly. "Do you wish to come along?" If he wasn't then she was content to leave him here on his little pedestal. One last kiss was given to his crown before she trotted off, making sure to keep her pace slow in case her dark son did come toddling along after her ivory form.

-piety exit-

# C W T

archived @Piety

The other pale female had excused herself, leaving the mother and son to their own devices. He frowned as he watched her alabaster figure disappear against the sea of stone before them, his brows narrowing. He was not sure what to think of the scarred wolf, for she was nothing like his mother.

Eat. Food. Now that was something he could get behind.

The Kael returned his denim gaze to his mother’s scarred face and nodded excitedly. Without hesitation he scampered down his boulder and followed behind her as quickly as his little legs would carry him, his tongue lolled from the side of his mouth. All the boring adult talk had given him quite an appetite. He nipped affectionately at her heels once he caught up, a cheeky little grin tugging at his lips as he scrambled up to her side. Food was always a good motivator for the little Kael—along with time spent with hsi mother. Although he did not object to spending time on his own, Cyril would never refuse spending time with Piety. She was the best adventure buddy he could ask for—except for maybe his father. It was impossible to pick between the two.

Fade.