Whitestone Monadnock that rose will never die

All welcome but obvi taggin lil @Cyril

She was lounging out on a lower flat stone, soaking up the sun. It was a welcomed change from the summer rains that seemed to be plaguing them. Of course, after the winter Piety couldn't be completely surprised at whatever the tundra decided the weather would be. She wished it would have been sunnier for Cyril but as long as it wasn't flooding there was no real danger. He was always well watched by herself and other packmates.

Speaking of Cyril... She stretched out across the stone. Pale paws reaching out to grasp at nothing but air. "Cyril," The mother called out expecting her child to be romping around the sunny stone platform. "What are you doing?" Her tail thumped against the ground as she awaited the dark Kael boy. Perhaps she would be blessed enough to him speak some. It wasn't unusual for him to settle on chirps, groans, and yaps but he seemed to be speaking a bit more too. She was positive with time he would be a boy of many words.

The pale mother rose to her paws and shook out her coat of any dust. "Would you like to go for a walk?" He was old enough to accompany her (and Wraith) on strolls more. Besides, her son seemed to enjoy getting out and being active.

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The weather seemed to be on the little Kael’s side, which meant he was spending more time outside the den, exploring every nook and cranny he was able to hobble over to. He was careful to not venture too far, for he was still wary of the rocky terrain that surrounded his den. Cyril had fallen off his rock a few times and the landings were definitely not graceful; therefore, they typically resulted in a few bruises. Thankfully these falls mostly occurred when his mother was not present, for he did not want her to fret over him. Although he enjoyed spending most of his time with the scarred dove Cyril knew that she couldn’t watch over him all the time. He was beginning to understand that, just like his father, Piety was a very important part of the pack. As much as he wanted to keep her to himself he knew that couldn’t always be the case.

As the dove spoke out Cyril was tucked behind a boulder behind his mother, his baby blues trained on her pale figure as he peaked around the side. A wicked grin stretched across his dark lips as his rump wiggled in excitement. He struggled to remain as silent as possible, for he did not want to foil his own plans. Inhaling slowly the boy crept forward, leaving the safety of the boulder behind as he closed in on his mother’s hindquarters. Once he got within range the Kael sprung forward, his forepaws extended as he reached for her tail. However, he did not expect her to pull away from the warm stone. A startled chirp erupted from his maw as he missed his mark, his soft belly colliding with the ground. “Walk!” He repeated through a wince, a grin still perched lazily across his dark features. “Wh’r?”

She turned around as she heard his startled chirp. The mother made a soft tssk sound but smiled and nudged him to get up. She hadn't failed to notice he was still getting used to this paws that seemed far too big for his growing body. "Wherever you want my little explorer." Her tail swayed behind her as she motioned for him to follow her off the smooth warm stone.

Once they were down from the sunbathing spot she turned her head to look at the young Kael as her tail swayed behind her. "Which way?" She asked curiously. Piety was more than willing to let her son call the shots if she was going along with him. She could defend them in case anything happened to pop up. Although she really doubted anything would with how alert everyone seemed to be since the arrival of Cyril into the world. It was welcomed, obviously. The mother wanted nothing to happen to her and Wraith's only child.

Her brown eyes scanned the tundra horizon and wondered if anyone would join them. She wasn't exactly against them being alone for a little walk. Others were always welcomed though as they usually could teach Cyril something or entertaining him in ways she hadn't thought of. Of course, even if he didn't know it the young Kael was rather lucky. Wraith had been a teacher to the year's previous litter so the mother had little concern on if her son would be just as knowledgeable as her husband and herself.

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The ebony Kael clumsily collected himself from the ground as his mother spoke. Cyril, of course, wanted to explore the vast landscape at the bottom of the monadnock but he did not know if that would be too far for his little legs. He was getting stronger and was able to walk a little further which each day that passed, but naps were still crucial.

Without hesitation the boy followed his mother off the stone, his paws thudding happily against the warm ground as he padded past her. His denim blues narrowed softly as he studied their surroundings, for he was unsure of where they should go. Cheedo had taken him to the den with all the smelly pee-ants, his nose scrunching at the memory, so he wanted to do (and see) something different today. “T’is way!” He chirped as he motioned to his left and sauntered ahead without waiting for his mother to take the lead. There was still so much on the chunk of rock he had not yet seen and he was determined to see everything. “Ho’beeg?” He asked, referring to the size of the monadnock. In his current state Cyril was certain it would take him days to see the entire rock. Mother would certainly scold him if he tried without her supervision—or his father’s.

The pale mother chuckled as her son exclaimed and took off in the direction he had picked. She carefully followed after him, letting him lead but not being too far behind him in case something happened. There was plenty of the tundra and Monadnock to explore but some areas would have to wait till he was a bit older and more coordinated with his walking.

Her good ear flicked softly at his question. The mother hummed softly for a moment before she answered. "Very big, Cyril. Of course, it might not seem as big when you get older but I promise it will still be as large and grand." She smiled and nudged his rump in a gentle and affectionate way. Piety's rather long legs made it easy for her to keep up with her dark son. Despite how speedy he may think he was the mother had no doubt she could keep up with him.

"One day you'll be able to explore it all by yourself." Her tones were confident and encouraging. "But for now," Another soft bump with her nose was given to her son. "I or your father will take you around." Piety spoke coolly despite knowing that perhaps Cheedo had taken Cyril out on an adventure or two. She didn't mind that, though. The Whitestone Monadnock leader knew that the small agouti female understood the importance of the only Kael child's safety.

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With his chin held high he carried on forward, glancing over his shoulder occasionally to ensure that his scarred mother was still following behind. He knew that she would have no problems keeping up with him—if anything it was him that was holding her back. Over-sized paws and short, stubby legs were an undesirable combination. He could not wait for the day when his legs would finally grow into the large boulders he had for paws.

“Beeg,” he repeated, his voice a soft whisper as they continued forward, his baby blues surveying the rocky terrain that surrounded them. He had only seen a small portion of the monadnock but he did not doubt its size. Even if the rock seemed small once he grew Cyril knew that there was even more to explore beyond his birthplace. He had only caught a few glimpses of the tundra below but his paws itched for more. He knew better, however, than to venture south without his parents. The rocks even at the peak of Whitestone often scared the bundle of ebony fur, for there were many cracks and holes that threatened to grab hold of one of his appendages.

His baby blues sought out her pools of gold as she spoke, explaining that his adventures were to be supervised. He frowned slightly but, aside from quickly sticking out his tongue at the pale dove, he did not protest. Not verbally, at least. “Eees’plor,” he repeated with a toothy grin, his pace quickening as he stomped forward. “Som’pin new?” As the question rolled off his tongue the boy glanced, once more, at the one-eared dove, his eyes widening to give her his best puppy eyes.

(This post was last modified: Jun 17, 2017, 06:17 AM by Cyril.)

"Indeed." She hummed softly as he mimicked the word. Piety was proud of her son, as proud as any mother would be with such a healthy child. He was growing and learning each day. This time she was doing things right. It felt like the Monadnock itself was being lifted off her chest.

Piety narrowed her eyes a bit as he stuck out his tongue. The only reprimanding he received from her though was a nudge and soft tssk sound. Of course, his little rebellious moment was forgotten when he spoke again. Her muddy eyes looked from him to the surrounding area. "Something new...hmm." The mother hummed softly. He certainly seemed to like the stones and climbing them. Of course, there was one set of stones she was unsure if he'd seen yet. The gold veined stones that Craw used to always lounge about. If anything they had just become a stage for when meetings occurred and she figured someone else surely lounged about them now and then. With the sun angled just right she knew they seemed to glow. Yet she didn't remember just exactly when they did. Perhaps they ought to check now, just for the sake of it.

"Let's go see something grand, Cyril." She nudged her son to herd him in the right direction. If he got tired she wouldn't mind carrying him some. Part of her wondered if he would manage to climb the gold veined boulders himself. The mother figured he might still be too small but she had a feeling, knowing him, he would likely try

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His ears flattened against the back of his crown as she tssk’d him, his lips curling in a apologetic grin as his denim blues met pools of gold. The boy remained quiet as she mulled over his request, hoping that his burst of defiance would be dismissed. He gave an encouraging nod as she repeated his question, his eyes growing even wider as he silently pleaded for his wish to be granted. There was so much of the giant rock he had not yet seen and he wanted to see everything!!!! The little Kael wanted to know where he was allowed to go and where he wasn’t (so he could sneak there when his parents tucked in for the night or disappeared to do their adult stuff). Of course, while under the watchful eyes of Piety and Wraith, the smudge was an angel and did whatever they asked from them. Even if it meant subduing some of his overwhelming desire to explore without them shadowing him.

As the scarred dove spoke Cyril’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. An excited yip escaped him as he nodded enthusiastically, his rump wagging furiously along with his tail. “G’and!!!” He repeated as he responded to her nudge, his stubby legs working overtime to propel him forward. Where was she going to take him? What was she going to show him? He felt as though he was going to burst with excitement as his cheeks grew sore from his constant grinning. “Wh’r go?!”

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

His little burst of defiance was forgotten and forgiven when he gave her a fairly apologetic grin. It was hard to stay mad at the inky Kael for long, especially when he made such looks. A smile replaced a stern look as they continued to walk along.

She chuckled at his sudden ramp up of energy. "You will see soon." Piety lead the way at an easy pace. Just a few more turns and they would be to the boulders she wished to show him. With the way the sun was sitting she believed they would be in luck for a few minutes to see the meeting and lounging place glowing with life. Piety truly did find something magical in the way the boulders could glow in the sun. It had understandably formerly been one of Craw's most well-visited place.

"Up ahead!" The pale mother called out as she bounded forward, picking up her pace to get to the stones. Just as expected the boulders seemed to have their gold veins illuminated by the sun's touch. "Look at how they glow!" She called out to her ebony son with a large smile, head turning back to catch a glimpse of him. Piety had no idea if he would find it as grand but it was worth a shot.

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