Hearthwood River troublemaker

@Lachesis bc we need it

After her brief expedition out of the den three days ago, Ris was getting harder and harder to keep in - or even in the immediate vicinity of - the den. Every single time Kisla fell asleep, went to get something to eat, or even turned her back for a split second, the girl would scamper off as quickly as her wobbly little legs would allow. She wasn't particularly fast, but she was so quiet that she did manage to get out of the den almost as often as her mother or an interfering packmate would catch her. She'd developed a current game in her mind where she would see about how far from the den she could get, and today was the first day she'd managed to stumble out of the clearing.

Her world had gotten so big all of a sudden. The dark of the den had given way to the light of the clearing, and now the light of the clearing had given way to a spotty dark-and-light place with lots and lots of greenness. Puppy blue eyes were round and wide as she took in this new universe. She didn't know the names of anything she was experiencing, but it was exciting and it was fun and it was new. It smelled nothing like the dank, mustiness of the den, and it wasn't as big or open as the clearing. But there was just so much to look at; so many smells and moving things and strange sounds.

It probably should've scared the pup, if she had any sense to her name.

But she did not, and so all she felt was a childish joy and elation at the new world she'd discovered, after tumbling down a small incline from the clearing to the forest floor. She got to her paws and shook her pelt, nearly falling over from lack of balance. She still lacked the inclination or the desire - or even much of the ability - to make noises by either natural means or echolalia - and therefore had not yelped or squeaked during the fall. Her pawsteps, however, crunched awkwardly on the leaf litter as she marched her merry way over to a large, green thing. She'd learn later that it was called a bush, but for now it was simply a blob of color with little things - leaves - hanging off of it. And those things were moving, due to some other force that she'd eventually learn to be wind.

For now, though, those leaves were toys that were taunting her to play, and so she decided to follow the urge. Her stubby tail wagged so hard that her entire rump wiggled and threw her off balance again. She rolled onto her back, halfway underneath the bush, and raised her little forepaws to bat at one of the low-hanging leaves in delight. She'd ended up with her head and shoulders under the greenery, speckled with light from the morning sun, and her plump belly, tail, and hind legs sticking out, wiggling in joy.

Everything in her life was so much fun. The little pup couldn't imagine a better way to live.

Both he and the blue-eyed sparrow were reluctant to let their daughters stray too far from the den. The anxious parents wanted to keep a watchful eye on the two sisters despite knowing they could not smother them forever. The pale river king could hardly take care of himself or his twins, who had just celebrated their first birthday almost a week ago. His lips fell at the thought, his forehead growing tight. He hoped that Atropos had found her brother and that, wherever they were, they were happy.

And would let their stressed out father know that they were okay. That they had just decided to call somewhere else home.

Now that his raven sidekick had delivered little Oksana the ghost could finally relax and stretch his legs a little more, returning to former haunts that he had not visited since his co-lead had given birth. Eventually the five river children would venture away from their dens, getting into heaps of mischief and exploring as much as possible without being scolded. He could not wait to take them out on their first hunt or show them the lay of the land, explaining where they could and could not ago.

However, while he wanted to show them everything and anything, he also wanted to shelter them and protect them from the big, scary outside world.

But he could not do that forever. Not if he wanted to maintain a relationship with the Hearthwood heirs.

As he left to do a patrol, checking on scent markers and surveying in the lowlands, the ghost skirted by his co-lead’s den. He had not seen much of the tawny Baranski since she gave birth and he was curious as to how Aleksei’s departure was affecting the widow. He knew that she had not been pleased with his previous absence and wondered if she would allow him to return a second time.

Lachesis did not even want the agouti to return, for the Baranski had made it clear that he no longer thought of Hearthwood as home.

A stir of movement caused his movement to cease, his brows narrowed as he changed his course. It appeared one of Kisla’s children had wandered a little too far from her den… Grunting in disapproval the lanky healer padded up to little Risaela, a single brow cocked. “What’re you doing?” He chirped, muzzle canted to the side as he studied the ball of pale fur. He just hoped her brother had not wandered away from the den, too…

stick with those who stick with you

Of all things, Risaela had not expected mouth noises up above her. For the first time in her short life, she experienced something that could be likened to fear - though it was much closer to surprise. With her head underneath the bush, she hadn't been able to immediately see who had approached her like she had the other day, when she'd met the other wolves. Her little body gave a jerk, wriggling about to try and roll herself over. Her paws eventually found the forest floor, and she crawled underneath the bush entirely before sticking her head out to find the source of the voice that had so rudely interrupted her playtime.

The wolf was the same color as the clouds in the sky, and though her vision wasn't good enough to see his face in detail, she still tried. Squirming out from under the bush, she boldly padded up to him, tipping her head back so far that her forepaws came off the ground and she rolled onto her back, exposing her soft, pale underbelly.

She gave a soft, breathy giggle, then, betraying a voice that had been underused. The pup had forgotten all about the initial surprise and was instead making a game in her head. She raised her forepaws so that they were in her line of vision, and was pretending to bat at the newcomer's head - which, of course, looked small in perspective with her paws so close to her face. She wouldn't understand the physical principles of the game until she became quite a bit older, but to the baby, it was simply funny.

Her tail wagged so hard that her rump wriggled on the forest floor, belly still exposed as she played her make-believe game with her new friend.

His expression softened has the tawny child looked up at him in surprise, her baby blues widening as they landed on him. Clearly she had not anticipated being caught… he just hoped he could return her to Kisla’s den before the mother realized she was missing. And that her brother, little Mathéo, had not followed her. He did not want to be responsible for rounding up two rambunctious children, otherwise he was going to have to call for back up.

If he couldn't handle escorting Risela back to her den how was he going to handle his own children once they started wobbling around? Perhaps he wasn’t cut out for fatherhood after all…

Immediately the ghost dismissed the thought, for he knew if Lilya had heard it she would have scolded him. His attention was refocused on his co-lead’s daughter as she waved her paws in his direction. A sigh rolled off his tongue as his hindquarters lowered to the ground, his tail curling around his paws. For now he would join her game, as she was no longer alone. A little playtime before returning her to Kisla wouldn’t hurt…

He dangled a forepaw above her head, encouraging her to swat at it. There would be plenty of time for her to learn technique as she grew older, but for now engaging her in play was more important. Until his own children were old enough to explore the land outside of their den all Risaela had was her brother and older packmates. Lachesis could fill the role of playmate for now… At least until he ushered her back to the safety of her birthing den, for he knew his co-lead would be worried sick about her once she realized she was gone.

(This post was last modified: May 31, 2017, 06:50 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

Matheo wasn't as adventurously-inclined as Risaela, so most of her expeditions were enacted alone. The boy would hardly disobey Kisla, whereas the girl had no grasp of the very concept of not doing what she wanted to do. It truly was less of an act of entitlement and more so pure instinct that drove the silvery child, as in the future she would be much more concerned with what her family wanted, as well.

The baby wasn't at all aware of the depressing inner monologue of the wolf above her - nor the fact that he was the leader of the pack. She was simply aware that he looked like clouds, and that his eyes were the same color as the leaves, and that he was much too high up for her little paws to reach.

The man sat down and reached one of his own paws down toward her. Immediately, the puppy let out a tiny gasp of delight and began pawing with more enthusiasm, back arching up off the ground as she stretched her feet up toward his. Little, happy, half-soundless giggles passed through her lips, and she eventually tired of trying to reach the paw on her back. So, she rolled clumsily back over - much like an overturned turtle - and dropped her chest to the forest floor, silver-gray eyes issuing a challenge game of play chase.

He wondered if Kisla noticed that her daughter had strayed from the den or if she was still fast asleep, curled up with Mathéo. His tawny co-lead did not have the same aid that both Lilya and Inna had—especially not now, after Aleksei’s sudden departure. Without the help of another it was much harder to keep track of the two rascals. He knew that the Baranski widow was probably itching to get back to her regular patrols. Fortunately for the river queen she had quite the collection of potential puppy-sitters available. However, most of them were male… and did not know how to deal with puppies… but they would learn fast.

As the girl swatted at his paw he adjusted the height in order to get her to stretch her legs to the sky, only allowing her to connect a few times, but not too much. It was to teach her that she needed to work for things and that they wouldn’t come as easily as she wanted. No amount of puppy eyes or begging would change that. Life did not bow to batted lashes and sweet talk. It was much harder than that. His chartreuse gaze softened as he watched her feeble movements, the corners of his mouth curving upward. Only did he lower his paw when the girl flipped to her stomach, her eyes glistening with vim. Oh no, he thought glumly to himself, his legs tense and ready to bolt when she was.

stick with those who stick with you

Sorry for the wait!

Though the big wolf did not wriggle around and play bow like she, it was fine for the young pup. She couldn't possibly imagine what it felt like to not want to play, and therefore she figured that, no matter how stiff and unwilling a wolf might appear, it was likely that they wanted to play, regardless. So, although the white-furred man looked as though he'd rather not play chase with her, Risaela turned to 'run' anyway.

It should be noted that this particular definition of 'running' meant an awkward puppy-duckling-waddle off in the first direction she chose, but she did her best, anyway. Later in her life, Ris would likely be very quick on her feet, but for now it would not be difficult to catch the young girl. Even more so because, instead of getting far at all, the pup took a quick nosedive into a nearby tree trunk. Her soft little nose caught on the bark, scraping some of the skin off before she could lean back and catch her balance.

Like most living creatures, Risaela's first reaction to the burning sensation on her nose was one of complete and utter displeasure at the situation. Tears welled up in her puppy-blue eyes, and she turned to look back at her playmate, half in accusation - as though it had been he who had caused her to fall - and half seeking comfort. Her muzzle wrinkled, her breathing picked up, and a tear or two ran down her cheeks, but she didn't so much as whimper.

<3

At first he watched the girl waddle away from him with amusement painted clearly across his pale features, his ears relaxed as they fell to the side. XIX could hardly remember what it was like to be Risaela’s age and size, for most of his childhood had been stolen from him. Once he and his siblings were returned to his mother they were doted upon and showered with affection, but before that the world was cold and bleak, surrounded by strange pink two-legs. The ghost nearly shuddered at the memory and quickly returned his focus to the girl, his legs unfolded as he began to trail after her.

He flinched as the girl nose-dived and scrambled to her side, a soft whimper escaping him in an attempt to comfort her. “It’s okay, Ris,” he cooed as he ushered her into his chest, his hindlegs meeting the ground once more as he pressed comforting licks to her forehead. “Just a little scratch. It’ll make you tougher, I promise!” He assured her with a soft smile before nudging her with his nose, his ears sweeping back against his crown. “Can Uncle Lach see your ouchie?” It did not look severe but the ghost wanted to make sure. He could not return Risaela to her mother with a big cut across her nose. Oh, the scolding he would get…

stick with those who stick with you

Uncle Lach <3

Ris was surprised to find that the bigger wolf was by her side in an instant, crooning to her and smothering her in comforting kisses and warmth. A whole lot like her mother would do when she ran into the wall of the den, or tripped over her own two paws. And, as much as the little pup loved fresh air and adventure and all things fun, she also couldn't get enough affection and comfort and closeness, either. She turned into him, burrowing herself in the cloud and soaking up the reassurance he was offering.

Then he nudged her with his nose, and the girl glanced back up at him. Her eyes were still welled with tears, but the wound itself was not bad. A little bit of a scrape, with maybe a tiny bit of redness rising to the surface to glisten on her nose. When he asked to see it, she went crosseyed trying to get a look, herself. She couldn't understand many of his words, but she picked up on one or two, and she was a bit brighter than she appeared. She knew what he was asking of her.

Her tail swished across the ground, not liking the way his ears had pinned back against his skull. That was a bad thing in Ris' book - it meant that someone was not happy, she'd found, and she couldn't help but think that maybe she had made her playmate sad. So, in an effort to cheer him back up, she gave a hard, deliberate sniffle and rubbed her face across his foreleg to rid it of any tears. Then, she offered a toothy little grin, filled with milk teeth and a bit of pink tongue.

(This post was last modified: Jun 30, 2017, 06:05 AM by Risaela.)