Willow Ridge The Reveal

Calling all WR members! Leotie and Ravenna's pups are now three weeks old. We are going to be doing a 'duel thread' for both litters to exit their dens and come together for everyone in the pack to see them to make things easier (instead of having two different threads). Each den is only a few minutes from one another so your wolf may enter the thread appearing by either Ravenna's den or Leotie's. By the second round the two groups will meet up with one another to have the whole pack together for celebration. After which, the pups will be taken underground in the pack's den into the 'Infirmary' where they will continue to be raised together by both mothers. Please allow both mothers to post first and their four pups. After this, anyone and everyone may join. Feel free to post as little or as much as you'd like to keep the ball rolling, no posting order either, just enjoy!

and with a spark its going to be

It had been three weeks since the birth of her and her best friend's children, their very first children, to be exact. Both mothers were graced by the gods with both a little boy and a little girl. Hopefully by this, no child would not feel as though they could not talk to one another, understand one another. Ravenna imagined the boys rough housing together, the girls sticking up their noses and heightening some of their more mental skill sets. Ravenna laughed at the thought, remembering just how much of a little tomboy she had been as a pup. A childhood cut short that she hoped would not be the same fate of this generations youth.

By now the four pups were completely mobile. Their short, stubby legs wobbled a bit but they moved yet still with a positive determination. Their puppy blue eyes had fully opened, ready to view their home for the first time. By now their hearing and scent surely had formed properly for she could tell that when she, Adeltra, Blitz or Sven spoke that they were understand the differences. They were understanding the basics and as they understood, learned that when Adeltra and the others left the den, they were going somewhere - a place they had not been. Not one, but both of her children were horribly curious of what was out there, scrambling to go outside and Ravenna knew she could not hold them back in the safety of this birthing den for long. Ravenna offered a weak smile, happy to be reuniting with her pack again, happy to get back to her herbs and rounds but also sad with knowing already their pups were taking on the next steps into growing into independent wolves.

Outside the afternoon sun hung in the sky which was a darker blue then a usual summer morning if only due to the many storms that had passed through as of late. The rains had washed so much away since then and the children had grown accustom to it, seemingly enjoying the sound of it as they were raised in their first few weeks to the sound of the rainfall just as much as the sound of their mother's voice. Outside there was no rain today but it was not horribly hot, either, with various white clouds blocking bits of the rays.

"Alright then, come on." She spoke, coaxing her children to come out of the den as she bumped their rumps with her black nose. She did not wait behind them but instead walked over them and out of the den herself, allowing the pups to do the work themselves to climb out of the birthing den. If they were truly ready to leave it then they could manage the feat on their own. Outside, she took in the fresh air with a deep breath. She took in the scent of the many members which the pack now had, having become stronger and more united then it had in quite a long time - for as long as she was born, as far as she knew. Was this how Willow Ridge had once been in its early, glory years? Was this what success and such pride felt like?

She smiles up at the skies and then down over the sparce forestry of her home - of the various foliage, of the willow trees and the smaller neighboring trees, the tall grasses and... She took in another breath. Leotie would be out and about too, if she was not already. Ravenna offered a short call, out to her and out to the rest of the pack, her happy barks and nips allowing everyone to know the time had come for not only her but for Leotie's children. Everyone just had to come and finally meet them!

the biggest fire they've ever seen

(This post was last modified: May 27, 2018, 06:02 PM by Ravenna.)

not looking for some fairytale bliss

The day had come after three weeks it was time to bring her litter together with Ravenna's. She was both excited for this day and a little anxious too. While she trusted that Ravenna would take just as good of care of Avella and Scully as she would her own pups Leotie worried something would happen to them while outside the den. She knew the coyotes were still around outside the borders. That was why in recent days as her children had started getting up on their legs and moving about she'd been so vigilant to not allow them outside of the den.

She was ready though for the pack to meet the newest editions from their male alpha and her. Now that the pups eyes had opened and their ears were able to hear it was important that they got to know their packmates and adopted siblings. She'd given each pup a bath before she felt it was time to bring them out into the open, she wanted them to look their best. She could see the rays of the sun at the mouth of the den which was a relief and a nice change from the storms that had been passing through the area for the past weeks. It almost seemed the ancestors were smiling down on this day and hers and Ravenna's pups.

“Time to make your grand entrance,” she told Avella and Scully as she rose to her paws. The Agouti woman stepped out into the open space outside her den just in time to hear her friends call, she gave a short bark back to tell the woman she was on her way. She turned her attention back to the den to make sure her little bundles of fur we're coming along with her.

As the moments passed before her cubs would finally get their first look at the world they'd been so eager to see she felt the excitement and some sadness bubbling up inside her. It would be their first steps toward growing up, she already felt the last three weeks had gone too quickly. Before she knew it they would be as big as Addy and making their own decisions.

i want something just like this

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you

It would be a long time before Ragnar could ever understand how he got here in this dark hole in the ground. All he knew is he was here and for a time all he could compare was the smell of milk and the warm, wet touch of his mother's tongue. Soon after he could make out the sound of her voice, light and hopeful though when she sang to him, howled to him, it was a raspy and almost sad tone which she had like her mother had. He'd come to memorize it and by then she was no longer a pale blur but a silver wolf, a wolf like himself and his sister but much larger. Sven was also a visiting light blue turned wolf, and Adeltra and Blitz dark blurs turned wolf. Later these details he would learn the meaning of, the words for, but right now his mind only wondered with such curiosity, forming as it learned more.

Now he knew could put a name to her, 'Mother' he had learned the word though couldn't exactly speak it. "Mmmmmmm..." He hummed her name. Could she understand what he meant? He tried again. "Mmmmummm." He could speak but not like she did and it was frustrating. His photo blue eyes turned to his sister and before he knew it Mother was coaxing them with a shove to move along out of the den.

Outside? Mother had never allowed that before but he wasn't about to hesitate and leave her room to change her mind. He trusted her that it was okay and he scrambled forth, his stuby legs taking slow and yet determined steps as he made way out into the opening. The sun was blinding, his blue eyes squinted to it, struggling to focus on his mother who stood outside waiting. Though he was just at the threshold of the den's opening, he refused to leave his sister behind. They would go out together. Together, as they'd always been.

(This post was last modified: May 28, 2018, 12:31 AM by Ragnar.)

There was no sense of the passing of time, everything had seemed to same everyday. She slept but it was sometimes hard to know the difference between sleep and awake. Everything in front of her eyes was always pitch dark. She nursed from the big soft moving thing before curling up next to the furry thing that was like her. Later she would learn that was her little brother. Avella didn't understand what that meant exactly just then.

As he world started to become more defined light where it had only been dark and then colors. Things started to become more defined as the colors were blurry any more and she saw the thing like her was darker then she was and the the big moving thing was like her too only much bigger. Slowly she had gained the concept of brother and mother even father. She couldn't say those words but her mother had used them.

The sounds she made now weren't as sweet as the ones she made just before her and her brother slept. Still they were familiar in their own way. It wasn't the sounds that caught her attention but where mother was going, to the light. Avella had been wanting to go to the light but she'd been out right back where she'd been before. This time she wasn't going to give mother the chance to put her back, she scrambled into her short puppy legs and hurried after her mother before stumbling at the mouth of the den.

It was bright and made her eyes hurt but she blinked and after a few moments she could see more clearly. Something was wrong though, her brother wasn't with her, she whimpered to him to come too.

Her world was a simple one. For as long as she could remember, there was only the warmth of her mothers fur, milk that filled her belly and the presence of her brother by her side. He had always been there...even before mama was. Change was a certainty. Over the span of three weeks, her small little world began to grow. Evolve. Unfamiliar sounds, the likes of which she could not yet fully comprehend, reached her newly opened ears. She could see, though with her young eyesight, could only distinguish blurred shapes and colors. The space around her and beyond suddenly seemed so much bigger. It was dark yet cozy and warm. Often, a faint light from outside...whatever that was, got her attention. From the mouth of the den she would see and experience more.

Other shapes...wolves of differing size, color and scent would squeeze in, paying the family a visit and making a fuss over she and her twin brother. Two were black, one much more imposing than the other, and another was white. Her mother by comparison, was the prettiest. She knew every inch of that platinum and charcoal tinted fur, relishing in the scent of sweet milk and the intriguing mix of fresh herbs she brought with her whenever she returned from an outing. From the source of her growing fascination would come even more noise. The shuffling of a set of paws or a body going in or out, but more routinely, soft rumbles from a source she had no concept of, often paired with a steady pitter patter of rain. Next to the voice of her mom, it was this sound that often did the trick in lulling Freyja to sleep.

But this was not a day for sleeping. Something was different. Light filtered in to the den, causing the bundle of fur to squint her eyes, only to shake it off in a second. She and her brother Ragnar had often tried to sneak close for good look when mama was asleep, but somehow their plans were always foiled. Either by one of the intercepting adults, or it could be that their mother just always slept with one eye open. Her mother spoke, stepping ahead and towards the daylight, bumping her tush. Freyja needed no further encouragement than that, and on wobbly but sturdy legs, bolted for the opening. Even at her early age, she unconsciously matched nearly every step of her brother. As her little head popped out, the light was much brighter than she had thought. "Mrrmmm!" She protested as she scrunched her eyes shut, briefly pressing her forehead into her siblings shoulder. After a second, she slowly peeled her eyes open again and this time the glare wasn't quite so intense. It wasn't her most gracious entry, but Freyja Mizuno-Archer was here.

(This post was last modified: May 28, 2018, 02:07 AM by Freyja.)

Scully had fussed all throughout his bath, batting back at his mother's tongue a few times. He liked being dirty, liked the gritty feel of the dirt and of being stinky enough to chase his sister away and around. Then he caught on to the fact that something was happening, something important. Mother moved and he went with her, chasing her tail out of the den as he always did, but this time no one pushed him back. He bounded into the bright, vivid green world unhindered and immediately was thrilled with all that he saw.

He heard Avella first, however, and like a moth to fire he was drawn to his sister's side. The boy sidled up close to his "Av," pressing his chubby side firmly against hers before squawking at their mother. Smart as whip, he had a few first 'words' down, namely: Av, Ma and Da.

"Ma. Ma."

This was totally awesome, but what exactly was going on? Why were they suddenly allowed outside?

(This post was last modified: Jun 09, 2018, 03:13 AM by Scully.)

Today was the day, or at least it would appear so from the call he'd heard. Fortunately for the dark male, by the time it echoed he'd managed to return from one of his daily excursions beyond the border. Excursions he'd called "patrols", as the man stalked the immediate vicinity of the borders - chasing away the coyotes that tried to find an opening - or spot anybody alone going over it. The man today however have not found any fresh tracks of the vermin, instead he'd found something else. That something else dangled from his maw right now, had two long ears and a stubby tail. An average sized hare, that's what it was that he'd found today on his outing beyond the outskirts of the willow ridge. It haven't been especially plump, but the male snagged it for a luncheon anyways. That plan however have been quickly replaced after he'd heard the call - as the male changed course of his trot towards the dens where he'd would expect the both mothers and their children to be. Despite the urges to do so, Blackmoore have not yet paid a visit to neither of the mothers, or rather - to Ravenna. After all, the gentleman within him did forbid him to do so for all this time, as it told him to wait for exactly a day like today.

A four year old had soon reached the dens, and was immediately greeted by the sight of Ravenna. He smiled - or at least as much one can without dropping the hare from in between his jaws that is - as he'd closed in. His gentle pace slowing down visibly as he approached and his eyes spotted the little fluffs tumbling behind her. As the man had seemed to be quick enough, he'd managed to reach her before she and her children had met with the other litter - allowing Blackmoore to imprint in his memory how Ravenna's pups looked like exactly. After all, both alphas were silver and had a litter - and Blackmoore haven't seen any of them before nor was told their names. His eyes however would found all of them cute, no matter the parents, as the man had a quite soft side under his roughed up exterior. So much so that the male had almost stopped when he'd come close enough to see the young 'willowridgers' in all their glory. As his green eyes kept jumping from one whelp to another, the male had accidentally allowed himself to do something quite unexpected, perhaps even unbecoming in the eyes of others, for a man like he. But the male didn't cared for what would Ravenna think - nor others, as they wouldn't get a chance to be witness anyway. What had slipped his maw however, was just a silent and obviously very charmed whine as the male lowered his head to place the hare close to the family. The sound haven't lasted long, just a mere moment - so nobody else would be able to hear it even if they just came into visual distance.

Raising his head again, Blackmoore gave her an apologetic smile as he'd explained: "I couldn't help it. I adore children you know." He spoke looking straight into Ravenna's eyes. "At least till they grow up and start quarreling with you over anything and everything that is..." The male chuckled softly as he tried to get her thoughts off what she just had witnessed. Or rather heard that is... "I brought a hare, I hope it isn't too early for them?" He questioned, rising his eyebrows as he did so. If it was, the children could at least learn how the prey looked like - even if they were barely bigger from it as of today...

The man would pick it up, unless the kids would swarm it that is, if Ravenna would want to keep going towards the infirmary.

(This post was last modified: Jun 09, 2018, 03:54 PM by Blackmoore.)

Tentatively, the little fuzzball took shaky steps forward. Farther out into the great wide open. Above her head was a massive blue giant that seemed to threaten to swallow her whole. She craned her head back, enough so that she toppled over on her rump whilst trying to see where the big blue ended and began. With a little "oof" she landed softly, but this time the ground felt different. It felt fuzzy...ticklish and it was green! Her baby black nose wiggled curiously as she eyed the emerald blades of grass, utterly bewildered by the way they moved whenever the faintest gush of air blew past. What did Ragnar think of all this? And what about Mum too? Seemed she knew everything.

Her mom was making all sorts of strange noises. She sounded...excited...happy. Why, she couldn't comprehend other than...maybe it was their first day out of the den. Her head tipped quizzically. But then, why had she been so protective, so intent on keeping them away before? Oh, this was all too much for her! If little Freyja had been overstimulated before, then now, as someone came close to their den. She knew the face of her dad and another wolf of similar color. This one...he was different...and big! He was more brown, and his legs looked dirty, which she thought was the coolest thing ever. Slipping in between the protective cage of her mothers forelegs, she poked her head out to get a closer look with those sparkling baby blue eyes. The ever so slight whine the male released was plenty enough to send her tail into a flurry, but she still didn't move. Until her eyes roved upwards, to the brown fuzzy thing he had been carrying, placing it nearby.

Deeply buried predatory instincts began to stir and spring to life, even at her tender young age. Transfixed by the object with it's floppy ears and raggy fur, Freyja couldn't have cared less if her mother or the male thought it was 'too early'. Lowering the front half of her body to the ground, she adopted the classic stalk pose. In a mighty bound that was really more of a tiny tumble, she all but threw herself onto the lifeless hare, latching on with needle like teeth tenaciously. No one was gonna pull her away...she'd ride along the whole way to the others, if that's what it took.

and with a spark its going to be

Ravenna's attention remained fixed on her two pups, Ragnar's head poking out firstly and in that moment of his hesitation did his sister join at his side. Seemingly he he waited for her and the pair exit the den together, making their way over to her side as they had been told. After all, it was their mother which they prodominately knew in their life and it was she which was their source of warmth, comfort and food. She found herself shuffling her feet slowly, moving step by step away from the birthing den and into the direction of Leotie which had called out to her just moments ago. She would hope that her children wouldn't become too overwhelmed and be fearful, but as of yet fear did not seem to stir in them but curiosity and courage.

Soon Blackmoore arrived, the first to come to the area and he held a hare within his mouth. A soft whine echoed from his jaws at the sight of the pups who instinctively darted under her legs at the sight of a stranger. She could not recall Blackmoore whining in such a manner before, stating that he could not help it because it adored children. Ravenna, though it was a new sound which came from the wolf, did not think too hard on it given the fact that whimpers and whines were a common noise which came from most wolves. Blackmoore just seemed a bit more stern and hardworn then most, perhaps from the militant background h held.

"Yes, a bit too early for that..." Ravenna spoke on behalf about the rabbit which she had brought, though after she said so, Freyja darted from her legs and pounced onto the hare which caused a laugh from the Queen. "Though obviously it seems not too early to play with it." Turning her eyes back over to Blackmoore, she smiles and waves her tail, happy with his props arrival and as the children investiagated the hare, she introduced them. "The girl is Freyja and the boy, Ragnar." Moving off a little bit further from the den, she tossed her head around to her pups. "Freyja-Ragnar, do you think you could help carry the rabbit for mum?" She spoke, encouraging them along.

the biggest fire they've ever seen

The light outside was so very bright to him, the world outside so colorful and although his eyesight was still not fully developed everything which he could see amazed him. Instinctively he moved along with his sister step for step for it had been she which had always been snuggled up to his side from the first moments they were born. Scampering under their mother's footing it was from here his senses went to work - all the colors, the feeling of the grass tinkling his sides which he mouthed at and grumbled to, the smell of the grass, the smell of wolves out here and the sound of a howl not far off and heavy food fall, a smell of death which was familiar from the wolves which brought such things to his mother which she ate... All of it left him standing there, head moving around to each and everything thing which caught his attention, nose working wildly.

When Blackmoore arrived, Ragnar nearly jumped, the hairs along his spine rising at the sight of someone unfamiliar to him. He awaited his mother's verdict, she did not tell them to go back into the den, did not growl or act angry. It was okay then, right? Then the creature that smelled of death, of prey, dropped to the ground by the large dark wolf. He thought his mother would take it as she always had before and ate it while Ragnar watched curiously. Instead Frejya darted after it and without even a thought, as though his legs moved without his consent, Ragnar was following his sister. He did not jump on it like she did, however, but stood at her side, his puppy blue eyes locked on the large unknown wolf. He knew nothing bad could happen to he and his sister while mom was there and yet still he kept an eye on him curiously, only altering when his mother called his name. She was saying something, beckoning him and moving away. Ragnar whined, shoving his sister to get her to see that their mother was moving and they needed to as well. After that, he tried helping his sister, grabbing the rabbit by the ear and yanking it as he tried to grab it along after his mother. If his sister wanted to keep this fluffy thing, he guessed he could help her out with it.

(This post was last modified: Jul 01, 2018, 09:26 PM by Ragnar.)