Pookastone Scowle poor mrs. brisby

August 28th; Late afternoon; Light Intensity Shower Rain; 62.6 ° F, 17 ° C.

Skoll's sixth autumn was on the rise. He could sense it in the air, in the wind, and in the rain that presently pelted the Scowle in light sheets. Seeing as the sun had not been able to peek out from behind the thick grey clouds, he saw an opportunity in trading his usual daytime nap for a full night's slumber with Celandine and the cubs later tonight. He left his little nook sometime in the morning and scouted out along the edges of the Lagoon. By the time he had returned to the den, he had found a little surprise - one he was almost certain his son and daughter might get a kick out of.

He held his prize securely in his jaws, his jagged teeth a near-perfect prison for the little injured thing until he arrived. Careful to set the little striped mouse on the ground before pressing his paw down hard on its back and tail, he slowly sat down at the den entrance. A summoning chuff followed by a modest bark let @Anduin and @Vaeda know their father was near, but where they might show up from or who might appear (he loved his youngest niece and nephew as much as an uncle should and then some, but this surprise had only been meant for his and Celandine's brood) he could only watch and wait...

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

The second he heard his father's call Anduin shuffled to his feet, making a mad dash out of the den to greet the male. The boy had been in the midst of falling into a deep slumber before hand, but it was important that he made sure to beat his sister Vaeda to the scene this time around. Couldn't have her thinking she was better than him, because she wasn't. "Dad!" The boy exclaimed in a rather perky tone for someone who had just been dozing off. "Whazzat?" The male had presumably brought them a gift, and seemingly, however barely, it was still alive!

Macha had just been on her way to see what her siblings had been up to before a speedy brown frame had been caught in her peripheral vision. "Anduin?" the fae questioned softly to herself before trotting off after the boy. Turns out he was summoned by their father, though seemingly she had somehow managed to miss his call. Perhaps because it wasn't directed towards her and she was already on her way to go do something, though nevertheless it was careless and she'd make sure to be more observant with her ears from now on. "Aw, did you bring them a snack, dad?" she chirped, letting the pair know of her arrival. "Where's little Vaeda?"

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Tall, dark ears swiveled forward, almost too certain that he had heard his brood awaken upon his approach. But, before he could even poke his head into the den entrance just to be sure, Anduin's voice answered and the boy came rambling over. "Dad!" Skoll tendering grazed his nose and tongue over his son's crown. "Whazzat?" The dark Archer could only smile, reminded of when his older cubs were just as little. Every brood had their little gifts, favorites even among the numerous tokens that Skoll brought back from his scavenging trips, but none of them had a mouse as he did.

He was about to let it go when he heard another familiar voice call out to them, "Aw, did you bring them a snack, dad?" His grey eyes sought out his daughter's dark figure. "Where's little Vaeda?" Another smile graced his silvering muzzle with a slight shake of his head and shrug of his shoulders. If Vaeda was not with her mother, Skoll had no other choice but to assume the girl was somewhere deep within the Scowle with one of their cousins or pack mates - the cubs knew better than to disobey their parents' requests to stay within boundaries.

"Maybe," he offered to Macha, "At this point it's probably more of a toy before anything else." His eyes stole away to Anduin now as he carefully lifted his paw off the little mouse. At best, it would probably hobble in attempt to get away, but that didn't mean it wasn't some sort of puzzle to solve for a growing cub. It still had teeth and the instinct to survive. If Anduin was going to make a snack of it, he needed to be smarter than it first...

"This is for you, son," he gave the rodent a nudge with his paw, edging it forward in the dirt. "And, you don't have to share it."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Recieving a gift from his father was pleasant enough as it was, however hearing that he didn't have to share it with anyone added a whole new level of excitement. What if Vaeda showed up? Anduin still wouldn't have to share? Suppose she deserved it at that rate, showing up so late. The early bird gets the worm after all. "Thanks da!" the boy grinned at his father before attempting his first go at the prize.

Turns out the thing still had some fight in it. As Anduin neared in on it, it managed to get a good nip at the tip of his nose. With a yelp, the young pup jumped back and began growling. Who did that creature think it was, attacking him so viciously? Didn't it understand the circle of life?

"Even better." Macha smiled as her father spoke. "These are some of the most important times in brain development. He needs to be working that little mind of his, they both do." after all, of what use would they be if they grew up to be idiots? And as much as she loved gathering new branches and antlers for them to toy with, those weren't in the least bit as stimulating as they needed to be.

Macha couldn't help but giggle a bit as she watched the small animal take a small bite out of her younger brothers snout. Poor little guy, she was sure that hadn't felt very pleasant. "Looks like he's learning the hard way that unfortunately, one has to work for their food."

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