Swift River the trouble with toddlers

Kisla’s initial reaction to the outside world had been one that could only be defined as wimpy. Her introduction to her two uncle’s had been timid as well, and the little girl had sought comfort from the warmth and security of her mother. Afterwards, as she lay curled up beside her brothers that night, the tawny babe had dreamed only of the softness of the grass, and the exhilarating color of the sky. Instead of the world being so scary, the prospects the outside offered had become tempting, and Kisla had awoken the next day with a craving to taste this experience once more.

As much as she longed to venture her tiny paws out the den entrance, she did not try again until days had passed. One sunny mid-morning, the little girl cast a sideways glance to her mother, who seemed to dose in and out of sleep. With what she thought was cleverness, little Kisla prowled forward, her little bum wagging in the air with excitement as she danced to the den entrance. As the world came in to view once more and the warm sun hit her face, the whelp thrusted her muzzle in the air, a playful growl escaping her jaws. With a content ‘plop,’ the only daughter of Indru and Corinna Tainn parked her chubby rump to the grass very close to the den entrance. As much as she longed to play, she also longed to study the world that was just outside her den and see what she had missed on that first day of fear.

sparking up my heart

Gone Tomorrow

The days were passing much quicker, now that the three Swift River pups were out and about in the world. Well, relatively. Cori was still loathe to let them out of her sight for too long. While the others in the pack had stepped up to look after the young ones, giving their mother a time to breathe, truth was, she didn't really trust anybody else in the pack enough to look after them properly. It was the overprotective mother syndrome, and it had taken Corinna Donata by storm. So while she was laying there dozing at the moment, she was ever alert to the three young ones. Fenru and Rihael had finally stilled, but Kisla had not. Her lack of gumption at their first outing into the world had disappointed the new mother, but she was grateful for it now - it gave her a break. Up until now.

Lifting her head off her paws, green eyes focused on the small brown body as she wiggled her way towards the light. The faintest trace of annoyance crossed her face, but it was gone in an instant. Hoisting herself up, she ducked her head and followed. Kisla had not gone far, and when she found her, Cori was pleased to see she was merely sitting at the entrance, puppy blue eyes watching the world. Smiling, the mother settled down with her back to the dark hole. Leaning down, she licked her daughter's head between the ears. "It's pretty, isn't it?" She cooed, her own eyes turning to observe the magnificent world around them.

Lololol. Poor Kisla.

It was impossible to keep her eyes on one spot alone; as soon as Kisla’s attention would shift from one thing to another in the great outdoors, suddenly her peripheral vision would catch glimpse of something else that needed to be studied. It was a lot to take in, and yet the little babe remained settled at the den entrance, her rump placed carefully on the soft ground as she allowed her awe to overtake all thought and emotion.

Naïve and innocent with her experiences, the little whelp was not as cautious as she would become when older, and so Corinna’s presence took her by surprise. Startled at first by the gentle touch of her mother, Kisla recoiled for a split second, her eyes widening as they sought out the creator of this caress. Relieved when her gaze met with her mother’s familiar form, the golden pup wiggled her body in excitement; mom had come to play! Lifting her muzzle up to soak in the silver she-wolf’s embrace, Kisla’s features lit up with a smile. “Hai, mum!” Her squeal was barely able to contain her glee at Corinna’s presence, and as the mother commented on how pretty it was, Kisla could only nod in adamant agreement. “Prilly,” she agreed, her eyes flickering down to her paw where a soft rustle in her fur had spurred her attention. Blinking, the babe noted a bright yellow and black bug; bumble bee had yet to make its way to her vocabulary. “Whassat?” She chirruped, moving her paw anxiously closer to her mothers. It was the sudden movement that caused the little creature to panic, and only a brief second later Kisla felt the sting deep in her right forepaw. Jolting, the girl let out a yelp, giving a violent shake of her limb to rid herself of the painful thing. Seconds later, stunned and hurt, the girl’s eyes began to well with tears.

sparking up my heart

-5 Points for Shadow for not replying to this sooner. *headdesk*

Gone Tomorrow

Awareness of their surroundings was something that the young puppies had little training in. With few exceptions, their entire world had been the den in which they had been born, with shadowy pack members floating about the edges. Corinna had been the single constant from the moment they had been born, but even so, her young ones had yet to recognize her without a visual. So she was not all surprised when the young puppy startled as her mother's tongue licked the top of her tawny head. But recognition was relatively quick, and the smile on the mother's face grew as her pup greeted her in kind.

Kisla was the only daughter of Corinna and Indru, and as a such, a special eye was kept on her. There were times when Cori worried that her daughter would get lost in the shuffle between her two brothers, which is why now she sought to give her middle child more attention and affection. Grinning over the mispronounced word, she quietly shook her head, but not verbally correcting it. As they grew, the puppy talk would give way to real words - for now, she was content to sit and enjoy their sometimes incoherent babbling. But the question was something that the mother had come to recognize, as it was one often asked in the Tainn den these days. Green eyes looked down as the puppy shifted her paw closer. But as the yellow and black bug became visible, the green eyes narrowed and a violent snap was made in the direction of the bee. But it was too late. Kisla had been stung and already the tears were forming in her baby blue eyes.

Lowering her head, Corinna's pink tongue began caressing the small forepaw, hoping that her mother's touch would help ease the young girl's pain. "That's called a "bee"," she explained, her voice soft and full of concern. "They have, um," Cori paused, trying to think of a way to explain the needle on the end of the bee. "A sharp tooth. And when they get scared, they try and save themselves. You scared it on accident." Not totally accurate, but with time, her daughter would come to understand what her mother was actually trying to say. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

-20 for me then. x.x

The tears that now streaked her light golden fur was far from the beginning, and as her puppy blue eyes sought out Corinna’s, the bubbling anxiety of pain she felt was finally released in a long stringing wail that raised in pitch as moments passed.

Corinna’s maternal instincts were swift, and the little girl allowed herself to be coddled by her mother as the she-wolf gingerly swept her tongue across the swelling hurt. With her paw and pride stinging, the whelp sniffled as she snuggled her muzzle to the soft and familiar fur of her mother’s neck, seeking solitude in Corinna’s embrace. Her ears swiveled to the sound of the leader’s voice, but the middle child did not pull away from the warmth of Corinna’s chest and side. However, as the silver mother explained what had happened, a light indigence startled Kisla from her hiding spot, and she straightened herself, glancing up at Corinna with an unimpressed sulk. “I not scary!” she quipped, her eyes woefully glancing down once more to her paw. But her hurt feelings were slowly ebbing away with Corinna’s soothing words, and the babe finally gave a light nod in return. “I guess,” she decided, though a slight whimper still traced her voice.

sparking up my heart

Gone Tomorrow

The Swift River leader kept her young child close to her side, hoping that her words and touches would have the desired effect and her young daughter would forget the pain in her paw. It wouldn't be instantaneous, but it would happen sooner rather than later. At the same time, it did provide a learning experience for her. Kisla would know be aware of what the striped yellow and black bug was, and would know that in the future, she wasn't to pay it too much attention. Unfortunately, the youth's weak response to her mother's comfort brought a frown to the she-wolf's face, and she leaned down and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "It'll be alright, Kisla, I promise," she grinned hopefully, dark gray and amber tail wagging in the grass behind them.

Settling down on the grass beside her daughter, Cori reclined, feeling the lush green grass brush her underside pleasantly. Breathing out deeply, her green eyes flickered upwards to the light blue sky, only dotted with the occasional white cloud. Further away from the den area, the landscape became much more heavily forested and visibility decreased, by right by the rocky pile that was the Swift River main den, the view was clear. Content to study, the she-wolf turned her gaze away from the sky and to her daughter. Eventually they would have to move away from the birthing den and to a rendezvous site, more fitting to the puppies' growing bodies, but for now, their small home worked. Besides, without Indru there, Cori felt incredibly uncomfortable moving the young family. The fellow adults in the clan, Triell, Borlla, Ozera, and Marsh, had all disappeared, leaving her to fend for herself and her young ones. It was a challenge, and it was taking all of Cori's strength to keep her and her young ones alive. "What do you think of it?" she asked curiously, wondering what her daughter thought about this big and grand world she was now free to explore (within mother's strict boundaries of course).

With one more kiss to her forehead, the girl finally relented her anguish to her mother’s attention and allowed the black and yellow creature to fade from her memory. Corinna settled down in the soft grass beside her, and mimicking her mother as she did unconsciously many a time, Kisla plopped herself down with less finesse than the graceful adult had, though her own small figure was curled haphazardly against her mother’s side.

The silence of the beautiful day was interrupted by her mother, and rolling over to her back, the girl exposed her pale underside to the world, both ears flickering to the soothing sound of Corinna’s voice. Of course, to the young mind with little to no attention span, the question at first confused her slightly. Glancing up to the silver she-wolf’s green eyes, Kisla blinked thoughtfully, finally realizing what her mother was asking her. “Prilly,” she decided then and there, the mispronounced word completely unnoticed by the youth. That was how she would describe the world.

Pulling her hurt paw toward her mouth to give it a thoughtful suckle, the baby cast a glance to her mother once more before gleaming a grin. Rolling to her side, Kisla sprang clumsily to her paws, her growing body soon shooting off down the grassy slopes of the den site. “Catch me!” Her trill was of excitement, and with those very words, Kisla initiated a game of tag since for the moment she had Corinna to herself. Of course it did not take the young girl to tire, and soon her weary body would once more find the grass, and in the sunshine, a nap would overcome her.

sparking up my heart