Driftwood Surge nancy mulligan

@Legolas

Sometimes, she found it amazing that she had made it this far without some sort of breakdown. She loved her children dearly, but with the close call the two eldest of the new litter had at the borders a month prior, she couldn't help but feel run ragged by the constant shenanigans. Every puppy had their quirks, and Mak's and Lee's were that they fought like wolves and coyotes did... that with the stress of their new and very much unwanted neighbors barely to the north of them, she just needed some time to sit back and relax, try and calm herself down before she did something that everyone regretted.

She spotted her youngest son near the den, a soft smile on her features. He was timid, much like Lavender had been at first, but she had faith he would grow out of it just as his sister had. "Whatcha up ta, Leggy?" She asked softly as she made her way over to him. By the gods, they were all growing fast.

The older, and bigger, Legolas got the more he became aware of the differences between himself and his littermates. They were far more outgoing than he was—seeking recognition for the actions (regardless of whether it was good or bad). Their oversized paws scurried across the ground at any given chance, hungry for adventure and thirsty for the unknown. Legolas, on the other paw, remained observant. He was far more cautious and methodical about his actions. Or, at least, he liked to think he was. He did not like straying too far from the den; he had already done that once before and stumbled upon his birb-fren and some strange smelly non-wolves. There was security within the mountain forest; safety. Eventually he would have to stretch his wings and explore more of the surrounding territories… or maybe not. Maybe he could stay right where he was and bask in the beauty of Driftwood.

His neck craned over his shoulder as his mother’s voice called out through the clearing. He flashed her a warm smile, his tail thumping gently against the ground. N-nothin, m-mama! He chirped in response as his grin widened and became more toothy. He was being a good little Stark—not at all like his older brother! @Leith was awfully naughty. But not Legolas—he was an angel.

She was glad to at least see him out – for a while there, Lilya had not been certain that he would have left the den at all, but now he was at least acclimating to the territory. There was nothing wrong with being tamer than his two siblings – it certainly meant she could trust him to stay out of trouble when she had to run off to find Mak or Lee. His response was stuttered slightly, reminding her of herself when she was a child… a soft grin appeared on her features as she made her way over to him, giving him a gentle nudge in greeting.

“Whatdya say Ah take ya ta the lake… s’one of m’favorite places ta be.” She offered, trying to slowly nudge him to explore a little more while also giving her the opportunity to spend time with him. The other two were not in sight, and she had no doubt they were off getting into trouble, but Lachesis was there and she knew if they got too far, him or one of the other adults would catch them – the pack was learning their antics, and fast in order to keep up with them all.

His tail began to wave even more enthusiastically at her offer to take him to the lake and he nodded feverishly in response. He had not seen anything beyond the mountainous forest because he was a good boy and listened to his parents when they instructed him to stay put. Sure, the lake beyond the trees had always fascinated him but he wasn’t reckless enough to venture to the big body of water on his own. So he was overjoyed at the thought of going on a field trip with his mother. Just him and Ma—no annoying siblings to get in his way and muck everything up! Sure, he loved his siblings (they were blood; he had to) but sometimes they were a lot to handle.

Y-Y-Ya y-ya! He chirped in excitement despite the words fumbling off the tip of his tongue. He bounded forward and collided into her foreleg, his body wriggling with a foreign rush of adrenaline. Normally he wouldn’t be so keen on adventure but he liked spending time with his Ma. Now that he and his siblings were older she was spending more time away from the den as she eased back into her duties. Is o-okay?

@Legolas - Sorry I suck and this is late

She was glad the boy was eager to take this adventure with her – for a while she worried that he was too much like Lavender in the sense that he was scared of the outside world. Instead it appeared he was simply more mindful of the rules, which the older woman greatly appreciated given how much of a pawful his two agemate siblings appeared to be. “It’s okay.” She assured him, not wanting to completely disregard her children and their wellbeing because of her duties. It may not be a popular mindset for a leader to have but she’d always put her family first – it was a fundamental part of who she was.

“’ave ya ever been ta da lake before?” She wasn’t sure if another member of the pack had taken her son on this kind of adventure. He was such a sweet and innocent boy, that she doubted he ever would have ventured there by himself, especially because her and Lach had been fairly firm to stay away from the water without an adult around – she didn’t want to lose any of her children to the elements. There were already far too many risks without them.

The boy was still utterly terrified at the thought of leaving the Surge but being with momma made him feel better. She would keep him safe and make sure none of the bad things beyond the mountain forest could hurt him. Legolas knew his mother wouldn’t take him anywhere that would cause him harm—or so he hoped. He flashed her a wide, toothy grin, his tail waving softly behind him as he began to trot after her. His excitement devoured the initial fear as watched her tawny frame cut through the trees. N-no, n-never Ma! He responded quickly (and honestly). He had been too scared to venture east toward the lake. The boy had heard many things about it but had yet to see it for himself. He hoped it lived up to his expectations. W-wassit like?

Lilya smiled at her son, a soft chuckle off her maw when he denied ever being there. She hadn't expected him to. He'd adopted a lot of traits that Lavender had adopted when she was younger. It had definitely made him easier to keep track of... but she knew with time he'd grow into his own skin and get into bounds of trouble - just like his two siblings did. "S'lot of fun." She offered as she gave him a soft and comforting nudge. "S'calmin' too... yer father n'Ah both like ta just walk around the shore." She explained as she guided him towards the sight. He was young, and him being there by himself might be a bad idea, but he had her at least for now.