lift up the velvet rope

The world was small, Hazelnut was sure of it. She had spent her entire life within the confines of the den, cooped up and ready to see what else there might be, if there even was anything else. Her mother, a semi-permenant figure in the hideaway, would oftentimes disappear, perhaps ceasing to exist altogether, before suddenly reappearing through the wall of light and it was high time Hazey figured out the trick to it. There wasn't much thought or contemplation behind her great escape, only impulsion as she stepped with great confidence into the blinding unknown.

She had to blink, rapidly adjusting to this new level of light for the first time, but once things started to come into focus, she learned that perhaps there was more to the world, that it was bigger than she could have imagined, and now that she was out, nothing was going to stop her from exploring every inch of it.

(This post was last modified: Jun 01, 2021, 03:13 AM by Hazelnut.)

As her tiny daughter grew in size, Sita slipped away from the den more often. She wanted to make herself useful, hunting as best she could. If she caught one, she had to catch a second for the pack. Hazelnut hadn't tried to leave the den yet. That was a soothing thought for Sita.

But of course this thought would be soothing for not much longer. She licked the remnants of a rabbit from her jowls and came back into view of her den. And there was a little Hazel right outside. Smiling, Sita settled in the shade of a tree to watch her daughter from a distance. Perhaps it could even be wise to find a den closer to the others now that she could socialize.

Otherwise she would have to carry her there.

currently travelling with walleye

There was a hunger in her still-blue eyes, devouring the sights and smells of this brand new world. Color, movement, life, this place had it all. She left the den in her wake, toddling away at what she thought to be a break-neck pace, right towards a patch of clover. She smelled them first, unsure of what they were, before touching them with her paw. The tiny plants crumbled beneath her weight, but sprang back up once her paw had been removed. She tried this once, twice, three times before her maw reached down to pluck a few from the ground. They had a terribly bitter flavor, forcing the girl to spit and paw at her mouth in an attempt to eject the yucky green stuff. "Blech. Yuck. No." She was firm in her statement, sure that the weeds would understand what they had done to offend her and remember to not do it again.

She only noticed her Mm-uh's scent once enough of the taste had been washed away. Curious eyes scanned the horizon, not yet good enough to pick up on distant objects. Unable to find the big one, Hazelnut frowned, letting loose a single whine as her rear-end crashed into the dirt. "Mm-uh!"

Her paws tucked beneath her chest as she settled in to watch the show. Old memories washed up of her three eldest taking their first adventures out by themselves. Or what she thought were their first. The wonder they must've felt, that she could only guess at unable to see into their heads. She couldn't remember her own first free steps as a pup. Sita wished she might've had that same wonder when she'd arrived in this new place. Instead, only fear had manifested itself in her gut. It was gone now, but how unfortunate to be grown sometimes, wasn't it?

Hazel took a mouthful of foliage into her mouth and spat it out. Sita's ears went up to listen more closely, her neck stretching a bit just to make sure she wasn't eating anything odd. But it seemed fine. And then her daughter seemed to notice her smell, because she cried out. Sita quickly got to her feet, see-sawing out a stretch as she walked towards the little girl. "Mum's right here, darling Hazel." Sita leaned down to put her nose against the girl's crown.

currently travelling with walleye

Mm-uh was quick to respond, materializing out of thin air moments after Hazel's cry had been released. Good. The Donata-Valle was going to need backup if she planned on taking down all the icky plants that offended her with their bitter taste, and who better to have on her side than the big one? Mm-uh always knew what to do, so she couldn't even imagine that this instance could be different.

A determined look settled upon the girl's features as she spoke, gesturing with a tiny paw towards the green-covered ground. "Mm-uh! Ick. No." That should do it. The grass was in for it now that Mm-uh was here!

Such a smart little thing, not going in for a second bite. Sita got down to Hazel's level and peered at the grass. Well, more specifically, clover. She looked at Hazel and then leaned in to give the tiny green plants a good sniff. Smelled like grass and dirt. It finished bitterly as the smell washed over the roof of her mouth.

"That's clover," Sita identified for her daughter. "It's not good for eating. Right now, you drink milk." And meat, soon enough. Her ears folded back and she decided a small warning was in order, "Don't eat the green things, alright? Some of them can make you feel bad and," Sita stuck out her tongue to mimic the face Hazel had made before. "Taste bad!" Hopefully the little girl hadn't had any bad feelings yet. But she'd certainly tasted something bad. So, please don't eat any more funny plants.

currently travelling with walleye

Hazlenut looked from the ground, to her mom, and back again, nodding her tiny head she she soaked in the information and added the word to her repertoire. "Yes, Muh." Milk was much more preferable to those icky green circles anyway, so while there were no complaints, the cub definitely had some questions, like why there were plants that could make her feel bad, and if that meant that they were worse than clovers because those had made her feel pretty bad by being so gross...

"Feel bad? Why?" She said, pricking her ears as her head tilted to one side and then the other.

Wonderful. Hopefully the girl would truly be compliant in this, not just for this particular plant, but for any greenery she crossed paths with. Truly, some just tasted awful, but there were many that could make a wolf dreadfully ill, and that wasn't something Sita wanted for her child or for the pack at all. She gave the girl a lick across the top of her head and gentle nibble of affection. "Good dear."

Sita laid out fully, happily turning her hips against the cool grass. "The green things, plants, are made of things that we cannot eat. They're bad for us. We're meant to eat meat and drink water, and pups drink milk." She wasn't sure how much of this her child could grasp. It didn't help that Sita also knew very little about flora.

currently travelling with walleye

Hazey grinned as her mother's tongue slid over her head, soaking up every drop of praise she could and mentally patting herself on the back for being such a good girl, though in reality she hadn't done much to earn it.

Now high on pride, and wanting very much to 'deserve' the praise she was given the girl mimicked Sita's posture, hoping to seem very big and grown up though she clearly wasn't. The youth listened as her mother went on, nodding her head, though admittedly some of it was lost on her. "Ohhh!" Her mom really did know everything. "Greens no." The words were accompanied by a forceful head shake so her mom would know just how serious she was.

(This post was last modified: Oct 13, 2021, 10:28 PM by Hazelnut.)

Sita smiled as her girl's posture changed, all straight and proud. Trying to be a grown up, capable of the deepest levels of understanding (which, admittedly, even Sita didn't have. Who did?). Sita nodded and got to her feet. "Perfect. No greens, exactly. But maybe we can find something you can eat. Or at least try." She was still young, so maybe it was not quite her time, but it wouldn't hurt to at least show her.

"Follow me." She started walking, slowly, towards the cache, hoping to find the remnants of a meal they could pick at together.

currently travelling with walleye