Copper Rock Creek if i need your help

@Kisina

Broken bottles and slammin' doors But we still care about each other

The world felt so big. Around the den, the safe confines… it was all so big to Seri. He was an active child, learning to stand, and walk and growl and how to chew and make noise and sing… but he was still rather subdued. The confines of the den were safe. The warmth and timbre of his mother was safe, and he found he quite enjoyed that safe feeling, as much as a young pup like himself could enjoy anything. Still, today he was feeling bold. His nose wrinkled lightly as he yawned, pushing up onto his paws which had only become more stable over the past week.

His paws slowly made steps, one in front of the other as he encroached upon the light that had built at the mouth of the den. He had grown more and more curious about it in the passing weeks as he became more acclimated. “Brrrrrrr.” The vague noise fell from his mouth as he tried to strengthen the cords in his throat. He reached the edge, his nose carefully sticking out into the light, the warmth washing over him in a new way. He took another step, appearing outside the den as his eyes narrowed, trying to adjust to the change in saturation. Still, he found that the warmth was nice, and so he ventured even further out before plopping down and just feeling. “Skkkrrrrrrr.” More vaguely content noises fell from his throat.

And where was she?

Spread a few feet out front of the den, a brief moment of fresh air and a break for her body. It was hard. Harder than she wished to admit, purely because she believed she could tackle it all. He had cried and ate plenty when he had been younger. Lately he had seemed...livelier than that. As if he had actually grasped what wolves were supposed to do and had left leech days behind.

Even through sleepless nights and tugging on sensitive things, she had grown to care deeply for her only son. He was all that she had, and him her.

She could hear him nearby. Little motoring sounds as he did...something. Head lifted to look over a shoulder where she could see him creeping along. Good, she thought with a lazy smile. Although she did also dread not being able to keep him tucked into a corner. Where would he go when he could roam?

"Decided to come out?" She asked, even if he couldn't really answer. Lazily she scooched her way closer to where he had flopped.

Broken bottles and slammin' doors But we still care about each other

He was amazed by the world outside, and it felt in that moment as if nothing could cross his path that he could not handle. He blinked, remaining out in the sunlight with splayed limbs about when he heard that voice. Mother. Caretaker. Protector. He recognized it. It was perhaps the only voice he recognized, wide eyes turning to look at her with a goofy and childish grin on his features. “Skkkkkk.” He responded with a motorized blurb as best as he could. She moved closer, and he crawled forward himself, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his back but embracing the closeness to the only figure he had known in his life.

He nudged closer to her, pressing his body against her side as he breathed in the familiar scent and felt content and at peace. When he was close to her, he was good. He felt safe and comforted. “Brrrrrr. Rsssssk.” He was trying to find some kind of word that formed as smoothly as his mother’s did. “Bbbiiiirrrrbbbb.” He managed, though the word was completely random and so drawn out that he wasn’t entirely sure it formed a word at all.

Now look at that kid, all bubbling sounds and toddling movements.

Her heart swelled and even she couldn't deny the sensation. Neck craned out so she could swipe a tongue over his face. Pleased to hold him close when he settled near her side. It felt better this way. Even if she had wanted to stretch her legs with some fresh air, it was always daunting to be away from him long.

"Oh? Birb? Who taught you that word?" Her features crinkled playfully as she nudged his side with her nose. A tickling prod to him. "Maybe you could say mama next."

BROKEN BOTTLES AND SLAMMIN' DOORS BUT WE STILL CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER

Elation highlighted his features, happy-go-lucky in the purest sense as he welcomed his first breadth into the outside world. He had no knowledge that the phonemes he had flung together in his haze of amazement had been an actual word, his nose wrinkling as she spoke to him. The timbre of her voice was comforting. “Mmmh.” He tried to mimic her sounds as he started to jolt from her tickling prod. “Mmmmmmmmmmmh.” He drew out the sound, but failed to add anything to it, instead rolling back onto his paws, playing them out on either side of him so he looked like something of a puppy rug, looking around at the outside world once more.

(This post was last modified: Jun 25, 2021, 01:50 PM by Seri.)

She loved him.

Very much, and oh so very deeply, in that momnet.

Although she wouldn't be able to acknowledge such. Mainly for her own current shortcomings. In the following weeks it would become clearer to her. For now.

She opted to run her nose down him when he turned into a little puppy rug. His mumbles a joyous sound to her ear. Far better than cries that might have filled the den in the first few days or weeks.

"Mmmmaaaamaaaa." Crooned to him in encouraging tones, hopeful that he might mimic it better if she drew it out dramatically.

What had been her first word?

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go

Frustration seated itself in his step as he tried to move again, managing back onto his feet as his mother’s nose ran down him, his nose wrinkling at the action as he flailed about a little more. He didn’t know what else to say or do. He pushed back onto his feet with a newly inspired confidence, puppy blue eyes focusing in on his mother with a strange intensity as he tried to mimic the sounds that were coming out of her mouth. Mimicry was a pup’s best friend after all.

“Mmmmmmmmaaaaaaaammmmmm.” He tried, falling just a sound short that time before he hummed softly and attacked the phrase with a more defined fierosity. “Maaaama.” He drawled out with more certainty in his own words and actions. He felt a swell of pride because he was fairly certain he had managed to match her words, even if he had not quite yet associated the meaning with the word. He moved over, bounding over to her on uneven paws before he stumbled again, landing splayed out at her feet again after doing a circle around himself, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he grinned up at her.

It seemed crazy, how much her heart soared at it.

He had said it though and perhaps, then and there, she truly felt like a mother. Easier when the declaration fell off of his lips rather than her own. She nudged his pudgy body more after his tumble. A warm rumble in her throat as teeth groomed his tufts of puppy fur.

"You did it. My big, strong boy." She praised in a tone that was, surely, recognized as good. She did not praise him when he misbehaved.

"Seeeeriiii." She cooed.

Was it too soon to see if he could say his own name?

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment You own it, you better never let it go

She nudged his body and he felt her teeth grooming at his fur, letting out a soft and indiscernible chortle at that before pushing to his paws. His tail wagged at the praise, clearly pleased as he recognized the fact that it was a good tone. He knew the tone for when he was bad and it seemed to be far different.

It was then that she said his name. He recognized it of course… he had heard her say it when calling for him and he opened his mouth again in an attempt to form the word. “Ssssss---“ He trailed off before trying again. “Sssswwearrry.” Not quite his name, but a solid attempt. It was that soft ‘e’ sound that was giving him issues, blurring with the ‘w’ sound.