I woke up without a single drop

Just a little family fun if you guys want to join.I have Tacoma muse like no other <3

The excitement towards the various scents littering the Earth around their den had faded away. He had explored everything he possibly could, and learned everything he felt he needed to know about their little hideaway's location. Each plant was already thoroughly inspected, and in most cases torn out of the ground to be used as a play toy. It hadn't been long since his father had walked the little group through the territory, allowing them to explore under his close watch, and still Tacoma craved more. His mind acted as a sponge, quickly absorbing all the information it could possibly contain, while always thirsting for anything else it could get it's hands on. His curiosity oftentimes got the better of him, forcing him to question his surroundings, or those who seemed to know much more than he. This day was not unlike any others. He awoke, and stepped out into the light which had once blinded him. Already he was used to the sensation of passing from dark to light, and it no longer bothered him. Once he could feel the sun's rays hitting his back, he lounged around the opening, and waited. For what, he wasn't sure, but something exciting had to happen soon right?

Although he was far from a trouble maker, the Reinier had a growing desire to cause a bit of mischief. Any cub would really. A little fun and excitement to break up his otherwise monotonous day. Maybe he could follow @Ashton, or @Danica, and they would find something to do. For he knew that as long as he was with Ashton, he would feel safe, and if he could keep an eye on Danica, then she too would be safe. The three needed each other; For protection, and fun, but also for guidance, and comfort. Tacoma couldn't imagine life without them. His little mishpocha were important to him, and if anything were to happen to one of them, life would never be the same.

Still blue, but somewhat murkier eyes searched the land around him. His improving eyesight allowed him to catch a mouse foraging through the ground. As the dark coated cub's prey drive was just beginning to kick in, he couldn't help but move forward. Uneasy legs began moving, but realization that he wasn't going to be able to do it alone humbled him. Turning his head back toward the mouth of the den he called out to his siblings. "Hey! You gaiise. I foun' sumfin!!" He wasn't sure if they would heed his call or not, but if they didn't he was going to try and catch the creature himself.

(This post was last modified: Jun 17, 2013, 05:48 AM by Tacoma.)

They had one another. Together they found protection, guidance, fun and comfort. All things which Bane had only known with his mother and mother alone, who was not with him at all hours of the day. He understood somehow. She needed to eat too. She needed watch and time to stretch her legs from the den that was far too small for her to run around in, unlike he. Even still he felt he was out-growing the area or perhaps, bored with it. Alone, without siblings or a father, the pup had adapted a very different personal.

Stalking throughout the brush away from his own, personal, birthing den away from the rest of the pack, Bane was silent as best he could. He struggled with this in his youth, annoyed with it he quickly realized, as he scared birds and rodents away when he was trying to get a close look. His long limbs worked to trip and stumble, one day to move long and fluidly as a silent predator. He was a growing Scout in the making, a spy or runner complete with a deep drive for hunting. For now, he was but a child, lost and confused and curious of the world around him as he explored the open territory of Secret Woodlands.

The sound of another child shocked him, so much that he jumped and yipped, surely to send that mouse in the distance scurrying and likely to have Tacoma turning into his direction to see where the sound came from. Instantly, Bane fell flat, scared and wondrous as big, swirling eyes of blue and orange bits, scared into the other child's direction. He wished not to be seen, did his best to hide his chocolate frame amongst the foliage. Tacoma was a stranger, after all.

A yip sounded from behind the young cub, and shock sent him fumbling into the air. His fur stood on end, and he looked around wildly, hoping to whatever deity that nobody had saw his fear. Embarrassment flooded through him, because he felt like a coward. If Ashton had saw that, he might never let the older cub live it down. Murky blue eyes still moved across the land in front of him; the creature he was hunting already forgotten. Wishing now, that Ashton was in fact here, he took a step forward. Using his nose, just as he had when his father told the cubs to find the mice, he came upon a dark form peaking out of the foliage. Shock was the first emotion he felt after that, which sent him flying back a step or two. That is where he stood, unmoving as he assessed the situation.

Fear still radiated off of the young male as he peered toward the creature. It smelled so familiar, yet so different all at the same time. There was a hint in the scent that he, as well as his siblings held. One that was not shared by the adults. Strange it was, that this little creature seemed to be about the same size as Tacoma. His head couldn't wrap around the concept that there would be another puppy, since he only knew of his kin. Was this one of his siblings? Why didn't the pup live with them? It almost saddened him that this wolf must have been a part of his family, but for some reason didn't get to cuddle up with them in the den, or spend time with them. Was there something wrong with him?

One nervous footstep had him shaking furiously, and the words that found themselves on his lips sounded out the terror he felt. "He.. Hello? Wh.. who is you?" Oh what he would give for Ashton to be there now. He would have walked right up to the new cub, and been the one to ask the questions. Tacoma could have processed it, and Danica would have made everyone feel better. She was a source of peace, and comfort. Why hadn't his siblings come with him?

But Ashton was there, and in fact very proud of himself for being able to watch unseen and undetected, he felt like one of the adults, they would let you know they were there by a scent or a glimpse of fur. He always seemed to know when they were around, if not from his own deductions, it would be from mothers actions. She would look up, just before they arrived, or she would stand. So he was very proud that with no adults around, he remained hidden. Waiting for just the right moment to pounce on Tacoma and wrestle him. At least until the other pup showed up.... wait, other pup? The little Renier had not thought as Tacoma did, he did not wonder at why the other pup was never with them, or anything like that. He just wanted to know who it was and why he was there.

Ashton attempted to move from his spot the moment he saw Bane's dark head, but it seemed that if one could be too well hidden, he was. There was actually no way for him to get through the dense foliage he had been watching from, which probably would have foiled his plan to jump on Tacoma. So Ashton nose his way around it until he heard Tacoma speak in a fearful tone, normally his bother would have been right, and Ashton would make fun of him, but this was a stranger who had scared his brother. This was different. All Ashton really knew was that Tacoma sounded really scared and that dark shape made it happen. "Hey! Hey you! Whatcha doin to my brover?" he belted the words out in little barks that powerful even for his rapidly growing young body.

Fear.

Horrid and obvious fear swelled off Tacoma in waves, pushing into Bane's senses and putting them to memory. Shock and confusion and everything else which seemed bad moved across the timber colored child's face and Bane found himself falling even flatter, his body scooting back along the grass in the opposite direction. Bane was terrifying, he felt. Stranger, a monster, and should not be here. Pain swelled in the boy like nothing he had felt before and an obvious need to flee the situation set in.

He was questioned who he was and for a moment, Bane hesitated, his mouth opening and nothing coming out into the open air. Who was he? The child of Ashanti, certainty, but he did not have a father. Did not know his father, nor did he even know his last name. He had seen these children before, heard them from afar and seen them with a couple that radiated dominance and power. Bane was away from everyone else since birth, not with the pack. Did he belong? Was something wrong with him?

The poor child was confused and just as he was about to have his name stumble from his lips, another male came in. Brown like himself, but less dark and with silver hues underlining his coating. He was bold, brash and it caused Bane's hair to stand on end, his body tense, and, before he knew it, a growl seemed from his throat and into the open air. A defensiveness from his questioning fear settled in and Bane did not want to adhere to the other pup's demands of him. "Leaf...me." A near warning sounded, his body curling up and his mind closing out to the openness he had formerly held. "I uh...Ssssorry." He speaks, his body backing up and arching to turn, willing to rush back 'home' and slink into the dark hole from which he came. He didn't belong here. He was not one of them. He ran.

Relief flooded the young cub as the sound of his brother's voice wafted into his ears. Ashton was always the brawn, where Tacoma was the brains. Honestly, the older cub had a tendency to be a bit of a coward, even though it embarrassed him to no end. He generally opted out of talking, or helping others to ensure that he never had to look bad in front of his younger siblings, whereas it seemed Ashton could speak his mind more often. In a way, together they were perfectly balanced, each party playing off of and benefiting the other. Although the pair might not realize it at this stage in their lives, they needed each other, and if they were to work together, they could probably get very far in life. Of course they couldn't forget about little Danica, wherever she was today. The youngest cub was more of a peacemaker than anything. Always ebbing away the tension with her sweet disposition. She could keep Ashton cooled down, and Tacoma warmed up. They were the perfect trio.

His attention fell back upon the chocolate pup in front of him. He looked so scared, so unsure. Then he took off, running in the opposite direction of the two brothers. Tacoma couldn't help but feel his heart drop, as it often did when he felt that someone around him was unhappy. The desire to follow after the strange cub, to help him feel more comfortable, and ask if he might want to play was unbearable, but he didn't know how. Even if he caught up to the black cub, what would he say? The new pup could turn him away, and it wasn't a rejection he was ready to deal with. No, instead the older cub chose to look to his brother and simply ask, "Whowusat?". Ashton would have to make the next move, decide for him, because he couldn't look like an idiot. He refused to.

What was that for? Bane ran away, and Ashton had no idea why. It seemed like he and Tacoma had scared him off, and that was something that Ashton did not want at all. At the question from Tacoma Ashton started to think as fast as he could. "Idunno, lessgo and see." Ashton took off after Bane, he ran as fast as he could searching and searching all the while. "Sorry! I didn wanna be mean! He called to Bane hoping that the other pup would stop running so that he could meet him. Ashton liked meeting new wolves, especially if that wolf was another pup. He wanted to get to know everyone in the pack, and if the other pup smelled like the pack then that meant he was part of it.
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Still somewhere in Ashton's head, was a small coherent thought. Something was odd about the other pup, he was alone firstly, and second was the fact that he was not related to them, Ashton could tell that by scent as Bane did not carry his nor Tacoma's scent. But he wondered why, why wouldn't the other pup live right there with the pack? Was there something wrong with him? Did he do something wrong, why couldn't they play with him? Deep down Ashton wanted to befriend the other woodlands pup. He wanted to make him feel like Ashton did about this place, like it was home and nothing could hurt him here. But the young Renier would never show such a thing. Instead he turned to Tacoma and called out, "Ya find 'im yet?"

Very short, I know, but I wanted to make an official leave from the thread.

He could hear the other pup's calling out for him, hear the smell beating of their steps as they gave chase which only made Bane work faster, harder, for retreat. The feeling of being hunted down was nothing he had yet to experience and it terrified him, scared him in the same manner Ashton had done by snapping a demand at him, by putting him in the spot light. These were personality traits of the blooming wolf that he had yet to know of until now and yet still did not understand. All he knew is he had to get out of here and assess the situation before returning for another try - should he ever bother to try again. For the time he was content to live by himself, deep within another part of the thick forest with his mother and mother alone.

When Ashton moved into action, Tacoma followed. He was not one to be left behind, but at the same time he didn't envy being in the lead. Somewhere right in the middle of everything was exactly where he liked to stay, which often made him wonder why he wasn't second born. Everything might have made sense if they were reversed, but for some strange reason the eldest cub found himself exactly there. He was supposed to be the bravest, the leader, rather than the follower wrapped in cowardice. A light sigh escaped him. One that may have sounded like boredom or frustration to those who couldn't hear his thoughts. Unfortunately for him the sigh meant more than that. It was one of a cub who constantly felt out shined by his brother.

A call shot through his ears, making Tacoma send back a simple, "Not yet.". Racking his brain for some answers he tried to figure out where the pup could have gone. "Doyah think 'e went home?" But where was home to the newest cub? Was he going to run home to his litter mates, or would he find himself alone, feeling as though he was dreck? It worried the eldest cub to think that the newcomer might not have what he did. It wasn't fair, and all Tacoma wanted was to let the chocolate pup integrate into their home. If he had no one, then at least he would have the three heirs. He could even be one himself, or so Tacoma thought. At such a young age he wasn't even sure what heirs meant, nor how you could become one. It was just a word he had heard used by the adults when referencing his siblings.

Before Ashton graced Tacoma with an answer he wandered off. Without even realizing it, he had gone far from Tacoma. The scenery was definitely different then it was outside the den. For a few moments the pup feared he was lost and would never make it home, until he crossed his own scent trail, a lucky skill in this case, was that his nose worked well. So he followed it back around and around until at last he came back upon Tacoma. He stood stoic in front of Tacoma though he was very happy to see his brother. Had Ashton been lost even he knew he was doomed. "No... dyou think he'd come back?" Ashton hoped so, Bane was the only other pup he had seen besides himself, Danica, and Tacoma.

But instead of dwelling on this he decided that it would be better if they went home before mother worried, or worse.... got mad. He turned to Tacoma, "We gonna go home so mommy doesn't growl." Ashton didn't like it when she got mad, she was scarier than father sometimes when they acted wrong. Though Ashton did not know it he had been a cause for the other child to run away. A much older wolf would have made their approach much more slowly but Ashton had yet to develop that particular skill set. If he was anything like the uncle he was named for, he never would be very good in social situations. Of course only time would tell the young Renier's ability to adapt in social environments.