Pitch Pine Trail Inception

For mama @Nova <3

She was amazed, astounded, astonished; though of course she didn't know any of those words to describe the feeling with. The world was new and vast and bright! Although her vision was still blurry, it was still quite an improvement from the darkness she had known before. The baby girl still spend most of her time sleeping, curled up against the protective warmth of her mother, occasionally waking to nurse, but now she also took some time to look around, getting used to this new experience that was sight. The den might not be much to look at, but for the child who had nothing to compare it with, it was the most interesting thing in the world; that was maybe aside from the heavy, life-giving liquid that was to be found in her mother's nipples. This day though she did not wake up to the wonder of her new world, but to an uncomfortable cold, enveloping her the way her dam's thick fur would usually do; but in entirely different, and much less soothing way. The pup waved her head in confusion, looking around the small den, that was all she knew. But she did not see the familiar form of her mother anywhere, and this brought a bunch of new emotions to her. Alone for the first time in her entire life, knowingly at least, the dark pup felt suddenly lost and vulnerable, fear grasping her tiny heart for the very first time. Overcome by this strange, unfamiliar emotions, the child let out a high itched wail, not knowing what else to do. Word count: 265 ”Speech”

Starna @DA & Dawnthieves.de

(This post was last modified: May 22, 2015, 09:20 PM by Nalda.)

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

@Nalda

Nova hadn't anticipated how much work it was to simply look after a single cub. Just making sure her daughter was warm, clean, and fed was a handful in itself. That wasn't even considering trying to take care of herself on top of it. @Camio helped where he could, which she was ever grateful for. It worried her when he would stand guard alone by day, and while she appreciated awakening to find a scrap of scavenged meat or a fresh killed hare, it made her nervous to know he was traveling alone at night.

That morning, with Nalda sleeping soundly, Nova figured it would be the perfect time for her to step out for a drink of water and to relieve herself. Carefully, as not to wake her little girl, she unwrapped herself from Nalda and gingerly slipped out of the den into the brisk morning air. Stepping into the sun's early rays, Nova stretched her long legs and shook out her dark pelt, deeply inhaling the fresh air. As she headed to the nearby creek, she could feel the vibrant energy of spring singing through her and could see it all around in the new green growth tipping the pine boughs, or the curled heads of ferns, or the flitting of birds through the forest. After she reached the creek and got her drink, she stood contemplatively, silently watching the forest across the other bank. It was liberating, perhaps a little too much so as Nova stood watching the forest even after she had reached the creek and gotten her drink.

A distant sound, small, shrill, yet unmistakable met Nova's ears and sent her heart dropping down into her stomach. Without thinking about it, she was already running back to the den at breakneck speed. All sorts of horrible scenarios flashed through her mind, and she cursed herself non-stop for being so careless. Expecting the worst and fully prepared to tear into a cougar or coyote all on her own, she launched into the den, scraping her forehead on the ceiling and scuffing her pawpads against the rough floor.

A mix of relief and disappointment washed over her when she found Nalda all alone. Relief that something unimaginably awful hadn't happened to her daughter, and disappointment in herself that she'd left Nalda not only vulnerable but obviously shaken from being left alone.

"Shhh, shhh, Nalda sweetie, it's alright..." Nova cooed, trying to not sound so worried and put on a strong front for her little girl. She sat down, licking Nalda on the crown of her little russet head and then nudging the pup in close with her chin.

Her tiny body shivered in the morning breeze, drawing in through the den entrance. It wasn't exactly cold, but to her it was freezing; foreign and unwanted, the lag of another warm body to nestle against an unwelcome change in the infants world. Her loneliness was short, but it was still more than she had ever experienced before, and when her sensitive ears picked up the rustling of someone running through the underbrush, she felt a rush of both relief and terror. The first was stronger, she was no longer alone, someone else was coming, and her memory told her that that was a good thing; others meant warmth, safety, food... The fear was more subconscious, deeper, instinctual panic at the unknown, she did not know to fear strangers, but her natural intuition told her to hide. Before the pup had time to make a choice, and act on either one of these conflicting impulses, shadow fell into her little world as a dark form stepped into the den. Nalda blinked her pale eyes, trying to distinguish the features of the silhouette that blocked most of the light. In the end it was her nose that told her who it was though, and joyous relief flushed over her. The child called to her mother with a small, offended sound, expressing her unhappiness with being left alone. Nova's words were little more than noise to the young child, but the gentle tone was soothing to her, and she answered with another wail, blinking up at the muzzle that was reaching down to lick her. The caress of her mother's tongue further served to calm her, though the wetness made her shake her little head, so her dangling, oversized ears flopped around her face. Without needing her dam's incentive, the rust-painted pup started wiggling across the floor on her stomach, short, chubby legs helping to push her towards the promise of warmth in her mother's embrace. While she was capable of standing and walking, she still found it easier to crawl, especially over short distances. The nudge of Nova's muzzle helped her daughter the last of the way, and Nalda gratefully pressed herself against her mother's chest, relishing the renewed feeling of safety. She whimpered lowly, brushing her head against the dark woman, burying her snout in the lush fur. After a few moments like that, once she felt the last of her panic fade, the young girl's whimpers changed to a row of more content noises; small, mumbling grunts leaving her as she ran her nose decidedly through the black and brown hairs. While she was not particularly hungry, she sought the comfort of the teat, associating nursing with happiness and security. While she now felt calm again, she had had quite a fright. Word count: 463 ”Speech”

Starna @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile

@Nalda

Nova's heart was still racing, her mind reeling over the fact that something bad could have happened to the little life that depended on her. It didn't matter that everything turned out to be fine, she still felt ashamed, like she was already failing at being a mother. She still didn't fully feel like one, even with a cub of her own. But any doubts she had were resolved just looking at fluffy little Nalda, she had to do the best she could for her.

Nova took a deep breath, looking slowly around the secure walls of the old wolf den, morning sunlight painting the walls in a soft, indirect glow. Her ears tuned towards the soft whisper of the gentle breeze through the pitch-pine forest just outside. It was all okay. Little Nalda was currently safe and secure, if not a little bit shaken. Nova noticed as her little squeaks and grumbles gradually shift from alarmed to the more typical noises of contentment. She smiled as she felt Nalda's tiny wet nose poking around through her fur, likely looking for her breakfast. The young mother could only guess at what Nalda wanted, or what she thought.

Slowly and carefully Nova lowered first to her bony elbows against the earthen floor of the den, finally sliding her long legs out to the side with care to not jostle her daughter tucked between. Nova hummed softly, a wordless melody. Naira had never sung to her as a girl, so she had no words, but it seemed right.

@Nova

Her fear was quickly dissipating as she buried her face in her mother's dark pelt. Soon she would forget that this ever happened, and already, the experience seemed distant and unimportant, her entire focus now turned to her hunt for food. There was quite a lot of fur to roam through, in some places so thick that it was hard for the tiny child to reach the skin underneath. After a little while, she began losing her patience, emitting a small, indignant woof into the dense mat of hairs. Then Nova started moving, and her daughter pulled back, looking up at the blurry shape that was her mother's head. Nalda blinked to try and get a clearer view of the expression on the dark face, but her vision remained unfocused, and all she could distinguish was bright yellow eyes gazing down at her. The small girl shook her head and pulled herself into a sitting position as Nova lowered herself. When her face came within reach, the pup then stretched as high as she could, to put her nose against her mothers, lifting her miniature paws to grab on to Nova's muzzle. "Mng..!" She grunted, not really trying to say anything in particular, but wanting to express the strong happiness she felt, being nuzzled against the dark woman. Finally, the deep brown lady exposed her belly, and Nada instantly understood, and moved to continue her earlier hunt. She wiggled along the floor, dragging herself over her mother's legs to reach her goal. Her nose quickly resumed its combing of the fur, and this time it found what it sought. With a satisfied little grunt, the baby girl latched on to the teat, suckling contently, the mornings abrupt beginning completely forgotten. Word count: 290 ”Speech”

Starna @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Because of work, my activity will fluctuate every other week. For more information and OOC preferrences check out my profile