Odette . . . It had been about a month since the birthing of Ocena and Gargoyle's second litter. Bathed in the love and adoration from both parents, the pups were already aware of how amazing those affections could be for their childhood memories. In particular, Odette was rather fond of the licks and nuzzles she received from her daddy. True to her heart, Odette did love her mother. Ocena was the one who had given birth to her, after all, and she would forever be in debt to the small woman. However, she couldn't help but want to curl up close to Gargoyle at night. The strong male was definitely her future role model, and at such a young age, that was saying something. One morning, before the sun had started to rise, a pair of mix-matched eyes quickly opened. Odette didn't know why she was up so early. Maybe it was because she had been dreaming about chasing some unknown piece of prey, explaining why she was laying on her side, moving her legs in a running fashion. It could also have been because she wasn't next to her father anymore. From where she had been curled up next to his massive frame, she was now a couple of body rolls away. Odette immediately pouted, but it disappeared faster than it came. Why be upset over such things when it wasn't intended to happen in the first place? With a brighter outlook on what kept her from being close to Gargoyle, Odette rose to all four tiny paws. She stretched her little legs, wagging her small tail as she looked around the dark den. It wasn't as dark as it had been when she had fallen asleep, for some early morning night sky was slowly making its way to their chosen cave. Her gaze rested on her sleeping family and another kind of warmth rose in her chest: love. She knew she was blessed to be with her brother and sister, let alone the large canines that made her existence possible. (Odette wasn't quite sure how they did it, but she knew Mamas and Daddys were the ones who were responsible for her being there.) Such thoughts were too big for a small pup, but she didn't know about that, either! After a few seconds, she padded towards the opening of the cave. Her eagerness to leave the den and see all there was to see was making her paws itch. She wouldn't go without her parents, though. The whole world was a complete stranger to her and she didn't like the idea. Maybe, when she was older, the concept of the world wouldn't be as bad. For now, she was content with being wrapped in the curiosity of the outside world, but still wary enough to be close to her family's security. "Speech."

Oracle shifted uneasily until a moment ago she had been asleep curled up beside her mother next to her little brother, da was not far away his massive bulk casting a dark shadow against the cave wall. She shifted again trying to find a more comfortable spot her tiny eyes still closed, some noise broke the silence and Oracles large bat like ears pricked scanning like satellite dishes she located the source close to the cave entrance. Slowly she lifted her head peaking over ma's front legs.

Blue puppy coloured orbs sighted the small dark shape and Oracles nose quivered, nothing new or strange, she was still half asleep and considered just returning to her warm spot against ma's chest, but curiosity got the better of her she could still feel Galahad behind her and so she assumed the shape must be Odette. Smiling sleepily she began to pull herself free of the pile of bodies moving as quietly as she could so as not to wake the others. Her large paws carried her quietly towards the cave mouth and just before she reached the other pup she spoke, ?Ode?why are you 'wake? she muttered plopping herself down beside the girl, she tilted her head and smiled, ? you going exploring,? she whispered keeping her voice low as a big smile began to creep across her face, ?can I come??

Her tail thumped behind her as she looked at her sis with excited eyes her ears standing proud on her head, suddenly she jumped back to her feet an idea striking her she had already snuck out of the cave once or twice playing with the rocks in the area just out side its mouth, never straying to far she did not want to get lost or stepped on, but with a possible companion... ?we can sneak out, and hunt mice, like the ones da brings? she yipped bowing down beside her sis her tail waging. A sound echoed inside the den and she froze realising her voice must have woken someone.

Curious eyes blinked open at the sound of his sister's voice, peering out around the black and white form of his mother to see the pair of small shadows that were his siblings standing at the den door. He watched them, seeing Ora bouncing excitedly and wondering what they were up to. He reluctantly got to his disproportionately large paws and padded away from his mother's side, glancing back at her form as he approached his sisters. He was a mirror image of her fur colors, a fact that he was very proud of. Turning his eyes back to his sisters he plopped down on the opposite side of Odette so that he and Oracle stood like bookends on either side of their black and tan sister. "Wha're you up to?" he asked, his words distorted a bit with his yawn. He looked at them with still sleepy eyes, wishing he was back cuddled up against his mom's side asleep. Speech Thought Others

. . . The morning sun rose in all it's hazy pink glory, shedding a meager portion of light upon the dark beaches and their stone cliffs. Only a stray ray or two made it into the den with Ocena and Gargoyle had claimed as their own. The massive male, though usually a light sleeper, had had a rough night. Usually he preferred to stay wrapped around his mate and their pups, but when he was uneasy he tried to give a little space to ensure that no one got squished in the night. Not that he had too worry too much - his children were quickly growing, all looking to be almost as large as he was himself. And they were such beautiful things. Galahad, with his mother's coat and his grandfather's eyes. Odette with the perfect Clash family markings and the rare eye colors of her mother. And then Oracle. Gargoyle had been stunned as he saw that her coat was refusing to change from it's dark shades. She was a throwback to the doberman blood than was 1/4 of Gargoyle's pedigree, and 1/8 of theirs. Fierce little things they would all be in time. Perfect additions whom the father knew their older siblings would love. The male drifted in and out of a fitful slumber, every so often straining a hind paw or giving a twitch of his tattered ear. At least he grew still. But it was not because of sleep. Gargoyle had heard the sounds of movement upon the earthen floor. He was awake. But the yellow, lizard-like eyes remained closed, still feigning slumber to the rest of the world. He was listening, and trying not to grin, as he heard the mumbling of his pups. His darling Odette was apparently up to something - encouraged as ever by her sister. Meanwhile Galahad was left somewhere in the dark. Gargoyle did not like them thinking they could rush off on their own, but neither did he want to curb their bonding time. He would remain perfectly alert.... but perfectly unnoticed. . . .

Odette . . . When her gaze had been focused on what little of the outside world she could see, a small and sleepy voice had made itself known. Small ears immediately flicked to the back of the den and Odette turned her head in the same direction. Dual-mixed eyes met Oracle, the sleepy figure of her sister ambling to rest next to her. "I 'on't know, Or'cle," Odette gently whispered. "Somet'ing woke me up and I can't s'eep anymore." She sighed because of her predicament, but it quickly changed to a yawn that made her jaws widen. Little lips smacked together afterward, making a small echo that bounced around their chosen home. Her ears perked at Oracle's proposition to explore the outside world and her small mind started to work. "Oooh..." They would be rebels, out on their own, exploring the vast amount of shrubs and rocks that laid outside their den. Such a large part of the earth to put their noses into! Odette's tail began to wag, and she rose to stand on little pup legs, but she didn't race past the doorway. A sly look appeared on her face as she softly giggled at her sister and said, "I would rather capture your tail!" Instead, she tackled Oracle's bottom that was sticking up in the air, her sister's tail making an obvious target for attack. She grunted, a giggle escaping her lips as her massive impact caused both pups to roll across the floor. Odette grabbed ahold of Oracle's tail and she playfully nibbled at the claimed prize. The young pup quickly moved shortly after tackling Oracle for fear of being swatted, giving her time to get back the spot she had been sitting at. About that time, Galahad was waking up and sleepily padded to sit beside Odette's other side. She turned to look at him with bi-colored eyes and said in an excited whisper, "Catchin' Oracle's tail." She ran her tongue over her lips and said, "It didn' taste like Daddy's mice, d'ough. Jus' fur." She nudged her brother's shoulder, letting her cold nose make contact with the small bone that stood out. One of her ears turned to her father's direction, wondering if he would ever wake up and catch them being awake before him. "Or'cle wants to go outside...but I'm not ready." Her eyes moved to admire the small window of the world outside of their home. "It is pwetty, d'ough." Odette's words made sense, because the sun was slowly coming up and adding color to the darkness that had claimed the world. Her tail wagged again as she watched the slow changes that came with the sunrise. "We should watch dis every morning, Gala!" Her excitement was obvious, but another yawn escaped her tiny frame and she sort of wished that she was still curled up beside Gargoyle. "Speech."

Oracle . . . A grunt escaped oracles lips as she was sent tumbling onto her back giggling, she had forgotten the need for silence and with a fake growl she tried to nip at Odette's tail as it wagged over her face but she missed as the pup danced away. With a huff she regained her feet puppy teeth had done little damage to her tail, her pride however had taken a tumble. Tucking her banner under her body slightly she slipped back to the front of the cave sitting just as Galahad woke coming to join them. As Odette finished speaking Oracle lent forward nipping at the girls ear, ?that didn't taste like mouse either,? she joked, her tail came out from under her body wagging behind her she was a pup grudges could not be held for more then a second anyway there was something more interesting to do now, she paused for a moment looking out of the cave. Odette was right it was beautiful out there the morning sun painting the water, sand and rock differing shades of pink, for a moment there was silence her mind occupied by the glimmering of sun on the waves, then almost as if the silence hadn't existed, she was on her feet again, this time turning away from the other pups towards her father, Odette didn't want to go out and Oracle despite her seeming confidence didn't want to go on her own, she thought she saw gargoyles ear twitch towards her, she crouched low focusing on the mountain of wolf she stalked closer she was within a few puppy steps of him felling the breeze of his breath when she reached out touching him gently on the nose, ?Da,? she paused for a moment, ?da are you awake,? she waited again to see if he would respond the next option was ? she lent forward sticking her head almost into his ear, ?dad wake up,? it wasn't a yell but it also could not be classed as a whisper. She lepted back to try and avoid his reaction. "Speech."

The brother of the group of siblings listened intently to Odette as she spoke, looking out at the pretty view she was speaking off. It was really, really pretty. He nodded in agreement to her last statement, adding an eager, "Yeah! We should do that, Ode!" Galahad chuckled as he watched his sisters with amusement, the both of them way too hyper for his liking this early in the morning. He settled down onto his stomach to watch the chaos as Oracle retaliated by attacking Odette's ear, pulling a laugh from him again. He fell silent, watching in suspense as his black and tan sibling went up to the huge mountain of wolf that was their father, stifling a laugh as she poked at his nose. Suddenly she spoke directly into his ear, pulling another chuckle from the little brute, watching eagerly to see what Gargoyle's reaction would be. Speech Thought Others

Odette couldn't help but giggle at Galahad's response. She knew that her brother preferred sleeping over getting up early, so his agreement would either be when he felt like getting up or not the next time. "Are you suuuure, Gala? You love to s'eeeeep." She teased her brother and then plopped down next to him on her belly, rolling towards him so she could nip at his ear. Tiny teeth nibbled on the bit of flesh, playfully letting go before she got the taste of fur in her mouth again. "Your ear tastes funny," she commented, giggling again as she thought about it. "I'm glad we eat other stuff." She looked up over her shoulder to see Oracle trying to wake up Gargoyle. Her ears flattened against her head and she loudly whispered to her sister, "Or'cle! Papa's s'eepin'." Odette then noticed the ears move on her father's head and she couldn't help but grin. Whenever Gargoyle was taking a light nap, his ears tended to move more often than usual. So, she mentally took back her words and turned her gaze back to the outside world. It was slowly waking up and as her paws kneaded biscuits into the ground, she was itching to run out and take on the day. Speech,

. . . Gargoyle had felt the tap of tiny paw against his nose, but he thought to remain in mock sleep, letting the pups continue their adventures and work on developing their own independent spirits. He had spent similar 'watches' with the earlier litters, following along behind unknown little ones, and finding shadowed perches from which to watch mud battles and games of pretend. Not so today though. His choice to remain unmoved, earned him an earful of wake-up words. Garogyle grunted, pulling his head back. Galahad was giggling and Odette was scolding, but Gargoyle just raised his head, blinking open those yellow lamps, and staring down his nose at his little daughter. He was glaring though. He understood. They all wanted to go out and explore on this lovely, rosy morning, but she wanted him to come along. The giant male stretched his forelegs forward, rolling his massive shoulders and spreading his jaws in a great lion's yawn. He smacked his lips and looked at his little family. "Good morning," he murmured, feigning the slightest bit of surprise. Once there had been a time when nothing even resembling emotion could be drawn from Gargoyle. But prolonged time with Ocena - and then the litters of his pups - had all changed that. He's expressions still tended to be sparse and laconic, but even now as he awoke, there was just a hint of smile to his tawny muzzle. After all, who wouldn't smile at such sights? "Well?" he asked of them expectantly. "What are you waiting for?" He nudged his nose towards the door. They'd let mother dearest sleep a while longer and take the party out onto the earth and dark hued sands. It was high time he had a morning outing with them all anyway. "Lead the way Odette!" he said, giving her the honor. And meanwhile, he leaned forward and picked up his doberman daughter by her scruff. The male stood - or tried to anyway, still having to dip his head and bend his legs slightly in that massive den (to dig a hole truly large enough to hold him would be to risk a cave in) Gargoyle was ready to trot along out in the first shreds of sunlight and greet the bracing ocean wind. . . .

Oracle . . . Oracle was bounding but her ears fell slightly when she caught sight of her fathers glare, ?Sorry papa, I just wanted to go outside and ode didn't want to I thought if you where up,? she glanced over at the others. When pa spoke however she could hear no anger in his voice and almost immediately started to bounce again she took as step forward ready to launch out of the cave but something grabbed her from behind pulling her back she wiggled for a moment trying to struggle free but she was caught tight in her fathers grip so after a few moments of struggle she relaxed her body tucking her legs in to her stomach she knew if she let them drag she would bump against the floor slowly she turned her head trying to look up at there mountain of a father, ?it was a joke papa,? she said quietly so that only he would hear her voice. Turning she noticed how the suns light had changed golden now instead of pink she watched as Odette led and Galahad followed. She longed to be beside tripping and rolling out into the strange world beyond the rocky ledge. But held tight in her fathers jaws all she could do was wait for him to follow. She was sure she had made the right choice Odette had said she wasn't ready and oracle had though it was fear, and so she had woken him because she did not think it was possible to fear when father was at your back. "Speech."

Odette quickly rose from the ground, little paws supporting her frame as she looked up at her father. The gargantuan man made Odette quiver in excitement for two reasons. One, she was proud to have him as her Papa and knew that it was destiny she had him for her own. Two, she knew that one day, she waa going to be like him -- standing tall in the presence of others, be a warrior and hunter combined that would poke holes in others' wakes, and have the drive to be the best she could become. It was all so much for the young one to take in, so when Gargoyle gave her the 'Go ahead' for the lead, she didn't hesitate. Her head turned to face the outside world, and with a deep breath, she persued it with an escaped giggle of glee. As soon as she left the shadow and safety of the den, Odette felt exposed. She was officially out of the nest, on ground that many other wolves had touched and passed without second thoughts. The pup took a quick minute to inhale the fresh, salty sea air that came to her in soft currents. It would be the first piece of memory to stand out from the many scents that she would learn to know over the next few years. After that minute passed, she sped up and jogged until her paws met the sand. Its texture was so different from the cool earth that made up their den's floor. It also wasn't sturdy or stayed in one place like the smooth texture of the dirt that she had gotten used to for the past month. Odette took the oppprtunity to slide in different angles and directions as she ran across the beach. Her peels of laughter rang through the once silent morning, making everyone who was awake and around them tbat she was enjoying herself. With mix-matched eyes, she turned her gaze back to her father and exclaimed, "Oh Papa. Have you ever seen anything so amazing in your life?" It didn't cross her mind that he had, but considering that she was just recently welcomed to the outside world, she didn't have much else to compare it to. Speech,

Ode did have a point about him and his sleep... Maaaybe getting up so early all the time wasn't such a good idea. Before he could tell her so she bit at his ear, making him give a surprised, little puppy yelp. He swatted at her playfully, laughing at her comment and nodding in agreement. "Yeah, food from Dad is much better than ears," he agreed, the silly thought of having to eat ears instead of their usual food making him grin. Gala watched as his sister woke up their sleeping father, or who had at least been pretending to sleep, earning her a glare from the massive wolf. Gala didn't think he was really mad at Ora though, cause he still looked pretty happy. Or, well, at least as happy as he ever looked. The little black and white pup was used to Gargoyle's expressions and knew that even though he might not be as expressive as his mom or even his siblings, his dad was still happy and stuff. Galahad perked up excitedly when his father told him to go on outside with a motion of his nose. The pup bounced excitedly and followed Odette out into the sunlight, his green gaze taking everything in. His jaws hung open with awe as he looked around at everything. Blinking as Ode's laughter cut through the air, he looked over at her, watching her slide around on the sand. Grinning, he bounded over to her, hitting the slick sand at full speed, yelping as he skidded and tumbled, falling head over heels and rolling across the beach. He rolls to a stop, landing on his back with a huff. The world spun, making the excitable little pup laugh. "Dad! Did you see that! That was fun!" he called out, wishing his mom was out here with them to see. Speech Thought Others