it was still a bit dark out but it was the early morning. he was still getting used to the light and how it shone in his eyes. used to darkness up until this point, Whittaker confidently strolled out of the family den and into the ship. though he didn't exactly go far, his parents' sleeping forms were still in plain sight along with his siblings behind him. he only went as far as the doorway, peeking around the corner hesitantly. afraid to go far without anyone with him, because this would be his first time exploring the ship without being carried by his father or mother. they were all getting bigger, save for Lumi who was still a bit on the small side. their parents probably couldn't carry them around forever.

Whittaker felt himself sit down, his stubby tail curling around his legs as he looked wide-eyed across the ship's interior. there was so much to do and see, but he felt overwhelmed by that. he'd wait until Mom or Dad could show him. he was just happy enough to have this sneak peek. he listened as the wolves around him snored softly in their dens. as a child, he knew not to go off Winterfell's land yet but he didn't know the reason why. he felt safe here, untroubled by the rest of Boreas and Auster. there was some wonder in his eyes as he leaned forward to get a better look. across from the room was another. this one was empty, housing only strange contraptions he didn't know the names of.

he twisted his thick neck to glance behind him. all of his sisters and brother were still sleeping, curled up to their parents' still sleeping forms. a more adventurous pup would explore; Whittaker's growing mind thought he was being useful, standing there and keeping watch. both his parents worked really hard for the pack and deserved their sleep. he wouldn't go far. he'd be right in the line of sight if they woke up. the boy simply sat though, finding no courage to go farther than the doorway.

The not so little bundle of fur was content to sleep in the warm furpile that was her parents and siblings…that is, until one of them left leaving her side cold. It was downright cruel to be born in the middle of winter, she was too young to understand that this northern weather was abnormal all she knew was that it was cold and she didn’t like it. Shivering she finally forced her eyes open, albeit only a crack to see that Whittaker was the one that had left the pile. As he looked back, her eyes closed, maybe she could go back to sleep. Of course..that wasn’t going to happen. After a moment, her eyes opened again and she lifted her head with a wide yawn.

Well, if she wasn’t going back to sleep, she might as well go see what he was doing, maybe it would distract her from the cold. Long legs and huge paws took her as quietly as she could up to him, coming to a stop next to him without a word as she looked around. Her curiosity amplified ten fold as she peaked outside of their room to the one across from it. Large ears came forward as she glanced down at Whittaker with a mischievious grin on her lips. “C’mon…lets go see whats in there.” She whispered with excitement, nudging his shoulder lightly with her own. If they were going to get in trouble for leaving the den they might as well have fun before they did.

Winter It was so warm curled up with her family. Her thick winter coat keeping her warm...and sometimes, a little too warm. When she felt too warm she often had to extract herself from the other warm bodies and find a cooler spot, and this was one such case. It was like being near an oven sometimes, a too warm feeling for her. Still half asleep, she carefully pulled away from the other bodies until she had flopped a foot or so away. Her head rested on the cool ground, a draft from outside finding its way to her. Lilac eyes slowly opened up, tongue coming out as she yawned. Smacking her lips together once or twice, she peered with blurry eyes and thought she saw a couple of silhouettes against the doorway. She laid her head back down, debating whether she should go back to sleep or get up and investigate. The latter won. She rose to her paws, the girl stretching each leg and flexed her toes to reveal sharp, pointed kitten-like claws. To her of course, this was normal. She hadn't quite yet realized that she was the only one among them that had feline qualities. And of course, as she grows older, there would be more to prove she was different. But for now, it was her feet. She strode over to her two siblings and sat between them, another yawn splitting her jaws since she was still half asleep. "G'morning.." "Speech"

he supposed being the oldest that it was his responsibility to look after all five of them, himself included. he gave an apprehensive look to the room before shaking his head. Whittaker's pale red eyes squinted against his sister's urging, but he remained where he was. "go if you want" he said softly but firmly to Orca. he wasn't going to get into trouble because of her. it was simple; she'd be alone unless someone else joined her. but he would also be there to watch and make sure nothing happened to her if she went to explore. she wouldn't so easily make him fall to her whim. he wasn't that stupid. it was their first time outside the den without their parents, and if they woke up and saw they were gone... well, it'd be den, den and more den walls.

he didn't feel like being confined to that boring place for longer than possible. movement behind them caused the boy to give a shake. Winter joined them momentarily after Orca tried to tempt him. she only offered a quiet 'good morning' which he was glad for. Whittaker gave his other sister a nod, but his eyes remained on the opposite room as if expecting a monster to peek around the corner. his take on the manner was clear; they should wait for father and mother to wake up before going anywhere else. Ice and Lumi were still curled up too; he didn't want them to miss anything either. "when will they wake up...?" he shuffled his paws against the cold ground, breaking his cool exterior to show that he too wanted to go explore the ship.

Lumi snoozed quietly against Heloise's side. It was rare that she parted from her mother's familiar white shape. The den was a place of complete domestic bliss. She couldn't imagine leaving the warmth of the belly of the ship. A disturbance in the sleeping pile let her know that her siblings had begun to disentangle themselves. Slowly she roused as well, shaking off sleep.

The small bob-tailed pup squinted at Winter, Whit, and Orca. They lurked as a group at the entrance of the family home. "What d'you think you're doing...?" she said, a bit crossly. Instructions were very clear. Leaving the den was a big no no. She was big on following the rules.

Orca would huff at her older brothers reluctance to join in. It was their first real chance to explore without the eyes of their parents on them and he didn't want to go? Someone needed to coax him out of his shell, and we'll...Orca was just the pup to do that. She was about to speak when Winter slid in between them, offering a tired greeting but otherwise silent. Claws flexed, digging into the floor for a moment before she looked back at her slumbering parents just as Lumi woke and came up next to them. Her question pulled another grin from Orca. "Adventurin'. Want to come?" She asked, tail wagging as she stood up and stretched.

She wasn't going to let Whittaker ruin her fun. A soft nudge to her two siblings next to her and Orca bounded off into the next room. Quickly, the shadows of the other room would engulf her and the youth immediately felt settled and at home. She welcomed the shadows like a loving embrace, or a cloak to hide her from dangers. Of course, there were no dangers here. Just an old, dusty room full of odd trinkets and bedding that had been drug in and abandoned by one wolf or another. Orca was far more interested in the trinkets than the bedding. Orca began investigating the closest contraption- a desk. One drawer hung open, but with nothing inside. The other drawers were all shut...she'd have to figure out how to open them.

Head cocked to the side for a moment before she looked back at the door and then grinned once more. Arching her neck with jaws open she grasped onto her own upper leg- nose burying into her fur- and she screamed. The muffled sound would no doubt alert Whittaker and her other siblings that didn't come, but would unlikely reach their parents. For dramatic effect she'd cut off the scream and bump against the desk creating a thud sound. Then, she waited. Which of her siblings would come to her rescue?