Beorn was in the barnyard minding his own business when he found himself swarmed with nosy sheep coming in from the Knolls. The naturally curious beasties crowded in to check him out, which, honestly, made him uneasy. They were so big! He sat up and dropped his bone as one just about touched his nose with its own.

Another leaned in for a sniff and he barked a small, timid woof of warning. The sound earned him nearly bupkis; the sheep drawing back a little for the barest of seconds before crowing back in with renewed curiosity. Alarmed by this, Beorn bellowed out a ‘help I’m dying’ howl and waited to be rescued.

"Speech"

Tyrian had just finished driving in a small number from one of the flocks for a wellness check when a tiny, panicked howl drifted to him over the backs of sheep. This was a group of older world-weary ewes who rarely gave him trouble so at first he looked beyond them thinking the danger was incoming. Curiously, there was nothing save for a waylaid ring of sheep at the front of the line who were dragging the procession to a halt. He regard it for a moment before it clicked. Jupiter’s kids. “Fu-“

With a bark he split the line and then began to move towards the source of the cry. His path cleared with ease as the sheep saw no reason not to yield to a large wolf. Their experience was in his favor. “Alright, ladies, come on now, shoo,” he said as he approached the ring of nosy ewes. Lo and behold, one of his…great nephews? Second cousins? One of those new close relatives- was surrounded. Tyrian scruffed the boy and in one motion hauled him through a nearby gate.

He set him down and began to dust him off knowing full well he was fine. “I bet that was scary, eh, Bub?” Yep, the boy was totally fine; not a mark anywhere. “Wanna know what I would have done?”

Lorelai couldn't help but be fascinated by Grunkle Tyrian's domain. She'd heeded the many warnings that sheep were valuable, and potentially dangerous, and also valuable so if she mucked around with them it'd be her own fluffy behind on the chopping block, but that didn't stop her from being curious. Upsetting Tyrian (or worse, Pops) was not on her agenda for the day, but maybe... maybe she could sneak a quick look from afar? She just wouldn't touch anything or get too close, and it would probably be fine. Lore was in the belly between two knolls when she heard her brother howl out a caterwaul of doom. Her fur fluffed out in instinctive shared alarm, and for a split second she wanted to turn tail and bolt back to the last place she'd seen Dad. But- But... No! Beorn needed help, and she needed to be brave! Lore sucked in a big deep breath and charged forward towards the sound. Her little legs could only move so fast though, and by the time she crested the final knoll and barreled down towards the milling swarm of fluffy monsters- Oh. There was Beorn, and an older wolf she couldn't remember meeting, who looked an awful lot like Pops. She came to a huffing, panting stop a few paces off from Beorn, too winded to realize Tyrian had been speaking and that she might have been interrupting, but making sure her brother was okay was first and foremost in her mind. Fighting to catch her breath she asked, "Beorn are... you okay?" She looked over her elder brother carefully but he seemed alright, not that she was exactly healer material. "Did you die?" Definitely not healer material. "Talk" "Listen" Think

The galaxy pup sits in the grass near a fence post, watching the large slate-hued wolf expertly drive the big wooly creatures into a circle. The sheep seem to respect this wolf and Kore stares in awe at the graceful way the wolf works. Wonder filled eyes watch the way the predator herds the prey animals onward with seemingly little effort on the wolf’s part. The purple pup wants to be able to do that someday and wonders if he will ever be able to. When he hears a puppy voice howling for help, Kore instinctively moves to follow in the wake of the bigger wolf, wondering what kind of trouble Kal has gotten into this time. However, the boy’s small puppy legs are no match for the large wolf’s stride and Kore is left in the dust.

Luckily, the slate-colored wolf reappears in short order with a small bundle in his mouth, heading toward a gate and the galaxy clad pup rushes to catch up with the pair. He watches the wolf deposit the bundle onto ground and finds it is a pup. It isn’t Kal so that is a relief but the purple pup still wants to be such it is okay. A streak of red flashes in the corner of Kore’s vision and a fire-kissed form of Lorelai comes to a stop a few paces from the pup and wolf. The purple pup is close enough to hear their voices and the fiery pup asks the inky pup if he is okay. Poor Beorn, that must have been scary. The purple pup pulls close to the group, moving to stand beside the other pups while giving Beorn a short inspection.

When he finds no blood, Kore offers the pup a gentle shoulder bump and smile, trying to convey a sense of pride at the fact that Beorn had not died to the hooves of the wooly animals. Bright blue eyes turn to the fire-kissed form of Lore and he offers her a smile before turning his gaze to the adult, eager to learn what he would have done in Beorn’s place.


"Kore Regni"

His short little life had just enough time to flash before his eyes before Tyrian plucked him from the midst of the sheep and set him down in a sheep-free zone. Once released Beorn stood frozen in the exact stance he'd had hanging from Tyrian's jaws as his mind buffered. The clang of the gate as it swung shut behind Tyrian caused him to sidestep like a startled cat and that, blessedly, was enough get things running again in his little head. Beorn clutched a paw to his chest and let out a relieved sigh.

"Yes," he answered in a small, embarrassed voice. His uncle had breezed through the sheep with ease. They hadn't given him any trouble; just moseyed out of his way well before he was in range of asking - almost like the shepherd had moved them with his mind. And yet, even when barking, the sheep hadn't listened to Beorn when they were right up in his face. Surely it was sorcery! Even though he felt like hiding Beorn wanted those secrets. "How'd you do that?"

Lorelai bounded up and asked if he died which brought his terror back to him anew. Beorn's bottom lip jutted out as he thought about his near death experience. Embarrassed in Tyrian's presence but totally fine with confiding in his siblings, he whispered for their ears only, "I thought they were going to eat me."

"Speech"

Tyrian pretended not to hear the whispered words since that kid seemed a bit shy and learning he still needed to master the art of whispering probably wouldn't do his already bruised ego any good. To them all, he said, "It's all about presence. You know what presence is, right?" The tusked boy hesitated so Tyrian explained, "Presence is the feeling you get that helps you figure out what someone is like before they even start talking. Say you see a new kid and you want to play with them but they don't really look at you and they back away when you walk up. That might tell you the other kid is shy, right? Or nervous, maybe. You just kinda know they don't want to play with you even though nothing was said. But what if you lock eyes with a new kid and they smile and run up to you? You'd get the feeling they want to play, right? That's presence." He paused to consider the audience. Tyrian didn't have much experience with pups and he was afraid he was going to talk over their heads. "Sheep are prey animals so even though these are tame they don't really like confidence in us predators. They respect it and most of them know not to mess with a confident predator. So even if you don't feel very confident, you need to act like it if you want them to listen and respect your space." To Beorn, he said, "So what I woulda done is stood up real tall, puffed up my chest," he did as he said while speaking, "And looked 'em right in the eye. For a lot that will be enough for them to respect your space. Some of these ladies, though, are a little bolder. Those you have to be firmer with," he fixed his attention on Kore. Tyrian dropped his head to just above shoulder height and looked squarely down his nose at the boy. "You gotta make 'em believe the only way is your way," he said in a low voice before swinging his attention to Lorelai. "Be quiet and still, don't give up any ground, and if they still push you-" he lunged towards the trio with a short bark that made the sheep behind him skitter back. Tyrian grinned playfully and stepped back to where he'd started. A lot of what he had to teach was just unlocking intuition. Learning by feeling, if you will. Sheep were sensitive; sometimes a glance at a distance was enough to move them in the direction he wanted, but trying to put that glance into words left a lot to be desired. Learning, sometimes, was seeing. "Now" he said with a mischievous smirk, "do you guys think you can do that?" ""

Relief washed through Lorelai with the knowledge that her brother was perfectly fine, and with it came gratitude for their uncle who was now pretty much a superhero in her opinion. She also flashed a quick smile over at their younger brother who'd also heeded the alarm and come to investigate. It was comforting to know that if bad things happened, someone would be there quick to help out. She wanted to ask what Kore had been up to, but before she got a word out her attention was lassoed and pinned down by Tyrian. She listened with wide eyes and rapt attention, riveted by the older wolf's speech. Confidence and presence? She could do that, probably! They came from a long line of powerful wolves, why wouldn't she be confident? Lore puffed up her chest to mimic Tyrian as best she could, bracing her legs out and standing strong. It'd be even better when she was big, but it wouldn't hurt to start practicing now. Make 'em believe my way is the only way... Lorelai liked the sound of that. She could be strong, and brave, and confident! 'Course, when Uncle Tyr showed them what he meant with a bark of his own she couldn't help but skitter back, just a pace. Lore let her breath out in a quiet huff, trying to calm herself again. Today had been a roller coaster of emotions, that being the least of them, but it was good help for her practicing so she wouldn't be upset. She just needed to try harder. Lore looked up at her uncle and gave him a firm nod. "Definitely! We'll be the best sheep wranglers ever!" She looked sideways to her other siblings, nodding encouragement. "Right guys?" If she was being totally honest, the idea of being in there with the fluff monsters maybe sort of made her a little bit nervous, but it was only because they were so big, that's all! One day she'd be the biggest, and in the meantime she'd just have to keep working at it. "Talk" "Listen" Think

The nebula hued boy watches his taller siblings, eyes roaming over Boern just to make extra sure that he really is unharmed. When the ice kissed boy whispers his fear to them, Kore steps closer giving his brother an encouraging nudge. Looking to Lorelai and back to Boern, Kore whispers, “You were so brave Beorn! Those fluffy monsters had you cornered and you survived. You did great! Right Lore?” Bright eyes flick over to his fiery sister with a wide grin, trying his best to be encouraging for both of them.

The slate-hued wolf captures the pups attention, speaking about the sheep and how to command respect from the prey. Excitement zips along his nerves as the galaxy pup’s eyes slowly widen with anticipation, tail starting to wag. The large wolf lunges toward them giving a short bark that makes Lore and him skitter back a pace. His tail wags even more eagerly as Kore sees the sheep behind his uncle react the same way. That is so cool! His uncle must be very strong. Kore decides he wants to strong like that.

Holding his tail high, the appendage wagging even faster, the galaxy hued boy looks to Lore as she speaks. A huge grin appears as he nods his agreement, saying, “Yeah! Best wrangles ever! If we work together, I bet we can take them all on!” Small chest puffs out in pride, knowing that, with his siblings with him, nothing will stand in their way. Turning his bright gaze to Beorn, Kore says, “Hey Beorn, wanna to take the lead? We’ll back you up! Right Lore?” Looking to Lorelai, the pup’s smile grows. Beorn deserves to take the lead, those sheep scared him! They were all going show those fluff balls who is boss. Bright eyes look at his siblings with all the confidence of an untouchable youth.


"Kore Regni"