Halo couldn’t believe it. Things since the pups had been born were an absolute blur. Though she couldn’t remember ever being this tired in her entire life, she also couldn’t remember ever being this happy. Bursting with pride at every milestone, Halo couldn’t help it. She couldn’t help any of it, it was all so wonderful. The pups were healthy, they were happy, they were growing like weeds. She was going to enjoy every minute of being with them, being with her family. How absolutely wonderful.

The days were getting shorter and chillier, and it struck her that today may be one of the few warm days they had left. “What do you think about getting them outside today?” She whispered to Mortis, not wanting to get the gaggle of pups excited unnecessarily. A warm autumn afternoon… that sounded like as good a time as any, right?

“Hazel finished putting up the boundary around the trees yesterday, and it’s nice and warm.” She pitches the idea quietly to Mort, watching the pups where they settled within the den.

"Halo" & "Mortis"

The sudden influx of young children had left Mortis and Halo in a frantic state of preparation. It felt like from the moment he had heard the news, he’d only been reacting. Reacting to having kids, reacting to having six of them. He had frantically built a shed by the side of the treehouse, and crammed some of Halo’s shelves in there. Making room in the healers den. “I had the same thought” He whispered back to his fiance. Sneaking a quick kiss to her check. “Let me get some final preparations done?” He asked quietly.

-- a few hours later--

They had set up a rope fence around a decent sized area around the den and treehouse. Telling the kids that they could explore that space to their heart's content, and leave the area with the supervision of a companion or an adult. Mortis wanted to be everywhere at once, but he knew with six kids under paw that would be impossible.

“Alright, guys” He said, going over the rules one more time. “Remember, don’t leave the marked area without a companion or an adult! Me and your mum will be in yelling distance the whole time, so just shout if you need us." He brushed his wings over each kid. Have fun, and try not to get into too much trouble” he teased.


"Halo" & "Mortis"

Outside, outside! It was really happening, they were freeee. He raced to the door so fast he skidded on a rug and nearly toppled over. His wing whacked one of his siblings in the head as he fought to balance himself. “Sorry, sorry!”  He yelped without slowing to see who he’d attacked. And then he was at the door, peeking out into the bright light. He didn’t hog the doorframe, he knew his siblings were just as excited as he was. He raced out of the den, and did a little hop-circle just outside the den. Which way should he go? There was so much to see. The world was so big! It was hard to make a decision. He was almost giddy with his sudden freedom. “Someone pick a direction!”  He called out. To his siblings, or parents, or someone. "Speech"

The moment they were told that they would finally be able to go outside, she couldn't help but wait impatiently by the door to be freed–much like her other siblings. Peering up at her father as he once again spelled out the rules for their time outside, she nodded dutifully since she definitely didn't want to have their outside time delayed any longer. The moment that they were finally let go with one last directive to not get into too much trouble, Wynter tried to dart out of the door–only to get slightly delayed by the battering of her brother's wings. She shook her head a bit, spitting out a bit of downy feather that caught caught in her mouth. She snickered a bit as he apologized, but forged ahead regardless and darted out into the sunlight right behind him.

She had to blink a few times to get used to the bright light, the chill of the autumn air catching her a little off guard at first. Obviously it was going to be different than being inside the den, but somehow she was surprised by just how much! She looked around with wide eyes at the woods around them, taking it all in with a soft, "Wooooow..." under her breath. Wylan called out for someone to pick a direction and she looked over toward him for a moment before looking around again with a hum. She saw a weird, gnarled bush that was within the boundaries of their rope fence and she called back, "This way!" before running off toward it with slightly wobbly, loping puppy steps.

"Wynter Carpathius"

Out. They were going out. Warden was borderline vibrating with excitement, ready to be outside. Out in the world. The big, wide, brilliant lot of it. There was so much outside, and here he was. He got to just vibe in it. How cool was that? Only half listening to the directions from his father,

Barely listening, actually. Just like the rest of them, Warden had places to be. With all the confidence that he could pack into his little body, Warden burst out into the woods. His eyes went wide. There was so much of it, and the trees were so tall. Pick a direction and this way echoing through his head, echoing off the trees. Warden tossed his head, gaze tracing the boundary line. It was to the farthest point that he was immediately drawn, taking off in that direction. "This way next!" He called over his shoulder. There was so much to see, and Warden wasn't about to waste any time.

"Speech"

She lay on the floor with all four paws in the air. Not a care in the world that her nearly chimeric coat would get dirty with pine needles and dust. Instead, her focus was solely on the bone that was grasped between her front paws. One end of the bone was pushed up into the roof of her mouth as her sharp puppy teeth gnawed on it. Drool pooled around her lips as she let out happy puppy noises that satisfied the itch in her mouth that all puppies got when they started to lose their teeth. It would go to show that this one was also slightly chubbier than the rest. Honestly, she couldn't help it. The food her parents provided was so darn tasty, she couldn't get enough of it! Lost to her current task, Ursa's ears barely shifted against the floor when her father finally returned. When had he even left? He was talking about something. Something about them going outside and not leaving some fenced-in area. Huh, okay. To Ursa, she didn't really care to leave right now. She had a bone to chew on! That was until his ginormous wing swept gently over her. Looking up with those bright purple eyes, Ursa smiled around the slobber and bone fragments. Her tail began to tap the floor happily as she twisted around until she watched her siblings bound out the door without a second look backward. "Okok," she grumbled between the bone before finally rolling over onto her paws. Careful to keep her chew toy grasped between her teeth, Ursa began to toddle outside after her siblings. When she meets the threshold, everything hits her at once. It is bright. It is loud. It is... wonderful, amazing, colorful, but also terrifying. What was that sound? A loud cawing of a raven echoed through the trees, but to Ursa, it was screeching that pierced her delicate ears. Her expression moved from awe to wonder to fear to uncertainty. Even as she spied her siblings bounding around, fearless and excited, she stayed by the doorway. Pressing her side against the frame, she instead sat down and watched where she knew she would be safe. URSA FATALIS

The den certainly seems to be getting crowded as the growing pups mill around inside with relative calm. Zion sits near the back wall, confusedly watching Ursa gnaw on a bone across the den. The arrival of her winged father has the girl stirring from her silent observations and she quickly moves to give him a hug. Truthfully, the pale girl wouldn’t mind if they lived in this den forever, as long as they were all safe.

However, it seems that the universe has other plans as her dad announces the rules for going… outside.

Uncertain, the girl stops her approach to Mortis and instead, shuffles over to her pale mother, gently pressing into her side and looking up at her with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Could they really go outside? Would they be okay? As if to answer her question, Wylan bounds outside, followed by Wynter, Warden, and even Ursa. Zion presses herself into Halo a little more as loud sounds filter in and she is suddenly afraid to face the unknown beyond their front door.

Throat works as saliva begins to overfill her mouth and nausea goes her stomach roll fitfully. Maybe, if she throws up, she won’t have to go outside. A pitiful whimper escapes as she looks to her mother for support and advice.


"Zion Fatalis"

It was... a long way from her cozy little corner to the door. While her siblings bound forward fearlessly, and Zion clings to mother, Whisper takes steady (if short) steps across the room with interest... and not. She stands alongside Ursa for a moment, allowing her pale tail to thud against her bigger sister while her violet eyes adjust to the brightness of out there. She almost can't make out the rope that defines their border, but there is plenty to get into out there. In fact, the way the breeze was waving the rope boundary sure made it look like a tempting chew target... she wondered if she could hang off it by just her teeth? Making a beeline for the boundary, she thought it was worth giving it a shot.

The girl managed to dangle for a moment but it wasn't much fun. She had the best idea to fix it though! “Urs come push!”

“Speech”