Piper trotted along with a little bounce in her step which really just seemed to be how she moved rather than an actual indicator of her mood. She still hummed happily as she walked, but she was much more thoughtful today than she usually was. She had played with daddy and that had been really fun, but she hadn't gotten to play with mommy yet! She was a whole half a year old now! That just wouldn't do for her, nope. When she woke up this morning she had made it her mission to go find her momma and play with her too. She got a little distracted along the way with playing in the snow and chasing after some leaves that the wind had caught, but she was on her way now! She went to their den first, but when she saw that her mommy wasn't there she had hummed thoughtfully and pulled her brows together. Where could she have gone? She wasn't entirely sure where her parents went during the day and stuff. She sniffed all over the ground around their den till she found Momma's scent and now she was following it just like how she had learned how to track prey by their scents. There was no breaking her determination! When she realized the scent was getting stronger, her smile got bigger and her tail started wagging. "Momma!" she called, her voice sweet and trilling happily. "Are you here, Momma? I followed your scent like I was hunting!" She gasped with a realization and stopped, dropping down into a crouch. "Oh, I'm not supposed to talk when I'm hunting! Oops!" she said in a loud whisper, her ears falling back against her head. "Talk" 'Think' "You"

Wren was usually away from the den because she was hunting, self-training, swimming...doing her own personal things. She was naturally a pretty intelligent wolf, liking to be alone rather than around others. With the exception of Bass and her kids of course. But doing individual things...it made her feel less stressed in the scheme of things. Right now she was busy disposing of rocks that were sticking out of the walls of the family den. Considering they needed more room, digging was necessary, and with that came annoying rocks that liked to stab her in the belly at night. Nope, not very comfortable.

Plus, her two youngest babies were growing. Until they became a year old, they'd need to stay with her and Bass in their den. Which wouldn't be a problem...considering they managed to fit five overgrown pups, plus the two of them, inside that den about two years ago. The thought made her chuckle. How did she survive in a den packed with so many wolves?

Wren let out a heave of effort as she rolled the rocks into the edges of the thickets, shoving them in places that made sense instead of piling them up in the middle of nowhere, just waiting to cause trouble. She was tired by now- but thankfully, it was cool...stopped her from sweating like a pig. These rocks were reasonably heavy after all! Wren seated herself slowly and sighed, smiling. She was satisfied. Suddenly, a familiar aroma filled her nose. This was strange...the Sandpiper she knew was loud and silly. Was her daughter trying to sneak up on her? Wren smirked and lifted her head, whistling innocently. Suddenly, the high-pitched voice of her tiny tan flower met her ears, and she turned around, trotting toward her puppy. "My dearest Sandpiper is growing to be quite the hunter." Wren said with a playful smile, leaning down to kiss her on the ears. "How lucky I am to have such a wonderful daughter who can hunt for me and my husband." She practically sang, seating herself beside Sandpiper.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Piper immediately hopped up again when she saw her Momma coming toward her, her butt wiggling from the force of her tail wagging behind her. She giggled when she licked her ears, giving her head a little shake. That felt weird! When her Momma sat down so did she, plopping onto her haunches and leaning into Wren's side, tipping her head up to peer at her. "I'm trying really hard to learn! But it's sooooo hard to stay quiet. It'd be much easier if the rabbits and dears and stuff came when I called for them like you to!" She giggled and wiggled at the thought. How funny would it be if all the sudden all the bunnies came running toward them! It would make hunting much, much more fun she thought. "What are you up to, Momma? Why are you all the way out here? I went to the den to find you so we could play and you weren't there so I had to hunt you!" She laughed cheerfully at the idea that she had to hunt for her parents. She had done it when she had gone to find her Daddy to play with him too, she realized, but she decided that it was much easier to hunt for wolves than it was for food. She was glad her Momma hunted for food and stuff she she didn't have to worry about it too much. She was pretty sure they'd all starve if they had to wait for her to get quiet enough to hunt! "Talk" 'Think' "You"

Wren craned her head down so she had a better view of her daughter, who was now leaning against her side casually. The woman grinned. Her newest litter of pups were so tiny and fragile- how did they conserve all this energy? They didn't even eat that much yet...too much sleep, maybe? No...Sandpiper and Tordo never liked going to bed. And when they did, it was usually Sandpiper who demanded a bedtime story. On top of that, when she finished too early and Sandpiper and Tordo were still awake, she was forced to sing an all-too-familiar song that would settle them completely. Its not that she didn't like singing- it was just that her little babies had too much energy for her to handle. Shrike didn't even have this much energy as a child.

Actually, that was debatable. Shrike would never stop talking and asking questions. It was like his lungs were the size of Imperium itself, dismissing air like it mattered as much as a wild bird feather. He had probably gotten it from tiny baby Bass. Wren laughed at the thought and let her ears rotate as Sandpiper spoke, explaining how hard it was to hunt. Or, to stay quiet. Wren lifted a brow slowly. "When you're hunting, stay downwind to your prey and avoid stepping on debris. Also, pretend your mouth is bind shut. That way you won't accidentally say hello to the target before attacking it." The dame said with a silly grin, her tail sweeping back and forth.

Sandpiper asked her what she had been doing and Wren instantly pointed her nose up toward the nearest rock. "There were rocks crammed into the walls of the den, honey. I thought it'd be nice to remove them." She explained, turning her soft minty gaze back to her tiny daughter. When Wren first looked at Sandpiper as a newborn puppy, she couldn't help but grow weak in the knees. Her facial markings were exactly alike to Bass'. And just her fluffy little face looked like Bass...now she felt differently, and saw her daughter for who she was. But the thought came back to her in a flash as she studied the girl's facial markings silently.

"Speech"
'thoughts'