Baby Steps
Pups first day out
The truth was Torin wasn't ready to let his children out of the den yet, he wanted to keep them inside and away from a world he knew were not going to be friendly to them, from the eyes of strangers who would judge them before they'd so much as had a chance to prove themselves yet. So maybe he was overly protective of his little ones, they were so perfect in his eyes even as they started to talk and to wander and to eat solid foods. Maybe he was also worried because Lili and Lachlan were already hard to keep still and he knew as soon as he let them free of the den there would be no stopping them, off they'd go. Still he knew he couldn't keep them cooped up forever and he and Derecho had agreed today would be the day. Much as he wanted to keep them for himself, keep his cuddles with his twin girls and the silent bonding between himself and Paddy all for himself and his mate he knew they needed to go, to learn, to meet new people and things. So he'd gotten up early and caught a rabbit, resolving to bring them a little treat to help keep them focused and not racing off in all directions. They'd only been given chunks of meat that he or Derecho had separated out for them and it was time they had their first proper chance at a meal. As the man approached his den a scent told him something was wrong. He dropped the rabbit near the mouth of the den and sniffed the air without the rabbit clogging his senses. Lili, her scent was strong near the mouth of the den and Torin could trace her wandering away, luckily not far, tucked into a nearby brush. Torin shoved his muzzle into the foliage and easily fished his daughter out. Lili immediately started to chatter at him, bombarding him with questions and Torin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He dropped her at his paws as he came to rest beyond the mouth of the den. The girl started towards the rabbit and Torin quickly placed his paw in front of her and scooped his daughter back towards him. "Lili, you were told not to leave the den without us." He began, quickly adopting the stern tone he'd had to learn with his children. "But you didn't listen, so you're going to sit here and wait quietly, your siblings are going to get to pick whatever part of the rabbit they want and then you'll be allowed to have it. You're not going to play or run off until after everyone is up and fed, understood?" Lili nodded sullenly and pouted at his paws. Torin stifled a chuckle and decided to allow her to stew in her punishment, not waking his mate or other children as he'd originally planned. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts |
Reclaiming my time.
The girl had been jostled gently awake when her father had left the den, and instantly Lili was awake. She carefully extracted herself from her siblings and padded excitedly to the mouth of the den. Then she stopped, hesitation washing over the girl. She hopped from paw to paw, still feeling the energy of her excitement like a live wire inside her. Lili cast a glance back at her mother and siblings sleeping still in the den, she knew she wasn't allowed outside yet but they'd all be told the night before that today they'd finally get to explore outside. They couldn't really get to angry at her for leaving could they? Resolved the girl pushed her way into the early morning light, and for a moment the girl was awestruck, things were so much brighter, so much noiser, the world smelt so much more. Lili grinned widly, her bright blue gaze swinging around wildly and the girl was filled with questions. Her attention was suddenly taken by a rustling in a nearby thing. A strange fuzzy appendage flashed into the green and the girl instinctually darted after it. But by the time she got herself into the bush whatever she'd been chasing was gone. But another sound, and a familiar scent told her daddy was back! Lili spun around to peer out of the foliage, stiffling her excited giggling as she considered sneaking up on him and suprising him, as they often did in the den. But it seemed today her father wasn't playing, as soon as he dropped something at his paws, something white and smelling like food, he marched over to her hiding spot and plucked her out. Instantly all the questions Lili had been holding on to spilled out. "Mornin' Dada! Why's the sky so pretty? What's that noise from the tree? When will momma and everyone else getting up? Why does the ground tickle so much?" And so on and so forth, she only got a few more questions out when her father put her down at his paws. Instantly Lili forgot all her unanswered questions when she spotted the white fuzzy thing her dad had brought. She started to move towards it when her dad pulled her back and started to talk in the voice she knew meant she was in trouble. Lili nodded in response to his question. "Yes Dada." She said sullenly, settling onto her haunches. Only really keeping her patience for a few seconds before she was filled with more questions but knowing she wasn't allowed to talk, knowing it'd only make things worse. So instead she sat, mostly fidgeting, as she felt like she'd burst from boredom and curiosity.
"A mile a minute" & No filter |
Art by Akage-Kitsu |
"Papa! Papa!" Siobhan burst out the moment Torin arrived. she had been busy grooming her delicate pup fur because she wanted to look her very best for... well, anything really. but since Papa was here, she'd gladly say she wanted to look her very best for him. with her little tail wagging, she'd rise to her clumsy paws and stumble toward him. she had been aware of Lili's absence but decided to not get involved. if she did, she may be the one that he was talking to in such a bad way. she called this bad way 'Serious Dad Voice'. oof, it was almost scary. a pink tongue rolled from her mouth as she waited for him to acknowledge her and be done. he brought them something. maybe to play with. maybe to eat. but Siobhan already knew what part she wanted from the rabbit. "I wants... the poofy tail!" she launched into at once, eyes shining brightly at the thing that was obviously not to play with but to eat. she'd inch closer, pawing at the rabbit's body with a tentative limb. "I can have it, right? right?" because her Papa was kind and wise and wouldn't deny her simple request, right? |