Words "Speech" The world was a strange place, that much Astor had discovered. He had a very real adventurous side and his curious nature always had the wheels spinning in his head. He was beginning to grow rather bored of the den life and wanted nothing more then to explore the outside world. He could smell and hear things that were so unfamiliar to him and he was truly intrigued. He would sidle his way over towards the opening of the den and carefully and quietly poke his head out of the opening just so he could get a look at his surroundings. From what he could tell there were a bunch of tall things that surrounded them (unbeknownst to the pup these were called trees). Majority of the time he could hear the chirping of birds in said trees and that was what really drove him to want to get out of the den. He could hear them early every morning, they were what woke him from his sleep and eventually he had become quite attached to a particular cardinal in a nearby tree, the big one that was closest to the den. Today Astor wasn't going to wait anymore. He picked his way across his slumbering siblings to crawl out of the den and when he landed outside he practically tripped over his own long legs to run over to the base of the large oak tree. Glancing upward he barked at the bird who merely stared down at him, blinking curiously. "Hey you, come down will ya?" He said before plopping his haunches on the ground to sit. He stared up at the bird, cocking his head to the side slightly and offering it a toothy grin whilst his tail began to wag.

It was another day, summer helping warm the pines some though it seemed it was colder than it usually was this time of year. Félicien wasn’t sure if the colder patterns were merely because of the volcano’s eruptions or if it was simply because he was getting even older. The cooler temperatures, coupled with his advancing age, would have the old man tempted to stay in the den more and were were it not for the miracles Avalon bore them. Each of his children were a little blessing… and goodness only knew how Avalon managed to have five of them! He had been worried sick with such a large litter that she or the pups were going to have some sort of complication and the fear of losing any of them had crept into his mind more than once. Thankfully none of them had passed and, with the exception of Amée being considerably smaller than his siblings they were all healthy… what more could he really ask for at this age?

For the most part the children had all remained in the den without too much trouble. Astor was particularly curious about the world beyond where they slept, although they were all starting to ask questions and wondering when they would be able to explore. Féli knew it was only  a matter of time before their first trip out of the den… and the old, blind wolf was far from ready. He wished he could freeze time, stop any of them from again, though that was far from realistic thinking.

He was curled against Avalon that morning as he slept, chest rising and falling with a slow cadence. He wasn’t sure how late it was but hearing Astor’s voice, sounding more distant than it should, caused Felicien to stir. His ears perked and the old man slowly got to his paws. His muscles gave a bit of protest but he was sure once he was up and moving he would be alright. He moved to the entrance of the den and breathed in; sure enough Astor had wandered away from the den. His son hadn’t gone very far though and judging by the chirping he heard Félicien had a good idea where he was.

He moved towards Astor with a low hum, letting his other senses guide him when sight could no longer aid him. “Trop impatient de voir le monde, Astor? Les oiseaux vous appelaient-ils trop fortement aujourd'hui?” {{Too eager to see the world, Astor? Were the birds calling you too strongly today?}} The French slipped off his tongue easily. He had been speaking it more ever since the pups were born, determined that they would know both English and French… at least somewhat. If those chose not to speak it that would be fine… but he wanted them to at least recognize the language when they heard it even as they aged.

Words "Speech" Astor couldn't help his curiosity. The birds had always intrigued him and he quite enjoyed listening to their songs early in the morning. But this particular morning was different. The cardinal had been calling to him and he couldn't resist it any longer. It was a bit brazen him leaving the den without his parents or siblings but Astor wanted to prove just what a brave boy he was. Plus he knew that he would not go far, besides his bird friend was planted in this particular tree. It continued to stare down at him and would occasionally chirp and Astor couldn't help but giggle to himself. It was a funny little thing, it was his bird. His most favorite bird. 'Trop impatient de voir le monde, Astor? Les oiseaux vous appelaient-ils trop fortement aujourd'hui?' He heard his father's voice before he even noticed his presence he was so busy watching his little bird friend. "Oui père. It's my friend." His french was not nearly as great as his father's but it was a few simple words that he had picked up over time. He would improve over time the more he heard it but for now it was a bit broken. He finally glanced over at his father then, shifting his weight so he could stand and move to nuzzle his broad chest. "Is everyone sleeping?" He asked him, wondering if his siblings and mother were still slumbering.

Océan was an early riser, he was up and out of the den before the sun was even fully above the horizon. Once he was given his freedom the puppy could hardly be contained. He was given a boundary around the den that he hadn’t gone past even though he wanted to. Everything was so new and incredible the youngboy wasn’t short of anything to look at. He was out playing on the cold grass when he heard familiar voices.

The young boy raced forward, his gangly form coming into view of his father and brother quickly. He followed their gazes to the trees to catch sight of the little bird, not that it could keep his attention for long. His race slowed and Océan pattered up towards his dad. He leaned against the man’s leg, his dark tail wagging at his hips. He was quiet as he preferred to listen.

The realm of sleep held Amée in its clutches and seemed reluctant to let the small pup go. He was comfy, however, curled up in the den with his mother, sister, and the last of his brothers as he nestled against Avalon’s belly. Getting up early was not something the pup did often, especially since his parents were hesitant about any of them going far, and so he kept golden eyes closed as his form rose and fell with each breath he took. It was hard to want to wake up, especially since he was warm and comfortable, but eventually Amée stirred, shifting his head to the side away from his mother, and sleepily opened his eyes.

It took him a moment to realize anyone was missing from the den at all. Amée stretched, mouth falling open in a huge yawn, before he looked around and saw that his father, Océan, and Astor were already up for the day. The pup frowned and rose to his paws before creeping to the entrance of the den with hopes they had not gone far. He wanted to go on an adventure if they did!

They were close, thankfully, and the tiny male scrambled out of the den eagerly, tail wagging behind him as he came over to the tree to see what they were up to. He came up between Astor and their sire, voice curious when he spoke up. “Morning~ What is everyone looking at?” He sat down beside Astor, who was almost twice as big as he was and grinned at his brown and tan sibling as his tail thumped the ground.

Words "Speech" Astor was content to sit and watch his little cardinal all day if it had been up to him. The pup didn't have nearly as much energy as his other siblings did, it was almost as if he was an old soul trapped in that body of his. His attention was immediately distracted though at the presence of Océan. He knew that his brother wasn't particularly chatty but he was happy regardless to see him out and about. He was one of the earlier risers and Astor was pleased that his brother wanted to spend time with him and father. He was about to move to engage Océan in play when Amée came barreling out of the den, quickly capturing Astor's attention for the time being. 'Morning ~ what is everyone looking at?' He asked whilst taking a seat alongside Astor. Astor grinned down at his much smaller brother and spoke excitedly, though not too loud as he didn't want to startle his newfound friend, "My bird friend up in this tree! Isn't she pretty?" He asked Amée, instantly wanting his brother's approval as he leaned against him with a furious wag of his tail.