What should have been one of the best times of her life, the early days of her children's lives should have been full of happy firsts, the first steps, their first words. Instead Recluse had barely managed to stay concious though their first days. Galho and Lilith did most of the heavy lifting, Galho bringing small chunks of meat from the pack's stores and Lilith working as an affective herder for the little lives. But Recluse knew she had duties she had to keep up with. And her children were old enough to finally explore beyond their bounds and Recluse had to give them all names. "Wakeup darlings." She cooed softly, glad at least her throat was clear, though her left eye had been completely overtaken by one of the crystals, basically blinding her in one eye and she worried that even if she ever recovered her sight would be even further limited. She gently licked at each of the sleeping bundles, careful not to touch any of them with the crystals or her leaking face, which she wiped regularly to avoid infecting her children. "It's an important day." Slowly she rose to her paws, her head aching as she moved and the woman grimaced but she still managed to drag herself to the entrance to the den and settled herself, waiting for her sons and daughter to approach. "Today we go outside the den, but first you all get a little gift." She smiled down warmly at her children. "Names, words by which we call each other. You are all Kleins by blood and by virtue but that is our shared family name. You each will get a unique first name, by which you will be known to us and the world." She looked over her brood and started, pride evident in her voice and she started in birth order. First she looked to her biggest and oldest of the litter. "My daughter, you will take the name of Widow, much like myself named for a species of spider known for being fierce and strong enough to take down creatures bigger than themselves." Then she turned to her first son, the pinkish boy. "You will be Ghoul, a creature of folkore so strong not even death can stop them." Then the black and white boy. "You my love will be known as Macabre, an word that means dark and terrifying, for you all have been born in the darkest time of our lives and yet you're so strong." And finally her twin boys. She first nosed at the bigger boy. "You shall be Viscera," and then his tiny mirror image, "and you Ichor." She gently placed a paw in front of the two of them. "You two are linked, two halves of a whole and both your names are words for blood, which binds us all." And with that she let them all take a moment or two to get used to the new words that now belonged to them before she rose to her paws again and turned to leave the den, calling behind her: "Come now gremlins." And she'd lead them outside,  before flopping onto her side heavily just a bit outside her den, using up what little energy she had left for the early evening... Though the time of day was basically impossible to discern from the sky alone. "Speech" Think

Art by Ulfeid3

CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET INTO HEAVEN Cherubic features lax with the mask of slumber, they were furrowed by a small frown as the delicate child felt the gentle caress of his mother's tongue along the curve of his shoulder. With a squeaky, indignant whine, mismatched eyes blinked blearily to wakefulness. His twin was carefully tucked up against his flank and he nibbled on the small boy's nearest ear. If they were all getting up, there was no way he would be letting his tiny twin sneak in any extra seconds of sleep. Though consciousness was still trickling forth, he began to wriggle his way from the pile of warm bodies and rise shakily to his paws. He yawned, jaws gaping to unleash another soft squeak before snapping shut with a definitive click. Oh! Big yawn! One might have even commented, upon seeing it. Shaking the last dregs of sleep from his downy coat, the youngster toddled over to his mother with a little smile on his face. As he plodded closer, she offered up some enticement to the children still working on getting up and out of the den. As if the new chance to get out of the whelping den weren't enough! They were getting gifts! The nature of their heritage was not lost on the champagne and slate boy, who stared up at his mother with the eerie intensity of a bird of prey. Klein was what bound them together as family and made them noble, but they were all going to earn their own special words to be called from now on. Oh, how he hoped his would be the best of the bunch. The blue girl was already bigger than him, but he was more special. He and his little twin were perfect copies of each other, didn't that make them the most special? He couldn't sit still while he waited for his siblings to get their butts over here, and scooted gradually closer to his mother. The gentle sound of glowing ooze dripping slowly onto the hard packed earth from a few parts of her face had become a constant, subtle ambiance. Like when water fell in sheets from the sky and dripped from the mouth of the den, slowly trickling inwards to form small puddles near the entrance. He wondered if beneath the crystals, her other eye looked like his. And then they were all assembled, wriggling with glee as she gazed tenderly at each of them in turn and gave them meaning in one way or another. Widow, Ghoul, Macabre. And he was Viscera to his brother's Ichor. The very forces that bound them together and made them strong. Frail crown turned to gaze at the delicate boy beside him with a huge grin, ivory tipped tail beating excitedly against the ground. "Ichor." he said, and then turned his attention to their other siblings. "Macabre.." the alabaster blotched boy. "Widow." he squinted at his sister, with the trailing gold markings around her eyes slowly developing more definition as time passed. "Ghoul." a warm coated, pale boy who always clung to their mother like a second skin. He didn't talk a lot. Just like that, their mother was rising to her paws and towering over them all. Moving slowly, her pace halting but oh so familiar. Her voice echoed through the close quarters in a gentle croon, beckoning them to follow. She was headed for the outside world, and there was no way Viscera was getting left behind. Scampering excitedly behind his mama, he was more than ready to abandon all of these losers and be the first one to breathe that fresh outside air. As soon as she was out of the tunnel, he was barreling into the foggy world beyond in a flurry of clumsy paws. The familiar nooks and crannies of the whelping den were easy to navigate by now, and he didn't trip over his long claws very often. Now, on unfamiliar terrain and too excited to watch where he put those giant feet of his, he was quick to tumble right onto his belly in the damp, cool earth. There was so much to see, even from this awkward angle. Viscera didn't bother to clamber back to his paws, and instead found himself lolling his head back just to drink it all in. Dancing blue lights all around, all but begging to be chased and tormented by eager pups. All around, the air seemed to hold its own cool toned glow, and he found himself squinting against it. His photosensitive left eye was drowning in all the new stimuli, and that portion of his vision was already beginning to blur into vague shapes. Not that the overexcited youngster noticed in the slightest, all caught up in the magic of finally being outside! When his attention finally caught the figure of his pale mother lounging near the mouth of the den, he rolled awkwardly onto his oversized paws and toddled lazily towards her. He stopped just shy of her rest spot, tipping his head to one side with his tall ears flopping over as he did. "Mama, do you have a name too?" he asked with a concerned pinch to his brows. It didn't seem right that she didn't get a cool word to call herself besides mother or mama or the many variations that her children seemed to constantly come up with every day. "" IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A SOUL

Sleep was a fond friend of his as of late with him and his siblings curled up around each other. The warmth of their bodies radiated throughout the den and he would be one of the first to open a red peering eye as the sound of his mother's paws scratched against rock and dirt. Her cooing voice called out to them to wake up and it was then that he lifted his small chin to blink sleepily at where she stood. Her tongue that stroked his shoulder in a nudge to get up made him finally realize that today was indeed the day she'd been mentioning. Turning his pale face to watch as his second-largest brother, only smaller in size to their sister, rose to meet their mother, Ghoul furrowed his brow. Determined to not be the last one over there, he stood as quickly as his puppy limbs would allow him to. As he shook to get his other siblings off of him and finally wandered over to where his mom had settled herself. As usual, his liking for their mother was the same, if not more than his siblings, and so he chose to sit beside her, his downy pink fur a gentle comparison to her stark ivory. Looking up with his bold eyes, he smiled at her as she began to speak. When she mentioned they would be venturing outside, he took one glance over his shoulder at the den's entrance where the light of moon cascaded from. Not particularly interested in venturing farther than from mother's side, he turned one ear to listen about their family name. It was that of a unique name for himself that caught his attention. One just for him picked by mama? His smile, a smile only for her, grew larger as she first greeted Widow, their only sister and already quite larger than him. But then she turned to him and his tail began to wag happily. Ghoul. Oh, what a fitting name for him. While death was still an unknown concept to him, he felt pride in the name and lingered on the thought as she continued to name the rest of his siblings. Macabre. Viscera and Ichor. "Ghoul," he whispered under his breath as Viscera did and his eyes turned toward the larger twin. At times, he envied that the twins appeared more similar to mama than he did, but he too was the only one with a pink coat. So he was different and that was good enough. Just as their mother rose, his red eyes turned back toward her. Looming over them as a protective figure, Ghoul waited patiently as the rest of them excitedly pounced to get outside of the den. Yet, the den was warm and it was safe. Mama was outside though and that's what mattered. Her beckoning voice for her gremlins to follow to the outside world was something for him to heed. Standing up on large paws, he gave a quick shake of his downy fur before venturing toward the new world. His eyes blinked heavily even in the moonlight that was supposed to be day. Scrunching up his face, he watched as the others played and explored. The world on the other side of the den was indeed interesting. Their den lingered on the slopes of an active volcano. Around them, black rocks of different forms strewn about them with peculiar appearing mushrooms and crystals growing around every corner. An eerie glow from the auroras overhead cast neon shadows as he looked around. Standing at the cave's entrance, he was unsure if he even wanted to go explore. The call of the crystals seemed to lure, but by the looks of mama, he thought it better not to go near. Caught in the reverie of examining their outside world, one of his ears turned toward the squeaking voice of Viscera. So odd to finally have real names to put to his siblings. Listening to the question placed upon their mother, Ghoul couldn't resist going near. Walking with carefully large paws over to where she lay on her side, Ghoul sat nearby as he too waited to hear what she would say.

Macabre stirred within the nest of his siblings as he was awoken by his mother, peering up at her with grey eyes that softened ever so sweetly. His eyes held a vast array of emotions, even if he did express them so clearly. They sharpened with intensity, but they also softened with the childlike curuosity of the wold ahead of him, and the life he had yet to live. He grinned at his mother, that widely curled grin that faintly resembled that of his father. To others, it seemed a tad disturbing the way it stretched his lips into an almost unnaturally contorted curl, but it was the endearing, loving face of a baby that only a mother could love. He knew Recluse adored him all the same, and nothing could change that.

He began to race out of the den, ready to see the wide world ahead of him and his littermates, when his mother began to give them their names. He was a Klein, he knew that -- what was a Klein, though? Maybe it meant something cool or scary. That was awesome -- he liked anything cool or scary. His siblings each received their names in birth order, and as he was the middle child, he was third to receive his name. As soon as his name left her lips, he instantly did his best to place it in the forefront of his mind, grinning widely as he repeated it. Macabre, Macabre, Macabre, He thought to himself, making it a mantra he wouldn't be likely to forget. Wasn't this how most children learned their names? Obviously, they weren't just born with them. Mom chose them, and perhaps for good reasons. She mentioned Macabre meant "dark" and "terrifying", and he just knew he'd make it a goal to live up to his name. He wanted it to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. He'd crush them all. The visceral urge within him stirred like a slowly awakening beast, some deeply-rooted instinct deep within to inflict pain and fear upon others who defied his family.

As soon as Recluse gave the all-clear for her little gremlins to explore, the spotted child wasted no time. Though not as big as most of his siblings, except for Ichor, he made up for it with a surprising amount of speed and strength for his age. He practically launched himself from the den's entrance, sprinting past his siblings with a cackle in glee. This was so fun! What a marvelous world lay before him! He hadn't known a world that wasn't shrouded in darkness and coated with the pulsing, blue mushrooms, crystals, and ever present fireflies, but he didn't care. It was all he ever knew, and he assumed it to be the norm. He skidded to a stop a good distance away from his family, then bounded over, lowering himself into a play bow with his tail wagging.

"Vis! Ghoul!" He yipped, trying to engage them. Ghoul was always near their mother, and he never really comprehended why. It seemed to dull to just be by her side. Nonetheless, he wiggled his haunches impatiently. "C'mon! Race me!" He made the invitation to all his siblings, but the cocky expression that lit up his face suggested he was going to win. He wanted to be the best he could be!

To grow big and strong, the largest pup of the litter certainly didn't miss out on any opportunity to sleep. It was exhausting growing bones and building muscle at a faster rate than her siblings, but she could only wish that it were happening slower, instead. Why did she have to be so big? The only girl in a sea of boys and she had to tower over them all? A frown creased her little face as she crumpled back into the nest warmth surrounding her. She often ended up on the bottom, being the heaviest. She didn't mind though, she could pretend the mass of four puppies on and around her was really just one or two really large puppies, making her the smallest. It helped her sleep at night, really.

Today was an exciting day it would seem, even if she didn't want to wake up and face another day of growing pains and teasing. Being at the bottom of the bunch, it was less of her mothers gentle words and more of her stirring brothers that woke her, and she did so with an annoyed groan as she rubbed her face with her little dark paws. The excitement from her littermates though had her awake quickly as they took their warm with them and left her in the cold, empty space they'd been nestled in moments ago. Almost begrudgingly, the little girl toddled over and sat amongst her siblings, peering up at their mother with large silver eyes framed by forming gold eye liner.

First came what they all were ─ Klein. A name that they shared to unite them as a family. Today, they would each be receiving their own personal name, that they would address each other as. She hadn't considered the concept until now, but wagged her tail quickly in the dirt of the den while Recluse continued. Moments later, her mothers single eye focused on her and named her Widow, apparently similarly named to her! That was exciting at least, and she couldn't help her tail beating into the dirt as she repeated her name inside her mind over and over again. Her brothers came next, Ghoul being the quiet pale boy, Macabre being the black and white boy, and Viscera and Ichor being the twins. Her silver gaze flitted over each of her brothers, repeated their names back in her mind, before looking back to Recluse again as she motioned to lead them out of the den. They'd get names and be going outside today?

Widow froze and frowned. Outside. Where everyone else would stare at her, and probably even point and laugh for being so much bigger than four boys. Her once ecstatic tail fell limp to her heels as she hesitantly moved towards the den's opening and out into the foggy world. Scared that literally anyone else would see her, Widow followed her mother closely as she moved to relax near the den. She did her best to hide her body behind Recluse, eyeing her brother that came up to ask questions out of the corner of her eye. "Mom─" She started to whine, pouting. "I wanna go back inside!"

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

The tiny boy, who was absolutely dwarfed by even his shortest brother, was jolted awake less by his mother's gentle call and kisses and more by his bigger twin's gentle nibbles. He blinked blearily and yawned tiny serrated teeth and his forked tongue visible for a moment, the latter of which swiped around his cherry lips as he closed his jaw. He swiveled his head as he watched his siblings one by one get up and follow their mother, he pressed up gently against Widow's legs as she moved, the tiny boy was most connected to his twin brother of course but he wanted to just be close with all his siblings. He grinned up at her before breaking off to sit next to his twin, pushing himself into his much bigger brother's haunch.

Their mother told them that they were getting their own names, they had one they all shared. They were all Kleins, just as their mother and the fleeting glimpses of their older siblings they'd gotten but they would each get their own names, each their own! The tiny boy's forepaws danced in front of him as he waited, repeating each of the names before his own in his head to try and force it into his memory. Widow, Ghoul and Macabre. And then it came to him and his brother, they were given the names of Viscera and Ichor respectively. Names that linked them but still allowed them to be distinct from each other.

The boy, now named Ichor, turned to look up at his twin... Viscera! He grinned up at his brother, practically barking his name back to him. "Viscera!" His tiny tail also beat the ground matching his twin's rhythm. And then something even more exciting happened. Their mother beckoned them to follow her outside! Ichor practically bolted out of the den, tiny paws racing along the ground and he ripped around the den a few laps before he raced back towards the greater group of his siblings. He bounced up towards Macabre, dropping into a deep playbow. "I'll race ya!"

Recluse knew not all of her children would be as excited as the others but it was time they started to branch beyond the den, even if she was worried she wouldn't be able to keep up with them and she was even more terrified they'd end up infected too. Some of her sons would race around, Macabre and Ichor seemingly the most excitable, neither of which were surprising to her. Her tiny son's twin would approach her though and ask a question. She chuckled, gently putting a paw on her son's head. "I do Viscera." She gently wrapped her tail around her daughter to try and comfort her little girl and smiled at Ghoul who lingered nearby as well, unsurprisingly. "My name is Recluse, named for a species of spider called the Brown Recluse." She ushered her daughter to come and sit at her chest, she wouldn't force Widow to romp around with her brothers but she wasn't going to return to the den either. "Speech" Think

Art by Ulfeid3

He couldnt help himself. Whatever aspect of Recluse life he wanted to have a part in. It seemed like it had replaced his lust for wolfs blood. Either that or his illness had prevented such a thing. It was more than that, ever since his siblings vanished hed yearned for family connection. As such every klein hed come across had been a positive experience. It wasnt long before the blue man had approached the excited bundles just as Recluse was explaining her name.

"A strong name for a strong woman." he chuckled keeping a few feet away. He was a stranger to these pups. "And what a day to you little ones." Eraithus spoke softly. This was a dangerous world that these pups were entering and all of Habari if not he wanted to make sure their development went well. Especially with what he had seen with Ichor and his twin.