The Warlord and Queen carefully shepherded puppies down the incline outside their den. Watching each and every little jelly bean as they made their way to the more solid ground below. The start of summer had added an extra warmth, and the Col was well sheltered against the worst of the wind. It meant that the land was actually starting to feel a little warm. The perfect sort of day to introduce their new brood to the pack.

They had strict instructions to the guards at the gates and the entrance to the market to keep an eye out for the wee trouble makers. “Alright, listen up! Don’t leave the Col. Don’t try to climb the mountain. No entering that caves without one companion of wolf accompanying you. No playing by the fire pit. No--” He stopped as Zee shushed him. Probably a good thing, he might have gone on for a while. Labelling crazier and crazier restrictions. “Have fun, and know that we are watching ” He said instead


Ooc: Please let Zee reply next! :)

"Speech"

No matter how many times this day had come and gone, it never got any easier. Giving a new litter of puppies their independence for the first time was hard for the helicopter-parent Zee had become, and never before had she had seven little ones to watch out for. At least she could be thankful the ocean was no longer an immediate adjacent danger, but it brought her no reassurances to instead imagine tiny bodies roaming the darkened cave system. It did not help that three of those tiny bodies in particular were plagued with disabilities she had never seen. Would the girls manage to stay safe when they could hardly see? Would her small crystal-touched son struggle to make it back on his leg? Sirius seemed to think similarly, placing restriction after restriction upon them until finally Zee placed her paw upon his own in a subtle gesture. “We will be right here if you need us.” She added carefully, giving the pups a warm smile. “Have fun and get to know your new home, but please be careful.” "Speech"

Kyanite knew the glaring sunlight was a bother to her. Just going onto the verandah outside their home had caused her pain. She had gotten her mother to help her rig up a scrap of dark cloth that she could wrap around her eyes to keep off the worst of the sting the sun caused her.

Heading down the incline with the rest of her family, the girl leaned against her cat companion. The fluffy young cat had crept into a den of wolves late in the night and curled up beside her. Even her grumpy Warlord father hadn’t found it in him to shoo her away again. They had become fast friends, and she relied on the sure-footed creature to help guide her during daylight hours.

Reaching the bottom, and impatiently listening to her father read out their rules, she bounced on the balls of her feet. She wanted to explore, she wanted to go into the caves where it was dark and she could really explore. The moment her father said ‘have fun’ she was off like a rocket. Stumbling on unsure paws across the Col, following the weight of the cate beside her to guide her towards the cave system.

"Speech"

I'LL BE SINGING "WE ARE FREE"- BUT WON'T YOU PROMISE ME; It was time to get out of here! Shepherded from the whelping den by their parents, half a dozen little pups scampered out into the light of a cool summer day in the northern reaches of Boreas. The blond youngster clung close to his mother's side, waddling along in her shadow as his siblings paid their sire's warnings hardly any heed before wandering off. He sought to bump gently into his mother's leg, watching Ky and her companion race off towards the caves. "Should I go with her, just in case?" he questioned softly, lifting pale eyes up to Zee's familiar features. Pinched brows displayed his concern far more than his question initially had, and his gaze drifted next to Vanta and Crux. Should he stick close to one of them in case they needed his help? What if something happened to them, and no one else was around to help them? All of this was a very clever ruse, deep down. The world was very big and wide, and he wasn't sure he liked that very much. The vast expanse of the valley beyond the mouth of the caves was intimidating in itself. He liked the close, comforting embrace of the tunnels and caves far more. And what of the pack? Would they like him? There was a lot to consider, and already the pudgy little boy was lost in his thoughts of what he should do with himself now that there was all kinds of things to do... THAT WE WON'T EVER FORGET WHAT THAT MEANS? "speech"

The day had come for the pups to go outside and, while her siblings are eager to go explore, Andromeda is more content to linger at the back of the crowd. As the gaggle of kids and adults come to a halt and their father begins to list off areas they cannot go, the purple pup tucks herself into a small dip in the wall so she can hide a little better. Pale blue eyes watch her siblings’ expressions as the demands are listed, noticing the excitement and uncertainty that play across their faces.

Her gaze then moves to where mom stands and notices the way she lifts a paw to gently place it on dad’s own. This simply act seems to quiet the bigger man and Andromeda tilts her head in curiosity. Such a simple act seems to have stilled him and mom then offers her own gentle words to the mix. Finally, the moment many of them have been waiting for, arrives and their parents release them. Kite, with her dark blindfold in place, is immediately off and running, her cat helping to guide her away from obstacles as they go.

Andy’s pale gaze lingers on the pair as they move to where the caves are, only turning to look at her brother as he voices a question. The concern for their sister is evident in her pale brother but there is also hesitation in him. Finally, the purple pup detaches herself from the wall, silently moving forward until she is next to Stratum. Gently, she brushes against her brother’s side, pulling his attention to her. With a soft smile, Andy shakes her head, letting him know he doesn’t need to follow after Kite before tossing him a wink.

Without a word, Andromeda strikes out, moving after her sister’s disappearing form as she takes it upon herself to trail after the adventurous Kite. She wants to allow her brother time to enjoy the world with their mother while also placating any worry that might be lingering in him.


"Andromeda Falatis"

The children were allowed out at last and their first outing as a family out of the dens and down the incline of Dreamer’s Col to more solid ground. Charlton’s ears perked forward curiously, his blue eyes widened with curiosity about the world around them. Already it was hard to focus on what his father was saying, though he was doing his very best to make a mental note of the restrictions their dad was setting. They weren’t meant to leave the Col, they shouldn’t try to climb the mountain, they shouldn’t enter the caves without accompaniment, no playing by the fire pit… it was a lot at once and Charlie’s smile slipped away to a thoughtful frown. Thankfully their mother came in and stopped him from continuing and Charlton was grateful. He wanted to follow the rules but he also didn’t want to have to remember too much!

Licking a small, protruding fang the pup let his gaze slide after Kyanite as she took off. Despite her disability, she was eager to head off and explore, not that Charlie could blame her. Stratum seemed less confident than their sister, close to their mother though he asked if he should with Ky. Thankfully for Strat one of their other sisters, Andromeda, followed after Kyanite to keep an eye on her. Charlton breathed a little sigh of relief. He worried about his disabled siblings, and maybe keeping a buddy system with them would be a good idea. He turned to Vântoase and offered a little smile, even if seeing it in the light would be near impossible for her.

“Hey Vanta, come on! Let’s go!” He also shifted his attention to his brothers Crux and Dread. “You guys too!” He bounced forward and, when he landed, dropped his front end to the earth before wiggling his rump and tail in the air. He didn’t expect Stratum to leave their mother’s side but, if he did, he was more than welcome to!

Vanta was slowly herded down the stairway with her siblings, sticking close to her mother and father and pressing tight against any limbs she could find for security. Walking unaided was scary especially when she didn't have a companion as cool as her sister's to guide her. Her father began to talk - rules, rules, more rules - but honestly the half-blind pup could not focus on them as she wanted to. The sun hurt and while she squinted her eyes closed tight, she wanted nothing more then to open them and see what her siblings were seeing.

The sound of rushing pawpads signalled the departure of someone (she didn't know who) and her brother's voice called her name, encouraging her with them. "'Kay." She murmured softly, stepping up blind and leaning herself against his shoulder for guidance. "Don't go too fast tho'." Why couldn't they have done this outing during the evening, when Kite and herself could properly see. Worries began to flood her, and she directed them to the siblings around her uneasily. "What does it look like?" She asked.

"Speech"

It was different outside the den. Brighter. Louder. There were so many different smells, and the feeling of a summer breeze as it raked through his coat. Dread lifted his muzzle to the sun, feeling the warmth as it washed across his face. Ah... the boy could get used to this. Still, he doesn't want to remove his gaze from his siblings. Not for long. As long as everyone was together, he could keep them safe. He would keep them safe. Dad would give them instructions. Dread would likely end up following them rather creatively, but that was fine. He lingers, holding back for a moment. A look to their mother, making sure that she was really okay with this. At the sound of Charlie's voice directed his way, Dread's head snapped 'round. The look he gave his brother was simple, blank, as if looking through him. Carefully, the boy watched them begin to wander on, his gaze resting on Kite, Vanta, and Crux in turn. He'd let them go first, set the pace. Watching carefully and enjoying the sun on his back, the boy slowly moved at the back of the herd. Patient. Waiting. Watching, ever so carefully. Oddly silent for a boy his age, but that didn't need to matter.

Outside! Crux was practically vibrating with his enthusiasm. Some of his siblings didn't seem as excited as he felt, which confused him. At least it did until the bright light of the sun actually started to beat down on them, and he found himself staring up at the open sky and realized just how big the world around them was. It was a shock to his system, and he felt a sort of anxiety of the unknown settling over him, mingling with his excitement. The boy glanced around at his siblings before he turned his attention back towards her parents as their father began to give them so many rules. It was a lot to try and remember and almost certainly the first listed rules were pushed out by the ones that followed. He wasn't even going to try and hold on to them all, instead much like Andy he noticed the way that his mother's touch seemed to calm the warlord.

Kite was the first to go off running, and Crux couldn't help but wish he could chase after her but he was already the slowest of his siblings and with her cat to help guide her the boy knew well enough that Kite was unlikely to be stopped by much, so instead he rose to his paws and pondered his options. He looked back at Dread, catching him looking and he stuck his tongue out and winked at his brother. Dread seemed preoccupied with him and their light-sensitive sisters, and Crux found it a little annoying, to be honest, he wasn't naive enough to not realize he was different from his siblings, he didn't move as well as they did, but he also didn't really feel negatively about his leg itself. Sure it was frustrating when it stopped him from being able to play with his siblings in the same way... But it was also the only body he knew and so he chaffed a little under the extra attention Dread gave him because of it. Still he loved his brother and so wanted to reassure him, and maybe if he was lucky it'd mean Dread would trust him to handle himself.

His attention was drawn to Vanta's question and he decided he might as well fill her in. "It's big." He said, simply at first. "There's no cave roof here so it just goes up and up and up. There's a bunch of other caves around but there's a big open space right in front of us. There's a fire pit like halfway between us and the opposite caves?" It was hard to tell to be honest, he'd never seen something so big before and he didn't yet have the language to be more accurate than really big.

Speech

Art by Talia!

Her stumbling gate had her almost falling a few times, though Lioness guided her through the worst of it. She knew that so long as she could feel the cat beside her, she wouldn’t lead herself astray. She was curious what this bonfire her father mentioned looked like. As well as the mountain, but she knew it was useless to try and enjoy the view in the harsh light of day. The quicker she reached a cave, the quicker she could enjoy this outing.

It didn’t take long for Andy to catch up with her. The other pup was able to move unaided, and guided by her own sight. Kite jumped a little at the sound of another wolf's paws near her own, but Lioness patted her paw and whispered her siblings name to her.


"Speech"

Kite and her companion took off at the first opportunity and Zee felt her heart lurch along with the pup's excited bounds out and away. Leaning her shoulder against her husband for support, she swallowed the motherly instinct to follow. Her children needed this independence; no child could grow with their parents stuck to their sides like glue. Stratum's weight against hers drew her attention off her daughter's departing frame and she gave the boy a soft smile as he questioned what he should do. Being shorter then the average Fatalis, it was easy to lean her head down to murmur in the boy's ear. "You don't need anyone's permission to protect and defend your family." She told him fondly, lifting a paw to ruffle the fur between his ears. "Though you must be careful not to stifle their freedom, nor your own. Go play and explore and trust that if one of your siblings needs you, they will let you know." Giving him a gentle nudge, she encouraged him to join the litter. The rest of the pups bounded forward in turn and she caught Dread's look for further permission and approval. No, she was not quite okay with it, but she needed to be for her children's sakes. The Col was well protected and for every puppy running around, they had three well-trained and experienced warriors. They would be okay.. she hoped. Giving the boy a nod and an approving smile, she gestured for him to head out with his siblings into the Col. "Speech"

Vanta’s voice was soft and, for a moment, Charlie wondered if maybe he was being too pushy about trying to get them to move together. The look Dread gave him was what really had him questioning it, but he wasn’t going to allow himself to dwell on it. Their parents had brought them out to explore and it felt natural to want to walk beside the siblings who struggled a little more. Not because he thought that they couldn’t explore and do things too, but because he wanted to be with them and for all of them to feel included. To experience things together. It wouldn’t be something that would last forever, especially as they aged, but even now, as a kid, family meant everything to the young Fatalis. If he could spend this time with his siblings and parents then he would, he wanted to, no questions asked. Vântoase leaned against him, using him as a guide. Charlton gave a small nod, taking it easy with his pacing despite wanting to rush ahead. Making sure they were all included in this venture was more important than getting to see everything. “I won’t. You can trust me!” He promised firmly as he took a slow, but progressive, step forward. Crux came along too, answering Vanta, and Charlie’s ears perked forward as he listened to his brother speak. “Very big. It seems to go on and on without really stopping.” He agreed with Crux's statement. "The area above us where there is no cave stretches even more than where we can walk, blue with bits of white." Charlie twitched his ears thoughtfully. "I'm not really sure where to even begin checking stuff out. It seems like no matter where we start there's just so much ground to cover. Dad said to stay away from the fire pit though so we'll avoid that. Anywhere you want to check first, Crux?" Then, to make sure Vanta was included he added. "And when mom and dad let us out here when it's dark I want you to lead us around next time, Vanta! I think you might find something we don't." His words were proof he didn't fault her for her disability but worked with it instead. He wanted her to feel like she could do things just as the rest of them could, the same with Kite and Crux. Just because they had to do things a little differently didn't mean it was bad. Because they had to take things slower or see the world at a different time of day just meant they might discover different things than the pups who could zoom around everywhere… and all experiences were important. "Talk," 'Think.'

Step by step Vanta pushed along with her siblings, her shoulder gently touching that of her brother's to ensure that she could keep the same safe course as him while she walked. Crux's voice caught her ears and her head swivelled to the sound, giving toward him a thankful smile. It was good to hear him so close by and relieving for Vanta to know that the differently-disabled child was not heavily impeded by his own crystalized body. Someone was surely helping him too, right?

His explanation only made her more curious - no roof? It just goes up and up? Forever? The itching feeling to turn her gaze to the sky returned and she swallowed it hard, remembering the sharp sudden pain in her eyes with clarity the last time she'd dared to try to peer into the sun-lit day. Charlie's voice added to Crux's, and Vanta frowned at the added bits of information. "And we can't get up there at all?" Suddenly she dropped her front end into the grass, pressing her muzzle into it and lifting her paws over her eyes to try and shield them from the light so she might be able to squint out and see even a little bit of what they described. It partially worked, allowing her to squint into the grass without too much discomfort, but as soon as she angled her gaze and the shielding paws upwards the blindness swiftly and abruptly returned. Ugh.

Her brother was still talking, and as Vanta got back to her paws and shut back her eyes, she refocused upon his words. They were kind, and while she appreciated the effort it was hard not to imagine that his idea was born out of pity. Would she find something in the dark that the full-sighted pups could not? Vanta doubted it, but she could still hope. "Maybe!" She forced enthusiasm into her tone, continuing forward with the rest. Charlie had posed a question to Crux, and turning her head she waited to hear what the boy might choose to explore.

"Speech"

Vanta seemed to be doing fine as she walked with Charlie to help guide her. And Crux couldn't blame her for asking if there was a way for them to get up into the open sky and the boy considered it as he walked along beside his siblings. "Maybe if we could climb the mountains." He offered, though he knew well enough they'd already been told they weren't allowed to do that, and to be fair Crux certainly didn't like the idea of being that high up. "But it looks like the roof is even higher than that!" He really didn't know how to explain it, the sky was so big. Some part of him was certain if he lifted more than one paw off the ground he'd simply fly off the ground and into that big blue expanse and be lost forever. He hadn't considered that the cave roof might have been keeping him on the ground before he'd seen the wide-open world.

His musing about being eaten by the sky was interrupted by Charlton's question though and he thought for a moment, to be honest, he wanted to go check out the fire pit but he considered his other options, they'd been told to stay away from many of the caves as well as not to climb the mountain sides, which left one very obvious option. Crux gestured towards the silhouette of the obelisk, it's form massive and dark on the horizon. "Wanna see what that is?" He asked, one forepaw lifted to point at the hulking shadow and glancing at his siblings, before realizing he had to explain it for Vanta. There's a really tall shape in the middle of the field, it's probably at least as tall as the mountains." He said, it wasn't but he had never seen it before this moment and anything more than twice his height was about the same size in his mind at this age.



Speech

Art by Talia!

The small purple pup follows after her blindfolded sister, trotting quickly to catch up to Kite and her cat. Her sister stumbles a few times and worry has her legs moving faster until she is close. As she approaches, Andy notices the way her sister jumps and the girl frowns in apology… quickly realizing that her sister cannot see it.

So, instead, she steps up to Kite’s other side, acting as a bumper to help guide her sister’s body in the right direction without actually pressing into her side and making her feel confined. It takes a moment to adjust to but once the trio fall into a comfortable pace, Andromeda softly says, “So… caves, first?” A happy smile is on her lips as they walk, ready to nudge Kite back into safety if needed.


"Andromeda Falatis"

Charlie hoped that Vanta wouldn’t be too hard on herself. It hurt his heart when his siblings felt down about their disabilities. He was sure that, given time, they could overcome them though! Still, she at least tried to be enthusiastic, even if she didn’t believe him. Charlie gave a small nod, though she couldn’t see it, and listened to Crux as he said they might be able to reach the big blue ceiling if they climbed the mountain. Not that they could right now, but he was pretty sure the other boy was right. The ceiling seemed higher than that like they could never really reach it, no matter how far up they climbed. It was different than the roof of the cave to be certain. At Crux’s gesturing towards a towering object, Charlie’s gaze swept towards it. It had a pretty big shadow… maybe Vanta would be able to see from it? “It seems kind of neat! I say we go take a look at it. There’s a lot of shadow in front of it too. It’ll keep us out of the sun for a little bit!” He was careful to double-check his speed, not wanting to get excited and speed up to the point of leaving Vanta behind. “I wonder what it’s called? There wasn’t something like this in the mountain.” He paused and then asked. “Think we could climb this instead? It doesn’t look like there’s a lot of spots to grab on, but…” "Talk," 'Think.'