Though it was generally frowned upon, Chimera had allowed his young pups to wander just outside of the den mouth so that they could investigate the sights, scents and sounds of the outside world. They were never allowed to go too far, but he wanted them to be prepared, even at such an early age. The world was a dangerous place so, from the moment that the pups could comprehend and respond, Chimera had begun teaching them about the dangers that lurked outside of the den. Not in a way to scare them, but to give them a leg up on the day that they were allowed more freedom.

That day had come. Together, he and Aliana had decided that their newest litter was ready for that freedom. They were instructed to not go far and to never leave pack lands unless escorted by one of them. Eventually they would earn this right. Those that practiced combat and could protect themselves would earn it more quickly. He had done the same with Rusalka and his litter of boys, so this batch would be no different. Self defense was important and Chi needed his precious children to be prepared.

Today was a day of fun and exploration, however. With a word to his girls and boys to stick close to home, Chi and Ali let them out of the den and into the world. So as not to breathe down their necks, Chimera settled himself on his belly just outside of the den. The light of the day was bright, but he couldn't subject all of his children to his nocturnal schedule. Instead he stuck to a patch of deep shadow, watching his pups grow up right before his mismatched eyes.

"Chimera Klein"

The dangers, the dangers. Selkie wants to know all about the dangers. The curiosity was morbid, the fascination was clinical. There's an interest here that she won't even understand until later. The things that Chimera warned them about, the things that were out there. If Selkie understood them, then she wouldn't have to fight them. She could trick them. The smartest, the fastest, the trickiest-- she'd do it. Just they all wait and see. But that would be much later, when Selkie knew and understood more. For now, the shadows were long and the world was wide. Things were safer right next to dad's side, so that's where she stuck. "Daddy," she came to sit beside him, to lean on his broad shoulder. "What's out there?" It was a broad question, today. A broad question as she peered curiously beyond what they could see of the Redwater Rocks. A big question and a big world, for such a little girl.

Outside. A concept that she had yet to really comprehend. The safety of their den was comforting. Warm, snuggled up with her siblings and parents. She hesitated when Chimera beckoned them outside. From her view inside, she could see the blinding light of day. Bright, spectacular. Watching her siblings tumble out after Chimera, Gem looks to Aliana, a sort of uncertain frown on her lips. But she would be safe, right? Dad was right there. Keeping an eye on all of them. He had promised it was safe.

Gem rose after a few minutes of consideration and slowly brought herself outside. Hesitating at the doorway, she first looks down at the red stone ground. Scuffing her paw across the dust, she notices how it covers her paws and makes her white fur red. A brow lifts, curious. She takes a few more steps, blinks against the sun, and once her eyes can focus, she sees how tall the rocks loom above her. Reaching to the sky that will forever be out of reach. Gem sighs, looks around, notices how desolate this place is. Rocks upon rocks upon more rocks. Where was the grass and trees that had been described to her? Water? Animals? Nothing but rocks. Another sigh before she sees Selkie leaned up against Chimera asking him a question.

Her ears perk up and she smiles as she plods over to her father and sister. Coming right up to the front of Chimera, Gem nestles herself between Chimera's front paws and places her chin upon one of them. Looking up at him as her tail thwaps across his foreleg, she waits for him to answer Selkie's question.

it’s a big world out there, and El won’t let herself be left out. she’s hot on Gem’s tail as the pups leave their den, new eyes blinking furiously in the light as they adjust to the brightness of the landscape beyond. it’s so different from their den, when everything had been warm and dark and filled with the comforting milk-scent of her mother. squished among her eight siblings, she’d never truly been alone - but it’d been a reassurance more than a hindrance, even if she’d had to swat a few wriggling bodies out of her way during feeding time. now, though, she eyes her siblings with jealousy, watching as they drape themselves over Chimera. her Daddy has always been her favourite, and she longs to be his, too, to have his dual-coloured eyes fixed upon her on with fondness and pride. Selkie and Gem being here…it steals her spotlight. lessens her to just another daughter.

”i know what’s out there,” El declares, tossing her head. she plasters herself to Chi’s other side, blinking up at him in quest for his approval. “it’s prey, isn’t it, Daddy? yummy animals we can eat.” she snaps her jaws shut as though sinking them into the teeth of some unsuspecting squirrel, a haughty quality to her expression as she shoots Selkie a glance. yes, she is the most knowledgeable of Chi’s daughters - and the bravest and the prettiest - and soon they will all come to know it.

Hydrae had waited for this day! She wanted to roam and be allowed to explore but she also liked this, liked being with the family.

Not for the first time, she stumbles up to her father and says "Papa! I have your teeth!" and smiles, all fangy and sharp.

But Hydrae quickly drifts from the den, paying no mind to her siblings as they bicker and squabble for attention. She is curious-- and soon, Hydrae catches a scent, her head lowering down and her tail flashing up to wag rapidly back in forth, little puppy wags. The smell is... warm! Earthy! It is... fuzzy!

Hydrae sticks her nose promptly down a nearby mouse hole, because her little snout is small enough to fit.

It seemed Phobia had been one of the braver ones in his litter. He'd lingered near the mouth of the den for days prior to this one, eager to escape the suffocating noise and constant press of bodies that was his siblings, his sisters especially. He liked em well enough he supposed but he preferred his brother's company if only because Aethon was the only one he had. Of his own age at least. The only reason he hadn't yet escaped into the open world was because it was damn near impossible to do so without someone noticing. Eight siblings plus his mom and dad and everyone else who was in that cave system! Sure maybe he could bribe Aethon into silence by saying he could come with but Phobia was not interested in bringing his sisters and he knew which of them would immediately run and tell just to spite him... El... So he was less star struck by the sights as they were finally ushered beyond the cave mouth but no he hadn't quite been outside yet. He rolled his eyes at three of the girls already mobbing their poor father. He tried to catch Elara's eye so he could stick his tongue out at her but didn't linger. Let his sisters fawn over their father, he wasn't going to waste this time. Not when he could be using it to prove he was better than them, through his actions. The adults did keep saying they were louder than words. Which did seem weird to him because Phobia couldn't imagine anything being louder than shouting within the den.

Aha! A target presented itself easily to the boy. One sister had decided not to be a prissy coward it seemed and was busy exploring the world, her face shoved into a hole in the ground. Unfortunately for her she was presenting too good a target for him to pass up. Dropping into a very front heavy crouch Phobia stalked towards Hydrae as quietly as he could before he launched himself at her hoping to slam his forepaws into the back of her head. They should have all known better by now than to let their guards down while he was around!

Hydrae is utterly fascinated with the textures and smells of the mousehole. She snuffles and sniffs, tail flicking this way in that in a raw joy that she did not feel the need to hide. However, she soon found her siblings unwilling to let her have a moment of peace. As she sniffed, there came a pounce from above, and Hydrae scraped her nose on the mousehole's little ceiling.

There came first the sting of pain, a tough rubbing sensation that left her blinking rapidly and biting back a yelp of pain. Then her nose was wet, and Hydrae did not know what to make of this pulsing warmth upon her nose, or the sting in her eyes.

What she did know was retaliation! And so the pup pulled herself out of the mouse hole, turned -- (Phobia, not a surprise)-- and snapped one-two-three times at her brother's nose, bristling, blood on her scuffed up nose. Typically , Hydrae did not care for dominance tussling. This was different. Phobia had hurt her, and she, on reflex, thusly turned to try and hurt him, as was the way of things.

Leaving mother in the den was always a thing that required a good amount of snuggles and promises of return. At least that was the way Estie always did it. When she was satisfied, Barghest ambled on after her siblings had already settled in outside; some squeezing in against their father; and two seemingly starting a little squabble in her absence. Of course one of them was Phobia, the serial puppy brawler. The other was Hydrae who was already retaliating in kind.

But what was the fun in watching when she could force her way in instead? Estie’s tail rose up, a touch of dominance thrown in and with a mischievous gleam present in aqua eyes she advanced on her siblings. Her needle-like teeth showing past a wrinkly puppy muzzle; she tensed and, missing a step which caused her to stumble at first, charged her brother Phobia with her best go of a snarl.  
speaking

Simurgh had been in a deep slumber, barely rousing as her father called for her siblings to come out and explore the wider world. If it wasn’t for her mother, who started to nose her awake so she wouldn’t miss the opportunity, Sim might have kept on dreaming. The girl sat up, stirring herself awake as she blinked her dual-colored eyes. A yawn escaped her and then, after a moment, she realized that siblings were gone. With a jump to her feet Simurgh raced out of the den, only to recoil and grumble as the bright light caused her to close her pink eye. Ouch! Who said that the world outside the den could hurt? She frowns, padding up close to her father, as she takes in the world around her.

The stone is a beautiful color and, high above, blue skies filled with lazily moving clouds can be seen. Sim flicks her ears up, frowning as she notices the offender that had caused her to close one eye. It was so bright! She was even blinking her other eye as she lowered her head to the ground, feeling the sting of tears. Don’t look directly at that thing… she was still recovering as she heard the sound of a scuffle begin, and with a frown Sim glanced over to see… oh boy, Phobia was at it again? Her ears slipped back. Already there was beginning to be a brawl.

“Phobia start it?” She asked, looking to Gem for confirmation. She wasn’t about to get involved, but knowing her brother, well, he was very likely the culprit.


"Speech," 'Thought.'

The first light of dawn cast a warm glow over Redwater Rocks, signaling a significant day for Arachne and her siblings. The den, a sanctuary until now, felt both comforting and intimidating as the pups were granted the freedom to explore the world beyond its boundaries. As the siblings tumbled out into the open, the barren sandstone landscape stretched before them, an awe-inspiring canvas of reds, browns, tans, and whites, shaped by the artistry of nature.

Arachne hesitated at the entrance, observing her sisters joyously bounding after their father, climbing on him and settling down beside him with an easy familiarity. The scene resembled a playful dance, a familial celebration of newfound freedom. However, a quiet reservation held Arachne back. Her gaze lingered on the puppy brawl erupting nearby, where some of her siblings engaged in a whirlwind of playful tussles, a cacophony of yips and growls echoing through the rocky expanse. Something she wanted no part of.

Away from the news of the war, Arachne stepped onto a path which wound through the rocks and outcroppings. A silent observer, she navigated the labyrinth of sandstone formations, her young mind processing the kaleidoscope of emotions around her. The wind narrated a tale in heat and perfume, revealing ancient tales of warring wind gods; while the earth whispered, and the scent of adventure beckoned her forward.

"Arachne Klein"

Releasing the pups into the world was like throwing gladiators into the fighting pits. They scattered. Some chose to explore while others were more hesitant and stuck close to him. Selkie settled herself with him, asking her soft question. Chimera's tongue rasped over the top of the girl's head and a contemplative rumble reverberated through the brute's wide chest. "Predators, prey, danger, family, the world. It's all out there."

Gemma came to sit with them as well and Chimera bestowed a lick upon her head as well. It was affectionate, but he also wanted his scent all over the litter. There would be no doubt that they belonged to him which would ward off quite a bit of danger by itself.

Elara answered the question on her own and the black and white giant chuckled, flashing sharklike teeth for a moment. One big paw scooped the girl in close and he nuzzle into her cheek while giving her a little squeeze. "There are many things out in the world that we can eat but there are many things that want to eat us as well. Especially tender little pups like you." With a fake rawr, Chimera pulled all three of his girls together and pretended to be a monster trying to eat them.

Hydrae bounced up, informing Chimera for the millionth time that the have the same teeth. Still wrangling the three girls, Chi nodded and grinned, showing her his own teeth. "You certainly do, love." And then she was gone, bouncing off to inspect a hole in the ground. The hole was interesting enough that she didn't see Phobia creep up on her. The big boy was going to be trouble and no doubt Chi would have to teach him lessons here and there as he grew. Like... right now.

Phobia dove onto the back of Hydrae's head and there was a squeal of pain. Chimera was on his paws in an instant, careful not to knock his more even-tempered children away in the process. Hydrae spun on her brother, aiming to bite at his nose and Chi could already see the blood on her own. He'd gotten her good. Barghest attempted to come to her sister's rescue which was admirable, but Chimera planned to use this as a lesson.

One big paw pinned Phobia to the ground and Chimera snarled, tail curling up over his spine in a display of dominance, lest his children forget that, despite his love for them, he was still the disciplinarian. "We don't hurt family, Phobia." He righted the boy and pushed him towards Hydrae. "Apologize to your sister." Roughhousing was fine. Encouraged even. Intentionally causing damage to family? Unacceptable.

Once the discipline was meted out, Chimera turned his attention back towards the den. Simurgh had come outside as well and he just caught the tail end of Arachne slinking off. Chimera sent both mastiff sisters, Meg and Gem, after the girl to keep an eye on her. A million puppies required a million sets of eyes.

"Chimera Klein"

Phobia was many things, he was volatile, aggressive and irritable. But this time he hadn't meant to hurt his sister that much. But he also struggled to connect actions to consequences right now and as Hydrae rounded on him the blood on her muzzle caught him off guard and he took a series of bites right to his nose. His shocked expression over the outcome of his pounce turned into anger and pain and chaos erupted. First he was knocked off his paws as Barghest charged him and then his father's massive paw was pinning him to the ground. Phobia squirmed, trying to pull himself free as his own muzzle started to bead with blood where he'd gotten bitten and his eyes started to water. It would be incorrect to say he hadn't meant to hurt her but he hadn't meant to do more than he usually did when they play wrestled and the boy couldn't understand why he was the one being punished. Not yet anyways. He was roughly brought back to his paws and his father told him to apologize. Phobia sniffed and mumbled a sorry to Hydrae before he dashed off to one of the stone pillars, away from the rest of his family. He kicked a rock angrily and then settled himself down, back to the rest of the group, to sulk in private. He definitely wasn't trying to hide the fact that the pain in his nose was making it hard not to cry. Absolutely not. He was young still and the instinct to start sobbing when he experienced pain hadn't quite left him after all. Even when it was 100% his fault and almost certainly justified. "Speech," 'Thought.'

table coding by bunni ♥

When freedom was finally presented to the pale child, he took it and ran. Much like a street rat with stolen loaves, they were gong to have to drag him back into the hole by force now. The sun was impossibly bright, and already he felt the heat of it against his flesh. Carefree and heedless of the sun's dangers, he wandered off without much of a plan in mind. Aethon was halfway towards simply vanishing down the path away from the den when he heard his sister squeal, and immediately turned to look. There was Phobia, being a shit disturber. Two could play that game. Even as their sire cuffed the largest boy over the head and forced him to apologize, the gangly youngster was making a beeline for his brother. As their father turned away, and Phobia too made off towards the lonely hollows and crevices of the red rock pillars nearby, Aethon picked up the pace. He all but dashed after his brother, eager to bully him. Their sisters were smaller, and it was far more fun to bully someone your own size. The dark furred boy had hardly settled down when Aethon leapt at him, teeth bared in a mockery of a snarl as he pounced on his brother's hindquarters. "Your turn!" he cried, aiming to set upon his brother's scruff with his regular, standard issue puppy teeth. "Dagger Prince"

Children were... children. He couldn't be too hard on them, but he couldn't let them run amok either. Chimera was the voice of reason in their lives. He was the final word. The dominant wolf. That being said, he didn't want to push his children away, either. If a lesson was learned, they could move past it.

As Phobia ran away from the group, Chi quickly inspected Hydrae's bleeding nose. Deciding that they would be fine, the giant man turned and moved towards the rocks where his son was sulking. Aethon ran past, tackling his brother with a bite and Chimera rolled his eyes. They were at that age, but it was a frustrating age at times. There would no doubt be more blood spilled before they were old enough to know better.

Coming to the two boys, Chimera flopped down on his belly behind them. One big paw wrapped around each and he pulled them in close, dislodging Aethon's teeth from Phobia in the process. Seeing the blood on his nose from the bite he'd taken, Chimera licked the blood off of Phobia's face. "My sons," he rumbled at the pair. "It's your job to protect and take care of your sisters," he informed them. "There are many dangers out in the world. Many things that would like to harm them." Again he licked Phobia's little wound, making sure to staunch the bleeding. "The world is a big place and I can't protect everyone at the same time, so I'm going to need both of you to help me. Can you do that?" He loved his girls, did Chimera. However, he adored his boys equally. His strapping lads.

"Chimera Klein"