Hattori couldn't help but be somewhat impressed by how fast they were all growing. Naturally, some pups were larger than others, but as far as he could tell they were all thriving and developing as they should. He'd spent a fair amount of time with them as they grew, ensured none wandered off whilst Kirko had a moment or two to herself, but as young as they had been he couldn't say he'd really gotten to know them. That was about to change though, clearly. After finishing his early morning round, just ensuring that the bamboo was secure in its entirety, he made his way to the den and knew a difficult task lay ahead.

He loved his children in his own way, perhaps not smothering and doting, but paternal all the same. They were his blood, his kin and though his affection was not outspoken it remained.

"You may come out to play, if you remain within the bamboo." He announced, knowing full well they were listening and likely eager to make their way out into the world.

Kaizen's nose twitched, though they had been granted permission he wasn't entirely sure if he actually wanted to. The cosy darkness of the den was all he'd ever known, it was cramped more often than not, but the familiarity of it was safe. What else did he really need? He glanced at his siblings, brows furrowing in pensive thought, considering this far more intently than he needed to. It didn't really occur to him that he'd leave regardless of if it was now or later, but it felt like a big choice to make. A big moment in his short life.

Maybe he should wait and see what the others did?

Being trampled and dogpiled within the confines of the nest was all Shinrei had ever known. It was hard to really grasp the concept of likes and dislikes when one had only been accustomed to a certain environment. In this case, the pearly boy had grown used to being pressed against by warm, fuzzy mounds of his siblings that going outside was a foreign concept to him. He felt no urgency to explore, but he figured it was time to see just what outside had to offer. After all, Father had so graciously offered him and his siblings the opportunity - why not take it, show how brave he was?

The large boy squinted as he approached the den's maw, silently glancing up at the familiar, broad figure of his dad as he noticed his brother, Kaizen, had already ventured outwards. He'd noticed for a little while now that the dewclaws on his front paws were swollen, rather large, and in turn, it made his forepaws ache. He was in a discomforting state, not knowing why his front paws were hurting compared to the back ones, why he had those strange little toes on his back ones, but not his other siblings. Why so.. different? And yet, why the same?

Shinrei hovered at the den's entrance as well, glancing at Kaizen, then back at the siblings who had yet to emerge.

Kina

Kina's hind paw scratched at the little nubbins adorning her head before she rolled onto her feet and snuggled in closer to her mother, enjoying the warmth. She would've been to content to stay there but opportunity beckoned when her father arrived and said they'd be allowed out to explore if they remained close to the bamboo. She could do that! She could definitely do that.   She wasn't sure what bamboo was but she'd figure it out.

Kina pounced onto her paws, little tail wagging rapidly. "Yay! Daddy let's play outside!" She bounded past two of her brothers who were hovering around the den's entrance and out into the wide world. She crashed through a puddle, her snow white fur immediately staining with mud. She'd have kept going but she slowed  too a stop and stood there blinking in the morning light. "Wow, it's bright out here," she observed, her albino eyes struggling a bit more with the light. She scooted into the shade of tall green somethings. Delicately reaching out a paw she tapped them, noting the hollow sound. "Daddy, are these bamboo?"

Stretched out on his back, Jiro purposefully placed his hind paws against one of his siblings for support. Occasionally thumping against them, he wanted to see how long it took before they batted him away. Keeping silver eyes closed, pretending to sleep, his exaggerated snoring made it obvious that he actually wasn't. Sides heaving in and out as he exhaled to peek at the dust that swirled around his face.

It isn't until his father, looming in the doorway, announces that they may go outside, does Jiro actually stir. Giving his sibling one last nudge with his too-large paw, Jiro lazily rolls over onto his side and then up onto his paws until he is casually trotting past his father, Kaizen, and Shinrei. Shooting them a look over his shoulder, he smirks, knowing he probably will break a rule or two before the day is done. Unintentionally, mind you.

Spying Kina off in the shade, Jiro first stops by his albino sister. Plopping himself down onto his rump, he leans his head against her shoulder and rubs his own nubbins against her fur to satiate the itch of them beginning to protrude. "Kina, 'course it's bamboo. It's all dad talks about," Jiro teases, his playful puppy smile being tossed in their father's direction as he brings similar eyes up to the titan. "What's more interestin' is what's hidin' in them," he turns now and moves into a crouched position.

"If ya look close 'nough, you can see the mice runnin' 'round," Jiro murmurs, lowering his body closer to the ground as if he were a cat stalking their prey with his butt maybe a little higher than it should be. He had watched them at night from the doorway, from the inside of the den. Little creatures mama had described as mice that wanted a seed or two to eat. They didn't like the daytime light, but in the shade? That was where they were safe.

With his midnight coat helping him blend into the shadows, he lowered his nose to the ground and tried to sniff out some of these critters.

The rhythmic thumping of Jiro's hind paw against her side was comforting, rather than annoying, even if his intent was to bother her. The chaotic, squashed den was all Seiko had ever known - and with ten siblings it wasn't like things were ever really peaceful. If it wasn't one sibling poking and prodding her it was another, a constant gaggle of puppies no matter which way she turned. But it was all she'd ever known, so she didn't really feel overwhelmed by it all, but the prospect of a little more room to stretch out and explore was just as tempting to Seiko as it was to the rest of them.

If Jiro hadn't moved first she likely would've shoved him out of the way as she flipped over, moving from her back to her stomach in one clumsy motion, paws flying this way and that as she scrambled upright. Explore? She wanted in! All she'd ever really seen was glimpses of the outside word from the mouth of their den, always being ushered back in before she could get far enough to really see anything.

But it seemed that was all about to change. Pushing past Kaizen as he hesitated, and even past Shinrei, she sought to trail behind Kina. Jiro's words earned a faint little laugh from Seiko, who moved forward to examine the bamboo more closely. "No way you're fast enough to catch one of 'em," she teased Jiro lightly about his speculation about the mice. Well, it was half jest, half truth - she'd never really seen him move fast persay, not that any of them had ever really been granted that opportunity.

Instead of tapping it with a paw, she rubbed her little horn nubs on the bamboo - half because she wanted to see what would happen, and half because her little growing horns were itchy, and the prospect of something maybe harder than the ground (or her siblings) to scratch them on was a tempting one.

When their father had returned to the den to call them out, Keisuke had been focused on the activity of a beetle that had made it into the den. His pale silver eyes flicked and watched as the bug moved across the floor, noticing how each leg moved and inched it along. He had been so focused in fact that he did not hear what his father had said, and it took several of his siblings moving to go outside for him to notice that the others were on the move. His head came up, a blink of his eyes as he slowly moved to the entrance of the den. What was going on? They were allowed to leave now? He would step outside, breathing in the scent of the fresh air as the breeze brushed against his koi patterned coat.

The world his father and mother had roamed were far bigger than he had realized. He took a few more steps out into the open before moving over to sniff at the bamboo that sheltered them. Each sight, each smell, each new feeling was something he took in slowly. All of this was new, his world to explore and learn. The boy would turn from the bamboo and look for the next new object. Merely a rock, but still it had his interest for the moment as he pressed his paw against the bumpy and rough surface to experience it.

Outside. It wasn't as tempting a prospect as one might imagine. The glaring light that came in hurt her eyes and her brothers seemed quite content to linger where they were too, but as one by one bodies moved out, a bit of anxiety snuck into her chest. There was suddenly too much room, the temperature had dropped as each body moved out and Mochi breathed a deep breath in through her nose and sighed. She supposed the decision had been made for her.

Wandering to the doorway, she squinted and scowled. It seemed just as terrible as she had anticipated. Toddling out to find a shady spot, she flopped on the damp, muddy ground and her face screwed up in disgust. Outside was terrible. She decided then and there she hated it.

"speech"

Majima was definitely amongst the more hesitant of his siblings, he'd been jostled awake by the commotion of ten other bodies starting their day but as his siblings started to filter out of the den Majima found himself hanging back. As more and more of the young pups trickled into the outside world he finally started to trail afterwards but as he got to the mouth of the den he paused and hesitated. The last thing Majima wanted was to been caught lacking but he couldn't help himself as he glanced back into the den, he wanted the reassurance of his mother honestly. It wasn't that he assumed his father would ever lead them into anything unsafe but well... He was still young. Taking a deep breath he stepped out into the wider world, finding himself with the rest of his siblings who were less eager to go running off. "Speech"

Art by Dezigre

Jiro was more focused than any of his siblings had seen. Not that he cared to prove he could catch one, but now the game had begun. And with Seiko teasing him from behind, one hind paw reaching out to try and bop her with, Jiro knew he couldn't fail now. Taking after his father more than he cared to admit, he would at least try to catch one of these mice he claimed to live within the shadows of the bamboo.

"Pfft, just watch!" Jiro chirps, tossing Seiko a look over his shoulder that was a mixture of competitiveness and playfulness. After quickly sticking his tongue out at Seiko, he turns his focus back onto the bamboo. Near one of the bases, there is sign of mice. A few droppings that smelled not particularly recent, but it would at least give him a direction. Their claws hardly made a difference in the dirt and leaf litter that hid their movements. Keeping his nose to the ground, Jiro crawls forward on too large of paws and has trouble keeping his balance in such a way. "You can see where they chew and climb on the bamboo," he calls back to Seiko and Kina (if she were listening) and stuck his nose against one of the stalks that had miniscule claw marks in it.

"They gotta be here somewhere," he murmurs as he moves on to the next stalk.