Weeks had passed since she had given birth to three little bundles of joy. She never went far from them when she was allowed to leave the den. Nothing but food and water would take the protective mother away from her pups. Even then Gitan and Atlas were always there to help as best she could. She remained healthy and so did the pups. Her pups were growing so fast, one moment they relied on her for everything and now they were growing more curious of what was outside the den. She didn't want them out there, wasn't ready to show the world her little loves. She wasn't ready for them to face the many challenges set before they're live. But she couldn't keep them in here forever. She was itching just as bad to be outside for long periods of time. Her legs would twitch with the need to run and hunt, eyes dreamed to see the sky more. So with mixed feelings she knew it would be today. She rolled onto her belly, staring fondly down at her little pups. Gently her muzzle would nuzzle each one on the head before she lifted herself to her paws."Come Dears, it is time.." She whispered softly to them. As she left the den she became alert, each muscle tensed as she slowly emerged. She listened and looked for danger, nose twitching in the soft warm breeze. Once satisfied it was safe she looked back at her pups at the entrance of the den."Come loves, it is safe." She said softly. No one was here yet so she threw her head back calling for Gitan and her family. Even though she had invited her family to come meet the pups she could not help the surging rage of protection she felt over her little bundles. They meant everything to her, she'd die to keep them safe. "Speech"

She had been napping, curled up against her mother and brothers. She dreamed of that bright light shinning into the den. What laid out there? What adventures would she experience? The young girl had often picked up strange new scent of her mother and father everytime they left and came back. Had seen mother eating some strange things, and met Atlas who was something called an owl. She liked him, he gave them feathers to play with and even played with them sometimes. But she was growing restless here within the den, why couldn't they leave the den like mom and dad? A soft nuzzle to her cheek woke up the earthen toned girl. With a yawn and stretch she sat up. Head tilting to the side as she watched her mother. Something was different today, something special would be happening! And then her mother said it, they were going outside! She yipped loudly and jumped to her paws, tail wavy madly behind her. But her mother's cautious movement silenced her before she spoke. Slowly she slide up behind her mother and waiting at the entrance to the den. Her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and excitement. But Symphony all clear had Cerise fully excited."Last one out is Atlas poop!" She squealed as she rushed out of the den. Her little paws tripping on everything and nothing as she ran out. But that didn't stop her till her mother gave a howl. She had heard howling before but not mom's. She stood there, fascinated at the musical tones that came from her mother. Rear plopped to the ground as she watched, unable to look away till her mother finished. As then she was off running around the best she could, poking and nosing at every little thing in her path. "Speech"

Sorrel was quite content with life the way it was though even he found himself a little restless within the den at times. Rather than the jealousy that his parents could go outside as and when they liked, the young boy missed their company when they weren't present, his mother in particular. He cared little for exploring beyond what was their home, instead he simply wished to be near Symphony. He didn't know what it was like to feel unsafe, though he certainly felt safety with her near. "Come Dears, it is time.." Sorrel stirred from his nap at the sound of his mother's gentle voice. Mismatched eyes blinked open as he lifted his head, gazing up at him mother, his sleepy state not quite comprehending what was actually happening. The drowsy cloud in his mind quickly began to fade away however as Symphony moved and began to leave the den. A small whine left his lips, wanting her to stay or at least say more to them than the small sentence she had. It was a little rude really to disturb their dreams if she was just going outside, he would have much preferred to sleep through her absence and awake as she returned. "Come loves, it is safe." Her head reappeared and she called to the once more, was she really beckoning them to leave with her? The idea was rather scary to the boy and he cast a quick glance at his siblings. Cerise was certainly rather eager for the adventure, had been for quite some time though fortunately hadn't dared to follow their parents one day. "Last one out is Atlas poop!" She called to them as she ran to follow their mother. Sorrel quickly leapt into action, not for her words but simply not wishing to be left behind. If they were going outside he certainly didn't want to get left behind. Sorrel paused by Cerise at the sound of Symphony's howl though unlike his sister play was at the back of his mind as he swiftly moved to his mother's side. He'd seen barely anything of the world outside the den, knew absolutely nothing and nothing could part him from his mother whilst this feeling of uncertainty lingered over him.

He was dreaming, lost in a warm world, a happy world. Little legs would twitch occasionally in the boy's sleep, a smile on his maw as he played in his dream world. Unlike his brother and sister, who longed to see the world outside of the den, F?licien was content to remain within, staying safe from the world outside. It made him sad whenever his parents would leave, and even Atlas too, but on the plus side he always had his brother and sister to play with. Life was taken as it came, and he wasn't so eager to change the way things were. Was what lay beyond the den really so exciting? Sure there were strange scents... but F?li wasn't so convinced it meant a better life out there. So when his mother nuzzled his head, waking him from his dream, the boy would blink mismatched eyes with a yawn. He would lift his head, watching his mother leave the den, before shrugging and laying his head back down on his paws. But then his mother would pop her head back into the den, calling to them. He would lift his head again, frowning. Safe? Did that mean there were times when it wasn't safe? F?licien would get to his paws, but unlike his Cerise, who quickly raced out, and Sorrel, who followed their sister a bit more reluctantly, he stayed where he was. Ears would flick back with uncertainty as mismatched eyes looked at the entrance of the den. He would get to his paws, getting just close enough to the exit to take a glance at the world outside, and his eyes would widen with shock. It was huge! Everything seemed to go on forever, and that alone scared him. He would take a few steps back, giving a whine. While he didn't want to be left alone he didn't want to get lost in the vastest of the area outside the den. It seemed like, in every direction, there was something waiting to swallow him up from his mother's view. The pup would shift on his paws, mixed emotions of wanting to go and stay inside within him. He'd give another loud whine, ears lowered and tailed tucked as he stepped to where he was previously, though F?licien didn't come out of the den. "Speech"

The pups would be out and about soon, exploring life beyond the den, soon after that he supposed they would make their way back to the island, though he wanted them to meet their cousins first. He wasn?t fully sure how soon they would be out but he had decided that it was about time they had a real meal for the first time, they had begun weaning, eating some of the half chewed up scraps he and Symphony had not finished. That was what the male was ensuring right now, he had crossed over the border of the pack to hunt, not wanting to steal from the pack lands themselves. He had just chased down a rabbit and was biting into its neck when the howl reached him. He lifted the kill as he rose to his paws and padded back across the border. He knew his way to Symphony?s old den by now and trotted with ease toward it. As he approached he saw his little mate beyond the den mouth, his daughter with her and Sorrel close to Symphony as per usual. It was only his other little boy that was missing. F?licien was standing at the mouth of the den clearly uncertain. He approached with tail raised, beating the air some and dropped the dead rodent at his paws, stepping over it to nuzzle at Symphony. ?Good morning love.? He spoke a smile gracing his features. Then he stepped back towards the prey and nudged it forwards with his nose, more towards the den. ?Is F?licien planning on coming out for breakfast?? He asked, looking the boy in the eyes as he spoke. It had taken a bit of time, but he could now identify the twins by sight, their eye colors being switched and some of their personality showing through their behavior. Speech,

Novella had made sure she frequently visited her sister and new nephews and niece. They were certainly growing up rather swiftly from the tiny, helpless bundles that she had seen only a few weeks ago. They were up now on each visit, though she wasn't quite as certain that the three of them enjoyed her dropping by quite as much as she did. She didn't know how long they would be here for though, Song of course wasn't overly easy for them to speak to at the moment though there had been no sign from Symphony or Gitan that they would try speak to her and officially ask to join. Upon hearing Symphony's howl, the young Destruction girl was quick to set off in the direction of her sister's den. It didn't take her long at all to cover the distance and soon enough there was Symphony out in the open, Cerise with her and one of the twins. The other remained near the entrance of the den with Gitan close. Tail wagging, she slowed her pace to a walk as she approached them. "Hello everyone." She greeted warmly. "Is it their first time out Symphony?" She looked to her sister now, guessing that was the case from the boy still stood cautiously at the entrance and the other pressed close to Symphony's side. Only Cerise had ventured a little further, and certainly looked rather amazed by what she could see.

She smiled warmly as first Cerise rushed out like nothing could hold her back. Then Sorrel was at her side and she wrapped her tail around him protectively. Out of the twins Sorrel seemed far more timid and she couldn't help but feel more protective of him. But what surprised her was that little Feli hung back in the mouth of the den. Before she could call to him, Gitan came with a rabbit. The sight of the prey had her belly rumble in protest. Caring for three pups was making her hungry all the time. She nuzzled her mate lovingly, a soft whine escaping her at his touch. If it was even possible she could have sworn since she had the pups she had been more loving and always seeking that physical touch with Gitan. She just couldn't get enough of him.

Novella's voice called out, making the only reason Symphony pulled away from her man. Otherwise she might have just tackled him with kisses and hugs till he couldn't breath. She turned to Novella with a warm smile. Out of the whole family, Novella had been the only one to visit them. It made her sad and angry that the rest of the family had not been here. Hi Novella, and yes it is. Though I think Feli needs some coaxing. Maybe his Aunt can do the trick? She said with a soft chuckle. If Novella hadn't visited as often as she did, Symphony wasn't sure if she'd let her so near with the pups being out for the first time.

Carefully she laid down, positioned so that Sorrel was now at her belly. She nuzzled him and licked the top of his head before looking to Cerise. She smiled at the young girl, watching her stumble and trip over her paws as she went from twig to leaf to a dead beetle. Not too far now Cerise. She called out to her before looking at Feli.Feli do I have to eat without you dear? You know Cerise would be more than happy to take your share of food. She teased lightly, hoping it was enough to get him to come out.

image by Luisiana

She couldn't understand why her brothers were hiding. Sorrel was up against mommy and Feli was still in the den. She would look at both her twin brothers, eyes going back and forth. Maybe if she showed them it wasn't scary out here they would come to play. She bounced around looking for something they could play with. It didn't take long to find a decent sized chunk of bark they could drag around. As she was beginning to drag in backwards Aunt Novella and Daddy joined them. It took all her puppy strength not to just drop everything and run off to Daddy's side. But she grunted and stumbled in her task till the bark was visible to Sorrel and Feli."Feli, Sorrel look what I found! Lets make a game with it?" And just like that her focused snapped and she was running to Novella to nuzzle her leg. "Aunt Novella!" She greeted happily, tail wagging like crazy. Her Mommy's voice told her not to go far and she turned her head and nodded. No way would she with everyone else here! She skipped over to Gitan with happy whines and grunt. Her body a wiggling mass as she nuzzled and paws at her Daddy. He was her hero, and she loved him. Plus they looked alike and it made her feel better cause she didn't look like her brothers. Sometimes it made her feel left out. But then she would see Daddy and only vow to grow up and be like him. "Speech"

Sorrel was timid, there was certainly no denying it and unfortunately for his sister, it didn't look like her more courageous antics were going to change that any time soon. He felt safest pressed against his mother's side both in and out of the den it seemed, in the same way that Cerise longed for their father's company Sorrel did not want to leave their mother. His mismatched eyes watched as their father arrived with food, though he made no effort to rush forwards, even at the threat that Cerise might eat it all. "He wouldn't really let Cerise eat it all would he?" And then came the arrival of their Aunt Novella. Though Sorrel had seen the woman visiting them and she was by no means a stranger, he did prefer just having his immediate family. The shy little boy wasn't too keen on lots of others being around, though as always at least he had his mother to comfort him. Readjusting himself slightly as Symphony lay down, Sorrel made sure to snuggle back into her side. Cerise may have wished for them to play a game, but Sorrel wasn't quite so sure he wanted to.

Doubt remained in F?licien?s mind... And the child shifted uneasily as he looked at the wolves just beyond the den in the open world. Bi-colored eyes would shift to the form of his father as he arrived, setting the prey down and nudging it slightly towards the direction of the den. His father?s question would bring a little whine from him as his ears lowered just a bit more. He wanted to come out, he did... But he was scared. The world was too big. Couldn?t it be smaller? He shifted on his paws just a bit. Though he was scared now, once he made it over this first hurdle and saw the world for what it was F?li would truly begin developing the personality that would stick with him for the rest of his life. But he was still quite young and there was yet time for such things. His gaze would shift from his father to his aunt and then his mother. Part of him just wanted to go back into the den and curl up, staying where it was safe. But the fact that everyone else was outside made him worry about being left all alone... And he certainly didn?t want that. F?licien would give another soft whine as she spoke to him, this time feeling his belly rumble as the food was mentioned again. He didn?t want Cerise to eat his food... Especially when he was hungry like this. Then his gaze would shift to Cerise as his sister got closer again, gaze shifting to the weird brown thing she had dragged toward the den. It had taken a good bit of strength to move it, from what he could tell, and he was curious about it. All of the stuff outside was strange... And he wanted to know more. He would take a pawstep forward, leaning his body out just a bit as his ears perked up and he looked at the piece of bark. What kind of game could they make with something like that? It was too heavy to move easy... His frown remained and, while in thought, Cerise would bounce over tot heir aunt. The boy would flick his attention to his twin, wanting to see what Sorrel thought of the world outside the den. Sorrel was closely glued to his mother?s side much of the time while Cerise often went to their father. F?licien didn?t really favor either of his parents, or his siblings really, but showered all of them with love in no particular order. Generally it was just whoever was closest got some attention first. Honestly he didn?t think Cerise could eat all of the rabbit, though he didn?t say this to Sorrel. His brother didn?t move from their mother?s side either, even at the mention of food, and that didn?t encourage F?licien much more. Another step, more pausing, and another whine would leave him before he would express his fears to the adults. ?It?s too big out there...? The boy would shift on his paws, gaze shifting to different things outside of the den. ?There?s lots of stuff too... Big stuff... And we?re too small...? Another whine would leave him as he took a step back instead. ?I don?t wanna get lost... With it being so big what if you don?t find me again? I don?t wanna be alone...? His ears had completely lowered, feeling saddened and embarrassed at his confession, but it wasn?t as if the adults could really help him if they weren?t sure what the problem was. "Speech"