The gentle drumming of rain on the earth woke Steel from his deep slumber. A whine would slip from the child's throat in loud protest at his sleep being interrupted as he shifted at his mother's side. Over-sized paws would reach for nothing in particular as he writhed in a long stretch, jaws opening as a squeaky yawn left his throat. Rain was still something new to him, and the large droplets of water that fell from the sky were quite intriguing to him. Wide ruby gaze would fixate on den's entrance, and he would scramble to his feet as he noticed the grey skies and the gradually increasing torrent of rain that had begun to pour down. He had been promised that today would be the day he could finally leave the den, to explore the rest of the world -- or a small piece of it. He'd seen a lot of it already from his den, but it seemed far too large to watch from just one spot. Quietly he wondered if the weather would hold off on his first moment in the outside word, and he prayed it wouldn't. Warily he would climb to the opening of the den, sticking his tiny muzzle out into the elements, flinching as water splashed against his face. It wasn't painful, merely cold and wet, and didn't seem so bad at all. "We go outside?" he would ask, his voice tiny but certain as he turned to gaze at his parents with a perplexed expression. (Thinking we should set this before the worst of the weather, maybe when the rain has just begun? Also, anyone in Sawtooth is more than welcome in this thread.)

The weather was innocent enough, something Silent knew could get worse over time. Her green eyes were currently closed behind black lids, while her sides rose and fell with soft, relaxing breaths. You guessed it -- Silent was in the middle of an afternoon nap. Her body was curled around Steel, black tail limply curled around his hind legs. When he stirred from her side, she only woke up for a second, but fell back into the warm darkness of sleep. His question was what woke her up and a soft moan escaped her lips.
She opened her eyes, stretched her front paws until her claws flexed, and she looked over to the entrance of her den. The rain continued to pour, the same scene she had looked at for the past two days. Her eyes remained half-closed, but she didn't voice her lack of excitement for the question that came from Steel's mouth. Slowly, she looked down at him and realized he was already awake. What was she supposed to do?
Her body was silently screaming for her to stay in the den and sleep, but the rest -- her heart and her mind -- knew that it would break his little heart. Silent placed a tender smile on her face before lowering her head to his and licking his forehead. "Of course, baby. Let's go." She pushed herself to her paws and slowly stood, stretched out any cramping joints, and took a few steps towards the open door. She let Steel get ahead of her and once he did, she obediently followed.






Speech

Their newest child had far too much energy for them to handle -- and Bronze knew it would only get worse. It was all they could do to keep up with him, but in reality it wasn't as difficult as it could be. Their other children were always happy to watch him when they needed rest, and seemed to love him just as much as he had hoped.



Today seemed a perfect day for rest. The rain was light but steady, drumming rhythmically down on the earth, and the skies were dreary. But Steel had been promised something, and the child was determined to get it. As stubborn as both he and Silent, it seemed. A soft grumble left his lips as he rolled over, seeking the familiar warmth of his mate at his side. He felt her pull herself upright, moving away from him and toward Steel. Slowly he would blink his eyes, pushing sleep away as quickly as possible. A smile painted his own weathered features as he noticed the babe's obvious excitement, eying him as he warily peeked from the den's entrance to feel the cool raindrops on his snout. A chuckle fell from parted jaws before a yawn overtook him.


Slowly he would rise too to meet the boy, nudging the tiny child with the leathery skin of his nose. "It might be cold," he warned Steel gently, letting him bounce ahead of them. He was anxious to see the boy's reaction to something new, though he had watched nine other children experience the same kind of wonder -- it was still a beautiful thing to see.

Slowly his mother would stir at his insistence to leave the den, knowing she had promised him something. Though he was small and forgetful, as all children were, this was not something he would let slide so easily. Though he was anxious as he waited, his head poking slightly from the den, his tail wagging furiously behind him and shaking his rump, he was patient even still. Their slow movements were all he had ever known, and he would wait quietly as they both stirred and stretched. Once his father was at his side -- warning him the rain might be cold -- he would pad quickly out of the den. The rain felt strange on his coat and he found himself flinching at the foreign feeling, accompanied by a strange chill, despite the warm air. Dramatically he would whirl around, as though he might be able to outrun the rain, but it only continued, steady and rhythmic. It wasn't painful or that scary, but he found himself hesitant of it still. His instinct was to go to his father's side, to hide beneath his belly, but he would force himself to stand and endure the new sensation for as long as possible. "Will it stop?" he would inquire, his voice a mere squeak as he turned to his mother with wide eyes. Little did he know, the rain would only intensify -- but he wanted to explore for as long as possible. Large paws would slap against the earth as he padded slightly away from the den, splashing the little water that had already accumulated on the ground.

	Silent's eyes watched Steel as he advanced ahead of her and his father. She bumped against Bronze's light-colored form, showing the small affectionate love taps that only she could bestow. Paws slowly took their time walking behind their last child, who obviously enjoyed the wetness of the weather. Silent couldn't help but giggle at his antics. If she had an ounce of his energy, she would be set for two seasons. He asked if the rain would stop and her knowing green eyes shimmered down to his small frame. "Eventually," she said. "Rain comes to the earth until the clouds run out of water." She knew that with as much water there was in the clouds now, it would be a good while before the sun appeared again. Speech

Part of Bronze was surprised he was even alive. All he had wanted was to hang on until he reunited with Silent, though when he had first arrived in Alacritia he had never expected to see her again. She had breathed new life into his tired soul, revitalizing him despite the ache of his joints and the haziness that seemed adamant on creeping into his mind. He wished so badly he could find his older children again, to apologize for all he had done, but he had to be satisfied with his family here. His warm brown gaze followed the excited Steel as his tail began to wag quickly behind him, watching as he slipped into the rain with ease, flinching at the cold water on his nose. A hearty chuckle fell from his lips. Someday, the very feel of rain would be something he was accustomed to, but for now he was content to watch his son bask in the newness of the world.


'Will it stop?' he inquired, and Silent quickly answered his plea for knowledge, "In some stories, they say the rain didn't stop for many moons, long ago," he would tell Steel gently as he padded after him, uncaring as his son splashed rain and mud to and fro. Perhaps a bath might be due later, but it was worth it to see such excitement in the tiny child's eyes. "Flooding the earth and carrying all the animals across the sea, to new and unfamiliar places." Stories that the elders of his home pack had told all the children, both terrifying and exciting all the same -- and here he was now, spilling the same tales to his son, which only made another chuckle escape his throat. "This rain might be long too, but it will end." The last thing he needed was Steel getting worried he might float away from his family, so he quickly added that last bit to reassure him.