The world, as it is, is yours

*Recluse* · Updated 04/30/23:

What should have been one of the best times of her life, the early days of her children's lives should have been full of happy firsts, the first steps, their first words. Instead Recluse had barely managed to stay concious though their first days. Galho and Lilith did most of the heavy lifting, Galho bringing small chunks of meat from the pack's stores and Lilith working as an affective herder for the little lives. But Recluse knew she had duties she had to keep up with. And her children were old enough to finally explore beyond their bounds and Recluse had to give them all names.

"Wakeup darlings." She cooed softly, glad at least her throat was clear, though her left eye had been completely overtaken by one of the crystals, basically blinding her in one eye and she worried that even if she ever recovered her sight would be even further limited. She gently licked at each of the sleeping bundles, careful not to touch any of them with the crystals or her leaking face, which she wiped regularly to avoid infecting her children. "It's an important day."

Slowly she rose to her paws, her head aching as she moved and the woman grimaced but she still managed to drag herself to the entrance to the den and settled herself, waiting for her sons and daughter to approach. "Today we go outside the den, but first you all get a little gift." She smiled down warmly at her children. "Names, words by which we call each other. You are all Kleins by blood and by virtue but that is our shared family name. You each will get a unique first name, by which you will be known to us and the world."

She looked over her brood and started, pride evident in her voice and she started in birth order. First she looked to her biggest and oldest of the litter. "My daughter, you will take the name of Widow, much like myself named for a species of spider known for being fierce and strong enough to take down creatures bigger than themselves." Then she turned to her first son, the pinkish boy. "You will be Ghoul, a creature of folkore so strong not even death can stop them." Then the black and white boy. "You my love will be known as Macabre, an word that means dark and terrifying, for you all have been born in the darkest time of our lives and yet you're so strong." And finally her twin boys. She first nosed at the bigger boy. "You shall be Viscera," and then his tiny mirror image, "and you Ichor." She gently placed a paw in front of the two of them. "You two are linked, two halves of a whole and both your names are words for blood, which binds us all."

And with that she let them all take a moment or two to get used to the new words that now belonged to them before she rose to her paws again and turned to leave the den, calling behind her: "Come now gremlins." And she'd lead them outside, before flopping onto her side heavily just a bit outside her den, using up what little energy she had left for the early evening... Though the time of day was basically impossible to discern from the sky alone.

"Speech" Think

Art by Ulfeid3

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