Snow time like the present!

With so many warm bodies wrapped snuggly around each other, it is no wonder that Jericho is so soundly asleep. His small legs are twined around one of his siblings, twitching every now and again as he dreams about running free in a huge, open space. While his mother and father awaken, the boy stays firmly in dreamland, where he finds a rather delicious looking piece of meat. Just as he begins to nibble on the mouth-watering piece of food, the pup is gentle nuzzled awake by his mother. White eyes slowly blink open and, with sleep clouding them and clinging stubbornly to his mind, he finds, to his great surprise that he has been nibbling on one of his siblings.

While Jericho’s puppy teeth are sharp, they have (luckily) not broken skin and he quickly spits out the fur that was in mouth so he can offer his victim a sheepish grin. Mumbling an quick apology to them, he then quickly pushes away from the pile so he can roll onto his back and stretch for all he worth. A yawn splits his maw wide open, causing tears to form in the corner of his eyes as his legs stretch out in every direction, undoubtedly coming into contact with other members of his family. It is the good kind of stretch that leaves one feeling satisfied and limber all at the same time. However, mid-stretch, the boy stills as his mom begins to talk.

At the mention of going outside, Jericho quickly rolls to his belly and springs up to his paws while excitement shines brightly in his eyes. Eagerness and joy have his small paws tippy-tapping impatiently on the ground as he finally gets to find out what makes that low rumble that fills the family’s den. Once his mother begins to move toward the outside world, the black and white boy falls in line behind his sisters. He positions himself close to his smallest brother, offering the winged boy a gentle nudge and huge grin as they move. He might not be much of a talker but his emotions are written plainly on his features.

The rumbling steadily grows louder as the family winds their way through the tunnels that connect their den to the outside world. It builds into an almost deafening roar by the time they exit the cave network and Jericho pauses near the exit to lift a leg and shield his eyes. While the tunnels and cave had been lit with the soft glow of candles and torches, nothing could have prepared the boy for the sudden brightness of the world. It takes him a moment to blink away the spots that distort the world and, even though it is overcast and snowing, the sudden difference from the dimmer light in the den to the light of the outside world takes a moment for him to get used to.

Ears slick back as the roar of the falls overwhelms him for a moment but, as the world resolves, Jericho finds himself completely and utterly awestruck. Leg drops back to the ground as his pale gaze takes in the sheer scale of everything. Water falls from somewhere above them and the pup scampers around the curtain of falling water to crane his neck back and try to spy the top of the falls. Back, back, back he leans until he topples over backward and lets out a small, “Oof.” Scrambling back up onto his paws, his attention is caught by the white bits of snow that slowly drift down from the gray sky. Eyes widen as tracks one on its course down to the ground and the boy moves quickly to keep track of it.

While Sou is over by their mother and safe, the pup isn’t watching where he is going (with his neck craned back and eyes trained on the snowflake) so he ends up slamming straight into his sister, Nova. She is bigger than him already so his small body doesn’t really do much to her as he hits and slides down to ground. Another, “Oof.” Fills the air and, he shakes his head before quickly trying to find where his snowflake went. Realizing he has lost it, Jericho huffs out a sad sigh and stands. Looking to sister, the boy apologetically says, “Sorry Nova! I didn’t see you there. Was trying to follow one of those white things.” A paw waves absently at the air around them before asking, “Whatca think?!” The boy does not know that Nova has actually come from the outside world and that this isn’t the first time she has been out here. This is new for all them!... Right?


"Jericho Agatsuma-Kedieo"