Tiny paws danced across the earth. She had ventured from the safety of the den, the safety of her mother and siblings. But she was bored. She wanted to go out and explore, to play. Somehow she had managed to slip past her ever watchful mother while the family napped. She didn't know where daddy had gone off to, but she was determined to find him. Legs carried her clumsily around the territory. It was an accident that she had gotten so far from the den, everything just looked the same to her wide innocent eyes. There so many smells, it was overwhelming. She bounded along, stumbling every few steps. She was still a tiny ball of fluffy puppy fur, a dull black. Bright blue/green eyes absorbed everything like a sponge.

A yawn parted her tiny jaws. She shook her head. How long had it been? Her exploration had exhausted her. Panic started to set in. The tiny pup had no idea where she was. How did she get back to the den? Momma was going to be so mad at her. A quiet whimper shook her little body. "Momma!" Squeaky voice wailed, her rump plopping down on the earth. Whimpers emanated from her. Dropping the rest of her bodice to the earth, she laid still. Momma would come for her, she was sure of it.


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Things were different now. Slowly changing into something more foreign and intimidating to most others. He didn't know what was ahead of them and that part worried him to a degree. He liked planning things out and knowing what was in store for the future. It was an OCD thing really and for once in his life he wasn't completely sure what was ahead of him. He didn't like it. One thing he was sure of though was his family. He would continue to provide for them. Half the reasoning behind his family was gone now. He'd mated with Loki to produce an heir to take over Tortuga. Now that was a failure, but perhaps one of them would get adventurous and retake the thrown. He was too old now to do so himself. Now it seemed that the only reason left to have kids was to carry on his name and genes. Regardless of this factor he'd grown oddly attached to them. Old age had mellowed him out a lot, and perhaps it was the reason for him enjoying the company of blood so much, but he liked it.

This particular time of day brought him hunting for small game to take back to the growing pups. They were no longer tiny fluff balls, but big fluff balls with markings showing up. One would even go so far as to call them cute. They were rapidly growing though and demanded a constant supply of food, especially now that they were being weaned.

He was crouched hidden among some bushes. He could see the white tailed hair in front of him. So close and upwind. The scent was tantalizing. Tail rose as he poised himself to pounce, two-toned blue eyes zoning in on the rodent in concentration.

A wail broke the silence.

Head snapped upwards in alarm and the hare zipped off to it's hidden burrows to the safety of its lair. Nnoitra didn't care. He had more worried on his mind. The brute scurried off in a hurry towards the sound he knew so well. It was one of his children. Devya to be exact. God help anyone if they were attacking her. They'd be met with a flurry of teeth and claws and a hell of an anger that not many could match. No one. Absolutely no one, would touch a hair on their heads. Not while he was alive.

He wasn't met with an attacker though. Just a terrified and very lost pup crying for her mother. Eyes softened and his breath evened out and became steady again. The adrenaline that had been rushing through he veins before began to ebb away and his facial features soon became encompassed by a soft smile. She'd wandered from then den and had gotten lost it seemed. Now she was going through the consequences for her actions. He commended her though. She was very adventurous for her age. He was curious to see how they all were when they were older.

"You're alright. You shouldn't wander so far from your mother and siblings though. Something could eat you."

He came and nuzzled the top of her head gently, comforting the small child. Perhaps it was a bad idea being so blunt with her or any of them for that matter. He just couldn't sugar coat anything for them. It would ruin them in the long run. They needed to know how the world was run and quick so they'd become street smart and could make it on their own. They needed to be able to make it and become something more than just a commoner. They had greatness in their blood that could not be quenched. They needed to know that.

"Talk"

She was oblivious to the changing world around her. She didn't know how out of control things had gotten, how the pack she unknowingly called home had lost their alpha. She was ignorant. Blissfully so. She didn't have a care or worry in the world, her days made up of playing and eating and sleeping. At least for now. As she grows older she'll become more aware, more observant, following in her fathers paw steps.

A familiar voice sent her jumping to her paws, tail wagging. Wide eyes settled on her fathers figure. "Daddy!" She was overjoyed to see him. She showered his muzzle with kissed when he leaned down, her entire body vibrating. He dwarfed the ever growing puppy. Her markings started to become more defined, the white stripe that went from her nose to the base of her skull. Pools of blue and green, a mixture of her mothers and fathers, but she got more than just their looks. An unknown power flowed in her veins, driving her to greatness, straight to the top.

But for now innocence surrounded her, even with her fathers blunt words. Something could eat you. A brief frown colored her dark features, she remained unfazed. She liked be out and about, she just didn't like being lost, and alone. She allowed it to sink, tiny mind processing, though not tot he fullest extent. Frown was almost immediatly replaced with a grin as she tipped her face upward to look at her father.

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The way she exclaimed him name brought him joy. So far he felt proud. Like he was doing something right for a change. His last litter he hadn't had much to do with them, especially when they were older. All seemed to have disappeared. He regretted it, and it they probably hated him. If they were even alive. This time though, this time he was doing it different. He would try harder to be a part of their lives. He'd had experience. Things with Kaien hadn't gone well either and that was the first child he'd adopted. Then with his last litter, and now this one. Perhaps they wouldn't end up hating him as well. Or dying. He didn't want to see them die before he did either. He stared into her oddly colored eyes. Never before had he seen two colors in one eyes before like that. It was different, but in a good way. He noted the frown but it went away. She seemed unfazed. Good. He had no intentions of being easy on them. They needed to know the world wasn't going to be easy on them. At least with being blunt they'd be less likely to go out there and do something incredibly stupid that got them killed. He knew they'd get in trouble though. That was all part of learning. He just didn't want to see them get carried off by anything either. He grinned back at her mimicking her facial features. He was pleased with them all. All were learning quickly. "Now tell me, where did you plan on going and perhaps we can go see it together? Hmmm?" "Speech"

Her fathers grin matched her own, his words sending a new wave of excitement. She thought for a moment. She hadn't planned on going anywhere specific, but now that she had her fathers company, they could go anywhere, right? "I want to see the mountain." She briefly didn't miss a beat, speaking fairly well for her age, picking up on her words from her parents and continuing to build her vocabulary. It wasn't often that she got alone time with either of her parents, so she would relish in the moment. She turned, prancing off towards the mountain, not waiting to see if her father would follow. Energy was renewed, her exhaustion forgotten. Ever growing paws kissed the earth.

The admiration she held for her father never waived, it only grew with every word he spoke, she absorbed everything like a sponge. She would rule the pack one day, she was sure of it. While she was a wolf of few words, she observed, learning from her siblings mistakes, learning how to not get caught or what not to do. She couldn't wait until she was old enough to explore all of her home by herself. For now she settled for her fathers ever watchful eye, he would protect her, she had faith in him.

Tail trailed behind her, the wind catching the hairs as it waved like a flag. Ebony audits stood at attention, her oddly colored eyes taking everything in. Navigating the rocky terrain as the pair got closer to the mountain slowed her down, forcing her choose her path carefully. Expression was thoughtful, as thought as a puppies face could be. She wondered what she would find up there. What would she be able to see? The world? Her world.

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"I want to see the mountain."

That was all his darling child had to say before he nodded and followed her and up towards the mountain. She could explore to he hearts desire and when she tired Nnoitra would easily carry her home. For now he would allow for her to be content. Ears swiveled back and forth as the wary brute kept an eye and an ear out. He didn't trust creatures. Not since the one brute had come and murdered one of their members right in their territory. He had yet to track the damned bastard down, but he would do so. For now he'd keep an eye on his children and make sure no one else was attacked.

"When you and your siblings are old enough we'll have to make a trip to the hot springs and I'll teach you all how to swim. How does that sound?"

"Talk"

Cadabra was not fully asleep when his sister, Devya, stirred in the den. His little fuzzy ears slowly swiveled to face her, though the rest of his body remained motionless. She was restless, though her movements slow and quiet. Soon, she stumbled out of the den. Cadabra's bi-coloured eyes slid open, and he lifted his head, then began carefully detangling himself from the pile of siblings snoozing on the den floor. He moved to the door of the den, trying his best to remain in the shadows as he spied on his sister. His mother was somewhere near, doing who cares what. Devya managed to slip from the den clearing to the "forbidden zone", past the bushes, without catching Mother's attention. Deftly, he traced her path, swerving around obstacles that he had seen her trip over moments before.

Although marred by infant clumsiness, Cadabra's gait was inherently smooth and light. However, he was not yet a skilled spy, and he only managed to travel without detection because Devya just wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. But Cadabra wasn't aware of this, and he stepped with a wide grin stretched over his face. If he had been a human child, he would have been playing the "Mission Impossible" theme in his head.

She stopped, and he followed suit, raising his head in interest to see why she was no longer moving. She was yawning and looking around herself, and Cadabra took a moment to look around himself as well. Nothing looked or smelled familiar. He wondered if he could find his way back if he turned around. Suddenly, Devya let out a sharp wail, calling for Mother. Cadabra sat himself down in his hiding place, silently mocking his younger littermate for immediately calling for Mother as soon as she felt she was lost. But his mental mocking was cut short when his father came crashing into the scene. Startled, Cad slid further into the shadows, his form completely hidden by bush.

"Daddy!" Devya squealed, turning from a depressed lump of fur to a bundle of wiggles and squiggles in a matter of seconds.
"You're alright. You shouldn't wander so far from your mother and siblings though. Something could eat you," his father said. Cad hadn't thought of potentially being eaten, and suddenly became rather thankful that Devya had made such a racket. He felt so much safer with his father around. Devya and Father shared an adorable little father-daughter moment, and Cad thought, for a moment, that he'd rather his father's attention be on him and not on her, but he still stayed where he was.

"Now tell me, where did you plan on going and perhaps we can go see it together? Hmmm?" Cad's head tilted in interest.
"I want to see the mountain."
"When you and your siblings are old enough we'll have to make a trip to the hot springs and I'll teach you all how to swim. How does that sound?"

Now this was too much. Cad decided that, not only did he want to go to the mountain too, but he wanted dad to give him attention (as well as protect him from getting eaten). His puppy paws fumbled as he scrambled out of the shadows, his face set with determination instead of puppy-glee.


"Dad, I'm coming to the mountain too," he stated matter-of-factly, without even giving Devya a passing glance.

She trotted along, ears flicking back as her father spoke. "That sounds great!" She turned to face her father, tail wagging furiously, a grin splitting her features. Much to her disappointment, they didn't stay alone for long. Her brother came out of nowhere, declaring that he was going with them to the mountain. With a frown she turned and continued their journey towards the mountain. She wouldn't let her brother ruin her fun, her father would still go with them to the mountain, now she just had to deal with her annoying brother. She sighed softly before bounding off towards the mountain.

-exit-

OOC- Ending this since Shrap is gone

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