Gargoyle shifted his weight from where he lay, sprawled out in the shelter of a pile of fallen pines where much of the pack had taken shelter the night before. As always his mate and pups were near, but this morning was special. He and Ocena had talked recently about the cubs starting to get some serious training. Well, that was the first order of the day. Careful not to stir his sleeping family, the brute rolled over onto his tawny belly and pushed himself to his feet. A couple quiet pads and he was beside his larger daughter. His yellow eyes blinked as he cocked his head to the side, watching her for a moment. She was so lovely. All of his children were, but she - she reminded him of his mother. Of Clash. Clash had been almost ten years old when she'd had Gargie's litter - five pups and yet she somehow managed to raise them all. He often wished he could go back to that time. Back when he didn't even know what vioelence was really was. Back when family was family. ..... back when he had a tail...

But enough flashbacks. Pups were about the future. About a hope for a better day. He lowered his nose and nudged at the girl's skull. "Rise and shine, Avalon." His rough whisper was little above a breath. He didn't want to disturb any of the others. The sun wasn't even fully up yet - parts of the world were totally black. Only at the very top of the peak was the rising sun beginign to shine on the snow cap. It would be a good hour before the light touched the rest of the earth, and this was the perfect time to go hunting. "Come along," he murmured taking a few swinging steps towards the edge of the clearing. "This morning, you're with me on my rounds." He'd leave further explaining until they were out of earshot. One thing he'd have to teach her was that silence while hunting was key. An important lesson to learn early, espically for a large wolf, which, by the sight of her paws, she was going to be.

Ears twitching, chest rising and falling, nose sniffing imaginary scents, Avalon had been having a strange dream. Small growls escaped her, as she dreamed about the day when the two vermin had arrived and taken away their home, nearly killing their father, and forcing the Glaciem family to choose whether they would go, or stay. It was obvious that her family would not stay...the Glaciem family would stay united, they were loyal to each other. Even Awaken had decided to leave with them, completely turning his back on the pair that had stolen their lives away. Remembering that day, she had seen how angry and torn her pack was. Some had remained, the majority left. Along the way, some had gotten lost but found their way to them. And now, they were far from their home place...

Avalon's ears twitched, somewhere her name was being called. She didn't know whether it was her dream, or the waking world. She knew it was the waking world, however, when she felt something pushing her a little. Head rose, eyes blinking slowly open to see a face appear before her. "Dad?" She murmured groggily. She yawned as her father told her to follow, then she instantly scrambled up to her paws when he mentioned that she was going out with him.
The girl excitedly followed, careful not to wake her siblings.

Gargoyle led the way off through the trees, staying at a walk at first, wanting to keep beside his daughter, at least until he was sure she was awake. But he needn't have worried, the girl seemed happy only too happy to come along. The big male led her out of the shades of the pines and, nudging aside one cone laden bough to reveal a cut away of the mountain. Here the slope dropped off in a sheer crumpling wall. Below the volcanic soil gave birth to dozens of different types of trees, and to bushes and brush - even some spring flowers were beginning to poke their heads up. And of course beyound that stretched another arm of the mountain. And another. And another, until the Tortugan domain faded to foothills, banding the sky in various shades of blue-grey.

It was not Glaciem, no, but it was equally worthy of an artist's brush. "Our new home, Avalon." Gargoyle rumbled quietly. It was as good a time as any to teach an important lesson. "Change isn't something to be scared of," he murmured. "Everything changes. Night to day. Pup to grown wolf. Winter to Spring. It's just a part of life and we keep going." Gargoyle meant every word, and he was beginging to find, as most parents did, that in teaching their children, they were also learning something themselves. Truths were refreshed. "But then again," the father added, lowering his head to suddenly snort a ticklish breath of hot air in the pup's ear. "There are some things, like family, that aren't meant to change." A grumbling sort of sound came from the male's chest (beleive it or not - a chuckle) and cocked his head slightly trying to peer into his daughter's eyes. "I'll always love you Avalon - even when you start growing up. And you'll always love me right?" He waiting, neck lowered, almost smiling in the morning air.

The young girl followed her Father closely. All traces of sleep gone as she excitedly kept pace with her father to explore the parts of this unknown world. She sniffed at the different plants and greenery, the world here much different then her old Glaciem home...the home she knew for her whole short little life. Just as she was about to stop and ask about it, she saw her Father stopping at a small rise. She approached as he pushed away a pined branch, revealing to her a world very different then what she knew. The air smelled foreign to her, thicker, darker, much different the the crisp cold air of the Northern lands. The sight however, awed her nonetheless. The different array of colors mixed together, creating a picture of which she had never seen before. Ears perked, her gaze remained fixed on the views ahead.

She turned to her father, gaze fixed on him as he spoke of change. But what did he think of this change? It wasn't something they planned on...they were run out, their home stolen. Didn't he miss it? Would he ever try to take back what belonged to them? His words rang in her head...perhaps he was right. Maybe this change wouldn't be so bad...as for family, even though they weren't Glaciem anymore, didn't mean they'd lose their close family bonds. Family wouldn't stray, they'd stay close together. She giggled as she heard rumbling in his chest, his way of emanating some laughter. Her eyes followed him down to her level, gaze soft and inquisitive.

"I'll always love you Avalon - even when you start growing up. And you'll always love me right?"
She nodded, "Of course daddy, I'll always love you no matter what." She nuzzled his nose, if she were a cat, she'd be purring as loudly as she could. Instead, she licked his muzzle and wagged her tail, grateful that he was hers. "You're the best dad in the world, and the bravest, wisest and strongest. I'm always going to love you daddy, no matter what. And nothing will ever change that!" She repeated again, and meaning every word of it.

"-Of course daddy-" Sweeter words were never spoken. Gargoyle's chuckle continued as his daughter nuzzle into him. He flicked out an over-sized pink tongue to brush at her scruff. Her words, young and innocent and trusting, meant so much to him. Avalon, like all pups, had some special highway into his soul, some back door into his feelings that he'd thought he'd blocked up years ago. Gods only knew, the male had seen alot. He'd done alot. In a past life he had been monster, nay, a demon, and often times the memories still haunted him.

But this? This was melting the heart of the ice giant, and he found himself wanting to stay like this forever. Avalon didn't have to grow up! She could remain his baby girl for as long as she wanted. Ah, but that was selfish and silly. The main reason he'd brought her out of her slumber this morning was so that he could teach her some of the lessons she would need as she began to grow. Already Gargoyle's litter was getting large - in a few weeks time they'd be nine months old. A season more and they'd be yearlings! Orica looked like she'd remain a fluffball like her mother, but Avalon and Galileo were gaining in size and height. Both would make fine braves, so long as their sire could set aside enough time to teach them the ways of hunting and fighting.

When Avalon had finished and Gargoyle had had his tender moment, basking in his daughter's admiration, he raised his head back to it's normal, towering height. "That's my girl." His rumble was so gentle it was almost a lion's purr. But now he was straightening up. His gaze was returning a bit more to normal as he turned his mind back to teaching and stalking. "Well, Daddy's taking you hunting today. I'm sure you may have watched some of the other braves hunting before, but now it's going to be your turn. Even if it takes us all day, we'll come with something to your mom, alright?" His yellow eyes danced over the slopes as he pulled back from the cliff face and started down a long winding trail. The other day he had seen what he thought were traces of mountain goats - or were they mountain sheep? They weren't the thick coated white furry ones he was used to seeing - they were fat and brown and short-haired. Then again, that might be asking too much of the girl on her first time. They'd search for something else. She plenty of energy - a rabbit maybe? Or any small creature of the underbrush.

Ahead, and just downhill the forest began snaking out, covering the mountain roots and outlying foothills. The male was careful to do most of his speaking before they came under it's canopy. "A hunter moves with quiet, supple grace, blending it's paws into the ground and watching carefully for this like loose stones and twigs that might make a sound." The he-wolf began to slow his pace, and started taking his time, making exaggerated steps to show the techniques to her. With a flick of his ear, he silently invited her to do the same.

That was lesson one, one to lesson two. "Your nose is greatest ally when it comes to hunting. It can tell you when it's going to rain, when certain plants that your prey likes are in bloom, and of course, when your prey itself is near. A fully trained wolf can hear the click of a caribou's hock from a quarter mile away, but your nose, you can track a beast that is days ahead with that." The male raised his own black snout to the whispering winds. "Go ahead and try, tell me everything you smell."

Avalon giggled as her Father licked her. Then proceeded to follow him down a path. She nodded after he asked about her watching the other braves hunt. Of course she did! She never missed a chance! She grinned, prancing alongside his bulking figure. "Okay daddy! I'm gonna bring back the biggest thing I can find for mommy!" She purred. Moments later she quieted after her father spoke and did as he did. She stopped, watching his movements as he walked carefully and silently across the ground. She mimicked his movements, sliding easily across the ground in a low crouch, her body barely brushing the dirt. This was something she practiced all the time, hunting imaginary prey and tackling her siblings. She almost always managed to sneak up on them unawares.

She paused and stood, looking up at Gargoyle as she listened to him talking and explaining about their noses. Looking ahead, she glanced around and twitched her nose. Everything she smelled huh? There was a lot...She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to catch what she could. So far, she could smell the dirt...the pines, the berry bushes, the ferns, her Fathers warm scent, her own scent mingling with that. She could smell the new plants budding through the ground nearby, the stale scent of a badger, the new scent of...rabbit? And the ashy smell of the towering Mt. Volkan.
Turning to him, her nose still twitching to find what she could, she responded.

"I can smell...the dirt, the pine trees, the berries on the bushes over that way, She said, turning her head to the right. "The fern bushes, you, me, some other kinds of plants...fresh, at least just growing, umm...the stale scent of a badger, at least..uh...four days old? I can also smell the new scent of a rabbit I think, just passed before we arrived. And the last thing I smell is the scent from Mt. Volkan..." She finished, looking up at him as she sat.

Gargoyle listened as the girl, after taking her time and thinking things through, rattled off a list of what her nose was telling her. "Good...good..." the father said as she went on, and when she came to the end, he nodded encouragingly. "Not bad at all. In time you'll learn to pick up more - the scent of coming rain, the smell of that herd of mountain sheep, and the trace scents of our packmates who have been wandering about. On a day with a little more wind coming form the east, you can even scent the faintest bit of our border markers. But we'll be focusing on the rabbit." He turned back to face the tree line. "The thing about rabbits, is that, even though they may not be able to run faster than you in a dead sprint, they swerve so much that they're practically uncatchable until you've had alot of experience- or" and here he grinned. "You know some of the tricks. The main one, - and you'll see coyotes doing this alot - you chase it in circles. Instead of angleing yourself just behind, you do it slightly to the side, and keep it in a clear enough area so that it can't duck behind anything. Rabbit hearts arent' meant to take prolonged panic, after so long they just flop over, and they're an easy kill." He started back to walking, or rather, stalking, in the direction of the scent. "You take point," he murmured, gesturing with a nudge of his nose for Avalon to go ahead. He could talk to her all day, but the best way to learn was through trying. It would no doubt take several tries before she actually caught something, but they had all day and Gargoyle would be watching to give what advice was needed.

Blackened ears were at full attention as her Father spoke. Eyes sparked interest as his words fell across her. Sure, she had witnessed rabbit hunting before, she had seen the techniques that others had used, but she figured actually doing them were quite different then just watching. Her paws tingled with excitement, she was finally going to do this herself! Oh her mother would be proud! Her nose twitched with excitement, She hoped to have the best nose in all the lands! To know when a storm was coming, or to sense changes in the weather, wind, and the land itself. The thought excited her. She rose at his gesture, wanting to speak but refrained. No matter how excited she was, she didn't want to scare off anything, much less attract anything hostile. But that she wasn't worried about, after all, she had her Father here to protect her from any danger. The girl stalked forward, carefully placing her paws on the ground so as to make as little noise as possible. Sometimes, it ended up with her legs spread out in odd directions, like a game of twister with the ground being carpeted in leaves. She was not sure whether or not they would crackle under her, so ever so carefully, she placed one paw atop the layer, then another as she realized that they were soft underfoot and lacked the crackling that she was afraid of. Satisfied, a toothy grin found its way onto her face as she then pulled herself forward, body halfway to the ground and placing her weight on her toes. She had seen Awaken do this before, and was sure this was correct. If not, then she knew her Father would fix it. This was her first time after all, and it was much different then chasing leaves in front of her den. Her nose twitched as she caught a scent, closer this time then before. Her ears perked slightly, but with her bulk and size, they would be seen through the foliage, so she flattened them to her head. She turned to look at her Father, wondering if it was okay for her to go on ahead. The slight nod he had given her was enough, and so she crept forward. Soon, a rabbit was seen feeding on the grasses in front of her. She furrowed her brows, wondering how best to approach it...was she supposed to get as close as she could? Or rush out and begin the chasing to make its heart give out? On this, she was unsure of what to do...she carefully glanced back at her Father, a look that asked for help in her eyes. "Speech"