Oracle . . . There was to much light and oracle frowned huffing as she turned trying to find a new more comfortable position against her fathers side. But it was impossible the light streamed into the cave seeming to light up every corner, everyone else was asleep but she just couldn't she knew what caste the light her mother had explained how the moon changed through the coarse of the month and she had watched it as it grew smaller then disappeared but this was the first time in her short life that it had been full. Groaning slightly she sat up careful not to bump the little ball of fluff that slept in-front of her, ode seemed to always sleep with da, nor the huge Goliath that had till that point been her pillow. Slowly and carefully she crept towards the entrance to the den, stepping over the legs of her sleeping parents as she moved steadily closer to freedom finally stood at the gapping mouth of the cave she let out a breath she had not realised she had been holding, this was not the first time she had snuck out, her paws knew well the ledge outside there cave, and had the light been low or the moon gone completely she would still have managed to find the path that led down to the sand below. She paused for a moment at the head of the trail and glanced back towards the cave in the moonlight she could see the rocky mouth and for a moment she expected her father or mother to suddenly burst through it and scoop her up carrying her back inside, for a few seconds she stood still waiting but nothing happened so with a little grin she totted down the compressed dirt and rock slope, at the edge of the sand she paused gathering herself before stepping out onto the every moving surface, she stumbled a little but caught her balance and began to move forward stopping only when she could see the large expanse of sand left by the retreating tide. She remembered telling her father that she thought some sort of creature must live in the ocean depth and suck in all the water twice a day only to vomit it up when its stomach had could take no more, he had told her then about the tides and she had listened though she still liked her version better. She sat there on the high tide mark amongst the would and seaweed looking up at the moon. She considered howling it seemed like the right thing to do but she knew for sure that that would wake someone who would drag her back to the cave. And so she stood it was then that a movement caught her eye and she turned watching as a tiny creature scuttled across the sand fascinated she ran after it and watched as it paused then vanished into a burrow, then another appeared, silence and propriety forgotten she began to chase the funny little side walking creatures laughing as they scampered for their burrows. So focused was she on her game that she didn't realise that she was no longer alone. "Speech."

Ocena that's how the story goes, the story of the beast with those four dirty paws The early morning would not have drawn Ocena from her sleep had one of her children not left the den. She typically could sleep through a hurricane with Gargoyle at her side and children pillowed around her, but when one of them slipped from the den, Ocena was the first to awaken, her blue eye tracking the form of Oracle as she moved away. For a moment, just curling back up and trusting the rest of the Snow Rogues to look after her daughter was tempting, but Ocena would have never succumbed to such an urge. She could typically count on Gargoyle to watch their children when she wasn't around, but he was asleep next to her, and she didn't wish to awaken him. So Ocena stirred and left the den carefully. She moved easily along, avoiding the sleeping forms of her other children and Gargoyle, ears twitching as she padded forth. "Good morning, Oracle." Ocena's voice was light and joyous as she approached her daughter, her tail wagging easily in the crisp morning air. Ocena watched with an air of amusement as Oracle chased after the creatures that raced across the sand, trying to avoid the predatory creature that ran after them. It made her sad, in a way, to think that her older children had outgrown those things. Galileo, who had kept an eye on his siblings when they were younger, had begun to wander a lot recently. Orica was off on her own now, and Avalon too was around home less and less. They were growing, leaving the nest as pups must, but she missed when her first litter had been this young and this innocent. Ah well. Change was the only constant in life, and she understood that. As long as Gargoyle stood at her side, she could face anything the world threw at her. That was the truth. She could only hope that her children too would come to feel like they could handle the world as well, with or without another wolf to help them. TAG: Oracle NOTES: Mother/Daughter time! <3

Oracle

Oracle jumped slightly as the voice pierced the night around her, the voice was not that of a stranger however and so she didn't panic, but she had been caught out of the den, ?mama , I ...? she didn't finish her sentence what was she going to say, that she was sorry? She wasn't not really she loved it out here on the loose sand it was the only home she knew, she felt safe here, she couldn't know what the chill in the air might mean, she had never seen a winter before. Still her head dropped slightly as the crab she had been persuading slipped away into its hole and she waited for a reprimand but nothing came, cautiously she lifted her gaze ma looked troubled, Oracle took a few steps closer a worried look on her face was something wrong, had she made Ocena sad? ?ma,? she started but just then another of the creatures scuttled over her paw, she flinched refocusing her attention on the many tiny creatures re-emerging from their shelters, there where just so many of them she watched as one stopped and began to pick at the sand, did they eat sand? What was their purpose did they taste good? The questions began to bubble up into her little mind again as she turned once more looking up at her ma's black and white coat and loving two toned eyes, ?ma, what are they?? wonder and confusion coloured her voice as she looked at the woman the repository of all wisdom there was nothing her mum wouldn't know. She would bet she knew all about the creature at the bottom of the ocean, an other more urgent question popped into her mind and she looked up a frightened look on her face, ?do they eat wolves??

Ocena the birds, they got help from below, from dirty paws and the creatures of snow Ocena tilted her head as her daughter began to speak, seeming hesitant, and perhaps worried that Ocena would be angry. But the female cared little about what her children did, as long as they were safe. She would always keep an eye on them, of course, but she didn't believe in keeping a tight leash on her children. It was the only surefire way to obtain rebellion, her mother had always said. And it had been somewhat true, in the end. Ocena had left her pack due to the fact that they kept her from doing anything, and it had been the best thing to ever happen to her. After all, she would have never met Gargoyle if she hadn't left her home, and she wouldn't have had two darling litters of children. Leaning down to nose Oracle lightly as her daughter came closer, Ocena smiled fondly at the female who was colored so similarly to her father. "They're crabs, darling." Ocena answered Oracle's question with a smile, glancing down at the scuttling creatures thoughtfully. "They don't eat wolves, but they do have a nasty pinch." Ocena gestured at the creatures with a paw, "If they feel nervous, they'll lash out with their strange front paws and that tends to hurt." She had learned that during their early days on this beach. It had only taken one quick pinch for Ocena to largely leave them alone, content to respect their space and observe them from a distance. Settling back daintily on her haunches, Ocena wagged her tail against the loosely packed sand, "They're harmless as long as you leave them alone." And amusing, too. She loved watching the senseless movements of the strange little crabs. TAG: Oracle <3 NOTES: sorry i've been so busy ;n;

Oracle . . . One crab scuttled past her and she reached out bopping it with her fore paw it raised it claws just as ma had said and she watched it curiously as its sideways movements took it down its hole to safety, out of her reach. The next thing to catch her eye was the waves they rolled against the sand the moon glinting off them as she leaped after them, they ran before her and she laughed turning as the water did and racing back up the beach at its head. The game continued until she pounced nipping at the white foam, her puppy teeth pasting straight through her chosen enemy and the taste of salt filled her mouth she paused spitting the water back onto the sand, ?yuk? she ran back up the shore she was damp from the few times the water had caught her and she grinned widely as she pressed herself up against ocena, ? mama why is the sea so salty?? Oracle liked asking questions sometimes they led to stories and she loved stories. The moon glinted of something further down the beach and she paused glancing around ma at it, her question forgotten. It seemed as if the sand was boiling, curiosity drew her nearer and slowly she left her mothers side. Tiny creatures where poring out of the sand they where larger then the other crabs on the beach and strange shaped with rounded shells o their backs and four tiny little flippers they where black with white tummies they didn't have the dangerous looking forepaws of the crabs but what else could they be. Silence reigned as she considered her new find then carefully she poked one with her paw it tumbled sliding down the sand bank from which it had just emerged flippers flailing wildly as it fought to maintain stability. Dozens of others continued to struggle free as she watched enraptured. For a few moments she just stood watching as they streamed towards the ocean before carefully picking one up in her jaws. Its tiny flippers hit against her nose and she dropped it in surprise before stooping and gently lifting it again she carried it over to mother. Dropping it at the dames feet she explained ?ma look what I found, its a weird crab,? excitement pounded in her heart as she looked to her mother for praise and explanation, and the little creature she had brought fought desperately for escape tiny flippers dragging it across the sand away from the hulking beasts. "Speech."

OOC: all good also in case the descriptions a little vague Oracle found this little guy

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lq8zhaH9...0492o1_1280.jpg

. . . Oracle, it seemed, was a regular fountain of questions. Ocena smiled adoringly at her daughter before casting her attention towards the sea, inhaling its salty scent thoughtfully. This was a question that she did not know the true answer to. However, she did know the stories that her mother had told her when she was young. "When I was about your age, my mother told me that the sea was salty because it was filled with the tears of the wolves who created the world. She said that when they saw the perfection of the world that they created they were moved to tears, and these tears filled lowest valleys to create the ocean." She wasn't sure if she believed that anymore, in all honesty. Ocena had never seen any evidence that this world had been created by any mysterious wolves with vast powers, and to be quite honest, her life was perfect with Gargoyle and her children without mysterious magical wolves being added to it. "But that was what my mother believed. You, my darling, will have to form your own opinions." She could not accept everything that Ocena had to say without questioning any of it. Ocena watched patiently as Oracle set off to chase another appearance on the beach. Soon, the sands were teeming with them as the creatures made their blind ways towards the water. Soon, the predators would be on their way, Ocena knew. That was the way of the land; these creatures provided much needed meals for the birds that circled above and for the ones that lurked beneath the waves. A few of these critters would survive, however, and in time, they would lay their eggs and the cycle would begin again. When Oracle paraded up to her with a 'strange crab' in her maw, Ocena smiled at her daughter, "That is actually what is called a turtle, Oracle. Still, it is an excellent catch for such a mighty hunter as yourself." Leaning down to sniff the creature, Ocena was amused to see it immediately attempt to flee, heading towards the comparative safety of the ocean. . . . "Speech."

Oracle . . . Oracle grinned widely at her mothers praise, she was a great hunter, and she was certain she could catch all the turtles on the beach, never mind that there where probably more then a hundred just in the area around them, it was as if that first nest had been the signal and now all the little creatures where scrabbling free. But her turtle, her mighty catch was trying to escape with a little growl she caught it again using her paw to pin it to the ground another turtle bumped into her rear leg and she jumped spinning to look at the one that had run into her as it disappeared into the surf, and accidentally flipping the pinned animal onto its back. turning back she looked at the creature lying there with its belly exposed, its flipper thrashing uselessly against the sand ?why doesn't it turn back over,? she asked watching the creature her face creased in confusion, she rolled onto her own back looking at the little creature as it struggled its tiny black eyes met her own and her frown deepened. it was then lying on her back her feet in the air and cheek pressed against the ground that she saw it, a crab, but this was not the little creatures she had been chasing before this one was big. Rolling back over she stood temporarily forgetting the little creature at her feet watching the crab as it skittered across the sand, grinning she watched it was it following the turtles maybe it was going to be there body guard, help them get off their backs. But then the crab lunged at one of the turtle hatchlings grabbing the creature in its pincers it began to tear at it and oracles jaw dropped. She had eaten meat she was a wolf after all but she had never really thought about where it came from, now she watched as the harsh truth played out before her. The rest of the turtles parted around the crab as it devoured its prey, but it had simply been the first more where starting to emerge and oracle tore her gaze from the grizzly scene looking back at the baby that lay between her feet still trapped on it back then up at her mother. Her face was sad the joy of a moment ago dissipating slightly in the harsh light of reality. Without speaking she carefully bent picking up the turtle between her teeth and carrying him to the water she placed him on the waters edge and watched him struggle for a moment before surging into the waves, ?mama can we help some of them, please,? her voice was small, a part of her knew that there where probably even more dangers under the water but the crabs where eating them and, she wanted to help. "Speech."

. . . Ocena was enjoying getting to spend a little one on one time with her daughter, who looked so much like her father. "Some turtles can't turn themselves over. Just like you can't hop on two paws. Their bodies just don't work that way." Wolves were made to walk on four paws, and turtles were not designed to be able to right themselves. It was the way of the land. To Ocena, it was that simple. She had long ago learned to accept things that she couldn't change. It was part of that acceptance that had helped her get over her fierce insecurity about her partial blindness. There was no point in obsessing over things that could not be changed. Ocena was proud, however, to see her brave daughter scoop the turtle up and gently carry it towards the water. The creature would appreciate it, one day, if it got past the predators that lurked in the water. Could turtles comprehend gratefulness? Ocena was confident that they could. They might not speak in a language that Ocena understood, but she knew that many things understood more than they seemed. A language barrier did not mean that the creature was stupid. Ocena simply nodded at Oracle's question, moving swiftly to scoop up a single turtle in her jaws, her touch as gentle as could be when she carried the tiny creature towards the water, shielding it from the wrath of the predators on the beach. She placed it gently in the water then, sneezing loudly as she retreated from the shores. "Be careful with them, Oracle." She counseled as she as moved towards another baby turtle, "Their shells are very soft and it won't do them any good to get to the water if they're already hurt." She hesitated then, unsure if she wanted to continue. But if she didn't, then Oracle might never learn the truth of the world. "And we mustn't take all of the turtles. The crabs depend upon them for food as much as you depend on deer. They need these turtles. It's part of life that some of them will become food, just like the crabs will become food for something else some day." One day, Oracle would come to understand things such as this. Perhaps that day wasn't today, but Ocena would attempt to explain it anyhow. . . . "Speech."

Oracle gently scooped up another and did not respond to her mas statement she knew all things had to eat but the turtles where so tiny and they hadn't done anything the deer they took where always old and sick da had told her that much, it just didn't seem fair carefully she placed the one she was carrying into the water watching it swim off before turning trotting up the sand and picking up another out of the sand. If they where bigger she thought they wouldn't need her help they would walk down the beach themselves and no crab would dare mess with them,she placed the next one in the water and looked over towards her mother , ?mama, why are they so small,?

Oracle didn't know that these where babies for all she knew adult turtles frequently burst from the sand fully formed. Waiting for her mothers reply she went back to her self assigned job ferrying the little ones to the water. Occasionally one would pause and look at her before diving into the spray and she would hope that is survived and maybe came back one day.

The turtles where disappearing now only the stragglers littered the beach, many of the crabs to had gone vanishing into the sea and into the dunes from which they came. The night was turning peacful again, it was almost midnight and a few dark clouds had begun to drift across the sky it would probably rain tomorrow she thought sitting down again near the top of the beach. She watched the waves as they washed in and out taking with them the evidence of what had happened that night. She was just thinking how unfortunate it was that none of the others had seen the the turtles when a yawn split her jaws she had been awake a long time and her tiny body was beginning to feel it pulling her towards sleep even as she sat watching the waves.