The pups had had a long day of play, and before the sun set in the sky Zee was waiting outside their den to welcome them home and hear their joyful tales. The first day out of the den was always the most eventful, plenty for the little ones to see and do and smell and chomp upon. The companions had been keeping a watchful eye out on them to ensure they didn't go get themselves lost in the tall grass or drowned in the ocean, but the rest of their lands were fair game for the ten very active sets of legs and dozens upon dozens of tiny teeth that were now unleashed. Beneath her one paw was a small jar of ointment, a medicine she'd had left over from when her own horns grew in. They had been wildly itchy for the season, and the soothing balm helped her keep the discomfort under control. She'd offer it to both Kotori and Briar when the two came home, in case they'd had similar troubles out while playing. "Speech"

What a day of fun! Kotori come home triumphant and tired, more tired than he would admit.  Chasing birds, being chased by the birds, checking out the water, spending time with their big brother and family.  The pup had burned out more energy than ever before. Zee hadn’t needed to wait long till Kotori was returning, fuzzy tail held up high and proud as if he’d achieved a great conquest in all his exploring and playing.  Flagging the tail a bit more for his mom Kotori.  In his mouth was his prize for the day, what appeared to be some large tree root large enough that his little jaws had to be stretched wide to keep the whole thing in. The scent of rodent markings, and the deeper moist earth clung to it.  “Lo’ wh’ I got!” It really was a great thing for those pup teeth and gums to chew on.  He had put in good effort digging it up and having to shake it free from the tree. His eyes glanced down to what was under Zee’s paw, “wha’ tha?” Admittedly, it was hard to talk with a huge chunk of tree in one’s mouth. Talk

Her youngest son came bounding over shortly before sunset, the glee on his face easy for any to see. He'd had a long day but from where she was standing it looked to have been a good one, and Zee couldn't keep the grin from her maw as he triumphantly brought her his torn off chunk of root. "Wow! A master hunter already, your father will be very proud." She offered with a laugh. If Kotori was anything like her other boys, he'd become a force to be reckoned with very soon. He mentioned the jar at her paws and she glanced down at it, then back up at him to observe his tiny nubs. "Well, it's a cream my friend made for me long ago to help me when my horns were growing in, to settle the itch." Her lips downturned only slightly, the memory of Deathbelle and her gift souring her mood. She was forced to shove away the thoughts of the Empress, and make the happiness return to her face if only for her son's sake. "Do you want to try it?" "Speech"

Yup, mom being impressed was exactly the reaction he had wanted, and who wouldn’t be? This thing had taken some work to tear-free and was a good mouthful to carry!  Still, it was going to be great as something to chew on when that urge to gnaw struck.  Bet his sisters would want a chance at it and he’d have to decide if he’d permit them to play with his treasure.  He’d have to show dad as soon as he could! Putting down said treasure as she spoke about the jar he gave it another quizzical look as he considered his forehead.  It didn’t hurt but there were times it sure did itch a lot.  He’d rubbed it up against a few things to try and soothe that itch, trees, rocks and that would help for a few moments, the main thing that helped was just doing other things till he could forget about it.  Of course, bringing it up he felt that familiar itch on the skin. “Umm, ok!” Was there any side effect to trying it? It had caused a momentary hesitation but since he couldn’t imagine anything no reason not to agree? Especially if it would make the itch go away. “Are my horns gonna look just like yours mom? The other wolves don’t have horns, are we super special for having them?” Take that dumb sister, well other than Briar so maybe she was pretty ok also for a sister. Talk

Zee laughed softly, reaching a paw up to tussle her son's head teasingly. "Maybe they will." She mused. Impossible to tell, however, they were still so small. "You and Briar are very special." She conceded to the would-be-horned boy. "Though Ari, Goss, and Ophelia are too in their own ways. With your siblings behind you, the five of you can do anything." Though their family tree was smaller then others of Boreas, she'd always be proud of the closeness they all shared. Even though her oldest children seemed to be falling away, she knew they still held their family close in their hearts. As she spoke further she reached down into the gourd and moved to apply some of the salve to the boy's budding horns, careful to try and avoid messing his fur as she did. "What else did you do today? Staying out of trouble, I hope!" If the younger litter was anything like their grown siblings, Zee and Sirius would be asking that question every day for the rest of their youth.   "Speech"