The past month since he'd found the pups had not passed particularly well for Chaos. Obviously, Valkyrie had not taken the news well, and Chaos had been nursing a new set of scars from that initial confrontation. She'd also kicked him out of their den, so he'd needed to slink off to find somewhere else. What with everything, he really hadn't had time to dig out a proper den with the ground so frozen, so he'd been living in a better-roofed, warm corner of the barn. Which was ok, he guessed, because it kept him closer to the livestock and he'd needed to use a goat to feed the pups on for a while. It was a pain in the ass though so he'd resorted to the great wolf trick that no one wanted to talk about but everyone did - which is to say, horking up half digested meat for the pups to eat meat before they were old enough to eat it on their own - a lot sooner than most. He'd built up around his corner with old planks and woven together saplings to make it basically a separate little straw-filled room with a tall doorstep to keep the midgets in and be able to... well, kind of hide the shame of being kicked out and effectively sleeping on a couch at the office. He'd stayed out of Valk's way and kept the pups out of her way to avoid rubbing it in as much as possible, but unfortunately it was definitely time for them to get out of his hair and go run around bothering everyone else. He'd thought single-parenting his and Leto's kids had been hard, but he hadn't had to raise them from birth, just from weaning. No wonder Leto had been so quick to dump Ares and Lyra on him and leave! Well, the little bastards would need to risk meeting their half siblings and his wife and her Vikings eventually, so there was no time like the present. Popping his head into the den he'd built there, he surveyed the puppies with a worry he kept carefully concealed behind a grin. "Ok, kids, today's the day! First day out in the world! No running off now, wait until everyone's over," he added as he stepped over the barrier and grabbed up the first pup he found and unceremoniously plopped them over the barrier until all five were deposited on the straw on the other side.

The barn was fairly warm, and the heady scent of the livestock that also holed up there when the weather turned had become a staple of his young life. His father spent a great deal of time with them, and ensured they were fed. What more could an oversized furry potato ask for? Well, this furry potato wanted freedom. His spindly little legs were always moving, and he wanted nothing more than a chance to feel the fresh breeze on his face. So when his dad wandered into the barn that day, the sound of his familiar gait stirred the boy from his nest of straw and up to the edge of the carefully constructed barrier that Chaos had put together. It took a great deal of bumping and stumbling, since he was too excited to watch where he was going to put his paws next. His dad's voice showed no sign of strain or discomfort when he announced that it was now time for the kids to make their way out into the world. The other half of the sentence was mostly lost on the youngster, who was now wriggling with glee at the offered freedom. He contained his delight just long enough for his dad to grab a hold of his scruff and lift him from his straw lined prison. With the new substrate under his paws, the dark youngster was quick to start investigating the rest of the barn. He could hear sheep shuffling anxiously away from his questing nose, they were familiar with the wolf pups that drank from their udders in their earliest days but they weren't happy to see them all freely wandering about the barn. Charcoal nose snuffled furtively through the scattered hay and dirt that made up the floor of the barn, sightless gaze trained on something beyond the floor in front of him. It was only when his siblings began to race for the door that he remembered there was more than just the barn itself to explore! Awkward paws picked up in a hopping gait, like a high stepping horse, as he scampered after the rest of the family. He swerved away from the door frame when his fine tuned whiskers brushed the weathered wood, and continued out into the strange new world. When the cool, mist dampened terra kissed the delicate pads of his paws, he stopped short. Lifting a forepaw, he swung it wildly at his side in search of the nearest warm body. While the scents and sounds flooded straight into his brain, he was hoping for even more information. "What do you see?" the reedy, lilting vocals of the boy questioned urgently of whoever happened to brush against his outstretched paw first. He could hear the gentle creak of nearby branches, the pawsteps of his siblings and dad. There was a light breeze dancing through the downy fur of his flanks, and rustling the grasses around him. Cocking his skull to one side, he tried to invite more of the sounds around him to slide down his ear canals, hoping for a better picture to be painted in his mind. Nostrils flared to draw in the heady stink of the livestock that grazed in the fields beyond, the sweet tang of flowers just beginning to bud. The air all around him felt cool and damp, clinging to his fur and skin. This could well have been what it felt like to achieve nirvana. ""

Rhian liked the barn. Especially the livestock. It was more than a few times that she'd tried to talk with them when they got too close to the barrier, stomping her paws in childish aggravation when they declined. They were mean and boring, but she liked them well enough anyway. Eventually, she'd get one to play with her, and then she'd have another friend to add to her list, which currently only included her father and siblings. They were the only wolves she'd ever met.

Chaos approached the den, and Rhian scampered up to meet him. Before she could say a word, which was an accomplishment since she talked fast, he scooped her up and dropped her on the other side of the barrier. She stared around, wide-eyed. This was new. She was next to Raven, so he asked her what she saw. "I thee..." she said. "We're thill in the barn, and I can thee animalth, goath and thuff. Outthide the door, I can thee green fielth." She was too excited to give a proper account. She turned to her father. "I wanna go out!" she demanded.

Just like the rest of his siblings, Acacius threw himself toward the barrier as their father approached, shoving aside warm bodies to try and make himself room to see up over. "Me! Me!" He crooned as his father began dumping puppies onto the other side of the straw. Once he too had been placed to the other side of the barrier, Acacius immediately threw himself forward ahead of the rest of his littermates. He wasn't going to break his father's rules and leave before given permission, but he was one of the biggest pups which obviously meant he should be first outside the barn.

His brother was asking a question and Acacius peered out the barn door to add his own input on what he could see, to help his brother get a full picture along with Rhian's assistance. "I see more fences out there." The boy added, with a frown. "I don't like fences."

While his siblings mobbed the barrier for their father to take them out, Daemon stayed quietly in the back, lurking, until Chaos plucked him out and plopped him down. He trailed after his siblings when they took off for the barn door without waiting. No doubt Omen would immediately overtake him followed in short order by their father, but he wasn't trying to run any races. No, Daemon was meandering in his odd, creepy little way with his head low and eyes watchful, and his movements slightly disjointed. When he caught up, he stopped and sat facing slightly away as though disinterested in what they were staring at, just peeking out of the peripheral of his vision, staying quiet and waiting for someone else to make the first moves.

Excited at the prospect of freedom, Omen huddled close to the barrier throwing elbows with the best of them. She watched as first one sibling and then another was lifted before her. At first that was all well and good, but as each sibling was lifted out before her expression changed from excitement to dismay. She gaped up at her dad with an expression that suggested he was getting away with murder. When it was her turn to be lifted she wore a scowl that would have been accompanied by crossed arms if she could have managed it. By the time she was set down - the very last one - she was thoroughly sour.

Omen trailed after her siblings determined not to be wowed by anything. No, she was mad, see, and that meant nothing could be nice or fun or anything good like that until she was happy again. That was just the way it was. "I bet the world is made of fences," she said, hoping to drag everyone down to her level.