While they stayed primarily within the borders of the Armada for now, Celeste still ensured they would have plenty of space outside of their walls too. This time, it would actually be a wall that they could call “home” if for some reason they didn’t want to be near the Armadans. Her nose twitched as she traced along the borders of The Wall. To her left, the crumbling stone reminded her of Vidarr. A tall and formidable feature that on its inside, but to his closest allies, a soft and tender-bellied creature that wanted nothing but love. She couldn’t help but smile when she remembered the fatherly titan as she continued her trek around The Wall. In the meantime, she let out a call to her members. If they wanted to join her for an afternoon stroll in the early autumn weather, she would enjoy the company. Whether it for pleasure, hunting, education, or whatever they wanted, Celeste would welcome it.

Autumn was beginning to settle over the northern lands and the young Unagi is happy for the chilling temps. She usually ate… a lot and, with her portly girth, came an increase in her body temperature. Today, she was near a crumbling wall that isn’t too far from the Armadaian lands, laying in the sunshine, enjoying the day. Between the girl’s forelegs, is a huge chunk (relatively speaking) of the wall which she is happily chewing on. Some might wonder what the heck she is doing but, for the growing pup, it helps to ease the ache that seems to have settled in her teeth.

Chewing the rock helps so she keeps at it, until she hears a call from her other mom sing out. Head lifts, momentarily leaving her slobber-covered rock as she looks in the direction Celeste had just called from. Curious, the girl grabs her teething rock and toddles quickly in the direction, as her mouth pulls into a huge smile. It does not take her long to find her mother and Unagi comes to a stop in front of her, carefully dropping her rock between her paws before moving forward to give Cel an affectionate headbutt.

Once done, she steps back and gathers her rock. Looking to her mother, Unagi’s tail wags happily as she waits to see what Celeste wants to do.


"Hattori-Klein Unagi"

Her paws pause as she spots the black-and-white figure of Unagi. Albeit the thicker build of their litter, Celeste can see she is strong, capable, and uh… smart? Tilting her head to the side, Celeste’s eyes squint as she holds back a laugh. Why in the world was Unagi carrying around a rock? The question passes through her mind as the growing pup drops the rock, comes and gives her legs a playful headbutt before going back to retrieve the said rock. Celeste can’t hold back the chuckle she’s been hiding. “Oh Unagi, do I dare ask why you are carrying around a rock?” She questions her pup as she closes the gap and places a quick nuzzle of her nose against Unagi’s forehead. “Is this for fun or something else?” Celeste also sits as her head tilts again in a curious manner, a heartfelt and warm smile on her lips.

Unagi thinks nothing of trotting up to her mother with the rock held securely in her mouth. After she greets her mom, the pup retrieves said rock before tilting her head back to at Cel while her tail wags happily behind her. At her mother’s question the pup tilts her head, wondering what the woman thinks of her since the sight of a pup with a rock seems strange to the woman. A giggle spills out around the object in her maw as Celeste nuzzles her forehead, mismatched eyes squinting with glee as her face crinkles into lines of pure joy.

Then Cel follows her first question with another and Unagi carefully sets the rock back onto the ground. Mouth works as she swallows the extra saliva that had built up around the object and she looks up at her mother’s warm, smiling face. Tail still wags lazily behind her form and the lines of joy have morphed into a more serious, almost ashamed, expression. With some reluctance in her voice, the pup admits, “My teeth hurt.” Growing was a difficult and lengthy process and the girl is finding that she often feels an ache deep within her bones. That is normal to her by now.

However, recently, the girl has been feeling a strange dull, and sometimes sharp, ache in her mouth that reminds her of when she lost her puppy teeth. Since Unagi has never been through life before, she assumes that means that she will be growing in yet another set of teeth not realizing that the ones she has are actually permeant. A few beats after her explanation, she adds, “The rock helps with the ache. When I chew on it, my gums start to bleed but I feel better.”

Unbeknownst to the girl, she is having some dental issues due to a few pieces of bone that got lodged in her gums from one of her many meals. Mom had wanted to know her reasoning for the rock and the pup easily offered her the truth. Flashing a smile that includes some red, swollen gums, she asks, “What are we going to do today!” Never one to miss out on fun, the pup quickly pivots the conversation away from herself and, instead, to what the day holds.


"Hattori-Klein Unagi"

Slowly, Celeste's expression shifts to one of concern. While achy gums were normal through puppyhood during the transition of puppy and adult teeth, the pain shouldn't be persisting this long... Her eyes squint slightly as Unagi confesses that her gums bleed from chewing on the rocks. Even the toothy grin showed how swollen and angry the pup's gums were. Alas, Celeste wasn't a healer and though she had an inkling of what might be wrong, she had no idea how to help the poor girl. "Well, I was going to go on a hunt, but I think our plans have changed," her voice is heightened slightly as her throat closes. Drawing closer to Unagi, she places a paw on her daughter's back and brings her face closer to the girl's mouth. "Show me your gums again," Cel demands, the worry growing more evident in her tone as she tries to get a good look. "You shouldn't keep chewing on the rocks," she comments as she waits for Unagi to settle. "I think something might be wrong. We may need to ask Ulmaria for help or I'll just have to do it myself," her eyes close momentarily as her stomach squirms at the idea, but she would help the pup no matter what. She was a mom now, it was necessary.