Desponia supposed it was probably time she let the pups start wandering. She was certainly eager to get some more breathing room. The woman did not wait for them to wake, neither did she gently coax them out of sleep. Instead she simply got up and seated herself just outside the den, letting the warmth of the spring sun wash over her and listening and waiting for a sign one or more of them were starting to stir. It didn't take long, with her warmth gone it was hardly a surprise one of the bigger pups would wake. One of her two biggest rousing. Odierne. Glancing back over her shoulder Desponia watched the girl as her head lifted and she looked around. Desponia almost wished she felt something when looking upon her daughter, even annoyance or resentment would have helped her to navigate her new situation. Instead she was simply ambivalent. She cared enough to give them the care they needed but she didn't feel driven to do much more than that. The woman sighed and pushed her conflicted thoughts from her mind, deciding it was her niece's fault for continuing to push to rebuild a connection.

"Wake up you siblings, you can all come outside today." Then she looked back out at the world, feeling a little glad her den was more secluded from the rest of the pack. Hopefully she'd have some time to teach them of her own story before her family could get to them. Better they be prepared to be skeptical before anyone tried to indoctrinate them.


"Speech"

Image by Fiery-vulpes

Odierne had been pretty close to her mother in the pile of puppies so it was obvious to her when her mother got up, the cool air rushed in. Blinking slowly the girl lifted her head, noticing almost right away that her mother was gone. Looking around she searched for the woman, only glancing towards the mouth of the den when she heard her mother speaking to her. Odierne cocked her head to the side slightly, she wasn't one of the more exploratory of her siblings but even she couldn't help the slight rising of curiosity and excitement. Nodding silently, the girl set about nudging her siblings awake. "Mom says we're goin' outside." She said plainly, her tail wavering slightly behind her before she turned to trot dutifully out of the den. The girl blinked against the bright light, finding even she couldn't stop herself from gaping. It was so... Open! Out before her spread more trees than she could count and behind her loomed a mountain. Though she didn't exactly have the words for either of those yet. The wind blew and despite the sun it was chilly and the girl shivered. What was she even supposed to do now? Odierne glanced back at her mother, though even this young she knew it was unlikely the woman would have anything to offer her, seemingly never all that interested in them unless they were getting into trouble or getting too loud. "Speech"

Art by Stars-ARIA

Astra was lying down on her own spot, curled up in a position that made her back facing the entrance while the rest faced the wall. Her chest rose up and down slowly, peacefully. While it seemed this girl was going to be the passive type. But still able to obey and be ready to help her bloodied relatives. She would had easily slept for hours if her sister nor her mother hadn't called them out, and yawning the purple wolf pup rose to sit up. Eyes reflected laziness, yet she knew better not to ignore mother's words and as such after shaking her star-colored coat she walked behind Odierne, eyes calm yet excitement build up inside her. Yet it wasn't too noticeable. ""

Code by Cloudy

Inferna stirred as she felt the absence of her mother's warmth, a small whimper escaping her lips. She blinked open her pink eyes, the brightness of the den's entrance calling to her like a beacon. She stretched her legs, feeling the urge to explore the unknown world beyond. Her sister's nudges were gentle but firm, and Inferna could sense the excitement in Odierne's voice. "Mom says we're goin' outside."

The words ignited a spark within Inferna, and her heart raced with anticipation. This was the moment she had been waiting for, the moment her world would expand beyond the confines of the den. She scrambled to her paws, her curled tail flicking with eagerness as she followed her sisters out of the den.

As Inferna emerged into the daylight, she paused, her breath catching in her throat. The world was vast and wondrous, filled with sights and sounds she had never imagined. Trees dotted the rocky terrain, their leaves whispering secrets to the wind. The peaks of the island stood tall and proud, their snowy caps a stark contrast to the lush greenery below. She took a tentative step forward, her paws sinking into the cool earth, the crisp breeze ruffling her pristine white fur.

But it was the raven that truly captured her attention. Perched on a nearby branch, its feathers gleamed like polished obsidian in the sunlight. Inferna's eyes widened in awe as she watched the bird, her fascination growing with every second. The raven tilted its head, its intelligent eyes meeting hers, and for a moment, it felt as though they were communicating, sharing an unspoken understanding.

Inferna took another step closer, mesmerized by the raven's presence. Her heart swelled with a mix of curiosity and reverence, the bird embodying the wild, untamed spirit she felt within herself. The raven cawed softly, and Inferna's flopped puppy ears perked up, a sense of connection blooming in her chest. She knew, in that instant, that this was just the beginning of her adventures, the first of many wonders she would discover on this rugged, beautiful island.

"Inferna"

As usual, the spindly little boy was trapped at the bottom of the pile of sleeping bodies, only the end of his thin snout poking out from under one of his sister's armpits so that he could breathe. So he was plenty warm, soundly dozing without a care in the world. At least, until Odie left the pile and the heat of her much larger body was lost. Then Astra was gone, though she had not been tangled amidst the rest of her siblings and so he did not stir as quickly as when Odie did. Once Fern was gone as well, he found himself waking in earnest. Brilliant cerulean eyes flickered slowly open, long lashes brushing against his cheeks as he blearily blinked the sleep from his eyes. He withdrew his leg from beneath Maggie, having caught the tail end of Odie's declaration that they were free to head outside. His ears, still folded over and painfully endearing, perked up at that news. His awkwardly proportioned limbs carried him at a galloping, excited gait towards the mouth of the den, heedless of any sisters that might be in his way. They would probably survive if he ran them over, since he was arguably the smallest and frailest among them. His dark fur instantly warmed as he stepped out into the sun, squinting against the sudden brightness. All around him, a symphony of new sounds and sensory input. His thin little sides heaved with growing excitement, tongue lolling from his maw as he panted to try and settle himself. The impossible volume of new scents, spicy and floral and musty and acrid all wrapped up together. The myriad colours of the world around him, dark stone against verdant greenery mingled with bright spots of unusual colour where flowers were blooming to life. It was all so much. The susurrating of the breeze through leaves all around him was like a symphony. Tears welled in his electric blue eyes, overwhelmed by everything he was looking at. Without so much as a word, the boy began to walk. Uncertain and awkward on his paws, but head high and long tail swishing across his rump with delight as he blinked the glassiness from his eyes. He needed to touch stuff now. To stick his nose into the flowers that were blooming on the edge of the little clearing around the den, and see what they felt like against the soft, sensitive flesh of his nares. The sensation of rocks, pebbles, grass, twigs, all underfoot, catching in the tresses of his growing tail fur. It was amazing, truly. He didn't care one bit about anything else except drinking it all in. "speaking" pixels courtesy of king-lulu-deer & lvx-1

It was safe to say that Magdalene was a heavy sleeper. Sprawled out and jumbled up within the tangle of her siblings, one would not be able to ignore the snores that whooshed from her open maw. Her eyelids would flutter and paws would twitch. Clear indications that she was dreaming of something. Most likely chasing rabbits or barking at birds. Content to remain within the realm of dreams, Mags didn't stir until one by one, her mother and siblings all slipped away.

What was once a dreamy warm summer day was now a bitter and chilly autumn with dark shadows beginning to invade every crevice. The shift in temperature and the thump of Nox removing himself from beneath her was enough to stir her. Heterochromatic eyes blinked blearily, squinting as she glanced around. Where had they all gone? She lets loose a calling bark as she rolls over and up onto her paws. When someone returns her call from outside the den, excitement began to rise in Mags. Giving her body a good all over shake, dust lifting into the air around her, she wasted no more time.

Large paws scrambled toward the entrance. Sharp claws scraped against dirt and rock as her gangly limbs figured out how exactly to maneuver themselves. Pausing momentarily at the entrance with a teetering stop, nearly falling onto her face, Mags squints against the harsh light of day. A sudden and overwhelming rush of air is inhaled through her nostrils as she drinks in her first sense of outside. Surrounded by tall pines and sloping, mountainous peaks, she can't help the shiver than rolls through her whole body.

Noticing the brand new berries upon the ground cover brush surrounding the clearing, Magdalene makes her way over to investigate. Not first without stopping to shoulder check Nox on her way over, turning to blow a teasing raspberry in his face as she continues toward her target. She hesitates for a second, paws feeling and testing the dirt beneath her as she glances over to her mother. Instinctually, she wishes to ask for permission to eat the berries, but so far, she's not sure her mother cared enough to even stop her. Only one way to find out!

Quick as lightning, Mags reaches out to grab ahold of a branch full of berries. Sticking the thing nearly as far back as it can go until she practically chokes herself, the pup plops her butt down and begins to gnaw on berry, leaf, and branch all at once. The taste is bitter and tart, her eyes squeezing shut for a moment, her head giving a shake, but she doesn't stop. Nope. Not until she's told no.

Magdalene Antonis

table coding by bunni ♥