Sleepily his bright oceanic eyes would open to the now quite wakeful world. He had slept incredibly late, it was a miracle that no one had earlier woken him from slumber. As he let his gaze drift to the surrounding stall he would take not that he was absolutely alone. Panic would set in at the thought, surely he had just been abandoned by everyone. He would feel a wave of absolute terror roll over him as a panicked whine would push itself from his jaws. Coming into a now fully awakened state he would push himself from the ground to look around to once again confirm that he was utterly alone. Of course being consumed by the amount of fright that he was the poor pup had no idea to just walk outside. Surely the rest of his family was no more than at the end of his nose. Speech,

A whine interrupted Nizhoni's lounging. He had spent the better part of his morning exploring the outside of the barn, looking for holes (i.e. bolt holes for when he angered his mother or father.) A lone whine had broken into his wandering, and he froze, ears perked. He knew Elias lounged still inside, or at least that he hadn't followed the others out, and was immediately concerned. He ran back around to the front doors and spotted his brother, looking rather alarmed, and alone. "Elias? What's wrong, brother?" He asked, running up to the more timid boy. Nizhoni sniffed him over, making sure nothing was wrong. He looked alright, anyways. 'He probably just got frightened again,' Nizhoni thought to himself. The darker male did not understand the fear and caution his other siblings occasionally expressed at the unknown. It was just another adventure after all!

Eli was completely lost, the small brown boy was now awake with no one to look after him. His mother was gone, his father was gone, and not one of his siblings could be seen. He was completely alone in the world and he was terrified. He knew they had left him, but for what? He had just overslept they didn't have to leave him! Panicked, he was completely ready to throw himself onto the ground and give up on all existence when his cries were heard and answered. His slightly grey brother Nizhoni would push himself past the barn door and into his brothers line of sight. He would appear at the opening of the stall and Elias was sure he'd feint with relief. His tiny body would slide to the floor as his tail began to wag fast with happiness. Niz would make sure everything was alright, even asking him if he was okay. "Everyone... Left me." he would say almost sadly, but he was too happy to see his brother to be sad anymore. The terror subsided and all was well within his world once again.? Speech,

Nizhoni would not pretend to understand his brother's fears, but that did not make him any less sympathetic. He cuffed his younger brother's ear affectionately and smiled. "We didn't leave," he said gently. "We just weren't here right then. That doesn't make you alone!" They were a family, after all, which meant they were never alone! Even if they weren't together, they still had each other's blood in their veins, right? Or at least that was what he'd heard momma say, and it seemed like a nice way to think about it! Nizhoni nuzzled against his brother's cheek, then dropped down into a play stance, before springing forward, making to bop his brother lightly on the nose. Nizhoni laughed, ever cheerful. "You should come adventuring with me, brother!" Maybe one day Elias could become brave, and perhaps one day they could wander the whole realm, not just the Range that they lived on. Nizhoni could not restrain a smile at the thought. One day they would be big and strong, like their father!

Elias was so relieved to have found his brother that he almost wasn't listening as the other pup would explain his absence, "We didn't leave, We just weren't here right then. That doesn't make you alone!" his words were comforting though, what he was able to catch of them, and he was particularly glad for his brother's patient ear. He didn't know that he was being silly, he just felt the awful horror that had welled up within him after he'd discovered he could not see any of his family. I was scared, and couldn't see you! He would sadly comment, he had just awoken and no one had been there. Will you wake me up when you wake up, Niz? So I c'n see you? He never wanted a repeat of this morning again, so if he was awake whenever Nizhoni was awake he'd really never be alone. His brother would lightly touch his nose playfully, and it would bring Elias into a more relaxed and playful state. He wanted to play too! His own form would mirror that of his brothers as his rump shot into the air and started wiggling with excitement. ""You should come adventuring with me, brother!" Elias would bark excitedly as he pushed himself forward to bop Nizhoni's own nose. "But, what about momma? I bet she'd want to adventure too!" It was nice of him to think of the she wolf, but really he just wanted to snuggle her, to rid himself of that last tinge of fear that his parents could have left him. Speech,

Nizhoni chuckled at his brother's antics and excitability. Elias was vibrant with life, and it was one of the things Nizhoni loved most about him. That Elias' fear was so soon forgotten lifted a weight off of Nizhoni's shoulders. "Sure, I can wake you if you want," He said, happy to oblige him. There was an easy friendship within his brother, as if the pup was so full of loving, he couldn't contain it all, and it sort of fell away and washed over others. You couldn't spend any amount of time with him and not be affected. Nizhoni chuckled at his enthusiastic reaction to adventuring, and laughed that he wanted to bring their mother along. "Eli, bringing Momma would take the fun out of it! She would make it all safe, and it wouldn't be an adventure for her!" He didn't want to burst his bubble though so Nizhoni turned towards the doors and beckoned his brother with his tail. "C'mon, maybe we'll be able to find some of them outside." He knew the younger boy would like to see their mother, and that was why he'd brought it up. Since he could remember Elias and Enola had been closer to their parents than he, Daedalus, and Silveris, but he supposed that was just the way it would be. "Speech" Think

He would be pleased to hear that his brother would be waking him up, now he would never wake up alone again. He could count on his brother to always have his back and make sure that he wasn't left sleeping alone. He would smile thankfully as his pose changed. He would be disappointed however, when the words of their mother would fall from Nizhoni's lips. He would tell him about how momma would not make it fun, and that safety was certainly out of the question. "but... I like bein'... Safe." That was one reason he enjoyed being by his mothers side that was where he felt safest. And he could certainly have fun with Momma. Nizhoni would continue, coaxing him forward out into the world. "H'okay let's go!" he would stand upright upon all fours and totter after him into the daylight.? Speech,

Creeping and crawling like the sea over sand. Still I follow heartlines on your hand. And there?s fantasy, there?s fallacy, there?s tumbling stone. Echoes of a city that?s long overgrown. Nizhoni dismissed Elias' words as only a brother could, and instead raced towards the doors. His body was still rotund, laden with puppy fat, and he looked rather ridiculous doing so. He didn't mind, because in his thoughts he was already a big, strong warrior. One day he'd be bigger than any of them, he told himself. They'd be looking up at him and not the other way around. He could hear his brothers at his heels as he pushed out and past the door's opening. The cold wind buffeted him, but he thought that perhaps it wasn't as cold as it had been the day before. Brisk for a certainty, but alive with promise. Nizhoni didn't really understand, but the way it made his fur tug and tingle brought a smile to his face. He turned around to look over his shoulder, searching for his brother's friendly face. How could he have been sleeping in on a day like this? "C'mon Eli, it's pretty out here!" The darker coated boy could not repress his grin and jumped high into the air, coming down into the snow with a great puff of white powder. It seemed denser than it had before, and it occurred to him that there was a new sound in the air. Perplexed, he looked upwards and saw glittering droplets falling from the barn's roof top. He gasped. "Eli, look! The snow's turning into water!" His momma had told him that when it gets warm the snow would all turn into water and disappear until winter came again. The thought made him sad, but he knew that the next time he saw snow he'd big big and strong and able to hunt like his papa. He decided that maybe he was excited for that, and maybe it wasn't so bad after all. "Talk" "Listen" Think

As he pushed on into the outside he could feel the chill surround his fluffy puppy coat. If he didn't know any better he would have thought the weather a bit warmer than even the day before. He had been told of the coming warmth, and it would bring even more excitement into his already boisterous body. He could hardly believe it though, it couldn't be warmer outside than it was when he was snuggled in tight with his family. His creamy paws would carry him out to where his brother had run, right on his heels already he would start to search for the rest of their family, especially their mother. She just wanted to see her so bad that morning. She was probably already out doing her duties though, and she was almost sure he'd missed her. Still Nizhoni would run further, "C'mon Eli, it's pretty out here!" watching with curious blue eyes Elias would watch as his brother jumped heartily into the snow. With an excited smile he readied himself to join in, but stopped as his brother's attention was divided once more. "Eli, look! The snow's turning into water!" Following the blue gaze of Niz, Eli would find the odd dripping, certainly it looked like the snow was giving birth to water. But how could that be? Surely the weather was changing for the warmer, and he would be delighted. Warmth was coming! Maybe it really is going to get warmer! I hope all the snow goes away soon. He knew not what was to come, but it excited him. Instead of playing in snow he would be playing in mud soon enough. Speech,

Nizhoni was once again infected by his brother's mirth. The darker boy bounced and bounded about, all smiles. While his brother's face was upturned, he lunged in, making to playfully nip at his tail. Nizhoni wanted to play! He dropped for a split second into a play stance, before pelting off towards the lake. He didn't make it very far before something small and blue swept down at him for a split second. Fear coursed through him, remembering Enola's brush with danger only a few days past. It didn't take him more than a moment to recover, when he realized that it was not in fact a bird of prey, but one of the swallows he saw in the barn rafters. He followed it's haphazard path until he saw a number of them buzzing about in the nearby trees. Nizhoni was intrigued! He turned and called over his shoulder to his brother. "Eli, what do you think they're doing?" Nizhoni tried to take another few steps towards the tree line, but as soon as he approached two more birds zoomed at him. One got so close he could feel the wind from it's wings ruffling his ears. He gasped, joyful. This could be a game! He looked around, trying to find a stick or something in the ground. There! Not far a branch lay, and he dragged it to where he had first been dive-bombed. He turned back to his brother and grinned. "Want to play a game, Eli? I hink I've got a good one!" He only wished his other siblings were here so they could play too. "Speech" Think

Suddenly the boy would be distracted with play, Niz would nip excitedly at his wagging tail, and Eli couldn't help but to return the favor. He wanted to catch his brother's tail! What a prize that would be, he would dart after the grey boy running towards the lake dangerously. He would stop though, right as a streak of bird dived around him. Of course both boys were quite distracted as they flew around happily in the trees. ""Eli, what do you think they're doing?" He would look to his brother and then curiously back towards the birds and their flitting around. A strange notion then hit him, what if he could fly? What a wonderful sensation that would be! He could fly to his mother whenever he wanted no matter where she was! "I dunno, but it looks like lots of fun!" Suddenly Nizhoni would run over to find a stick, dragging it back to his original position. Elias would tilt his head curiosly, wondering what it was that his brother was thinking. "Want to play a game, Eli? I think I've got a good one!" Elias would bounce over to his brother, completely excited about a new game. He was always up for a new game! Wha' tis it Niz?! He would circle his brother anxiously as he awaited the rules for their new game. Speech,

Creeping and crawling like the sea over sand. Still I follow heartlines on your hand. And there?s fantasy, there?s fallacy, there?s tumbling stone. Echoes of a city that?s long overgrown. Nizhni couldn't help but agree with his brother's insight. Whatever the birds were doing, Nizhoni wished that he could too! Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any way to make himself fly, so he'd just have to settle for playing with them on the ground. His brother seemed as eager as he to play, and Niz wasn't about to make him wait any longer. "Okay, so the game is that we have to run all the way to the trees, but if a bird gets us we have to come back to the stick! First one to touch it gets... gets..." He tried to think of something that Eli would really like, and want to play for. He thought long and hard about it, and finally gasped, grinning. "Gets to sleep closest to Mama tonight! The loser has to sleep on the outside of everyone. Deal?" Even as the stood there another swallow swooped down, cawing in anger at their presence. He wondered why they had just now started to appear, and maybe if they had come to watch the snow drop from the barn too. The older boy braced himself, ready to start running as soon as Eli gave his okay. "Talk" Think "Listen"

His brother would excitedly explain the game to him, "Okay, so the game is that we have to run all the way to the trees, but if a bird gets us we have to come back to the stick! First one to touch it gets... gets..." The game would seem simple enough, all he had to do was avoid the birds as well as he could. It seemed already that Nizhoni was having trouble dodging them, it would be no trouble to come out on top with this game. "Gets to sleep closest to Mama tonight! The loser has to sleep on the outside of everyone. Deal?" The stakes were set, and with a determined grin the boy would gladly agree. "Hope you don' get too cold tonight Niz!" He would squeal as suddenly he would race towards the tree line, his eyes on the dive bombing birds over head. He would not lose this challenge! He would be sleeping by his mother tonight with the satisfaction that Nizhoni would be lounging in the cold, enjoying his loss. He could feel his paws reaching out for the ground, he was running as fast as he could. He was unsure of he was quicker than Nizhoni, since he didn't have quite the puppy fat that his brother did. He could feel himself almost reach the tree line, when suddenly the talons of a bird would strike at his ears. He squealed playfully as he raced back to the stick to try again. Speech,

Nizhoni would growl playfully as his brother rocketed over the starting line, and pelted towards the trees. Nizhoni was on his heels, but couldn't seem to gain any ground. While the darker boy was just the smallest bit larger, Elias was much leaner, and looked to be outrunning him! Nizhoni put on an extra burst of speed. To his delight, the younger didn't seem to see a swallow dive from the crown of the trees until it was too late. Elias squealed and turned. Nizhoni opened his mouth to mock the boy, but was instead struck by the instant forces of karma. A loud, shrill, caw sound in his ear and tiny bird talons scraped against his skull. Nizhoni spun around, laughing breathlessly. He was ahead of Elias now! Granted, it was only because he'd been so far behind before. But now maybe he could reach the stick, and get back to the tree first! He ran as fast as his little, rotund body could carry him, all the while listening desperately for the sound of paws behind him. He reached the stick, lungs wanting for air, and whirled around, hoping to catch sight of his brother as he did so. "Speech" Think

As Elias became turned around his heart fell when he realized that he would probably lose, he couldn't! Though he had the pleasure of seeing his brother also get dive bombed, the angry bird would send him reeling back where he came from, but now he was even closer to the stick than Elias was! Another squeal of delight would leave his lips as he pushed his paws faster, he had to get back to the stick before his brother! He hadn't been so far in front of him! He would push himself hard and find that the both of them had reached the stick at the same time, but that wouldn't let him stop. With renewed vigor he would sprint of once again for the tree line, this time his eyes were only for the sky. He watched carefully as his paws recklessly tore over the ground towards his destination. One bird would come dangerously close, but with the slightest bit of skill he would dodge its attempt, just in time to get tripped up by another stick. He could feel his legs tangle up beneath him as he made one last ditch effort to reach the tree. He would do his best to leap towards the forest, but he was unsure if he had made it before Nizhoni since his head was now quite buried in what was left of the snow. Speech,

Creeping and crawling like the sea over sand. Still I follow heartlines on your hand. And there?s fantasy, there?s fallacy, there?s tumbling stone. Echoes of a city that?s long overgrown. Nizhoni gasped in horror, seeing that his brother had caught up to him. The lead was lost! He grit his teeth with determination, trying to bridge the growing gap. He couldn't loose, he couldn't! It just wasn't possible, he was the older brother, he had to be better at everything! That didn't stop him from being proud, of course, seeing that loving, cuddly Elias could be so good at something. He would probably be a great hunter when Papa and Mamma let them go. Nizhoni found himself smiling, upon seeing Elias dodge a blow, and felt sorrow when he got hit once more. He realized that maybe winning this race didn't mean so much to him. Looking up and ahead, it would appear that the birds were rather occupied with Eli, and he had a straight shot towards the tree. He'd only have to run a few more paces... Instead, he squealed, and whirled around. Elias was already nearly at the stick, and Nizhoni called out, "These dumb birds sure know what they're doing!" He began running back towards the stick, panting heavily. It was just one night, after all. "Talk" Think "Listen"

Hurriedly the boy would do his best to find his feet, he had to beat Nizhoni, he was so close! A trip up couldn't slow him down that much! He would let his paws find themselves once again, keeping his attention on his feet as well as the birds. What a game he had been led into! He was forced to focus not only upon the ground before him, but creatures coming at him from below. This kind of play would surely help him when he started to hunt and learn to fight. A giant smile would play across his features as he realized he was in front of his brother, he was really going to win! "These dumb birds sure know what they're doing!" Nizhoni sounded quite winded, and as the boy crossed the finish line he realized that he too was wore out from their exertion. He would watch as Nizhoni brought himself up to him, the obvious loser in their contest. Eli's tongue would pant uselessly out of his mouth as he did his best to catch his missing breath. What a race they had endured! "Good.. job Niz!" he would look into his brother's gaze, his heart not quite into the punishment that would be on the losers end. "You don' have to sleep by yourself. I'm okay with sharing Momma's cuddles with a loser." He'd giggle playfully, knowing his brother wouldn't think anything of his jest. Speech,

Nizhoni chuckled at his brother's attempt to scorn him, rolling his eyes and waving him off. His legs felt shaky now that he was done using them, and his chest still heaved. His throat felt dry, and he looked towards the lake, wondering if the water was any warmer. Laughed, he told his brother, "Pssh, like I need your charity! I'll beat ya next time." He jerked his head towards the water, padding towards it's edge, hoping his brother would follow. As he reached the water's edge, he bent his head to take a deep breath. The water was icy, and felt good against his ragged throat. When he finally felt refreshed and stood back up and looked to the sky. It was barely noon, they had the whole day ahead of them! He smiled and turned back towards his brother, calling out, "So what's next, Eli?" Even if his brother just wanted to hunt down their siblings or mother, he was fine with that, knowing it'd mean spending more time with one of his favorite siblings. "Speech" Think