The sun had set and the evening was on its way in. Maija was resting outside of the den, watching the skies change from oranges and pinks to the growing light and dark blues. They were a sight to behold, even if she didn't usually watch such things. Ever since she had the puppies, life had slowed down and she was enjoying the small things more than before. Her tail thumped lightly beside her as she breathed in and out slowly. It was quite enjoyable. One of Maija's famous qualities -- her paranoia -- caused her right ear to turn backward. She had heard a soft rustle behind her in the den, where her large family was resting. Taurig was curled up with all of the puppies snuggled into his abdomen and front paws. They adored him as much as she did, possibly even more on a different level. At the moment, they were deep in sleep, ignorant of the world going on around them. That is, they all were until a few seconds ago... "Eon." She said sharply in a quiet voice. "Come, my Nighthawk." She used his middle name and waited until his large puppy form waddled in her direction. She turned her head to meet his gaze and moved her tail from her hind legs to welcome him to sit against her. "What has woken you, little one?" speech here

Restlessness had gripped the pup, holding him to reality. He wasn't sure why, but his mind simply wouldn't allow him another wink of sleep. Not now, anyway. Sighing, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Green eyes glancing about, noticing his mothers familiar golden pelt was not there. Flipping onto his stomach, he looked outside to see her sitting just beyond the den mouth, and slowly he rose on quiet large paws, mindful to not wake his father or other siblings. Quietly he shuffled over to his mother on slightly unsteady paws, he wasn't very old yet so running was still an unsteady chore. His mother's voice drew him forward, the gold painted boy came to sit beside her as she beckoned him. "I'm not sure momma...my mind won't let me sleep! Is something wrong with me?" He inquired as he moved so sit close beside her, his form pressing into hers for warmth. Talk like this

She leaned her head to the side as the biggest pup of the bunch made it to her side. He plopped against her and snuggled into her gold fur before she gave a small chuckle. Eon was having trouble sleeping and yet, he didn't know why. Maija shook her head softly and turned it up right again before saying anything to him. "No, my little one," she softly said, eyes watching him with a slight bit of curiosity. "Nothing is wrong with you; I have those kinds of nights, too." Maija wrapped her tail around him and shifted so both of them would be more comfortable. "Sometimes, your mind wants to stay awake when it's time to go to bed. It happens sometimes, but not every night." She turned her gaze to the sky that was now a pretty deep blue. All traces of the sunset colors were gone. "You can stay here with me until you fall asleep...Would you like that?" Speech,

Ears shifted restlessly atop his head as a soft sigh escaped his lips. His mothers reply pulled his attention to her, curious green eyes watching hers. He moved closer to her when she shifted, pressing himself further into the curves of her warm body. He loved being with his mother, and there was nowhere else he'd rather be. "So others have nights like that too..." Slight relief was in his voice, glad that there was nothing wrong with him. He looked up at her again at her explanation, bright green eyes focusing on her for a brief moment before turning to the ocean. He was a child of great curiosity, and he was curious about the world. He nodded slowly at her quesion, tail wagging slightly. "Yes Momma, I'd like that!" giggling slightly, he turned his attention to the sky beyond the waters. "Momma, why does the sun leave? Does it sleep too?" Talk like this

Maija detected the relief in his voice and on his face as he relaxed against her large body. She gave him a bit of a smile as she watched him before their gazes met. Her tail wrapped around him and her hind legs again, making sure he was warm as her eyes moved to watch the beach, too. They sat in silence for a few seconds until Eon asked her about the ways of the sun. Now that was definitely a nice subject change. Her ears remained perked and her gaze moved from the water to the sky that seemed to endlessly stretch. "It's a bit more complicated than that, Eon. I don't know if your mind would be able to take it since you are so young..." She let concern and love wrap themselves around those words before she blinked and gave him a side glance again. "I'll tell you anyway. The sun doesn't move, but the world we are on does. That's why we have day and night. Night is when we move away from the sun, and daytime is when we move back towards it." She crossed one front paw over the other as she leaned closer to her son. "So the sun is like your alarm clock when your dad and I are still sleeping." "Speech"

Bright green eyes rested on the sky, seemingly endless and huge to the small pup. It seemed to blend with the water, and he wondered if the sky could ever be touched. Mind jerked back to the present, staring in awe at the sky as his mother explained. Her tail wrapping around him provided more comfort and warmth as he leaned into her fur. He was glad she decided to tell him regardless of whether he would be able to understand or not, but he sure as hell would try. The stars began to twinkle and make their appearance, sparkling within the depths of his pupils as he tried to imagine just how big the sky was. Was it just the parts above them? Or was there much more? He often wondered if there was a world much bigger then their island. Tilting his head slightly, he glanced up at his golden mother; the trophy mom in his eyes. "I...think I understand Momma...so when the sun comes up, that means it's okay to play! And night...is when we're supposed to sleep." He repeated in a simpler form, though more to himself then to her. "Momma, how big is the sky? Is it as big as our home? Can I touch it if I walk far enough?" More curiosity poured into his words. He was so full of questions, he wanted to know everything! But of course, he had no idea just how big or small their island was...he had only been in the part where the den was, after all. Talk like this

Her eyes watched the expressions change on Eon's face and the gold female wanted to just laugh. His curiosity and excitement about wondering how the world worked was indeed astounding, especially when she didn't think of such things at that age. Her upbringing was completely different from his, something she hoped he would never have to experience. So, instead of keeping her laughter inside, she gave a gentle chuckle that lasted a second or two. "Correct, Eon," she said. Intelligence was something that shimmered in his eyes, even though he didn't know it. Then, Eon began to ask numerous questions about the sky. Maija was surprised by how much he wanted to know about the large amount of earth above them. For that reason, she tried to encourage his thirst for knowledge by answering as many as she could. "The sky is endless and is much bigger than our home. Consider now that our island is very big, so you can only imagine how far and wide the day and night sky stretches." Once again, Maija shook her head and moved her head towards his small cranium to give him a nudge. "I'm afraid not, draga mea (my dear). The only way to meet the sky would be if you had wings." speech here