Gabriel

Gabriel blinked, his ebony nose pressed to the ground and his tiny body stumbling over roots, twigs, rocks, anything the poor boy came across, it was an odd scent he had stumbled upon, but one that he was rather intent on tracking. Mama had told him! You stick your nose to the ground and you follow it with diligence... he didn't know what diligence meant, but he assumed he was doing it now! He had hesitated leaving the warm comfort of his den, he wasn't really supposed to without mama or papa but how was he supposed to be diligent if he couldn't leave? Such logic couldn't be denied, at least not in the pups mind. He paused as the scent led to a... hole. Gabriel blinked, two toned eyes growing large as he leaned over the hole, teetering on the edge precariously. Well... what was he supposed to do now? How deep was it? Was he supposed to jump in? Something rustled deep within the ground and Gabriel scrambled backwards. Legs working frantically to pull his tiny body away from the hole. His eyes grew wide, heart hammering in his tiny chest as he waited anxiously. The scratching noises grew louder and suddenly a head popped out of the hole and a body was quick to follow! ...It was the fattest puppy he had ever seen! And its ears! The snorted laugh left him against his will, the fat... incredibly fluffy puppy bounding away, eyeing him wearily. Gabriel stumbled forward, eyeing it more carefully, it was smaller than him but not by much. "Did you drink too much of mama's milk? Is that why you're so fat?"Came the blunt response, two toned eyes blinking. One long ear twitched done and then several things happened at once. The fat thing leapt towards him, shoving off of him with its back feet, sending Gabriel sprawling backwards with a startled yelp and tumbled ass over tea kettle straight into the hole.

The sound of Gabriel, one of Erani and Nova's children, brought a smile to Epiphron's face as she wandered about her home, with no particular destination in mind. Amidst the somewhat tumultuous happenings of the pack, of her own life, the presence of her adoptive siblings was a glad welcome. Yes, while they were not exactly blood related, Epiphron considered Erani like a mother, so why would her children be any less than siblings to her? Still she had yet to speak to Nova much, though she noted the unabated affection he displayed towards his mate and children -- and for Epiphron, that was satisfactory. As her paws carried her closer to the boy, her nostrils flared to take in his scent. Before long, the small pup came into view. Eyes watched him as she drew nearer, wondering why he was off on his own -- she supposed they were growing older, and were bound to leave Erani and Nova's sides eventually. A slightly mischievous glimmer shone in her sapphire blue stare, watching him crouch down near a hole, gazing at something inside. Before she was able to announce her presence, she caught the white fur of a bunny leaping from the hole, bouncing off of the black-furred child and sending him sprawling into the hole. Her face contorted into slight worry as she bounded forward, abandoning her plan of surprising the boy and instead growing worried for his well-being. With a graceful motion she leaped towards him, sliding down to crouch in front of the hole. He was not injured... if so, she would've promptly pulled him out of there and gotten him to his mother. Instead she peered down with slightly worried eyes, though her gaze was also brimming with affection. "Getting into trouble, are we, Gabriel?"

Gabriel

With a grunt the boy would smash into the dirt, he blinked, rapidly glaring about his new prison and promptly sneezed. he scrunched his nose and straightened his body, wiggling his rump and glancing up. He was tall enough to make it out....or at least he hoped he was. With determination set upon his maw, the tiny lad would pounce, claws grabbling at the edges of the hole, when a familiar voice made him jump, he lost his grip and tumbled back into the dirt. He shook his wiry coat sending little chunks of dirt flying every which way, but as the familiar face appeared in his vision he would smile widely up at her, tail dusting the earth beneath him. "Pip!" he couldn't say her full name yet, it got stuck on his tongue and came out all wrong, but he loved when she came to visit! She was always nice to him! Always smiling and sitting with him when he refused to play with his siblings. With a new motivation to scramble out of the hole, he would leap and using his back claws to help him climb, he scaled the hole, stumbled once, twice, three times and then managed to find his footing and careen his body into one of her legs, nuzzling the soft fur affectionately. "I'm always gettin' into trouble! It's what I do!" He beamed with pride, it had been made known that out of the litter he was the wanderer, the one always getting lost. "Whatcha doin out here Pip? Did Mama send you ta find me? Or didja just come to play?" He wound bound backwards, lowering his front end to the dirt and waggling his tail behind him, rump high in the air, his tongue would loll from the side of his mouth in an obvious invitation.

A smile engulfed the girl's face, an expression of unabated joy and affection. She was fond of Erani and Nova's children -- they embodied everything that was innocent and pure. Everything that was good in the world, existed in those tiny bundles of fur, and she was determined to keep it that way. The loss of Neo had affected her dramatically; she never wanted anyone in her family to feel unwanted, unloved, or alone. And so Epiphron would love these children endlessly, as though they were her own flesh and blood; and there were close enough to it that she saw little different. He seemed somewhat discombobulated for a moment, but immediately brightened up at the sight of her. The grin remained as she lowered onto her belly, tail wagging rapidly above her back. "Gabriel!" she replied with a gentle laugh, the airy sound floating from her throat and escaping her lips with little effort. She watched him exert himself as he struggled to climb out of the hole, and while she knew she could easily reach down and snatch him out, he seemed determined. And so she waited, ready if he needed assistance. She wasn't surprised when he stumbled out, nuzzling into her side quickly. The smile refused to fade from her lips, and she returned the nuzzle with one of her own, shoving the small boy very gently with her nose. "Nope, I'm not on puppy patrol today. I came to play." What better to keep her mind off whatever thoughts were plaguing her, honestly, than playing with Gabriel? With a graceful motion, she would find herself rising to all fours, her own rump sticking up slightly as she crouched down. She made a swift motion towards him, as though to tackle him, but instead she reached out to lick the side of his face.

Gabriel

Gabriel was a tiny ball of fluff and fur. Obsidian as a starless night sky and as clumsy as the most injured of wolves. Of course, in his own mind he was bigger. Not massive, no Gabriel didn't wanna be massive, he liked being smaller, it made him feel more relaxed, comfortable, he hoped he wouldn't reach his father's size, he much preferred to be...um... maybe his moms height? She didn't seem so big. He didn't like fighting, he didn't like rolling with his siblings through the dirt. It got him covered in all kinds of gross things and he didn't like it. he liked to be clean, he liked to be free of dirt and if you were bigger the other expected you to fight. His mom teased that she hardly needed to groom him. Gabriel would maturely huff. He didn't need help getting out of the hole! He wanted to learn to do things for himself! He didn't wanna always have to rely on everyone else! Its why he liked to explore so much! He was never gonna learn unless he tried... right? Or at least that's what his papa always said. But that didn't mean he didn't love his family! He barreled into Epiphron with little thought or care and she would nuzzle into his side and shove him gently and Gabriel would bat playfully at her nose before bounding away. Laughter falling from his maw. "Yay![ b] Gabriel paused his tail batting up in the air, but before he could initiate his assault, she bounded forward, careened her head to the side and licked his face. Gabriel sputtered rather indignantly before springing forward, pouncing at her and attempting to wrap his limbs around her snout. [b]"Gross Pip! Big sister slobber!"

Epiphron had already begun to notice that Gabriel seemed to be a bit of a loner. Perhaps it was a personality trait he would grow out of, and she dearly hoped so, but he seemed to be more of the independent type, often staying close by his mother's side as his brothers and sisters played. His frequent solitariness drew her to him like a moth to a flame. Part of her dreaded the possibility of one of her siblings growing up feeling alone, unwanted, unloved -- like Neo. The mere thought of that happening terrified her, made her want to smother Gabriel in love and attention and make sure he knew just how much she cared for him; no, how much all of Valhalla cared for him. A similar laugh escaped her own throat, a noise of unquestionable joy. As she pounced forward near him, he initially seemed irritated, but his mood changed as quickly as it had appeared. 'Oh, you love it Gabriel!" She laughed gleefully, letting the boy leap forward and cling to her muzzle. "Someday you're gonna be loving this attention from older ladies. Better enjoy it while you can!" Epiphron was simply teasing -- he was as good as her brother. But she grinned nonetheless, lowering her head so the boy wouldn't fall to the ground if he let go.

Gabriel

Gabriel was a strange pup, and perhaps his solitary behavior was a product of the beginnings of an obsessive compulsion that would drive him later on in life. His obsession with cleanliness was border-lining neurotic and even his mom teased him that he was the cleanest pup she had ever encountered. He didn't enjoy rolling about in the dirt, and he certainly didn't enjoy wrestling and fighting. To him it seemed a foolish way to occupy ones time. Why waste the day fighting when one could explore? See the earth for the massive thing that it was? Did he harbor bitterness or ill feelings towards his family? Not really. If anything could be said, he felt, perhaps, a bit misunderstood. He didn't bond well with his siblings who were forever trying to get him to romp. "Nu uh!" The boy would pout mid-assault to swipe at the moisture on his fur, preening and slicking the fur back to its original position before he looked back at his elder sibling. He didn't like being caught in a state of disarray. " I don't think so, my younger sisters are kind of annoying, I don't think I'm gonna be like papa... I like bein' by myself! I can explore all I want!" His excitement would return full force at the prospect of exploring. "What's your favorite place Pip? You've gotten to leave Valhalla before right!" His eyes would blow wide with child-like curiosity, eager for her answer.

Though Gabriel was perhaps a bit less normal than his siblings, she didn't mind. Rather than making Epiphron less inclined to play with him, instead it drew her to the youngster. It wasn't because she could relate to him particularly well -- no, she'd always been plenty sociable, always enjoying spending time with her family -- but she simply liked the boy. It seemed like he could use a friend, in particular an older one, to keep him company. And so she would be that friend. He denied that he would like the attention of older women. Epiphron simply laughed, amused by his innocence, marveling in it silently. She watched as he groomed himself, seeming preoccupied by staying neat and clean, rather than playing. "Siblings are important, though, Gabriel," she remarked lightly. "You can't forget that, in the end, your family's all you've got!" It was a bit of a somber thought for such a young child. He seemed rather inclined to wander by himself, which wasn't an entirely bad quality -- though it often proved dangerous. "Yes, Gabriel, once you're my age you are allowed to go anywhere you want." She grinned, sliding forward to plop down beside him on her hindquarters. "I like the ravine. It's very dangerous to go on your own, but it's far east of here. It's a giant valley in the ground, with a little stream running down it. Maybe I can take you sometime!"

Gabriel

Gabriel wasn't stupid by any means, and it wasn't that he hated his siblings or anything of the like, quite the opposite in fact. he did love his family, he simply didn't... fit with them. He liked to observe, to watch, to study from a far, he never minded watching his siblings romp in the dirt or in the snow, he just didn't enjoy when they came to force him, or tease him. he never made fun of them for being dirty, but they had made fun of him for not wanting to wrestle. Coward and wimp seemed to be the most common of nicknames. It hurt him, but he didn't mind it terribly much, he knew they just didn't understand him. He frowned a bit at her lecture and fell to his rump with a rather exaggerated huff, his two toned gaze flickering to the side. "That's what mama always says. I love my siblings but they like to tease me, s'why I always explore without them." The words were honest, true. Curiosity often held him enraptured and more oft than not his siblings seemed to be more intent on wrestling one another than really seeing the world. Almost absently he leaned against one of her forelimbs, absorbing her warmth, this is what he loved, resting and just speaking with someone. He smiled widely at her words, his tiny tail wriggling behind him as his elder sisters words reached his ears. "Once I get big enough, can you take me there? You're like my older sister right? Can it be our spot?" Gabriel blinked up at her, eyes wide and innocent, to the pup, the world was still black and white.

Epiphron enjoyed children, but by no means was she ready to have her own anytime soon. It was good enough to have young children around, ones who were as good as siblings to her, albeit not by blood. But love was just as strong as the blood that pumped steadily through her veins, and so she was content to consider Gabriel and his siblings as such. The young boy expressed his discontent at being teased by his siblings. And though it was a normal part of childhood, in her opinion, she empathized with him greatly. A sigh left her own lips as the boy plopped down to the earth, looking away from her. "Well, don't worry, Gabe -- you can explore with me all you want. I'll never tease you." She was honest, sincere, and didn't want Gabriel to feel alienated from the family, especially not from her. Whether she was Alpha, or anything else, family would always come first for her. "When you're a little bigger, we can go there," she said, grinning at the prospect. "As long as your mom and dad say it's okay, then it's fine by me." And as long as Gabriel was in her company, she had no doubt they would allow her to take Gabriel on an adventure. He leaned in to nuzzle the boy gentle, knowing he'd rather a gentle nudge rather than a lick. "I should be going now, but I promise you I'll take you there soon, okay?"