The little den that the two of them used to share was no longer large enough for a family of seven. The pups were growing fast, quicker than he thought possible. He could have sworn that just yesterday they were little bundles of fur, and now... now they were trouble making fluff balls. They were loud, and there teeth were sharp for such little guys! They liked to  jump all over him and Wren, and already he was finding himself tired. They needed something to do, something to get their mind off of everything.  Bass let out a sigh, peeking back into the den. Everyone was still sleeping, and he had crawled out of the den for a little quiet time before the buggers all woke up. Snow was falling slowly to the earth, the sun bright as the flakes fell in a steady rhythm. It was peaceful -- for now. Perhaps it was time for the pups to come outside, to finally explore the world around them. Grinning, he turned around and walked back into the den. Carefully stepping over the tiny bodies, he first went to Wren and nuzzled into her scruff, his nose cold from the outside. "Wake up my love," he whispered, placing delicate kisses along her face to wake her from her slumber. "Let's take the little ones outside," the snow may be a shock to their forms, but it would be better than being cramped in this den. He thought it would be a good enough size, but then again he also wasn't expecting five pups to pop out of his wife. Turning away from Wren, he eyed the sleeping little bodies of their children. Perhaps he should just let them sleep as long as possible... But no, that would be mean, and they were wasting daylight as it was. "Come on children, its time to go outside of this cramped den!" he called, hopefully waking them up. Just to make sure he lumbered over to each form and placed a tiny kiss on their forehead before he left the den himself. Feeling giddy, his tail wagged behind him in a steady pace as he trotted back into the snow, practically dancing from paw to paw and he waited for his family to exit the den. At last... the little ones were free to roam around.

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"Wake up my love." Her husband's voice spilled into her ears gently, as he plant soft kisses upon her face and scruff. The woman had been sleeping peacefully by the time he had returned from his little walk to get some quiet time away from the pups. It had stirred her up a little, but really, she couldn't blame him. The pups had turned into hyper little trouble-makers who bounced off the walls of their tiny den. They climbed all over their exhausted parents, full of energy. She, herself, was so drained from all the trouble they've caused. Bass probably felt even worse. After all, she was sleeping half the time, while he stay awake to deal with them. So going out to take a break for a little while wasn't all that bad, really. He deserved some peace every once and awhile.

"It's not too cold?" Her voice was almost silent, as she would have hated to awaken them so quickly. If they would have heard, they'd probably start howling with joy. Her ears wouldn't be able to tolerate that, especially since she was half-asleep.

The dame slowly pulled her feet beneath her and rose up, her back brushing against the top of the den. She groaned and lowered down a bit. They'd need to extend the den just slightly. Maybe dig toward the center, or just make a little more space around them. Unless Bass or her were gone doing something, space to breath wasn't provided. It was stressful. She lowered her head slowly and parted her jaws into an easy yawn, before crouching down over her children and offering them gentle nuzzles over their heads. "Come on now, little ones." She laughed gently and stood up, moving over their tiny bodies carefully and emerging from the warm den. But she refused to go too far from the entrance. Instead, she seated herself and waited for them to come out, a warm smile stretched across her face.

"Speech"
'thoughts'
"Italian"

Slowly...slowly his stunning blue eyes would peel open, his body unwinding ever so slightly from the tight ball he found himself in. It was as if he had chosen to take up as little room as possible, curled up close to his siblings. He stretched so slowly, feeling his back straighten from his long night in his little ball. He felt the gentle kill on his head, heard the soothing voice, but for a moment he just laid there. The boy didn't want to move, he just wanted to continue sleeping. At least, that was untill his mind wound around the words his parents spoke, and instantly he felt awake. He moved to stand on long limbs, a small smile on his lips as he lowered his head. Even now, at such a young age, he would be shy, self conscious but oh so gawky. His limbs were long, and his body thin with lack of muscle. Starling could never be a warrior, even if he dreamed to be. He was far too...awkward for the fine dance of fighting. Perhaps he would grow into his body, but there was a chance he wouldn't. With a delightful laugh he bounded over his siblings and out into the sun. It was almost regreted instantly when his paws met the sheer cold of the winter floor...almost, but when his eyes adjusted to the light, he felt his breath taken away. Blue eyes stared out at the lands before him, not moving even as his paws froze and ached in the winter cold, his ears flicking to the new sounds. Starling was nearly stunned into silence, his body frozen as he tried to take in all the world. "Burn Baby Burn"

Lark had been sprawled out quite haphazardously near his siblings, enjoying the warmth provided to him by the closeness of his family. Already he was quite a big thing, already larger than his littermates and growing rapidly with each day that passed. The sound of his parents would reach his ears and they would twitch gently atop his head as he was slowly roused from sleep. His eyes would remain firmly clamped shut as he lay there, rolling to his stomach and searching for the warmth of his mother, though already she had pulled herself upright in an attempt to wake the children and get them out of the den.

It took a long moment for the boy to conjure up the energy to move. Already he could feel the cold air seeping into his coat as those beside him began to move away and slowly exit the den. After awhile he would open his eyes, sea-green stare fixating on the den's entrance. A long yawn escaped his jaws as they parted, slowly shaking away the sleepiness that plagued him.

It was with a bit of wariness that he pulled himself to all fours, trailing slowly behind Starling. Today would be the day they were allowed to leave the den. A sort of subdued excitement filled his chest but, still tired, he appeared more serious than anything as he padded into the unknown. The sky was bright and the air cold and Lark found himself squinting as he adjusted to the newness of everything. Subconsciously he would tighten himself near Starling, unsure how he felt about this new place -- he felt exposed and unsure, but he knew it was something that was necessary for them to do, to explore the outside world. "Is cold," he would say, small body quivering a bit from the sudden rush of frigid air to his coat.

She stirred when her siblings did, her tiny body shivering as their warmth left her. She wasn't too keen on leaving the den, it was safe in here. It was all the small child knew. but when she opened her eyes to see that almost everyone had left, she whimpered and raced up to her mothers hind legs, hovering between them as everyone else looked outside. Lark said that it was cold, and she shivered in agreement. She didn't want to go out in that! It was so warm here, going out would just be plain silly. Peeking out from behind Wren's leg, the mostly pale girl just ducked back behind it. It was too scary, too large for such a little girl to be safe in. She could hear her father calling them outside, and the silent pup just shook her head back and forth. She didn't want to. The den was nice, very nice! Opening her jaws she nibbled on Wren's tail, trying to grab her attention. Her blue eyes grew wide, pleading with the woman to not force her outside.

Sleep was nice. It was pleasant, warm. Comffffy. The boy had little qualms about spreading out, even laying on his siblings and parents if he had the chance. This was great, and he didn't really mind the crampedness of the den. At least for the moment. He didn't know about the outside so how on earth would he know any different? Currently the child was sprawled on his back, one back leg resting against some sibling or another, peacefully dreaming with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Oh he looked a sight, but the boy wasn't necessarily one concerned about making a good appearance all the time.

It wasn't his father's call that woke him, but when whomever his leg had been resting on moved that did. The boy would awake with a start, looking around in a startled manner. That was when he realized that everyone was moving, his brain immediately making the connection. They were going outside! Out where his parents went! With a howl of joy the boy would bolt around his siblings and parents, crashing into the world outside.

Cold.

The wind hit his coat, but it wasn't the chill of the air that startled him most. It was the strange white stuff that crunched under his paws, sending a shock of the temperature change so much that it made him yelp with surprise. "Cold! Cold! Cold!" The boy was prancing around, flailing around in the strange stuff as if by keeping himself moving it wouldn't make his feet cold anymore. Finally he'd lose his footing, falling onto his side just outside of the den, though he still flailed and sent flurries of snow every which way.

"Speech!"
'Thoughts!'

Bass stood out in the snow, golden eyes watching the mouth of the den as he waited for everyone to come out. Wren didn't stray far, sitting right between being inside and being outside. Offering her a warm smile he stepped forward to press a lick on her cheek before dancing back into the piles of white fluff. Starling was the first to come out, big eyes wide as he gazed at all that was before him. He was silent, his little body seemingly frozen into place. The man let out a chuckle, dropping into a play bow. "Isn't it all wonderful, Starling? And this is just a little piece of it," he said, voice soft. There was still so much for them to see, this was all just the smallest slice of it. Lark came out next, stating that it was cold and leaning against his lighter brother. Bass frowned slightly, slowly nodding his head. Winter perhaps was not the best time to be born in, their coats would take a little bit to get thicker. "I know Lark, it is pretty cold... All the more reason to stay close though, right?" he tried to tease the little one, to see the dark male smile.

Finch wandered out of the den, well somewhat. Lingering behind Wren, she poked out for a moment before ducking back in her hiding spot. Letting out a soft coo, he tired to calm the little girl out. "Its okay hun, we are all here. Its just us!" Bass said, but the little one seemed to be too nervous to peek out. But then there was Shrike -- the stark opposite of his sister. He came barreling out of the den and into the snow, freaking out about how cold it was. Bass' chest rumbled in his laughter, as he stuck his head towards the flailing pup. "Shrike, this is snow. It only falls in the winter, and is kind of like rain," he tried to explain awkwardly, looking up to Wren for a little help. "Its uhh... fun to throw!" he called, picking up a small pawful and tossing it towards the mocha boy. Bass let out another laugh, dropping once more into a play bow before his kids. He was amazed at just how different they all were...