Navigation - Fern Gulley

The green babe didn't usually stick around in the den, for she regularly ventured outside, desperate to get away from her family. Well, except for her aunt, who she enjoyed meeting and peculiarly desired to see again, if not visit her home. However, this was a completely different situation. Of course she wanted to go outside; on this particular morning all of her siblings had gone out either on their own accord or with Uncle Spencer, yet she had remained as a result of oversleeping. Though there were was just something in the way - blocking her glorious path out. She didn't know what it was, but it had too many lanky legs for her to count before losing track, all joined to a small brown yet hairy body (tarantula). Perhaps she wouldn't have taken much notice of it if it hadn't moved. About to place a paw outside, her scarlet gaze saw the strange creature make a slight movement, more likely inching towards her. And so she continued to stare at it from the den's entrance, watching every quiver its body made without taking her eyes off of it. She was simply frightened of it, scared of the many legs it had. How could it have so many legs? Why didn't she have that many? Her fear would soon be put to an end - her mother would make it all better, who was somewhere in the den if not close by outside. "Muuuuuuuum!" she whined out with resonant vocals, her panicked gaze soon darting to the creature, ensuring her trouble thoughts that it hadn't leaped onto her and sucked her brains out. It was gradually advancing towards her, but who knew when it would zoom towards her at an unexpected pace, bound to viciously attack. "Speech"

The cry of her daughter was something that would not at all be ignored Hearing the call of her beloved Zephyra the woman would rise from where she was resting outside of the den. It had been a nice autumn day, the season of her birth, and she was enjoying some of the last warmth that the days held. Marina was a happy mother, and she had not spent near as much time with her children as she would have liked. They were all the adventurous sort, and it seemed that their personalities were all rather... Conflicting. The moment she entered the den the femme would spot what was wrong. A gross, creepy, large spider-like creature was n the den, crawling towards her daughter. This would not do at all! Marina would snarl, scooping it up with her paw and tossing it back out the den entrance outside. It might not have been a large threat, but it had still scared one of her babies. The tarantula would land outside with a thud and the rainbow woman would turn towards her child. “Are you alright?” She’d ask her daughter. "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Fox

With widened eyes, the child watched in amazement as her dashing hero stepped into the scene, sweeping the creature away in a seemingly effortless movement. She still didn't trust that the eight-legged crawly was completely "gone", so she would be keeping a cautious eye out for it, especially before settling in at night. Imagine its long legs crawling up her fur while she slept in an unnoticed state! Ugh, gross! Looks like she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. "Mummy!" Bounding up to her "saviour", she pressed her head into her mother's pallid chest and twirled contently on the spot. Already, she was half the size of the woman, though she didn't seem to notice nor care much about it. Her siblings were who she wanted to dominate in height and strength, and the odds were definitely in her favour. "You saved me!" she gasped breathlessly, staring up into her mother's eyes with giggles soon erupting from her throat. Usually, she wasn't ever this...happy, especially around family. Though now that her mother had arrived and the pup had her all to herself, it was only natural of her to seek out as much attention as she could. "Speech"

Marina would lower her head around her eldest daughter, gently caressing her smaller body. At least Zephyra was smaller for now. By how she was growing Marina felt certain that her daughter would outmatch her in height and strength. It was wonderful to see Zephyra so full of life and happiness as well, something that wasn't the case when her siblings were around. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she was alone with her mother? Regardless of the reason, Marina could smile knowing her child was in a good mood.

"Of course I did sweetheart. I'll always try to save you from whatever dares threaten you." It was a promise she could keep. While she couldn't guarantee that she'd save Zeph every time she'd do her damned hardest to try. "What are you doing at the den all by yourself, Zeph? Didn't want to go out and play?" Marina would pull back, inquiring her daughter as to what made her choose to stay in today. Perhaps she had just wanted some one on one time with Marina herself?

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Table by:: Eve

Although the girl appreciated her mother's promise of protection, knowing at least someone had her back, she one day wanted to be able to defend herself without the help of others. Her mother wouldn't be able to watch over her forever, regardless of how long the child stuck around her after aging to an adult herself. How embarrassing it would be to have her smaller siblings outmatch her in a fight, when clearly the larger opponent should dominate the brawl. After all, it would be a shame to let her size and potential strength go to waste. "Yeah but I'm always playing," she explained with a huff and a green-pawed stomp in response to her mother's inquiry. Really, it was only half the reason. Whenever she was with her siblings, she was bound to start a fight or turn a feeble misunderstanding into a chaotic dispute. Not that she didn't like causing trouble, it were the consequences that followed her mischief that she occasionally dreaded. Apologising was even worse. "And I wanted to spend time with you!" Her voice rang out in a happy melody as she lifted her chin to softly touch the woman's nose with her own. "Speech"

Marina couldn’t help but smile at Zephyra’s words when her little one answered. She was always playing... Well of course! She was a pup after all. That was how it was supposed to be! Marina could understand, perhaps, if her daughter had decided that playing with her siblings was something that she didn’t want to do today. Heck, even some days she had wanted some time alone from Spencer. But still... A mother would worry. It was only natural to do so.

The answer that she wanted to spend time with her however did warm Marina’s heart. She would let her reddish-pink gaze soften, and she would gently bump her nose into Zeph’s own. “Alright, then let’s spend the day together, just you and me~” The woman would say lightly, letting out a laugh. “We can do anything you want Zeph. Just say the word.”

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Table by:: Eve

ooc: really sorry about the wait! forgot all about this :o

They could do anything, could they? And it was for a whole day too! The girl didn't want to waste this precious time, and only one possible way to spend the day came to mind. In a split second, she had made her decision. Nothing else dared tempt her away from her chosen activity, as it stood distinctively against all other unnecessary thoughts. "Explore!" She sang out the word with a delighted expression and a rare twinkle in her crimson eyes. The urge to run out of the den and pelt in circles was barely contained as her paws gave an excited hop, desperate to shed the eager energy boiling inside of her. Now all she wanted was her mother to agree so she could explode with joy, race into the gulley and embark on their wonderful adventure. "Speech"

Marina would give a small nod as her daughter made her decision. Exploration. It was to be expected, what with her children getting older, that they would want to explore the world around them. The femme would give a small nod, her words soft, but excited as well. “Exploring it is!” It couldn’t hurt to explore with one child at a time, right? Not to mention how delighted her little girl looked. Marina would feel her heart racing in her chest, excitement blooming within. She’d glance towards the inside of the Gulley, wondering what things they might see together. Perhaps they’d even head further, going into the next territory yonder, just to give her daughter a taste of something new. Eyes sparkling with happiness, the femme would speak again. “We can race. One... Two... Three!” Without waiting for a confirmation the femme would set off, not using her full speed to give Zephyra a chance. ""

Table by:: Tea

Of course her mother would agree, who didn't love exploring, adult or child? The confirmation multiplied the child's excitement - now she was giddily dancing on her paws, restlessly waiting to go out. It was difficult for her to be patient, and in all honesty expected to slowly follow her mother outside at an irritating and boring walking pace. Some adventure that would be. Well, things turned out to be a little different; her mother's quick announcement of a race startling her. She didn't even wait for a response; just bolted out the den! With a surprised yelp, green paws took off, determination burning in her scarlet gaze. As the moments passed, she slowly gained on the woman, not realising that she wasn't going at her fastest speed. Nevertheless, it made her feel fast, even though she took long, ungraceful strides. Tongue lolling from the side of her mouth as she panted, her head was now alongside of her mother's shoulder, travelling parallel. Overtaking and winning the race was her plan originally, though from a distance she could see a black shape on the path ahead. She didn't halt until she was a few metres away from it, forgetting all about the race. Crimson eyes curiously watched the white-striped black creature (badger), half the height of the girl, harmlessly lumber across the path undisturbed with four little cubs toddling behind. The pup just stood there, waiting for the path to be clear but for her wise mother to explain the sight, for it seemed to be more interesting than the race. "Mum, what's that?" "Speech"

Marina would let out a laugh as she heard her daughter running behind her. It didn’t matter how it looked as they ran, so long as the two of them were having fun! Marina wasn’t going her fastest sure, but she felt happy, glad that her little one was having fun with her. Wasn’t one of the biggest joys in life making your loved ones happy? She could hear her daughter gaining, feel her heat at her side. Zepherya was going to be a force to reckon with one day, and god help whoever thought that they could control the child. She was definitely going to be her own wolf. But suddenly Zeph stopped, and Marina would do the same thing. The female would smile as she saw the badger family, moving to Zepherya’s side. “A mother badger and her babies, Zeph.” Marina would explain. “They can be violent and ill tempered at times, but it seems like these little ones just want to get to where they’re going.” The femme would gently lick Zephyra’s head. “Should we see what other little critters we can find~?” "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Fox

Badgers they appeared to be, apparently violent at times though this didn't bother the child at all. They were only half her height! How could they ever harm her? Curious, she then counted how many cubs were trailing behind the mother. One...two...what comes after two? Oh yeah, three...four - there were four of them. "Look! There's four!" she exclaimed, wagging her tail. With a green paw she gestured to each cub. "That one's Ren, that one's Kait, that one's Nixie and that one's me!" She finished with a fit of giggles and a grin that split across her features. My, she was happy indeed. The suggestion of finding other animals excited the girl. So badgers weren't the only animals? Wow, how many more were there? What did they look like? Were they small or big? Well, of course they were small, for her mother was the largest canine she had ever laid her scarlet gaze upon, though hopefully the child would take over that position. "Yeah!" she responded breathlessly, tongue lolling from her mouth. Her paws skittered ahead for a few metres before her head turned back, expecting her wise mother to lead the way. The child had no idea where to find these critters, and was sure to scare them off with her clumsy scampering. "Speech"

The femme would let out a soft laugh as Zephyra said that there were four cubs -- one for each of her pups too. Ren, Nixie, Kait, and Zephyra, as if they were all little badgers following their badger mama. The female was happy that she had such a large litter. Sure Ren had been adopted, but he was loved as one of her babies just the same. Just as any mother would love all their babies too. Marina would motion with her muzzle to the lumbering mama, speaking in a happy tone. “That makes me the mama.” Marina would giggle happily. “They’re a happy family, just like ours.” The femme would move on after Zeph when she skitted on ahead, chuckling again. “We’ll need to be quiet Zeph. We don’t want to scare any of them now!” The femme would wag her tail thoughtfully back and forth. “Look up in the trees love. Some creatures love the trees, and that can make them harder to find.” Marina’s voice was low as she came to stand beside her daughter again, tail wagging happily from side to side. "Talk" "You" Think

Table by:: Fox

How could she forget about the mama badger - her mother? Nevertheless, they were just like her family, and she found herself strangely fascinated in their lives. Did the cubs like to explore? Did they get told-off when they misbehaved? Was the mama a caring mother? Deep down, she knew there was no other family better than hers. "Bye bye badgers," she softly called out to the striped creatures as they delved into the undergrowth, scurrying away from her view. Already she was starting to miss them, and wanted to chase after their tails. However, exploring and discovering other animals with her mum soon dominated her thoughts as she listened to mother's advice. Quiet? Well, that would be hard though the child was determined to try. At the mention of trees, she tilted her head in confusion. "Trees?" she echoed, wondering if she had misheard. According to her knowledge, living in trees was impossible. "How?" She looked up, expecting to find a creature somewhere in the branches, disappointed with the result. Realising her voice was too loud, she quickly quietened her words as she added, "There's nothing there." "Speech"

Hearing her little one call out the farewell to the badgers made Marina smile. She truly hoped that, at some point, her little girl might even find another animal to become her friend, her companion. She’d heard tale of such things anyway. Marina just wanted her children to be healthy and happy, as any mother might. Was her daughter maybe lonely? The thought had occurred to her. Marina didn’t want to think such thoughts... Loneliness ate at the soul and made you do odd things. Things you were not necessarily proud of.

“Aye, trees. Some critters can crawl up in them, or birds can fly to their branches. For wolves living in trees is silly -- we can’t even climb them! But for other animals its the only way they live.” Marina would explain in a soft tone. “...and just because we’re searching doesn’t mean we’ll find something right away. They live spread out, just like we do.” The femme would nudge her daughter’s cheek. “Lets see... Ah! See that hole right there? I bet an owl lives in it.” She’d motion with her nose to one of the trees, a large hole further up with some sticks pointing out.

“The sticks are a giveaway to a nest, see?”

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Table by:: Eve

So she hadn't misheard; animals did live in trees. The fact seemed so absurd to the child, unable to imagine the feeling of climbing trees with her claws, let alone flying! In a way, flying seemed cool. She could soar above the trees and explore new heights beyond her reach. In awe, she stared at her flank, expecting to find wings sprouting through her fur though unfortunately found nothing. If she wished hard enough, maybe she could make her wings grow! Yeah, she could do that! Her mother then explained that these tree-creatures were spread out, which was a disappointment to the child. That meant she had to look twice as hard, and to be honest she wasn't that observant. However, it wasn't long before the woman spotted an owl and its nest to prove it. Instantly, the girl looked up, staring at the hole in the tree. Forget living on a tree, this owl lived in the tree. "How does it do that?" she asked in amazement, still gaping up at the nest, wondering how this creature could create such a hole in a tree. "Speech"

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Marina would chuckle again as her little one spoke. “I’m not sure, my little Zephyra. The owls are a mysterious race, and I don’t know much about them. There are actually many things in this world that your mother doesn’t know, but perhaps some day one of us will find out.” Marina would wag her tail happily back and forth. “I just know that they build their nests using twigs and soft things, like feathers, so that they can raise their young. Birds live in trees, while we live here on the ground.” Marina’s eyes would glint mischievously. How she loved being with her children. They were sweet little creatures, and Marina couldn’t imagine a life without them. Nako had truly blessed her with the best little ones, and Ren, well, Ren was just an extra ray of sunshine in her eyes. The femme would lean in, gently nipping her daughter’s shoulder before whispering with glee; “Tag!” That said Marina would dart off, her paws hitting the ground hard as she looked over her shoulder, waiting to see if her little one would give chase. ""

Table by:: Tea

So her mother didn't know how owls made their hole in the tree, which brought a little disappointment to the girl's features. However, she did know that they used natural materials like twigs and features to construct their nests. Wouldn't that be uncomfortable, sitting on sticks? Oh well, she was content with her own den on the ground, far from the treetops. Yet it seemed there were many things her mother didn't know, and that surprised her. "But you're a grown-up!" she blubbered, scarlet eyes wide with disbelief. "Surely you know everything!" Caught off-guard, the woman nipped at her fur and remarked with a 'tag!'. Yup, she definitely wasn't observant. "No fair!" she playfully protested, scrambling after her mother as she commenced their game of chasey. "You didn't even give me a heads-up!" "Speech"

Perhaps it was expected as a grown up that she would know everything, but as Marina had learned growing up not even grown ups knew everything in the world. There was always something new that someone could learn, young or old. Be a skill or some random fact of knowledge there was always something out there to learn. Marina loved that fact about life. Knowing everything at once would just be boring! But the journey to learn everything, now that appealed to her. Laughter spilled from her maw as she fled away from her daughter. Tag had been one of her favorite games as a child, and even as an adult it brought her great joy. Perhaps because she could share the game with her children it made it all the more special. It certainly stirred memories of her younger days, playing the game with her parents and brother. Whether win or lose {did anyone ever really win at tag?} she had a blast. There was a playful protest from her daughter as she began the game of chase, but Marina would just grin widely. “All is fair in love and games, Zeph!” Marina would teasingly call. There was no way she was going to slow down now and let her daughter tag her that easily. Marina wanted Zephyra to work for it. In a sense the game had a double meaning; both a simple game of tag and training to run fast when one “needed” to. Marina’s paws hit the earth hard as she fled away from her daughter. She couldn’t stop giggling, couldn’t recall the last time she’d had such fun. Having a second litter had definitely been what she needed to boost her spirits again. These babies, her babies, were even closer to her than the last. They were raised... Better. With better morals, and more love than before. This time things would remain different.... And her family wouldn’t be broken again. This would be her second chance. ""

Table by:: Tea