Venom took a deep breath and steadied herself, this was the even of the children’s first night outside the palace. They had nearly full reign of the inner corridors but even with the massive space inside it was too small for five growing puppies. They’d eaten a meal, had their usual lessons, and now that playtime came back around the Empress stood up to address her little ones. The time seemed to have flown by already, they were no longer her tiny little newborn beans. She felt like yesterday she’d given her heart to Hattori, but here she was looking at it now. Five little pieces of her heart, innocent to the horrors that faced them outside.

This was the natural order, she remembered how eager she had been to leave the den. Her own children now were just as eager, and if she waited for much longer she knew they would all pour out of the palace eventually. The young Empress looked up to Hattori for encouragement as she embraced this next step, their children’s next milestone.

”You all did so well my loves,” she praised them as the lesson ended and she knew they would be most restless. ”Now, is everyone ready to see outside?” There wouldn’t be so much in the way of exciting things to see, the darkness held tightly to everything. The moon managed to peek past the clouds though, and the full Spring moon would light the world for them.

She was tiny and inquisitive. She had learned early on even as a tiny bean how to wiggle about and on top of her siblings. Once she was more mobile, she was an absolute terror. She wanted to get into and on top of everything. Her siblings already had the advantage of height, which was no fear. It was up to her to learn how to counter that.

She was a wiggly little bum as their mother Empress led their lesson. She tried very hard to be good, and concentrate, and learn. She wanted to hear her parents praise, and know she was doing right by them. Sometimes, it was just so hard. she heard something squak outside and just about went bobble head trying to get a glimpse of what could have made it.

When the lesson concluded, and their Mother gave them the most wonderful news, she burst to her paws. Her bum and tail a muted wiggle, trying to hold some sense of decorum. “Me Ma, I am!”

"Speech"

As always the Shogun had a lot on his plate, but beyond the weight of his responsibilities he still made time to return to the palace to aid the Empress with their children. Today was an important day marking the litters development, the sooner they got the children more independent and capable the better. He'd been thrown into the deep end young and whilst he did not intend to raise them with quite such an iron paw he did place lofty expectations at their paws. As always Hattori remained by his wife's side, his watchful gaze lingering on his children. No doubt they were all excited and raring to go but it was important he reiterated the rules and expectations that were in place. They were not ordinary children, they were both royalty and nobility, a mixed heritage with cultures blending to form something new and right. It seemed only fair to want the best of the best from them, he did not think he was asking for too much.

"Remember your lessons. Act with decorum and grace." He rumbled in his native tongue, Venom was learning alongside the children the family, for the most part, was on the same page. "Do not venture beyond the borders or into the water."

Kuroki was trying desperately to be good, to listen carefully as he sat in his Father's shadow, ears flicked forward with eyes wide and intent. But there was so much rushing through his mind, all the possibilities, that he had trouble grasping onto the lessons and rules. There was a lot he couldn't do, many places he couldn't go and the impulsive part of him wanted to cast it all aside and do as he pleased. But as he looked up at his Father with awe gleaming in his dark eyes more than anything he wanted Hattori to be proud of him, to soften a little around the edges and just not be so...distant. Perhaps if Kuroki was the best he could be then he'd be soft and kind in the same way his Mama was, open and earnest with nothing hidden or lingering in the shadows. One big happy family.

Till then Kuroki had a lot of work to do and he was ready!!

"Yes Otōsama." He dipped his head, agreeing readily though actually doing it would be far harder than he anticipated. Even now he felt the temptation to push, see how far he could take things.

Takeshi, ever the good, quiet boy, sat and listened through their lessons with rapt attention. Well, except when it came to learning how to speak their father’s native tongue. It had quickly become apparent to all of them that Take was having extreme difficulty speaking. He couldn’t even utter the simplest words either in common tongue or Japanese, leaving him mute to the spoken language. Luckily he could still communicate through the more primitive means, such as barks and growls, but he could still feel the disappointed gaze of his father and the worried looks of his mother and grandmother. He didn’t like one bit that he was so different from his siblings, he just wanted to be normal, but it seemed the Gods had other things in mind for him.

So, while his siblings learned how to speak and enunciate, he practiced his writing and his decorum. With his extra practice time allotted to these two he had excelled, showing that he certainly wasn’t weak of mind despite his vocal handicap. His writing even rivaled Iki’s, his dexterous sibling, despite his lack of extra malleable appendages. He was determined to not be left behind.

He sat his brush down next to his paper and ink when their mother announced their were lessons done for the day, the glowing boy’s jaws gaping open in a wide yawn before closing with a click. His dark auds swiveled forward and his sat up straighter when she told them they’d be going outside, a smile curling onto his white smudges muzzle. His tail wagged behind his frame and he rose to his feet, moving to Venom to give her a respectful lick to the chin in thanks. His bioluminescent blood red gaze turned as his father spoke in his usual cool tone, warning them of their responsibilities and their boundaries. The boy gave a bow in turn, signaling his understanding before turning to move to his excitable sister Kit’s side, bumping against her shoulder and giving her an excited side look.

"Thoughts/expression intention"

Shuriken was a perfect little princess, eager to sit and do her studies as they all learned together. Ike love learning and their lessons, she wanted to be just like her mother and father. Prim, proper, powerful, her little dual toned eyes shone brightly up at them and her lofty goals. The tiny girl had a long way to go, she was a clumsy mess on her best days and a wreck on the worst. There was always a bruise to show off or mussed fur. Still, she tried her very best to please her parents.

Venom praised them and her smile brightened further as their lesson was put to and end. She looked up to Hattori as he spoke in the tongue of Nippon. She was becoming quite fluent in both languages, able to converse easily between both as their mother used the common tongue more comfortably and Hattori showed them his own native speech. Ike nodded politely at her father’s words, keeping them to heart as the wide world was opened up to them. ”Yes, Father.” She told him as she lowered her head slightly in a reverent bow.