It was late, later than the pups were usually allowed outside the family den. But that only added to the excitement of it, or so Mortis hoped. Spending time with his children had very quickly become his favourite part of the day. On his patrols and hunts for the pack, all he could think about were the little ones he left at home. Of Halo. He was settling into his routine, and loving every moment of it.

“Hey, honey” He whispered to Ursa, giving her a gentle nudge. Careful not to wake her siblings. He was giving each wolf one on one time to bond with him. Today, that pup would be Ursa. “Are you awake, love? Did you want to go on a little adventure?” He whispered to her. Keeping his muzzle close to her ear, and his words as muted as possible. If the rest of them heard ‘adventure’ he knew he would quickly be drowning in puppies.



"Speech"

She was deep asleep already. Curled up with her bundle of siblings, on her back, all four paws in the air with Whisper leaning against one side and Zion on the other. The rest were sure to be nearby too. It was only when the tickle of her father's breath did she begin to stir. His lips close to her ear when her eyes started to flutter awake. "I'm awake," Urse murmurs at first as she brings her paws up to first rub her eyes and then reach further to press against her father's muzzle.

When he mentions the word adventure in the quietest of tones, her eyes fully pop open. Adventure? At night?! A gasp is sucked in as her tail beats against the den floor. "Oh! Yes, please!" Ursa squeaks as she quickly wiggles her way out from under Whisper and Zion. "Where? What are we doing?!" She can hardly contain her excitement as she jumps up to place her paws against his cheek.

Mortis watched, maw twitching in delighted amusement as she started to wake, rubbing sleep from her eyes. He knew the moment his words penetrated through her sleepy haze. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked startled and excited at the same time. Laughing silently he raised a paw, holding it over his muzzle. “Shhhhh” He reminded her in a whisper. Glancing across the sleeping bodies. But it seems they would be getting away scotch free.

As she jumped up to place a paw against his cheek, he lowered his head, and kissed her paw affectionately. He didn’t speak again until they were outside the den. “What would you like to do, Ursa? Do you want to go to the top of First Light Point? Or further into the woods to see if we can find some nocturnal prey?”


"Speech"

Once they were outside of the den, Ursa excitedly hopped around in place. Holding back the yips of happiness she wanted to let out, she tried to focus on her much larger father as he asked her what she wanted to do. First Light Point? Nocturnal prey? Oh, those were both good options! Her wide lavender eyes turn away as she looks out into the shadows of the forest. The path ahead is barely lit by the moon above. A chilly breeze brushes by and sends a wave of scents over to her. Even her tummy grumbled quietly and solidified her choice of what she wanted to do. "Nocturnal prey!" Ursa chirps as she turns her chin to look back up at Mortis. "I wanna hunt!" She exclaims excitedly as she begins to hop and dance around Mortis' paws.

Mortis chuckled, keeping his paws still as the tiny wolf danced around them. He reached a wing forward, and used the point to tickle behind her ear. “Nocturnal pretty it is” He agreed easily. He started to move then, brushing his paw under Ursa and carefully lifting it (and her) upwards, and then down again. He’d do that for as long as she wanted, or simply walk beside her, leading her further into the woods.

“Alright, we need to practise how to be silent, and search for scents. Can you do that?” He asked his tiny daughter. He turned his head down to look at her, one brow quirked as he checked to see how confident she was.


"Speech"

Ursa would allow Mortis to scoop her up with his giant paw. A tiny giggle smothered by her own paws threatened to break out. Snuggling into him as they wandered deeper into the forest, the pup reserved her energy until her father got them to a good place. Once set down, she stretched herself out and turned to him with a wagging tail and wide smile. Puffing up her chest, she gave him a nod before turning to look around the dark forest.

Lit only by a sprinkle of stars shining through the canopy, Ursa lowered herself closer to the ground. Both ears pressed forward as she waited for her body to be still. Focusing her energy on her paws and tense muscles, she crept forward slowly. One step after the other she held her tail aligned with her spine and teeth clenched tightly. As she got a few more feet away from Mortis, she paused and glanced over her shoulder at him. Waiting for him to give her a go-ahead, Ursa turned back to the game trail they stood at.

Lowering her muzzle to the ground, she snuffled at the pine needles and leaves that covered the dirt. If she focused some more, a faint scent made her nose tingle. Her ears perked up as she took a few more quiet steps forward. Not quite as silent as Mortis, but quiet enough that their position wouldn't quite be given away. "Is it an opossum?" Ursa questions in a loud whisper as she continues to follow the scent farther into the forest.