Ghost, for the aloof, broken creature that she was, had become remarkably cold and distant to anyone that wasn't her mate or her pups. To both of these she had become remarkably affectionate and possibly overbearingly protective. Perhaps this strange shift in persona had to do with the simple fact that she rarely expressed emotion and to show it so adamantly to her own family, her singular priority... was the extent of her emotional grasp. Regardless, she had scarcely left her pups. She had clung to them and they to her. They knew her scent and Segar's and had imprinted upon both, there would be no doubting who their parents were.

Her tail would flicker, coiling around her pups and drawing them close to her abdomen. A soft, nonsensical hum would spill from her maw, soothing and soft in its intensity. A lullaby of random notes strung together to soothe the wiggling spirits of her womb. A pink tongue would escape her maw and she would bathe her most precious cargo, cleansing them of dirt and debris. They squirmed and whined, wiggled and fussed but she continued her soft and gentle hum. When they were cleaned and bathed to perfection she uncoiled her body, releasing them.

She watched them play and scramble, darting and diving along the floor of her den. Silvered eyes would glisten, a piece of her mind screaming at her to clean them again, she frowned, fighting it, and allowed them to play. Her tail would flicker and her ears would pin back against her skull, smiling gently down at her pups so they would not think her cross. She would howl, a long, low, languid sound for her mate. He could come if he wished. It wasn't demanding. Her gaze would flicker back to her pups. "Would you like to go for your first walk through Seracia?" Her lyrics were smooth, soft, whimsical, never biting, never clawing as she awaited her pups response.

Speech!

Talon hadn't initially known he was any different than his siblings. How his parents showered him with love, his father with kisses and joy, his mother with her nuzzles and protective embrace. Though he was treated the same as his siblings, as he began to explore and think for himself, he'd begun to notice that his sisters all had four legs, while he hobbled along on three. And while the litter wasn't particularly large, he felt especially small and weak compared to them. Often the boy struggled along as they played, slightly unsteady on all three paws. Not growing as strong as his parents would've liked, not nearly as healthy as he ought to be, despite their adamant loving care. A sound that closely resembled a purr escaped his throat as the tiny boy was pulled close to his mother, his nose burying happily into her fur. Soft noises fell from her own mouth, soothing sounds that nearly lulled him to sleep. Her rough tongue bathed him, and he wiggled incessantly in her grasp. But only when she was finished did he finally hobble away from her, his gait unsure and as unsteady as ever. Talon whimpered a bit as he stumbled, though quickly regained his balance. He had not yet begun to have such an advanced mental life that he felt disappointment for being deformed, for missing something -- he knew his parents loved him and would protect him, and for now, that was enough for the small child. The fierce sound of her mother's howl alarmed him, and the skinny child winced a bit, quickly turning to watch Ghost. Nothing to be afraid of; and yet still he felt nervous at the sudden, loud sound. But she soothed his worries as she spoke, her voice pleasant to his ears. Always bringing joy to Talon's heart. "Yes, mumma! Please!" He would whimper gently, his voice soft and innocent as he spoke.

As ghost circled her body around the pups, Misty sucked lightly on her teats. Though Segar had been getting meat, Mist was still stuck on her mother's milk. Ghost licked her head after cleaning Talon, and then eventually made it to her tail before moving on. Mist looked at her brother giving him a cute sincere look. To Mist, talon seemed to have nothing missing about him. Maybe she thought his leg would grow as he got older, and that all males were this way when they were born. But she was well wrong. Her brother would be this way forever, and as they grew she would care much for him. Unlike Talon, when Ghost let out her call Mist watched as her maw hit the air and called for their father. Misty didn't show a slight bit of surprise to the roar, instead she jumped up in front of her mother and tried to look up in her crystal eyes with her emerald orbs. Maybe Ghost didn't know that her daughter had already been let out of the den, because she had already met a female named Tahlia. But maybe this should be a secret just in case there were any hurt feelings to her mother. "Of course Mama! Where are we ganna go?" Her eyes were full of curiosity as she spoke and looked into her mother's eyes. She was ready to go on a real adventure with her family. Speech,

Isis squirmed underneath her mother's tongue as she bathed all three pups. She seemed to do that a lot and god did she hate it! It seemed as though her mother had an obsession with keeping them clean. Not that she didn't wanna be clean, but there were times she didn't wanna be bathed either. Still her mother let them go and she ran off with Talon and Mist with her tail wagging faster than a windmill. She tumbled out of the den with eagerness and was all for sticking close to her mother and their den.

Their play was interrupted when Ghost suggested touring Seracia. Ears flattened and tail slowly came to a halt as she looked up at her pale colored mother with a tinge of fear. Seracia was so big! They were gonna tour it? Rump plotted itself in the dirt as she shook he head furiously.

"I dun' wanna momma! It's too big."

The girl whined. She was shy, and traveling from home was a big feat. Perhaps too big. She'd much rather play with her siblings here! Where she didn't have to wonder about the gigantic world swallowing her up.

She would watch with loving, protective eyes as her pups squirmed and protested against her bathing tongue. Segar had not shown and the bitterness, the anger at such a betrayal, burned her deep. He had hardly been around their pups at all, hadn't he proclaimed to love her? Love them? She did not let her pups see such sadness etched upon her visage, they would know nothing but her love and adoration, she would be sure of it. She rose to her pads, shaking out her pelt before gliding to the front of the den with unnatural grace, pausing only at her daughter's protest. "Isis love, I will be right beside you, you can stay against me if you wish, the sunlight will be good for you. I'll let you sleep beneath my tail tonight." Her lyrics were soft, soothing, gentle, tempting her daughter to come. At the soft inquiry from Mist, she would smile, her tail flickering as she bent her head to nuzzle Talor affectionately, the first to arrive at her side despite his handicap, an extra kiss would be placed a top his head at his display of eagerness. "I was thinking of taking the lot of you to explore the barn, how does that sound?" She would tilt her head to the side, awaiting the various replies, she wanted them to be excited about whatever they were doing. She wanted their childhoods to be perfect. She was so mentally off kilter... she just wished to do something right and she prayed that something would be her beloved children.

Though his father had not been around nearly as much as Ghost, Talon was truly unaware of the significance of this. The small child merely though that was how things were supposed to me. He wondered if perhaps his father was some great warrior, defending the lands from bad wolves, protecting all of Seracia. He had no reason to think so, but he was much more inclined to think of these things, rather than assuming his father might not care about them, or about their mother. Isis protested, and Talon crept closer to his sister, while Misty seemed eager as ever. His sister Misty never seemed afraid of anything, or unwilling to try something new. He envied that about her. Why did the prospect of going outside and exploring terrify him so? But he didn't worry for long. He felt his mother's nuzzling her and placing a kiss on his skull. "I guess so," he said softly, and though he was nervous, he was sure his mother would protect him and his siblings. But he didn't look sad, simply timid, as his tail wagged behind his small frame as he waited for their departure.

Isis didn't seem very thrilled at all to explore. And Talon leaned in closer to her, being more on her side. So when Mist's eyes left her mother's, she let put a bark before whining out her words. "Oh come on guys! It's not that bad!" She seemed almost angry, upset but her aura still left a happy mood in the area. Ghost had walked over to Talon, giving him a nuzzle and a kiss. And Misty watched, her angry face now turning to not so much sad, but more of surprised. She was now beside her mother, her head looking up at her mother's shoulder. As her head came back up from giving Talon a kiss on the forehead, Sh leaped over next to her brother a smile back on her face. Her tail flicked with the excitement as her mother asked about exploring a barn. "I wanna go Mama!" Here eyes looked over at Isis to see if her expressions had changed at all. She did want to share these adventures with her siblings, and not just by herself. So she really wanted both of them to come along. Speech,