Sunbeam Lair YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE

She blinked her eyes open, seemingly the first one awake of her family. The others slept noisily in their shared den and for a moment the place seemed cramped and uncomfortable. Airi wriggled her way out of the throng, pulling herself towards the sunlight as it illuminated the Lair. She waddled out to the entrance, her eyes wide with a curiosity that would be hard to satisfy. She tentatively took steps outwards, then dashed in a random direction, clumsy but motivated.

♥

Having been a light sleeper since birth, her sensitivity to the noises around her had only increased with motherhood. Always was she meant to be alert, listening when they thought she was not, and watching when it seemed as if her eyes had long since shut. To watch over them and keep each of the girls safe was important, and so, more often than not, she was aware of their presences. That being said, it wasn’t at all surprising when the soft, retreating steps of her firstborn had been enough to wake her. And though she’d been awake, the dragoness had not pulled her daughter back from the entrance. She had laid there instead, watching to see what the girl might do.

The moment Airi had departed from the den, the chieftess lifted herself from the ground and made her way out, careful to not disturb any of the other sleeping forms. It hadn’t been difficult to spot the small, dark wolf against all of the greenery, and so after the girl had Asterr trailed. She did not intend to prevent the hatchling from exploring, but knew that it was necessary for her to remain close by just in case something were to happen.

She didn't know what she expected. The young Draconid thought she could make it uninterrupted for now, perhaps making her way beyond what she saw around the den. For the moment she believed that she was alone, and she acted as such. The girl waddled through the Lair, cooing in delight at the new, slightly blurry sights before her.

Not a single attempt was made at hiding her presence as she followed the girl, watching and ensuring that she was kept safe. The den was a decent ways off from most waterways, but even still, the risk was there. But, aside from keeping an eye on the girl, she did nothing. Airi was neither stopped nor dragged back home, but left to explore until she grew content with her discoveries. And for as long as she would wander, the mother would follow, quiet and intrigued by the child’s curiosities.

As they moved, Asterr spotted a dandelion and was quick to move towards it. She’d gone several steps ahead of the hatchling and then stopped to nose over the weed. Whilst she had no intention of disturbing the girl’s adventure, she hadn’t found anything wrong with steering her towards an object or two. To gauge her interest, perhaps, or maybe just to make her trip a bit more interesting—honestly, Asterr wouldn’t know which answer to give if asked.

Her mother padded before her, and Airi greeted her with a soft coo. Her little stick of a tail began waggling behind her. She was prepared to go off on her own direction, but her mother's presence grabbed her attention. Airi followed after her mother, blinking curiously at the fluffy thing her mother nosed. Was it food? Airi bit it, then recoiled at the fluffiness. Not very tasty...

Perhaps she should have expected the child to make an attempt at eating it. Curiosity drove most kids, and they tended to test things out by putting stuff into their mouths. Asterr, however, had not thought to prepare for such a thing. She’d expected for the plant to be sniffed, or maybe even batted, at, but not eaten. What had happened hadn’t changed anything, though, for she was still interested in letting the girl wander for a bit—but first, she’d felt it important that she offer a bit of insight regarding the weed.

“Dandelion,” said the dragoness, motioning towards the flower—what was left of it, that is. “You should not eat them.” They would do her no harm, but their flavour wasn’t exactly the greatest, and she didn’t want for Airi to develop a stomachache. Stepping aside, she would offer up a chance to ask a question. If there were none, or they couldn’t be voiced, she’d wait for the hatchling to begin moving again, and would then go back to following her.

She was pushed away from consuming the flower, to which she looked up at her mother curiously. Her head tilted, Daaandee, She repeated, rolling out the word. Daan...dee..liee? She looked up at her mother for some kind of approval. Wai no?

An attempt was made at repeating the word, resulting in the mother smiling. Just as she had done with Shiori, she would praise the girl without hesitation. “Very good!” she’d exclaimed, enjoying the effort more so than the actual results. The girls were each trying to speak, which was all that really mattered. Just as long as they didn’t give up, they would always receive some level of praise from the dragoness. She believed that, by doing so, they would view learning as a positive experience. It was necessary that they not fight against her during their lessons in the future, and so she was working to decrease the likelihood of that happening by working with them in the present.

“It did not taste too good, did it?” she questioned, curious. “Most plants do not, but they can be very helpful.” Such was something that they would all learn in the days to come. The uses and benefits would be taught to them, assuming that they would each be interested in learning.

She was praised for her efforts, though Airi frowned; it was not enough. She didn't sound like her mother, not yet. She needed practice. Dandee...liiii.... Her practice session was cut short as her mother continued, explaining something or another about plants. Her lips pressed together in a thoughtful frown. Wai? She asked again.

Practice was necessary, yes, but Asterr was happy with the girl’s current level of speech. Her interest made it clear that she would someday speak just as well as she might want to, for practice stemmed from interest—and there was plenty of that to go around, she realized. A question was asked, but she didn’t know if she could provide an answer for it. “Why do they not taste good?” she asked, wondering if that was what had made Airi curious. Assuming that it was, she’d continued by saying, “I do not know. I suppose we simply were not made to find the flavour to be pleasant.” The exact reason for why herbs tended to taste bad had never been taught to her, nor had it ever been important. As long as the uses were known, and they could solve a health issue, it didn’t matter what they tasted like.

Airi felt another thing of dandelion fluff in her mouth and set her tongue upon wriggling it out. It took a while — lots of spitting and coughing, but it eventually left her mouth, only to hang onto her lip. Airi frowned once more, looking up at her mother as she explained. It was annoying. Why wasn't everything supposed to taste good? It should.

As the child worked to get the dandelion fluff out of her mouth, Asterr kept from intervening. Believing it best that she work out a solution by herself, Airi was only watched as the part of the plant eventually found its way out onto her lip. Seeing it, the mother smiled and leaned down to brush it off with her nose, feeling as if her daughter had struggled with it enough already. The frown was related to her frustrations, and so it went without being commented on as the Chieftess straightened herself back up.

“When you are older, I will show you some of the plants that do taste good,” she promised, careful to leave out exactly how long the girl would need to wait. With winter just around the corner, it was likely that she wouldn’t be able to find anything for her daughter to examine until the seasons shifted again, which would take several months. “Should we return home for now?” If she wished to explore for a bit longer, Asterr would remain there with her. Otherwise, the dragoness would lead the girl back to the den.

Airi shook her head to remove the fluff of dandelion, making herself a little dizzy in the process. She blinked at her mother — something about home? Airi nodded, her head still unsteady after her furious headbanging. She could do with a nap aftter her little adventure.

With the last of the fuzz removed and an agreement to the proposal of returning home, Asterr smiled. Prior to moving, she’d touched her muzzle to the girl’s side, helping to steady her should she need it. Thereafter the Chieftess would begin walking back towards the den, her steps slow enough for the child to keep up. Whenever they’d reached the den, the mother had followed Airi inside and laid with her and the other two hatchlings, watching over each of them as they rested.