Sawtooth Spire Thou Shalt be Badass

Private for @Atuaserk & @Pingasut, but @Malrok & @Sitamat are welcome too! :D
EDIT: Forgot to mention this thread takes place at the same time as this one

Aariak was always alert to any emergency that the Alpha pair needed him to help with. The caretaker was glad they trusted him enough as to entrust him with their young brood, which he was happy to accept when a stranger called at the Spire's borders. Although judging by Tonravik and Iqniq's reaction, there was no stranger at all. Intrigue flooded the male, but still he stayed back to guard the children until their parents returned.

Before entering the den, Aariak glanced around to make sure that there was no major threat around. Gently, the caretaker made his way inside. The brood was still very young, but there was no way to deny that they were Iqniq and Tonravik's children. One as dark as his mother. One ablaze like his father. And the other two had the size proper of a true Tartok wolf. They were strong.

The male settled down near the entrance, his head poking out as his body blocked the entrance. He was confident tht Iqniq and Tonravik would return regardless of what happened at the borders, but he did not know how long it would take.

He was asleep, and for once he did not wake when his parents exited the den. His thirst to go outside had been satiated, and so he was not as alert as he had been, knowing that when he woke he could go out again. However, when he woke to find that his parents had gone and they had been left in the care of one of their packmates, he leaped to his feet with feline grace and bolted for the den entrance. He found it blocked, of course, but spared no time in flinging himself upon Aariak's back and scrambling down the other side. He stopped just in front of him, in the light of the world, and whined.

They were gone.

They left without him.

He sat, and pouted. He wished he could have gone, for now it was not the den that was to small, but the safe area around it in which he was allowed the play. His white-tipped toes were anxious to tread new ground. Inwardly, he chided himself, for sleeping too deep.

@Aariak, he would have met them at the pup thread! the whole pack would have. Just wanted you to know!

The little moose was not as heartbroken as his third brother, instead keeping himself busy with attempting to terrorize the second of the four, nipping at his ear and generally trying to sit on top of him. The movement of Ping caught his attention though and Atuaserk was soon after him, following his brother's path over the white thing in their doorway as though he were nothing more than a log. Atuaserk didn't know him, didn't know who he was, and right now he didn't care. Where was Ping going? That was all the eldest cared about, and not because he was worried or anything. Simply out of curiosity.

His teeth groped for Ping's ear for a moment before he attempted to paw at his muzzle. What was wrong? Why was he upset? The lack of the parental units seemed not to phase him, so much so that he didn't even realize they were nowhere near by.

*sneaks in*

The youngest slept soundly, only the rise and fall of his pudgy belly and the occasional paw twitch indicating that he was still actually alive. He didn't wake when his parents went to answer the call at the borders, nor when Atuaserk started hassling Malrok beside him. It was only when the dim light that filtered into the den was suddenly blocked and a strange smell wafted in did he finally rouse.

Yawning, Sitamat rolled over onto his side, blinking open his eyes and peering at whatever had obstructed the entrance to the den. At first, all he could see was a large mass of white fur, a more vibrant red form wiggling over the top of it. His vision adjusted, and suddenly he saw the stranger's face and bolted upright, wriggling backwards so he was behind Malrok. His other two brothers ran forward, Pingasut disappearing from view behind the pale beast, shortly followed by Atuaserk.

The youngest stared wide-eyed after them, before his gaze flicked to the stranger in the entrance again in confusion.

Sorry for the wait!
@Malrok is still welcome to join at any point!

Soon enough, the little furballs that inhabited the den started showing signs of life. Aariak allowed the red one to crawl over him, but placed a huge paw on his way as he finally reached the other side. But he did not seem to have any intentions of venturing any further. He sat and pouted, clearly upset about his parents' absence. Then once again, another one of the pups climbed over him, and Aariak watched as the little brown monster got to his brother and bumped his nose with a small paw as if trying to cheer him up.

"Mom and dad will be back," promised Aariak in his native tongue, sure that the pups were used to it. He didn't know how long it would take for them to do so, but Aariak had no doubt that Iqniq and Tonravik would come back to their children no matter what.

Meanwhile, not worried about them, Aariak ignored the other pups, who seemed to have less interest in both the world outside and himself, who would be a figure they'd get used to seeing often.

He was joined by his brown-furred brother, who grasped at an ear and then pawed at his face. Though he was still disappointed that his parents had gone and he had been left behind, his sibling's presence comforted him. With a soft croon he turned into Atuaserk to rub his foxy head against him. Their caretaker spoke then, and Pingasut turned his head, ears cupping forward as his gaze found the man's lips. He caught a couple of familiar words, and inferred the rest with a loud sigh.

It seemed he would have to find a way to keep himself entertained. He cast a look to Atuaserk, and then fixed his eyes on the white male. His thrust his ears forward and lifted his tail above his hips, and took a single stiff step toward him. Their was the hint of a smile on his lips.  Target acquired.

Bit of PP to get the boys into action, @Pingasut! Let me know if you'd like me to change it!

Despite his terrorizing ways, Atuaserk was bonded with his brothers in a way that he was at least slightly empathetic to their moods. Ping's reaction to his comforting made this something that would be more likely to happen in the future as well, though for now he simply nibbled at three's face until he was made to stop, by his will or another's.

His youngest brother received a glance and perhaps would have even gotten the same treatment had Pingasut not advanced towards the new one. Catching on quickly, Ata slunk over to another angle, paralleling the fox colored boy from a small distance away. A tiny growl left him, right before he dropped into a play bow as a precedent to rushing forward, 'attacking' alongside his sibling.

Going to skip @Sitamat since it's been a while now...

Two boys stayed back while the two curious ones climbed across the pale inuit. The paler one and the darkest or the four, who since the first moment had striked Aariak as the shyest of the four. But he wouldn't blame them for that. They were small, and the world outside, moreso when mom and dad were away, could be frightening for such a young one.

There would be time for changing that.

Aariak's eyes were focused on the two others in case they made a single move away from the den. He was in charcge of watching them, and he'd only do so if they stayed close together. If they decided to go for the run and chase after mommy and daddy, then Aariak would have to be a bad guy for a moment and take them back to the safety of home.

But they had other plans.

Not a minute had gone by before the two adventurous pups turned their attention towards their baby-sitter, and soon enough they were charging at him with joined forces, to truly interact with the caretaker for the first time ever.

Aariak was not one to play games, but he knew that wrestling made up an important part of a pup's development, so he took every chance he got to show them how it's done.

As the brothers charged, Aariak rolled to his left side, allowing the boys to bite his cheek and neck for a while. It wouldn't damage him much, their teeth wouldn't pierce through the skin, but focusing their attacks on that specific area was an important lesson they'd need to learn slowly. Instinct would take it's course one way or another.

A paw, bigger than the pups' heads pushed the largest one away, and the fiery one was take by the scruff to be thrown away, giving Aariak space to get up and bow into a playful and encouraging pose.

boy, did I get carried away!

perfect! feel free to do it again haha.

His brother picked up on the cue, and together they advanced toward their caretaker, with the brown cub moving to widen their attack formation of cuteness. The first born took the first lunge with a growl, while the silent fox took up the second charge. Their caretaker rolled, and he wasted no time in climbing mount white-fur to nip and chew at the male's soft cheek while his brother terrorized some other part.

His tail battered the air with glee, his entire body wriggling with his excitement. They continued on, and he felt triumphant with their packmate 'pinned' beneath them, until Aariak reminded them who was at the top of the food chain. Atuaserk was pushed away while Pingasut was grasped by his scruff and hoisted off his feet. He felt distinctly aware of his diminutive size in that moment, but as soon as he was tossed and regained his feet he was launching back in for another round.

With their caretaker on the ground, Ata wasted no time in listening to the wildness in him, teeth grappling as best they could at the man's throat though they did very little damage — if any at all — to the wolf's thick scruff. He could not have told you why he made such a move but it was important that he did so at all. Eventually, their play fights would get much more serious and the boys would need to learn to focus on vital areas, so Aariak's actions now were certainly going to assist with that. Or they did, until he pushed Ata away and deposited Ping elsewhere for the moment.

Unfortunately for the pale man who was watching them now, Ping was just as driven as the eldest boy was and together, they 'rushed' him again. Cute, yes, but this activity was fostering the One and Four's drive to overcome anything they came against, no matter what it was or how much bigger their opponent was. This lesson would root that deep in Ata's soul, helping to shape him for the future.

I owe you guys an apology
if you want we could have another round, but this thread's ancient and it needs closure .___.

The pups were quick to charge at their caretaker once again. Atuaserk regained his balance with ease, and Pingasut was quick to hop back on his feet. They were energetic boys, at least these two, and there would surely be a lot of interaction in the upcoming weeks as their predator instincts came alive.

Ariak's scruff had taken little damage, but he knew that focusing the kids' attacks toward such vital spots was important. He would gladly take their bites again. But this time he wasn't laying in the ground like last time. He was not an easy target this once.

One went directly for his lower lip, pulling with impressive strength for such a small child, while Four took his chance to take Aariak's ear as hostage. It was a funny scene to see, for both kids had attacked Aariak's left and he struggled with them to pull his head up. They were playing tug of war with Aariak's face, and after a while it became annoying as his cheek was stretched out unnaturally. The male pushed the kids away with his head, and this time lifted it to avoid another incident of the same sort.

Aariak played the rest of the afternoon away with the pups, until both their parents arrived from dealing with the unexpected howler. Aariak returned to his own business, satisfied with what he had worked today with the pups. They would become fierce fighters one day.

Editing an end as we agreed :P