Hideaway Strath lightly fried fish fillets

Breezing through Lotte posts. I am sorry for the lackluster quality.

“Mallaidh, Mallaidh,” Lotte crooned in a low singsong, transfixed by the little pirate’s misty blue globe. She kept her voice soft and soothing, not wanting to overwhelm the firebrand’s senses, but her tail began a heavy thump-thump-thumping she couldn’t still. @Arturo had been the first one to see Ceallach’s eyes when they opened, so it only seemed right that Lotte was first to witness her miniature copy’s widening new world. The symmetry of her litter pleased and amused her: Mallaidh was so vividly her daughter and Ceallach was so vividly Arturo’s son, and in between were the two who would reflect the heritage from whence they’d come. It was still anybody’s guess whether Roarke and Eirlys would take after Boadicea or the Enok wolves who bore the title Muodonmuuttaja. Very gently, Lotte smoothed her tongue along the girl’s spine, turning her head to call for her husband to witness the marvel: “Artu — oof!”

The solid thump of Sirius’ heather gray form catapulting into Lotte’s exposed abdomen wrung an immediate reaction from the smoke-and-shadow bitch. In one fluid movement, she was up and snarling silently, her argent eyes slamming into the little body the way he’d slammed into her. Fortunately, he seemed preoccupied by her daughter — which didn’t altogether please her either — and had forgiven her for her territorial display. Teetering dangerously between killing the boy where he stood and allowing him to stay and play, Lotte ultimately decided on the latter. She lay back down, tucking herself closer to her girl and gathering Roarke, Eirlys, and Ceallach protectively to her as well. He must miss his family, Banríon mused. “She is Mallaidh,” she told him gently, her voice still thick with an unshed growl.

Lotte slid out one dark foreleg, parallel to Mallaidh, ready at any moment to sweep her daughter out of harm’s way. Her silver eyes were piercing and intense despite the soothing way she spoke. “They are too young to play with you, Sirius,” she told him, doubting he could understand her in full, “but someday they will be your friends.”