Dragoncrest Cliffs Beyond the basement

Small to start things off! Anyone welcome!

The small man wandered about the new place, slowly but surely getting used to the many wolves around and all the different smells. At least today wasn't as busy as his last encounters... It was quiet and gentle, as a soothing lullaby for the easily-stressed-out boy. Perhaps he had awoken his sister, Dalia, as he had gotten up, but he doubted she'd be mad at him. Dalia was only ever annoyed with him, he found, but never rough. He was a meek sheep after all, a simply man trying to live his life.

She hated being trapped in the cave during the storm. It awoke memories of her first summer, when she had very nearly become entombed underground during similarly inclement weather. It didn't help that the rain and wind showed no signs of ceasing; they battered Drageda for days on end. If not for her children—normally well-behaved but understandably fussier with each passing day—Wildfire might have gone mad.

"Robin," she admonished this morning when her youngest bit her tail hard enough to draw blood. "Too rough." She loved that he showed promise as a hunter—especially having recently taken up the mantle herself again—but that hurt. "What do you say?" she said brusquely, glowering until the puppy gave her a meek, "Sorry, mama."

"C'mere," she said after a moment, sighing as she gathered her child in her arms. She cast her eyes about for the other two but they had wandered away. Wildfire felt a flash of horror—what if Artaax and Blixen had wandered away into one of the offshoots and become lost?—but then she saw them playing with each other across the cavern. And, much closer at hand, there was a small, bumbling Sirio.

"What'cha doing there, Sirio?" she called out fondly to the youngster, still clutching Robin to her breast.

His bumbling form had not yet picked up the fiery coat of Wildfire, not even as he stumbled over his own feet just to get up again. It was then that he saw it; a form on the ground, his size and following him wherever he went. He stared at it, tipping his head. His hair poofed up in fright when the form imitated him, doing the exact same. He let out a shriek when it began talking too - wait, no, this was a woman's voice... one he faintly recognized. Still, he was scared, and he turned and ran as quickly as he could towards the familiar voice. Maaaaa! He called out as the shadow kept following him. He tried to pounce upon his own shadow, without effect, and that was when the world became an even more terrifying place. He needed his mother, right now, before his own shadow scared him to death.

The child did not answer her. He seemed rather preoccupied with something—his own shadow, perhaps? Wildfire watched in bewildered amusement as Sirio screeched at it, then began scrambling about the cave. Although it was easily one of the most absurd things she'd ever witnessed, the she-wolf gently released her grasp on Robin and scooted toward Sirio, ready to comfort.

"It's just your shadow, kiddo!" she reassured, reaching out a paw to clasp over his back to tug him closer. She knew he wanted Portia but Wildfire could mother him a bit too. "It can't hurt you. It's part of you, like your ears or your tail."

*infiltrates everything*

Artaax flopped onto his belly, bested once again but his more artful sister. He was breathless with adrenaline and smiles as he rolled onto his belly to concede the challenge. He determined then that he was worn out enough to settle down for a while, so he rolled to all fours to make his escape. He nipped affectionately at Blixen's rump as she moved away, his lips peeling back in a silent growl as he did so before turning away. He aimed now for Wildfire, his tongue happily dangling from his jaws as his eyes searched for a cozy place at his mother's side.

He had barely glimpsed such a place beside Robin before he saw Wildfire shift, and soon enough the form just past her took shape. Artaax's mind barked friend! to him as another upswing of energy swept past and the little boy pranced forward to greet him. He was a sensitive enough creature that Sirio's fear and Wildfire's concern did not go unnoticed as he came near. Her ears fell back and he slowed at his mother's side, sliding suddenly and silently down onto his belly just behind Wildfire's elbow as he dropped his chin onto the floor and watched with wide, curious eyes.

In his struggle to flee his own shadow he hadn't even noticed the other children at the flaming woman's side. How come everyone was so familiar? Only his own family had gotten close enough to him to not terrify him, but these presumed "strangers" were the best he had for now. He gave a calmer whine, nestling himself against Wildfire's larger frame in fear. Her words did not sooth him like Portia's did, but it was enough to slow his breathing as he shut his eyes tight so he didn't have to look upon it anymore. He felt like a small, wounded bird getting chased by a jaguar, even though no real danger had stepped forward to threaten him.

M-M-Ma ma ma. He stuttered, tiny form shaking. Mama? He questioned then, finally sober enough to question the woman's relation to him.

When Sirio pressed against her, Wildfire snuggled him tightly, hoping it would make him feel safe. But she was quick to correct him by saying, "No, I'm not your mama. She's—" She glanced around the cave. Surely Portia hadn't gone out into the weather, so perhaps she had simply slipped off to find some privacy. "I'm your Auntie Wifi," she added, returning her gaze to the top of the boy's head and bending down to give him a comforting lick between the ears.

She noticed Artaax and smiled at him, reaching out to touch her nose to his cheek. She was so grateful her children weren't basket cases like Portia's. Although she felt terrible for thinking it, Wildfire didn't think she could deal with this sort of thing day in and day out. For now, though, she was more than happy to provide some refuge for the frightened little boy, tightening her hold on him all the more when a low rumble of thunder echoed around the cavern's ceiling.

Artaax cocked his head against the ground as he watched Sirio cry for his mother. He couldn't understand what was bothering the boy so much. Nothing about their current environment or company struck the pale pup as worth crying over - quite the opposite, actually. The only thing he could come up with was that maybe the other pup wasn't feeling good.

His ears fell slightly as sympathy glanced through him. His mother's touch was quick to dispel it, though. Artaax leaned into her touch and nipped towards her nose as she pulled away, his little tail wagging along behind him. His attention shifted to Sirio as Wildfire tucked him close. With a smile, he slithered along on the floor until he could reach out and sniffle at Sirio's flank in an effort to discern what exactly the sickness was that ailed him.

He panted softly into his auntie's fur, feeling slightly more comfortable in her snuggly embrace then out in the open with the shadow monster. Where was his mum? Why was this woman and the other boy the only ones willing to save him from hid stalker? Wifi... He murmured softly, pressing his head harder against her to somehow forget all about his shadow. Where mama? He questioned then, voice muffled.

She didn't know the answer to that question. But Portia couldn't be far, nor would she be gone for long. "I bet she's using the potty," Wildfire murmured to Sirio's question. "She'll be back soon." Her ears flicked at another dull peal of thunder. When would this storm system pass?

To distract herself as well as the pups, the she-wolf suggested, "Why don't we play a game? How about... I spy?" She glanced at Artaax, who was familiar with the game, and said, "Artaax, why don't you go first?" For Sirio's benefit, she added, "He'll pick something in the cave and describe it to us without telling us exactly what it is. We have to guess what he spies. Whoever gets it right first wins! Okay, Artaax, go!"

Well, he didn't smell sick. Artaax furrowed his brow, slowly standing taller as he moved around to inspect the other boy's scent further. There was nothing unusual about his scent that could explain what was wrong with him, and he was far too busy with his physical assessment to pay any attention to the words coming out of his mouth that would have explained exactly what the problem was.

Artaax was busy licking a spot on the other boy's hip, trying to determine if he tasted sick, when Wildfire distracted him with the word "game". He bounced back immediately with a frantically wagging tail and gave his mother an eager nod. Whatever Sirio's problem was, games always made everything better. He turned to look around them, trying to find what he wanted to use as Wildfire explained to the other pup how to play. His gaze landed on Blixen and Robin who were sniffing at each other's noses a few feet away.

Artaax spun back to face Wildfire and Sirio, his eyes glinting. "Okay! I spy something... little and fuzzy! And red!" he said, forgetting entirely that he was only supposed to name one attribute of the chosen object.

Back soon? Soon wasn't long, right? Using the potty never took long, 'cept when the brown wanted to escape. Sirio was proud he didn't leave his brown in their sleeping place anymore just like Dalia. Well, maybe sometimes, but it was mostly accidental. His nose wrinkled at the touch of the other boy's tongue against his hip because it felt weird - apparently he was pretty ticklish, even though he didn't know what it meant just yet. The licking stopped at the mention of a game and Sirio pulled his head back. His vision was a little blurry at first but cleared up a few moments after.

He understood the rules, and Artaax didn't waste any time with picking something out. Fuzzy... Red...little... Wifi was red and a little fuzzy, but she wasn't little. Then he spotted the two other young'uns sniffling each other out and he grinned from ear to ear as he noticed one was red, little and pretty fuzzy. He didn't know her name though, or at least didn't remember it ever being told. Small girl wolf! He answered, chipper now that the fear of his shadow had sunken away a little.

Last post; feel free to continue without me. :)

Artaax ran with it and Wildfire smiled down at him, proud of his initiative and obedience. She then sat back and stayed quiet, letting him choose a target and then pick words to describe it to Sirio. It was fairly easy to guess that he'd picked his very own sister, though Wildfire knew it might not be quite so obvious to the other pup. Her eyes shifted to little Sirio's face as he took in the information and then guessed correctly. The fact that he didn't seem to know Blixen's name elicited a small disbelieving chuckle from her.

"Blixen," she said with a nod, which prompted the girl in question to blink over at her. Robin followed his sister's gaze and soon the two of them romped over to tackle her. Wildfire playfully rolled her eyes, then her entire body, as she slid to the ground and flopped onto her back. It was both ticklish and painful to let the cubs crawl all over her like this but it helped keep her mind off the storm and her cabin fever.

When they grew weary of climbing all over her and ran off to play tag with Dalia, Wildfire glanced back to Artaax and Sirio. Would they continue playing I Spy or would they join their siblings in their game of chase? Either way, Wildfire stayed relaxed on the cool stone floor, chin sinking to her paws even as she kept her eyes on the kids.

last for me too!

Both Sirio and Wildfire responded quickly with the correct answer, leaving Artaax completely baffled. How had they known??? He nodded with a pouty frown, feeling frustrated at how easily they had figured it out when he'd been so very cryptic with his over abundance of clues.

But soon, Robin and Blixen were there, jumping and rough housing and getting Artaax's tail wagging and face grinning again. He batted playfully at them as they tornadoed through and was quick to bounce along after them as they scampered off to Dalia, ignorant of whether or not Sirio was following as kids so often are when something new and exciting comes along.