Dawnlark Plains #dadhat

Paging dumb brats @Eventide and @Kasatka. @Spiritwalker is also welcome, as well as anyone else who wants to drop by. If Dad doesn't know you too well, you might be warned away but whatever.

Grayday was guarding the pups while their mother was stretching her legs. She was decidated to their litter, but the male knew she had a wandering heart and didn't want her cooped up in the den for too long. Besides, he was perfectly capable of keeping their children warm and clean while she was away.

Currently, he was licking Kasatka's tiny little paw pads, enjoying the feel of them against his tongue. Puppy paws were only good for licking for a short time after their birth, he'd found, and the male was determined to make the most of it while he still had the time.

"Don't tell mom, but I bet you'd make a nice snack," he cooed at his youngest daughter, turning to nudge her two brothers closer to his chest. "All of you. And don't think the two of you have escaped my notice, either. Your paws are just as tasty as Kasat's. You'll get your turns."

two weeks had passed since catori's laboring, and all the while kitten had spent her days suckling and sleeping.  she had grown accustomed to the smells and tactile sensations of her mommy, her daddy, and her two bubbies but today offered something new.

she stretched her little paws towards the gentle, warm rub of her father's tongue.  her smooth, soft pink little toe beans splayed beneath his gentle press, and her little lips melted into a smile as she gave a small babbling baby giggle (that was followed by a little milk hiccup).

Grayday was quick to clean the vomit from his daughter's face, not wanting Catori to come back to a pile of chores and dirty puppies. "Nice try, Kitten," he said reprovingly, feeling around until his jaws closed gently around Winterbourne. The boy was deposited beside his sister, and then the same was done for Eventide.

Grayday laid his head down over his puppy pillow, rumbling in blissful contentment. It was extra nice because all his precious babies were hidden and safe, and that was the best feeling in the world when compared to the terrible fear and discomfort that came with fatherhood.

her dad's tongue abandoned her toes and instead smoothed over her entire head, leaving her wet and uncomfortable.  she was about to groan before daddy deposited her into the warmest cuddle pile ever and her little toe beans sought out the plush of his neck fur.  curiously, she gripped some of the fur between her gums.

yuck, that wasn't a teat!  she spit out tuft of fur from her mouth (which would now be covered in baby slobber -- sorry dad!) and continued to run his fur between her toes instead.

None of this was any good. From the time of his birth up until now, Eventide had been forced to wallow in his suffering as the two Big Bodies wandered in and out of the den. Occasionally, they would try and squeeze inside together, making their son incredibly uncomfortable, to say the least! They smelled (really, really bad), they moved around too much, and one of them had the audacity to keep showing up without any milk!

No, none of this was any good, and Eventide wanted to be sure that everyone knew just how he'd been feeling. The Dry Big Body (named because of its lack of milk, of course) came in and began preening their paws; unlike Kitten, Ty was unimpressed. Still, it was warm and soothing, so against his better judgement, he crept forward and nestled up against the Big Body's side, hoping to catch up on some sleep.

Not one to be denied his puppy pillow, Grayday was quick to capture Eventide in his wanderings and place him right back on top of his father's forelegs. Then his head went back down over them, smothering them (gently!) with his love and fur. But they were already getting bored of that - soon enough, they wouldn't even all fit underneath his neck. He lifted his head and snuffled over their little bodies, checking to see who was the fussy one of the three.

Eventide. No surprises there.

"What's wrong, Tiger?" he asked, nudging the boy with the tip of his nose. "You're annoying the shit out of your dad," he added in a sweet coo. "How come you're annoying Daddy? Are you hungry? Sleepy? Wanna hear a song?"

sorry for the wait!

maybe when kasatka was older she would think back on what it had been like growing up in morningside.  compared to many other fathers, hers was markedly aged; already he had lost his sight. there would only be a limited number of moments they could possibly have together, and one day she would learn to cherish them all — hopefully, before it was too late.  soon she would be too big for her entire body to fit beneath the crook of her father's jaw and be swallowed by his pelage, her mother's milk would dry and the girl would be all too ready to grow up.

thankfully for her parents, today was not that day.  the girl was eager and growing, each new sight and smell and taste was something worth pursuit but she was still too small and dependent to do much about it.  today, kasatka would be contented to hear the deep vibrations of her father's voice, her toes still grasping at his cheeks.

Maybe Eventide was being a bit of a brat, but he had due cause! The service was horrible and he was one very displeased customer. Winterbourne and Kasatka were the only two who he felt some sort of comfort with, even if he didn’t know who was who just yet. 

Just like his sister, Eventide was able to find some consolation in the echoing vibrations of his father’s voice. In fact, Grayday’s (ouch, harsh!) words were enough to lull the tiny spark into a well earned nap.

Grayday did not notice one son dropping off into oblivion - he went right ahead with the offered song, choosing one that he and Easy had been composing together in their free time. The tune and some of the lyrics were derived from Sameth's "Tree of Life" and Elkbone's "Roots and Branches" songs, but it was now its own unique anthem. He and Easy had dubbed it "Changing Leaves".

"The ground is wet, the leaves are green
the river hurries and the stream
our blood is warm, and free the flow
our paws they hurry to and fro

"Summer sees us by the tree
but by the autumn, home with thee
our hearts connect us while we roam
and to the well - never alone

"Come together, sisters brothers
In snow share with one another
In heat shelter by shady tree
In blood abide with thee and three

"Our house, our home, our whelping dens
we go away then come again
we settle where the elk all run
and rest under the morning sun."

He spared a fretful thought over Easy before settling back into the rhythm of caring for his newest children. For the time being, he'd done all he could for his darkest daughter. She would come home or she wouldn't, and him worrying over her wasn't going to change that.

"You guys will never leave me, though, right?" he asked them all, giving River's face a soothing lick. Soothing more to Grayday than to River, of course.

"Changing Leaves" sample

she babbled along without tune to her father's beautiful song, before her body could no longer take it.  her eyes began to close as she drifted off into a peaceful baby slumber.