The Sunspire everafter

Consider the kids bubble-wrapped! Open to any of the babies or parents.

After the attack, things happened quickly. Ibis didn't really know what was going on, but she knew a change had occurred. She felt it in herself on some level, having been changed by the panic and the chaos that had ensued after the cat had come for her. The girl was too young to realize the danger of what had transpired — but she and @Okeanos had been taken away after that, brought to a new place with strong smells. She remembered squirming as she was carried by the nape, and then an all-consuming sleep took hold of her.

When she woke, she was in this new place. It was dark and it was warm. Images of the cat had all but vanished from her malleable mind and yet, she felt a nervousness that could not be identified. Eager to find comfort, Ibis sought her brother — but the body she squished against was the wrong color, the wrong smell, and while she enjoyed the presence she was also confused by it. After a few moments of jostling to get comfortable, she finally gave up and rolled away from the sleeping stranger.

Her tired eyes looked around in the dark for her mother and when she couldn't find her, she began to whine softly to herself. This change was too much and she did not like it at all.

Breccan had slept through it all, and therefore was quite surprised when he woke up to find unfamiliar entities in his home. But it took a moment for the changes to register; he yawned, stretched, yawned again, and then blinked around at his sisters before doing what was essentially a double take. There were two new puppies!

At only a month old, he was oblivious to what had caused Seabreeze and her children to move in with them. He could detect the tension in the air, though, and he heard the anxiety in the voice of the female pup as she began to whimper quietly. He wriggled toward her, making his own soft sounds of curiosity and reassurance.

Rannoch approached Ibis with caution—he could only imagine what was troubling her pretty, little head. Sliding forward on his belly, Rannoch crawled towards the sound of her melancholy song. 

"Ibis," he crooned from a distance, his tail swaying hesitantly behind him. "It's okay, honey. You're safe now." His eyes traced the shadows of the den, and he caught sight of Breccan. "You're with family." he offered and teetered a step closer.

They were doing their best, but Ibis could not be calmed. She wiggled about with her head up and expression mournful as she sought her mother or father - granted the sound of Rannochs deep voice soothed her a little, it was still a foreign sound from an equally foreign body.

After a moment of indecision her calls picked up in volume, likely disturbing other children but at the moment she was being selfish and wanting; she called out for her mother, See-bee! See-bee! Maaamaaa 'bee!

as all of okeanos' short life thus far has been spent in communual den spaces, he is unbothered by this particular merge, content as always to do as he's told. the anxiety lingering around ibis makes him worried -- there's a strange smell on her that he doesn't know that makes him want to hide under mama. instead he squeezes as close to his dandelion puff sister as possible, a contrasting ball of smoke. she is loud where he is more reserved but as she starts to call for mama he tries to soothe her, paying little attention yet to the adult present, who he does not know well but automatically trusts. "is'kay," the little gentlemen says, repeating rannoch, "ibby 'kay, oke-no here, mama 'bee come?" this last question is directed at the comforting adult presence, certain he will manifest their mother for them (or mamma oly, oke wouldn't mind her, either).

Breccan closed the gap between himself and the other puppies with hesitant steps. When he heard the rumble of his father’s voice, he looked up at Rannoch. Despite the uneasiness that permeated his surroundings, he was comforted by Daddy’s strong, confident presence.

He shifted his gaze back to the two new puppies, listening carefully as they spoke to Rannoch. He wasn’t yet quite able to understand conversation, but that didn’t stop him from saying, “Eeee!” in apparent imitation of Ibis and Okeanos.

Things were happening all around her, and Wisp stayed at the back of the den, pressed timidly against the wall, and quietly watched.

Only recently had her ears lifted off her scalp. Once again, she was the slowest of her siblings in this regard. Her hearing had improved significantly as they grew stronger, and now they were fully erect and she could hear almost perfectly. This change hadn't bothered her as much as opening her eyes did, but there were still good days and bad days for Wisteria. Sometimes the sounds of her siblings and the commotion of the den were too much for her and she would retreat, while other times the sound of her mother or father talking lulled her to sleep.

Two more pups had been brought into their life, causing Wisp to shy away more than usual. Her siblings got attention from her when she was in the mood to seek attention herself, but these new kids were strangers, and she hadn't yet welcomed them into her life. While Breccan greeted them with enthusiasm, the silent Wisp, who had yet to make any vocalization besides the usual whines and whimpers, watched uncertainly from the den's shadows. All the while, her tail tapped against the ground beside her left hind foot, distracting her from feeling overwhelmed by the change.

Can be a cameo or she can be pulled into the excitement, either is fine by me!

Rannoch failed to soothe Ibis—he wasn't surprised. He had learned recently that the bond between child and mother was a special one, and that when a child needed their mother, there was very little that one could do to calm them without their mother. Rannoch frowned. His mind reeled, and he regarded the pale pup with concern; he wasn't sure what he could do to make her feel better. 

Soon after he began to consider what he should do next, Okeanos and Breccan arrived—attentive to Ibis' fussing. He watched them all interact, giving them a moment before a question was directed at him.

Shit, shit, shit—he thought—where is she? 

"She should be back soon," he lied and then briefly surveyed the shadows around them, "In the meanwhile... should we play a game?" For the love of God, please say yes.

The arrival of Okeanos was a small comfort, but she leaned in to him when he came up beside her and felt a little more calm as a result. Her nervousness is likely a displacement of fears from the previous hours; the girl still feels the cat's presense and her mind is working through the strange and traumatic moment of chaos that ensued. If she cannot have her mother then she will bask in the presence of Okeanos and it will have to do — but she loves her brother, so Ibis does eventually quiet down. She is still nervous, still scrutinizing the other children, and even casts a doubtful look at Rannoch when he mentions a game, but for the time being her voice has been tamed. Ibis doesn't respond to the adult, except to watch him and to pout needlessly.

SORRY IM DUMB

one of the littler puppies voices his reassurances too, though okeanos doesn't react to it, still not entirely sure about their whole deal. more interesting is ibis as she settles a little bit, making him swell a bit with puppy-pride that he could be a source of comfort to her. the stranger-adult assures them of mama's imminent return (and okeanos has no reason to doubt him, having, as far as he knows, never been lied to before) and suggests a game.

hm. games are usually pretty good. "okaaaay," the soot sprite chirps, bumping against ibis as he starts to wiggle excitedly. game is good -- and will probably help ibis feel better too!

<3

As Rannoch spoke, Breccan looked up at him expectantly. He wasn't quite sure what the string of words meant, but he determined his own reaction by gauging those of Okeanos and Ibis. The former's tail began to wag, although the latter did not seem to be excited by whatever Rannoch had said, so Breccan's emotions settled somewhere in the middle. He boofed his agreement, then glanced over his shoulder.

While Deshyr and Remi presumably slept, he noticed that Wisp was awake, though she was staying away from the action. Even at such a young age, Breccan had learned through trial and error that Wisp was particular about being touched and was easily overwhelmed. Innately, he knew better than to try to force her to join, so he simply offered a quiet, questioning boof -- and if he had had the words to express himself, he would have said, "You okay, sis?"

Rannoch's watch over the children continued. In time, he was able to slightly subdue Ibis' concern—he knew that Seabreeze would be the only wolf who'd be able to calm the child completely. 

With Okeanos occupying his sister, Rannoch's focus shifted to Wisteria. With Breccan at his side, he did his best to accommodate her. Rannoch hated seeing his daughter so anxious.