Whitefish River Anything you feel, put it all on me

@Spica @Syrma @Castor
@Evergreen @Ira @Reiko @Winterbourne @Tobias @Emrik @Vercingetorix @Sindri @Dragomir @Shigetoshi @Saoirse
Aurëwen Isilmë
Forward dated to 8/13
Pups are 6 weeks

Speedy settled outside in a sunny spot not far from the opening of the caves. She had encouraged her four children to follow her out of the den, and now she waited to see who had taken her up on her offer for playtime outside the caves that had been their harbor over the last six weeks. She felt they were old enough now to follow her scent from the den to where she was now sunbathing if they hadn't just immediately followed her outside to begin with. 

Most of the pack had interacted with the pups at some point, usually being nice enough to offer their time babysitting while the healer tended to her patients, but she thought it was a good day to let them interact with the pack as a whole. She assumed they were all curious about the outside world, as well, and this way, they could explore the immediate area under the watchful eyes of the pack. Lifting her muzzle, she released a soft howl for her packmates, inviting them all to come enjoy time with the children.

Acheron was not one to sit back and wait to see what happened, so when mom invited them to follow her outside, he seized the opportunity. He had started to grow bored with his monotonous surroundings, and his mind almost felt starved for enrichment.

He slowed at the opening of the caves, squinting his blue eyes a little in response to the brightness of the sun. He lifted his freckled muzzle in the air and wiggled his little nose a few times, taking in all the scents and finding them a touch overwhelming. Still, he trotted over to where mom lounged, and sat so that he leaned against her side. He would explore soon, but first he needed to acclimate.

From his place outside the caves, Dragomir watched as Speedy summoned the pack, then turned his attention to the cave mouth. Ordinarily the darkness within would send a shiver down his spine, but today he felt rather apart from himself, like he was watching all this unfold from someone else's eyes. A white pup, much smaller than he and Isilmë, paused at the point where shadows met sun to scent the air, then ambled out to where Speedy was lying in the sun.

Dragomir watched all this without a hint of true interest. He couldn't put any weight on his back legs, so getting closer to engage the pup was out of the question, but it didn't bother him as much as he thought. He felt strangely numb to it all. The sight of a pup might once have excited him, for he remembered how it felt to have friends around, but lately there was little joy to be found in anything. Even when he was fully present and feeling the full weight of his emotions, Dragomir struggled to find joy in things that once interested him. Like this, where everything felt unreal and he seemed unable to connect with his own self, all he could do was stare with a deadpan, glassy expression.

He hadn’t been far when Speedy’s low howl penetrated the air. Instantly a smile tilted his lips, just as her presence always did. Turning back to the den that he had called home for the last several weeks, Emrik was happy to see Speedy lounging in the sun. At the moment only Acheron had followed, but he knew that the others were probably feeling just as bored as their brother.

Heading over to mother and son, “Hey guys.” The silvery man greeted, before flinging himself down across from Speedy, waiting to see who else might join them.

short phone post

a summon rang through the woods, instantly recognized as Speedy’s. The call wasn’t just for her though, it was for everyone!

she abandoned her patrol in pursuit of the mother. When she arrived to the scene she saw her lounging outside the den, one of her pups following behind. It quickly made sense, they were old enough to come out and meet Everyone (If they hasn’t seen the kids already.) 

ira was fortunate enough to have spent some time babysitting so she sat back for others to get the chance to meet the newest pack additions.

Feel free to skip Eve if need be <3 I’ll post when I can!

Round ears swerving in the direction of the howl, Eve halts mid-catch with his legs deep in the river. A fish struggles in the grip of his jaws. The tail managing to smack him square in the face, and the shock and distraction is enough for the fish to win against the bear this rare moment. The Count grumps under his breath, and wades through the water until he safely back upon ground once more.

His pace is not very quick, but he arrives at the pack’s gathering with a grin upon his lips. Today seems to be the day when the pups are formally introduced to the Kaistleoki clan. “Hey all. How’s it going?” He greets the group that’s gathered, hovering close-ish to Ira.

He only really came because of his burgeoning boner for crush on Speedy, and the howl meant she'd be around. That being said, even the presence of a pretty woman was superseded by his son, and so Vercingetorix gave her a nod and a smile before heading toward Dragomir, tail swishing behind him.

Hei, goufa, Verx greeted, settling down beside the dark boy. He turned his bi-colored eyes toward Drago, brows arced in gentle question. Not a bad day, right? How are you feeling?

I mean, how else would he be feeling, you fucking shitlord? But it was the only way he really knew how to start a conversation with his son right now, if there would be any conversation at all. Perhaps, though, they'd just sit in silence. . .and he was okay with that, really. He could shut up if need be.

Shut up and stare at Speedy. Ah. . .Speedy.

Since she had stayed up late the night before trying to enjoy the stars thanks to a very clear-sky night, young Syrma was a little slow to get going this afternoon. But, in a boundless puppy way, a little momentum could do a lot of good once in place. Although a good bit later than her brother, she came trotting out into the peaceful afternoon after her mother's call and invitation.

By the time she had made her own way, others had gathered too and some were more familiar than others. Still, none of it came as a cause for her concern, so she kept her trot right up until she reached Speedy's side with a small yap, then a pounce on her nearest appendage that followed with a puppyish nip if she could.

However the twin didn't commit much to the harassment regardless of if she was shooed, and as soon as her small greeting was said and done, her attention was drifting off to the next matter. This time it proved to be Emrik thanks to him being nearest who she pranced over to see if he had anything worth being interested in while the rest of the pack arrived and mingled a bit.

Spica was right by her twin's side as she came outside. They seemingly had exactly the same ideas about everything, even if Spica could be a bit more persistant and rough around the edges at times. She was a little more committed to the harassment of their mother, nipping at Speedy from the other side than where Syrma was. Only ten seconds or so after Syrma'd been distracted elsewhere did Spica realise that her partner in crime had flown, and she quickly bounced to her feet and followed.

Spica bounced in line next to Syrma with a nip at her sister's flank and then looked at Emrik too to see what all the fuss over here was about. She'd given up some quality mom-harassing for this, after all.

Acheron was the first to join her, but she wasn't surprised; he was quiet, but he was very curious and bold. She watched him inspect the area with his usual caution, and smiled at him when he finally came out and took a seat against her. Her gaze went back to the caves to see who would be next, but it was soon pulled away by the arrival of Emrik. Her smile widened. She was always happy to see him. Hey, she replied, watching him settle near. Unfortunately, her back was turned to Dragomir, or she would have offered him a smile as well.

Ira and Evergreen were next to arrive, and Speedy greeted them with a nod and warm smile, answering the counts question with: We're doing okay. I thought it was a good day to bring the kids out to meet everyone.

A warm smile was offered to Verx as well, but then he headed away from the group. Confusion filled her expression until she realized he had gone to sit near his son, and she felt bad for not settling closer to the pup. She smiled at Dragomir, then, but her attention was pulled away by the arrival of her daughters, one right after the other.

She couldn't help but laugh at their boisterous appearance. She loved their enthusiasm and met their "harrassment" with playful growls and gentle mouthing. They moved on to Emrik, and she laughed again, a grin spreading across her face as she watched them assault him as well. As always, pride filled her gaze as she watched her children, but she periodically glanced back at the caves, wondering where Castor was. She wanted to go back inside the den and make sure he was okay, but she would give him a little more time to come out on his own.

Acheron noticed the unknown puppy almost immediately, and he watched him with interest from where he pressed close to his mom. Why didn't he come closer?

When Emrik arrived, Acheron got to his feet and walked over to plop between his front legs, rolling over on his side. The quiet pup chewed on his other caretaker's paw, gaze finding the mysterious boy again. 

As more packmates arrived, Acheron began to grow a little overwhelmed. He sat up and yawned nervously as the two familiar wolves settled nearby, one of them speaking to mom. When he glanced back to the older pup, there was a stranger next to him, and Acheron watched them curiously. 

His sisters' energy was often too much for him, so when they came bounding out to attack mom, he slipped away and trotted over to the other boy. He stopped a short distance away and sat down. He yawned nervously again before lying down in front of the the man and pup. Hi, he finally said, the word a little unsure. It was one of the very few words he knew, but it came in handy now.

Dragomir thought with some despair that he would be left to wallow nearby, ignored by this new pack, but Vercingetorix made a beeline for him. His face remained an impassive mask, but he couldn't have described the feeling of relief that rose up in his breast when his father settled beside him. Yeah, he said, not so much because it really felt like a nice day to him but because it was the right response for the moment. The second question got a little more honesty from him: everything hurts. When will it stop hurting?

He was worried it would never stop hurting.

Dragomir was tempted to whine more to Vercingetorix, but then his attention was stolen by one of Speedy's pups, who was ambling toward them. The freckles on his face were adorable. For the first time since being found by his family, Dragomir's tail stirred into a half-hearted flop, the closest to a wag he could manage without wincing as the wounds on his hindquarters burned. A glimmer of his old spirit shone through him as he replied with a soft, hello!