Swiftcurrent Creek It's too cold outside for angels to fly

Anyone and everyone welcome, whether it be siblings/mother, other SC members, or a mixture of both! :)

Everyone was currently asleep, except for the alabaster Angelus Mortis. Sleeping was warm, comfortable, and relaxing, but Julius needed a break from it every now and then. While everyone else slept, the white boy squirmed his way out from under the mass of bodies that kept him warm. Once free, he stared at them for a minute. His eyes were already a lot better at discerning details, but would still improve a little more. Everyone seemed to be asleep, at least for that moment.

Julius slowly raised himself into a standing position. With shaking legs, he took a few steps towards the entrance to the den before falling. The rest of the way he crawled. He sat in front of the entrance, but didn't dare to go out. It was cold on this side of the den, as the others were farther in. The closer to outside Julius got, the colder he was. He stayed where he was, not wanting to get any colder, but he stared outside, watching.

@Julius @Relonikiv @Trajan @Durnehviir ... first time outside the den, maybe?

The morning was fresh, and not nearly as cold as those before it. A thin fog hung low over Swiftcurrent Creek and although rain had melted most of the snow, a light dusting from the previous night had been. Returning from taking her pickings from the elk her pack-mates had felled over the weekend, Paarthurnax was certain that it might be a good time to unleash the little dragons for the first time. Soon they would be four weeks old, and with the temperature having increased somewhat, the two-toned healer did not wish for the opportunity to go to waste. Relonikiv had already braved the elements once before, but Paarthurnax yearned to see her brood outside together.

She paused at the den's entrance to beckon her temporary baby-sitter to her with a soft woof, thanked him for allowing her to feed and stretch her legs, then dismissed him. Paar's copper gaze followed him as he disappeared into the fog, before she ducked her head and entered the hollow. At once her tail swished merrily at her rear and she crooned affectionately to her pups - in particular Julius, who'd ventured on shaky limbs in her direction. "Hello to you," the desert wolfess chirped, lowering her head to flick her tongue lovingly across her pale son's brow.

Stepping over him, she made to gently rouse the other pups with nudges and kisses, before she turned and exited the den once more. "Come along," Paar called out over a russet shoulder, and moved so that she could peek into the den with an excited smile. "To me, Jules."

Even when he'd been feeling under the weather, Relonikiv had been his regular smiley self. It seemed nothing could get under his skin. Although many youngsters protested when woken from a comfy sleep, he was quite happy to get up and join his mother. He didn't make a peep, obediently trundling after Paarthurnax as she headed toward the den's mouth. He saw that Julius was already there and thought nothing of it, though the runt made a beeline toward his snowy sibling and let out a mighty squeak as he bumped his muzzle into Julius's shoulder.

"Awawa?" Relonikiv queried when their mother stepped outside the den, then faced them and coaxed them to join her. Without hesitation, he scrambled beyond the confines of their humble home and pounced on her right forepaw. "Muh, muh!" he warbled, ignoring the cold as he gazed up at her, golden tail stirring happily.

Sounds like fun. ^.^

Soon, something outside did move. Julius recognized his mother. She stopped in front of the den, making sounds at something. Then, a wolf Julius hadn't even noticed moved, and he left The pup's line of sight. "Ouroo?" He babbled in reply to his mother's words and kiss.

After rousing his siblings, Paar stepped back outside. Relonikiv immediately followed her, bumping into him with a mighty squeak. Julius paid no mind to it, but refocused his attention to Paar. The sounds she made encouraged the alabaster pup to follow. Julius attempted to stand once again, and he managed to get a step farther than last time before falling down. He crawled the rest of the way, and he stopped right next to his mother's other leg. "Ourem?" He cooed.

She slept soundly, and did not rouse until a cold nose was pressed to the downy fur of her shoulder. Very much back to her old self after her violent fever and unknown sickness, Durnehviir's immediate response was to cry out in objection. She yipped in surprise, then grumbled inwardly as she blinked the sleep from her tired eyes. Soon, however, she recognised the adult as her mother and, as her emotion shifted from outrage to glee, Durnehviir scrambled clumsily to her paws and made to toddle after her brothers and dam.

Her steps were far from graceful, and the mottled youngster tripped over her own oversized paws numerous times in her hurry to catch up. After what felt like an eternity, she was padding from the warmth of the family den and out into the world beyond.

With this came new sensations - cold and wet - that the tiny Frostfur was not sure how to react to. She halted her awkward pace and stared down at the frosted ground at her chilled paws with wide doe eyes. "Aaaar?" Durnehviir blinked up at her mother, puzzled, then looked all around her. It was brighter out here, and despite the shelter of the trees, so exposed. But her dam's expression was not one of fear, and Relon seemed more than keen to explore, so... what the heck!?

Babbling happily, Durnehviir made to close the short distance between herself and her family. Upon reaching them she pressed her pudgy side to Paarthurnax' pallid forelimb, her scruffy tail wagging uncontrollable at her rump.

As his mother made to rouse him with a nudge to his flank and a kiss, Trajan grumbled and twisted. Unhappy to be awoken from such a comfy nap, he was rebellious and sought to close his eyes and venture back into the realm of sleep once more. But he soon parted his eyelids once more and noticed all his siblings were moving clumsily after his mother, groaning unhappily, he blinked and rose unsteadily onto his paws.

Trajan moved slowly and carefully, he tripped over several times but with him pausing fifteen seconds after every step.....He caught up with his siblings and his mother soon, sniffing the air, eyes wide with curiosity. The silver Angelus Mortis stared around, keeping close to his mother as he observed his surroundings. Lately, the boy seemed to become quieter, instead of babbling and screeching at his annoying little brothers, he observed.

Deciding to follow his youngest brother, Trajan ignored the cold and scrambled after him, determined to finish his small mission and attempted to lick his shoulder once he caught up. A smile on his lips.

Since Rebel's two characters have gone inactive, I figure we can PP them harmlessly in the background so we can finish this thread. ^_^

Soon, all four pups crowded around the gold-spun she-wolf, their young faces eager and expectant. When she walked further into the snowy wilds, they drifted after her like remoras after a shark. Relonikiv pressed close to his mother's leg (he saw that Durnehviir did the same on her other side), though he did take the time to return Trajan's lick as they bounced along.

They didn't wander far from the safety of the den, yet the world looked huge and exotic from where Relonikiv stood. He took a moment to pause and soak in the majesty of it all. The littlest pup then barked sharply and ventured far enough away from Paarthurnax's shadow to attempt pouncing his eldest brother.

Julius watched as Relonikiv and Trajan played. His eyes followed their movements as the temptation to join in arose. But, the foreign sounds and scents of outside the den resulted in him sticking by his mother's side. He pawed at the snow beside him, unsure of what else to do with the energy being pent up inside of him. A small whine escaped from his jaws as he did so.

It's been 2+ weeks without additional replies, so... @Julius, wanna wrap up with a final post so we at least hit 10?

Just as quickly as he engaged with Trajan, Relonikiv turned and made a beeline toward his other older brother. Julius appeared to be digging at the snow. "Hep?" the little runt queried as he screeched to a stop beside his large, snowy sibling. Without waiting for an answer, he began to paw at the snow too, unwittingly flinging it backward to hit their mother and sister.

Sure, I'll fade it out.

While digging a hole had never been a real intention, it became one as Relonikiv started to help. Secretly glad that at least one member of his family was focused on him, he begun to take digging the hole seriously. Little tail wagging, Julius managed to dig a sizable hole through the snow with the help of Relonikiv while the others explored their new-found freedoms that outside had brought to them in different ways.