Wolf RPG

The aftermath of the storm did not bother the pup much at all. It was easy for him to move on, since nothing bad had happened to him or those he cared for at all. The only thing that had been bothersome was being holed up underground with the whole rest of the pack: The pup had caught onto a lot of the fears in the minds of others, and it had felt tense on the inside -- while looking as calm as ever on the outside -- in their presence.

Now, though, they were out of that place again and with their little family. His carefree mother and slightly less carefree father were not often at odds with one another -- at least not when he was present -- and so the pup felt comfortable in their presence. Since he was quiet and obedient thus far, they did not need to be angry with him often, which made the pup feel relaxed most of the time. It did not realise that its development was behind on where it should be, and luckily had no siblings to compare to to figure it out either.

Today the pup had found that the storms had left many puddles in their wake. He was currently finding out what he thought of those puddles: The pup stood at the edge of one of the puddles and carefully dipped one paw into the puddle, ready to withdraw if the watery puddle would do anything unpleasant or if something dangerous would happen.

As always, Elwood followed Eljay when he ventured away from the den. He and Finley took turns accompanying their son on his little forays; this time, Finley had opted to stay behind and take a nap while her mate and son went adventuring. They didn't go too far before stopping, the father lingering behind the boy like an oversized shadow.

Elwood Jr halted at the edge of a puddle, peering down into its murky depths. It wasn't all that deep, but Elwood supposed that maybe the pup's perception told him otherwise. He watched quietly as Eljay reached out and let the water touch his toes, green eyes wide and waiting for a reaction. Instead of stepping up next to him and explaining what the puddle was and where it had come from, Elwood simply observed, letting his child take charge of this experience.

The pup stared at the puddle with oogly eyes, not sure what to do with it. The storm had left many interesting tidbits around the lands, and this was one of them. The pup did not instantly notice the parent that was overseeing him, for he hadn't yet looked back over his shoulder.

Ever so careful the pup dipped one of his paws into the puddle. The water's touch was funny and wet, but what startled him the most was the ripples the touch created across the water. bb]"Ack!"[/b] he brought out in surprise, and he stared at the puddle wide-eyed. The pup looked reflexively over his shoulder and noticed daddy, at which he turned round and started to run towards his father, distracted.

However, as soon as he came into motion the pup noticed that the muddy paw was feeling... different. He lifted the muddy paw clumsily as he galloped towards his dad, as if it was twice as heavy as his other paws suddenly.

Elwood watched with a small, amused smile as his son reacted to the feel of the mucky water against his paw. Predictably, Eljay was startled and found that the sensation was one he didn't like; it was as he turned away that he saw his father and instinctively backed towards him, away from the puddle. The new dad almost wished that he had hidden himself behind a bush so that Eljay could have an organic experience, untouched by adult influence, but it was too late for that.

Instead, he watched placidly as Eljay raced towards him. After only a few steps, though, the pup noticed that something was different about the foot that he had inserted into the water. He hoisted it higher than the other ones, and Elwood bit back laughter at the sight of his boy's uneven hobbling. "What happened?" he asked, curious to hear what Eljay thought of the puddly puddle.

When the pup had comically reached his daddy, he looked over his shoulder as though to assess what had just happened. Then he looked back at daddy again. The ripples in the puddle had started, so maybe it was time for a second inspection.

"Puddy!" said the pup, and he turned round and trotted clumsily back to the puddle, still lifting the muddied paw extra high. He'd by now assessed that the paw was only muddy and wet, and not hurt in any way, but it still felt really funny.

Elwood wasn't sure if Eljay was becoming braver and more inquisitive as he matured, or if his indifferent response had encouraged him to explore the puddle again -- but whatever the case, the little Blackthorn turned and bumbled back towards the water. Although he continued to hobble along with his muddy paw held aloft, Elwood considered it a good sign that he wasn't howling about the feeling of the muck against his skin.

"Splishy splash," he said as he moved to follow Eljay, coming to a halt behind him. He reached around the boy to pat his own paw against the surface of the water, producing more ripples and a soft sloshing sound.

The pup halted when he reached the puddle, staring at it as though he still wasn't entirely confident if it might end up devouring him. "Spishy sash," he repeated after his mother as he stared at the water, which murkily reflected his image.

Daddy reached out a paw to pat the water, and the pup shrank back a little when he saw the ripples across the water. "Spishy," he mumbled to himself while he watched the ripples. The pup just kept staring at the ripples intensely, waiting to see what more the magical puddle would do.

The boy had a positive reaction to his father's gentle splashing, and Elwood smiled. He was happy to see Eljay becoming more and more curious and less fearful of everyday things. With huge, round eyes, Eljay repeated after his father and then stared, watching the ripples as they crisscrossed the puddle.

Elwood then dipped his toes into the water once more, lifting his paw high enough that gravity pulled a few droplets down. They plopped into the puddle, making miniature splashes and tiny waves. "Look at that," he said, although he was sure that Eljay was already watching.

The pup shrank back from the water and hid behind his father's paw when the water from his father's paw splashed into the puddle. Eljay glanced upwards at his father, who seemed unfazed by it all, and just kept staring intently at the ripples and splashes that were created on the water's surface for a while from safely between his father's paws.

Then Eljay nudged one of his father's paws and started to waddle back to the den, hoping that dad would follow suit.

Eljay observed the gentle splashing of the water, but didn't make any moves to try it out himself. Elwood had contemplated letting it drip from his paw onto the boy's head; Eljay's reluctance changed his mind, though. The duo sat for a short while longer, until the child's attention span seemed to run out and he indicated that he was ready to go home.

With a smile, Elwood took to his paws and led the way back home.