@Adeline @Odette @Solemn @Stoic
A new thread for my sibs! Always feel free to PP Mason looking after them too, he will be a very involved big bro!
Mason ducked into the birthing den and glanced around the gloom. It was early twilight and he could see that the pups were quite settled. He conferred quietly with
@Zaria and determined they had been fed. Happy to take up a post for a while, Mason advised Zaria to go and get something to eat and have a walk. He knew her well, and he tried to give her as much alone time as he could. He didn’t want her to resent these small beings.
Whether his step-mother stayed or left on this occasion, Mason padded into the midst of the small beings, watching their full bellies jiggle and wiggle. Earthen colours mostly, they were a jolly mix of their parents. He could only hope that their attitudes erred on the side of FitzDutiful, who was much easier to cope with.
The young Beta carefully placed his paws – almost as big as the mites – between two wriggling bodies and levered himself to the floor. The fur of his belly mingled with the nearest of the twins. Mason loved being with his brothers and sisters. As he settled himself down to watch them writhe, Mason felt his worries melt away. Nothing else mattered but these four tiny bodies, and his heart slowed to a steady rhythmic thump.
Perhaps FitzDufitul and Zaria were struggling with the stresses of parenthood, but Mason had always been a big brother, and he settled into the role effortlessly.
The warm body of the She-Beast began to move, and soon it left. Giving only a single whine of protest, the younger twin remained still on the earth, disliking the brief rush of cold air he felt. Soon, however, another arrived- or perhaps he just now noticed it. Scents were not as strong or as easily distinguishable, so he assumed that this was the same white and gray male that brought the She-Beast comfort and red lumps. She-Beast always ate the red lumps, and therefore the wiggly pup assumed it was a type of solid milk.
The pup wormed towards this man eagerly, itty-bitty tail flailing. He made no sounds other than a quick, weak, yip to announce his mission.
Adeline was best behaved around those who did not struggle against her. Odette and Solemn seemed to be the best, and perhaps even the eldest brother, who she did not know was eldest, was improving too. It was something that after all this time would not even be much of a bother; it would probably be weird if Adeline did not roost up there for a little while. She was a blanket when mother went missing, and they were her space heating mattress. They all profited, in the end... but she thought, of course, of only herself.
The cub had awoken when mother moved. But as she had fed ten minutes before, she was not too bothered by this. Her eyes took in another and with no sense of danger present, she just watched the other with bright baby blue eyes. She had been atop her brother up until the point he squiggled away; the other half of her was upon someone else, who she did not identify. Her victims were selected at random.
As she slid to the earth chest first, she let out a little squeak. And then she was against the ground. Where did he think he was going? Adeline watched him squirm, and looked at the large beast over them... and then noted the light. That was the most interesting thing of all to her, now. So she began to worm herself in that direction, quietly as all was going her way presently.
Odette had been sleeping peacefully next to her Mother’s stomach when suddenly the most horrific thing happened. Her Mother left her! By this time little Odie’s baby blue eyes had opened and now they were frantically looking around through the blurriness of her newer vision. Where did Mother go? Soon a white figure came into view which caught the little fluffy blob’s attention. Who was that? Curiosity very took the little girl and she quietly squirmed and contentedly her way over to the bigger, lighter, less fluffy version of herself. As she finally reached the base of the taller wolf her interest spiked up and she let out the softest yip of delight.
The fluffy brown pup began to nose the big creature’s paw. It was so huge compared to her own! She wondered if her paw would ever be that big. Now over taken with curiosity, Odie began to climb on top of her big brother’s paw. It was so soft that she just wanted to fall asleep on it. Still she stayed awake through her big surge of pure curiosity. The little girl snuggled up in her position on top of the paw and stayed there. Life was good.
Like worms they began to move from the joint mass of fur, wriggling in all directions. It was like a game – see if you could keep all four of them in the den at once. They had been easier to manage when only a day old, but Mason didn’t mind. He smiled down at Solemn who squeaked and shimmied towards him. Another peep came from Odie as she reached his paw and began to lift her small head – her body followed until she was mountaineering up his paw. As Odie nestled atop his paw comfortably, Mason looked to one side to see Adie sashaying (as best she could at this age) towards the den entrance. Mason rolled his eyes at Solemn “there has to be one, eh?” he murmured to the boy as he reached out a back leg. His white appendage became a road-block to Adie, hopefully halting her progress. If she found a way around it he would have to dislodge Odie and Solemn from their positions to go and pick her up.
Mason gazed at Adie, his head angled along his body, humming to himself in the hopes the vibrations would entertain the three better-behaved pups that littered his person. He waiting to see what Adie would do. Unfortunately, it appeared that at least one of the balls of fluff had inherited her mother’s difficult nature.
Solemn did not understand the words that tumbled from the larger ones white jaws, but he enjoyed their sound. He wiggled closer still to Mason, his thin tail wiggling along with it. The small paws of the pup jabbed in every direction as he moved, and eventually he was pawing Mason himself. The fur was soft, much unlike his mothers thin fur. This wolves fur was thick and fluffy... Solemn loved it! With heeps of excitement piling up inside him, Solemn let out a single squeak and began to ram himself (softly, of course, how much force does a pup even have?) into the soft belly of this new wolf- or possibly the Bringer- he was not certain.
Ignoring the noises of his obnoxious siblings, Solemn did his own thing, happy and intrigued.