FUTURE DATED TO THE 21st (I figure that date will be upon us within a few replies haha).
Open to @Dante, @Osprey, @Sarah, and @Terance (as well as anyone who might be privvy to the den at this time)
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It was a moment no one remembered but, in that instant realization, swore they'd never forget.
The familiar sounds of home had been muffled and dull - like hands clapped firmly over her ears - for a few days now. The edges of each noise were sharpening; she was a fast study and eagerly turned her face toward each new tone that she could register. And truly that was good enough! She rather enjoyed the murmurings of the vagrants within the den. She liked the purring whispers of her parents. She appreciated the whining mewls of Terance...and even the discontented rumbles of Sarah.
But this. This. Was. Amazing.
It was poor and blurry but it was definitely not the darkness she'd been born into. There was a sea of light, a canvas of watercolor, and she blinked blearily while the engorged shape of her pupils contracted to welcome the dim light of her den.
For the first few weeks Sarah's main fight of survival consisted of making her presence and discontent known with crying loudly or crawling over and pushing her siblings away from the teats that had the most milk. She had got pretty good at orienteering in the dark and soundless world - finding the source of warmth had been the main aim...
...until today, when things changed. She had been aware of the fact that more sounds entered her little universe, but when all of a sudden her eyes opened, flooding the darkness with dim light, shapes of various sizes and moving shadows, she was stunned. And her surprise grew even bigger, when her eyes met another pair, which coincidentally belonged to the fluffy, warm bundle she had got used to having around.
"Ow," she squeaked at the puppy next to her.
A noise distracted Wraen from her newfound ability and she turned first her head, then her body to regard a fellow pup that had been lurking beside her (peripheral vision would take days longer to acclimate to). Her little head threw back as though to exclaim YOU! to the ash colored fuzzball in front of her. Sarah did not yet have a name but she had a scent and thus a place in Wraen's recent memory. Unfortunately the discomfort of being shoved aside over and over was a key feature in a lot of those memories linked with this particular pup.
It was a lot different to fight an invisible enemy, but now that it had got a face, eyes and it could utter out noise, she was stunned and did not know, what to do. Eyes squinted to slits, she first leaned forward to find out, whether the Thing before her eyes was really there. When her senses told her that - yes, the other one was just as real and perfectly living as her - she pushed her body backwards, which with her short and thin legs and the very round belly, was quite hard to do. "Ow, ow, ow," she said and her stubby tail was wagging behind her. Her reasoning was simple - if the other one was just like her... they might as well become friends.
Not being immediately accosted by her dominating sister had a great physical improvement on what was at first tepid anxiety. The stubby little whip behind her started shuffling maniacally against the dirt floor and she squeezed out an excited little blip that was a hybrid mixture of a bark and a whine. She'd forgotten the pain of sight, if only for this instant of introduction, and she dragged her body forward to close the gap Sarah was making with her friendly retreat. I MUST INVESTIGATE YOU her intense expression read.
Personal space? What's that?
The other did not respond with any noise, but made it's way towards her. Sarah did not retreat, because, when the first moment of surprise and fear was over, she felt just as curious about the other puppy. And as the distance between them closed, she moved her muzzle forward to greet the stranger that looked so similar to her in size and color. "Ow!" she cooed and opened her toothless mouth to grab the other by the muzzle.
Her nose was glomped without the knowledgeable restraint of an older wolf and Wraen struggled to break free as her nostrils filled with the scent of milk breath. "A-oo!" she snorted as her back end anchored to the dirt and she began tugging backwards. Free me this instant! her wide, foggy eyes proclaimed. She was toeing the threshold between delighted and scared; for the moment Sarah's innocent hold on her failed to overshadow the fact that she could now see her doing it.
Sarah let her sister go the moment she blew in her mouth, taken aback by the unpleasant feeling and sneezing in the end. She shook her head and looked at the blurry shape of her sibling - her eyes though now being able to see, could not focus very well. "Ow-ow-ow," Sarah talked to other, taking her turn to move forward, invade personal space and see more.
Getting back in the groove and all caught up! Sorry about the delay!
--
They were feeling each other out and establishing a sense of rank...a natural course of action between two wild animals such as themselves. Sarah came forward and Wraen was cowed by the larger girl; her puny ears pinned flat against her head as her breath was unwittingly held during her sibling's investigation. The littlest pup was suddenly aware of their comparative size and couldn't hold back a shrill whine of concern as Sarah's figure pushed against her.
Sarah was unaware that there was a size difference between her and Wraen. How could she know, if this was the first time she actually saw, what did that blob of flesh and fur she had been pushing around in the last few days, looked like?
Therefore the other's concern made her pause in the middle of action and stare at her sister with a dumbfounded look. What was going on now? Was there danger?
The moment of confusion lasted only for a while, because it was then, when Osprey decided that it was time for yet another bath and picked Sarah first. She gave out a little protest, but then gave up.