The girls were now a week old (Pied's pups trailing behind by just a few days) and already they were beginning to look less like shapeless blobs and more like miniature wolves. This morning, Peregrine sat and watched them a while. Tytonidae nursed and fell asleep but Osprey seemed restless. She worried her mother's teats until her mate could see the look of discomfort on her face. In an effort to help, Peregrine scooped the small pup toward himself and offered a toe, which she began to chew happily.
"I'm going to move over here just a few feet, so we can get some of the morning sun," Peregrine told his mate. He picked up Osprey Jr. in his mouth and then shuffled around to face the doorway. He scooted forward a few feet and then sprawled like a lion in the sunshine. Peregrine gently deposited his darker daughter between his outstretched forelegs, positioning her blunt muzzle near one of his dew claws so she could resume her chewing.
With the tiny pup gnawing away on his foot, Peregrine ran his tongue over her black, velveteen body, warmly but absently, as his dusky blue-green eyes roved over the forested area immediately outside the den.
ooc; omgosh it got long... sorry LOL
Sometimes time felt like it was moving very slowly. This was probably due to her still adjusting to going from being a lone wolf, answering to no one and doing as she pleased, to being a pack wolf and trying to help with supplying a seemingly endless supply of foods for the nursing alpha female. It was giving her something to do, that much was certain. Though she hadn’t met the female that had died giving birth, her heart went out to the alpha female for having taken on the pups of another female. Sabriyah wasn’t sure if that was something she, herself, would consider doing if it were herself in that position. It wasn’t that she was cold and uncaring. Quite far from it, actually. It was just… having to nurse pups that were not her own took away from the nutrients going to the alpha pair’s pups. That was all.
The sun felt warm on her back as she found herself heading toward the area of the alphas’ den. The Pi had happened upon a wonderful prize in the early morning hours. A young deer, a first time mother, had been giving birth. The young doe had been entirely away from the rest of the herd, as was normal for them to do. But she had seemed clueless as to what she was supposed to have been doing. It hadn’t taken much effort of the she-wolf to dash in, claim the freshly born fawn and dash away with it tightly in her jaws. Sabriyah hadn’t bothered looking behind her as she’d ran with the freshly born fawn. Her only thought was that she was finally bringing the alpha female something more than rabbits, raccoons and squirrels. This pleased her, and she hoped that it would please the leaders as well.
She shifted her hold on the fawn carcass, carting it along by the neck now instead of the top of the head as she’d originally been carrying it because that was how she’d grabbed it from its mother. Part of its lifeless body dragged along next to her as she moved along. As she neared the alphas’ den, she hesitated. Sabriyah wanted to share this prize right away rather than stashing it away in the cache to collect dirt and flies. Plus, she hoped that perhaps this would be a much welcomed change from the other things in the cache that were clearly not freshly born fawn. On the other paw, she didn’t want to disturb the nursing female. What a dilemma to be in.
Making up her mind finally, she began to head right for the den opening. Lavender eyes widened in surprise to see Peregrine lying just inside the entrance. Instantly, her ears slicked back, her gaze dropped and her head lowered. Almost in a slinking manner, the Pi moved forward, inching her way to the entrance. Stretching out her head, she dragged the fawn carcass as close as she could before releasing her hold and taking a couple steps backward. ”I brought this for Hawkeye,” she murmured. Her lavender gaze caught the movement near the alpha male’s paw and her entire being seemed to just go… soft… after she realized the movement was that of one of the children, though she was unsure of if it was his or one of the ones born to the mother that had died.
A slightly familiar figure appeared at the tree line, then came closer. Peregrine gave Sabriyah a quick glance, though his eyes fixed on the kill she towed with her. When she stopped short of the den and dropped it, telling him it was an offering for his mate, Peregrine nodded but did not move to accept the gift, nor notify Hawkeye of it.
"She's just inside. I'll see that she gets it. Thank-you," the Alpha male said with a faint twitch of his lips. His body blocked much of the den's entrance and the family members stowed within, which was what he preferred for the moment. The pups were still very young and did not need the disruption of random visitors just yet. Nor did he imagine Hawkeye wanted to be bothered just now, especially just as things began to settle in the wake of Pied's death. Soon, Peregrine noted to himself, but not yet.
And if she was curious about the pups, there was one on display for her right here and now. "This is my daughter, Osprey Jr.," he told Sabriyah, pride coloring his voice. Part of his motionlessness had to do with trying not to disturb the nibbling babe. "My other, Tytonidae, is inside with her mother and the other pups, Saēna and Pura."
ooc
”Thank you,” she responded, dipping her muzzle down low. ”I happened to be in the right place at the right time, this morning, and nabbed this from its mother.” She’d nabbed it almost right out of the birthing canal, really. There were still faint traces on it from the birth. She didn’t feel bad about it, though, because it was part of the circle of life. It was eat or be eaten. Today, it was destined for that particular fawn to be eaten. It would hopefully provide for not only Hawkeye but also for the pups that she nursed.
This was the first time Sabriyah had laid eyes upon a wee one like this, having left her birth pack before her pregnant mother had given birth to the pups that would be her younger siblings. She knew nothing about them and, truth be told, didn’t care to either. She kept her family name purely out of love for her father. Love for her mother was almost non-existent. ”She’s so tiny,” she murmured, her voice dropping to a near whisper. ”Are they all so tiny? Not just yours, but all pups?” She was truly naïve and that showed, clearly, in her innocently curious question.
Without moving her body from where she’d backed up to, she reached out her head, but only just a very little, and sniffed at the air in the direction of the pup and her father. Sabriyah seemed to know better than to get too close. Her nose, and hide, was something she really did want to keep intact.
When Sabriyah called Osprey tiny, Peregrine blinked down at her and supposed that she was, though she and her sister had seemed nearly gigantic ever since Pied's pups had joined them. "If you think she's small, you should see Pied's," he murmured, a fond smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he continued to look down at baby Osprey, who gnawed so ineffectually on the stub of his toe.
At length, he looked up and added, "I don't know. I guess so. I never paid much attention until I had my own." By the sound of it, Sabriyah didn't have much experience with pups herself. Her manner was overtly curious as she leaned in closer, sniffing at the young whelp.
Although Peregrine didn't necessarily want others coming too near his puppies while they were still so young, he made no move to stop Sabriyah or warn her away. If she sought to touch Osprey Jr., he would likely stop her with a growl. So far, she'd proved to be a great addition to the plateau's ranks, yet Peregrine hadn't built enough trust and comradeship with her to trust her with his week-old daughter.
"She's named for my sister, you know. Have you met Osprey the Elder yet?" Peregrine wondered after a moment, his tail softly thumping as his daughter's tiny teeth and tongue found a sensitive spot between two of his toes. It tickled.
ooc; sorry for the delay... had to clean ferret boxes and then my kid wanted his head shaved lol
Pied… ”Is that the female that died giving birth?” she heard herself asking, but almost felt as though the question hadn’t truly come from her. Sabriyah was still learning names and, sadly, the list of names that she knew thus far was quite short. ”Are they, those pups, doing alright? And Hawkeye, she readily accepted them?” She was genuinely curious. Sabriyah knew that if it had been her mother in that position, her mother would have killed the pups rather than taking them on as her own. Then again, there was a wickedly evil streak in her mother than ran terribly deep. Deep enough that there was actually some question as to if Sabriyah really was her father’s child or if she was actually the daughter of her mother’s brother. Sick? Yes, but that’s apparently how her mother rolls.
He didn’t growl at her for sniffing in the direction of the pup, and for that she was grateful. She wanted to touch her nose to the puppy, to fully smell her, touch her, but she restrained herself because, as said before, she wanted to keep her nose firmly intact on her face. What she couldn’t control from happening, though, was her tail wiggling against the ground behind her. ”How long until we get to meet them all?” she asked, glancing briefly up at the proud father before returning her gaze to the pup. She was eager to see them all, to interact with them, to watch them, to study them, to learn about puppies from them. This was exciting to her.
Her ears perked forward when he spoke, again. ”No, sir, I haven’t,” she admitted, giving a faint shake of her head. ”I have met a couple others, but not many as of yet. I’ve been so focused on trying to keep stuff in the cache over there for your mate that I haven’t sought out the company of others very much.” Keeping the new mother fed was at the top of her priority list, honestly.
In "Beyond the veil," I'm going to have Perry ask her to help him bury Pied, so I'm going to make a brief reference to that.
"Yes, yes and yes," Peregrine answered. He suddenly didn't feel much like talking, though he wasn't about to tell Sabriyah to get lost, not when she was asking perfectly reasonable questions—and
not after bringing his family the kill.
"Pied was our loved one," he added explanatorily,
"and, now, so are her children. Hawkeye's nursing them and their father, Kisu, is staying close too."
He was glad when she asked about the pups, as he didn't feel like dwelling on the tragedy that had led to their blended family.
"When their eyes open and they begin finding their legs, I s'pose. It doesn't make much sense to do it too early, seeing as they really don't do much yet." He indicated Osprey by touching his nose to the top of her head. She'd fallen fast asleep.
He wouldn't have held it against her anyway but Peregrine eyed Sabriyah gratefully when she mentioned her reason for not socializing much.
"Your efforts are noticed and appreciated," he said.
"I appreciate your help the other day as well." He'd been operating in a bit of a fog the day Pied had died and, truthfully, couldn't remember many details after returning to her burrow in the aftermath of her death. He was glad; he didn't want those particular memories.
"It was a hard day but your help made it a little easier."
He sighed very lightly, then looked down at his slumbering child and smiled despite the somber conversation. She'd rolled onto her back, exposing the four white patches beneath her legs.
"Her markings remind me of a bird, which is kind of ironic, considering," he mused aloud, glancing at his company.
ooc; works for me :)
She felt a momentary stab of pain as she tried to think of how those who knew Pied must feel and was almost jealous of them all, including the deceased woman herself. Sabriyah wasn’t attached to or close to anyone. ”I’m glad they have you guys,” she replied, truly sincere. They were a couple of very lucky pups, that’s for sure. The Pi had no doubt that they, all four of the pups, would grow up very loved by everyone in the pack. ”I look forward to that,” she smiled, thinking about the tiny babes tottering around.
His words of appreciation caused her tail to wiggle more against the ground behind her. ”I’m trying my best to make you not regret letting me into your ranks,” she admitted. Having lived entirely on her own for nearly a year, transitioning into pack life wasn’t the easiest in the world, but she wanted to prove that she could do it. Her ears slicked backward just a tad when he mentioned the other day. ”It’s okay,” she murmured humbly. ”I just wanted to do what I could to help.” Even if it had meant helping to bury their family member. It was heartbreaking, but had to be done.
Lavender gaze was watching the wee pup when she’d rolled over onto her back. A smile spread across her muzzle. ”I think she’s precious,” she murmured, lying her head on top of her paws. ”I’m looking forward to getting to know her, and the other three pups, when they’re old enough. And if there’s anything you, Hawkeye or Kisu need, please don’t hesitate to call for me. I want to help in any way I can.” She was a stranger to them, but she wanted that to change. She wanted to be almost as much of a part of their family as they were, rather than being the outsider looking in.
Peregrine looked at her when she confessed her reason for being so helpful, then laughed quietly to himself. "I definitely do not regret it," he informed her in a cool tone, not wishing to coddle her but also wanting to let her know her contributions were noticeable.
Osprey Jr. was precious to him, of course, but he wondered what made her seem precious to Sabriyah. "She's a potato with legs," he murmured with fatherly affection, "and all she does is eat, sleep and shit. And you'd be amazed at the smells they make."
Sabriyah repeated her offer to help, making it abundantly clear how eager she was to serve. Peregrine appreciated it but found her enthusiasm almost over the top. He didn't say so, merely nodding quietly to acknowledge her.
"I'd ask how the Gamekeeping is coming along but I already know the answer," Peregrine said conversationally after a beat of silence. "So what are your plans for your future here in the plateau, aside from that?" He wondered if she'd want pups someday and he felt a strange resentment at the thought. It was his instincts telling him, No more pups! The pack was already at capacity for young mouths to feed.
But Sabriyah didn't mention offspring. As she regaled him with her ambitions for her future in the pack, he listened with interest (and some measure of relief), then managed to converse with her for perhaps half an hour longer before Osprey Jr. began to bawl. Recognizing the plea for mother and, more specifically, food, he excused himself and took the squalling infant indoors to be suckled.