The newest member of Sapphique was eager to explore. So she let out, marching through the meadow with her little tail confidently raised, looking for other pups. The wolf who had found her had mentioned that her brother, Ravin was living within this pack. Their territory seemed big, so Astera simply sat down and waited.
”Not so far, little one,” Came Chacal’s singsong voice.
Her brood had grown to include the two stray children, left behind by their mother in the sands only to find a new home not far away. Ironic, she thought, that she had turned their mother away months ago, only to take in her children. It merely reinforced her decision; and she felt certain now that Sapphique had not missed an opportunity when the woman had been chased away.
She hoped the children might turn out better- and while the boy was sweet and polite, the girl was brazen and brave. An ideal situation, she thought, wanting to foster a sense of pride and confidence within the female youth.
”Dere be predators out, circling de sun,” She warned, tilting her muzzle toward the sky. The children were likely too large now to be picked up by an eagle, but she wouldn’t take that chance again.
She tapped her paw against the ground, expecting the bold child to yield to her bud, and cut her wandering short.
The meadow was a safe haven for the children- but even there, Chacal did not want them to roam out of her eyesight.
The second Ravin heard one of his littermates had been rescued by sapphique as well, he made it his first priority to find her. Stumbling over his own feet, he tracked her scent and found her, attempt to just run into her and half tackle her to the ground. "astewa!" He said with joy
Astera frowned as soon as Chacal instructed her to return to the den site. Not fair! Ignoring her foster mother, she kept wandering on, stumbling on her newly balanced legs. Pwedators, pwedators. She mumbled angrily, stopping her trek when Chacal tapped her foot. Indignantly, Astera snapped at her paw, biting air.
A black blur, not much larger than herself, tackled Astera to the ground. Ravin! Despite how relived she was to be reunited with her brother, Astera would not let him get away. She leapt free, landing a foot away, and crouching into pounce position Astera playfully launched herself at her brother, aiming at his tail.
cameo!
chani looked up when her mother did.
these children were not her age, not her siblings. and yet she had no negative thoughts of them, secure in the love and attention of her natal den-family.
the seagirl watched them carefully. her mother had taken them in and they had settled together. they were familiar to chani, and each day their unfamiliarity waned.
soon it would be immemorable.
she barked once to encourage the others.
For a child who had been plucked from the wilderness where she surely would have perished, she was firmly ungrateful. Strong-willed children would make for loyal adults, so long as their impulses could be tempered.
She would not dissuade Astera from being so bold- and she was a child yet, one who would learn to show respect once she was older. For now, she had her youth to her advantage.
Her own two girls were a bit more sedate, but she was happy to see Ravin and Astera play, noting with a raised brow how agile Astera seemed to be.
Ravin was not quite as agile as his sister and was quickly taken down by her attack. He was also still smaller, and though he may grow bigger, for the time being he was the smaller of the two despite being the firstborn. He didn't mind just laying there though, giggling and looking up at his sister. He licked her nose in a sweet manner.
After successfully tackling her brother, Astera yipped once in triumph before letting him go. She sneezed once, fluffing up her fur when a stray breeze carried chilling ocean air. Tired, she retreated into the den to rest.
Short, and last from me. :D
She looked upon the children with the same fondness she would show to her own children, hoping that she might feel the same way about them with time. The little girl might be a handful, she thought- and harder to discipline having been nursed by another who had then abandoned her. Her stubbornness wasn't something Chacal could hold as a fault- after all, she'd had to fight for her survival, and her whole world had been uprooted. Here, at least, she would be safe- and raised with her brother.
Tired out, the pale girl moved back into the den and Chacal stood, motioning for Ravin to go as well. "Let us go nap, hmm?" She chimed softly, reaching down to lick him between the ears, and slick down the fur his sister had ruffled.
Ravin nodded at his mother's suggestion and followed her and Astera back home
fading here