Wolf RPG

Wildfire was itching to see the newborn puppy in their midst, yet Peregrine and Fox said she would have to wait a few days to give the new family some time to themselves. The youngster did her best to obey her parents' command, yet this afternoon, she couldn't resist sneaking away from the rendezvous site in the direction of her godparents' den. On her way, she stopped by the badger den, plucking up the piece of quartzite she and Uncle Elwood had found together. She figured it would make a fitting gift for the new Elwood.

When she arrived at the Beta pair's abode, Wildfire paused about ten feet away from the mouth of their den. She could smell the pup and her large ears picked up his soft whimpers and coos. Wildfire whined under her breath, unsure whether @Finley and @Elwood would mind her presence. Anxious about possible rebuke, she flattened herself out on the ground without moving any closer, delicately spat out her gift and whispered, "Aunt Flea? Uncle El? Can... can I meet @Elwood Jr?"

It was a good thing that Finley and Elwood had relocated to a newer, larger den, because Elwood insisted on spending most of his time curled up alongside his mate and child. The old burrow wouldn't have allowed him to do so with as much comfort, but since he was able to, he took advantage of the opportunity. He did leave the den periodically throughout the day in order to stretch his legs and bring food to Finley. When Wildfire approached, however, the whole family was home.

He pricked his ears at the sound of his niece's voice and a slow smile curved his lips. He knew it wouldn't be long before the firebirds came to investigate their new cousin. Shifting so that he could peek out into the daylight and see Wildfire, he bobbed his head and gestured for her to enter. Elwood Jr. wasn't the most active pup yet but Elwood was eager to introduce them. "Come on in, Wifi. Meet Eljay," he said quietly, his tail stirring as he looked to the bundle of grey fur curled at Finley's side.

A familiar head popped out of the den's entrance and Wildfire's black tail thumped the ground. She didn't need to be told twice; as soon as her uncle motioned for her to come inside, she snatched up the piece of rock and jogged through the doorway. There she stopped, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit interior. She lowered her head to place the shard of quartzite near the wall, exchanging a quick glance and smile with her godfather. She then sought out Finley's face and slowly moved nearer.

"Where...?" she whispered, only for her eyes to drop to her aunt's flank. She could barely tell where Finley ended and baby Elwood began, since their fur was such a perfect match. Wildfire blinked, then slowly lowered herself onto her belly again as she stared at the puppy. He was very, very small, like a mouse or maybe a rat. When she stretched out to give his fuzzy bottom a sniff, he smelled sweet, like milk.

She watched him for a few minutes, then looked up to see that the Betas were watching her watch him. "Only one?" she queried, unaware how that question might secretly pain them. Her parents had only mentioned little Elwood Jr but Wildfire couldn't help but ask. Maybe there were more hidden in the back or something.

Since Eljay's birth, Fin had started to feel as though she would never be able to catch up on her sleep again. Her son was a very quiet boy, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly when she was drifting off and chose those moments to stir. In truth, fin hadnt truly slept since her Miscarriage out of misery and then her anxiety. It would take a few days to recover from her exhaustion.

So long story short, Fin was sleeping when Wildfire Came for a visit, but she awoke soon enough when she heard their voices. She gave a wide yawn as she shook the remainder of her sleep off, tuning in just in time to hear her ask if there were any more. Fin nodded gently at her to indicate that there was indeed only one new Blackthorn, but she tried not to give her too much time to feel sad about that by gesturing with her muzzle that she could come closer to meet him properly.

Elwood watched as Wildfire carefully entered the den, his gaze following her movements. He craned his neck to see what it was she had deposited against the wall, and he smiled warmly when he recognized the piece of quartzite from her collection. She then moved towards the little family, at first unsure where Elwood Jr. was until she spotted him nestled next to his mother.

"Only one?" she asked, and Finley stirred. Elwood glanced fondly at her and then looked back to Wifi. "Yep, just one. Sometimes there are lots of puppies, and sometimes there are just a few," he said by way of explanation; he had no desire to try to tell his niece about Finley's miscarriage or what that had meant for her pregnancy. Shaking that thought from his mind, he poked at the sleeping Eljay with his snout, then said to Wildfire, "He's teeny, isn't he?"

The pup lay silently in the den, slumbering away, when a ginger breeze of touch roused him. The pup let out a surprised squirm, so silent that others might not hear. He craned his neck, but could not reach the source of the touch, and as soon as it had come, it was gone.

Little legs came into motion to attempt to turn around across the ground, so that the pup may face the butt-toucher. Once turned around, the pup lifted his head into the air, moving around his tiny head slowly while he searched for the new influence in the den.

Her godfather explained that some litters were large, others small. Wildfire nodded, then flashed a brief smile at Finley before returning her attention to her singular cousin. He was teeny and almost a bit strange-looking. The parents didn't seem concerned about that latter part, so she assumed Elwood Jr looked more or less normal for a newborn puppy.

Baby Elwood was on the move and Wildfire's amber eyes widened as she watched him slowly turn to face her. She expected him to be looking back at her when he did, though his eyes were firmly shut. "Why are his eyes closed?" she whispered out of the corner of his mouth, equally oblivious to his lack of hearing. His little floppy ears reminded her of her brother's single limp one. She smiled a bit shyly.

"Hi, baby Elwood," she cooed, feeling a natural attachment to the pack's youngest member. She touched her nose against his, very gently. "I'm your cousin, Wifi!" Although she spoke with enthusiasm, she kept her voice even more hushed than usual, simply because there was a certain familial quietude in the den that she did not want to disrupt.

As if on cue, Eljay began to squirm, turning to face his cousin. It was like he could hear or see her, although Elwood knew that he could do neither. The next question out of Wildfire's mouth was completely expected, and the father watched with a smile as she greeted his son and gently touched her nose to his.

"When puppies are born, their eyes and ears are closed. He can't open his eyes yet, but in a few weeks he will," Elwood said, wondering in the back of his mind what color Eljay's eyes would be. Initially, they would be stormy blue, of course, like most pups -- but he had no idea what shade they would transition to.

While the puppy moved his head through the air, searching for the breeze of air he had felt from the sniff before, he felt something or someone come near again. The pup sniffed the air, searching for a familiar scent. When the nose touched his tiny button of a nose, the pup briefly inhaled a scent that was unfamiliar.

After the touch ended, the pup backed his head up and then let out a tiny sneezle. The pup smacked his lips afterwards, oblivious to the conversation going on above his head.

Elwood's answer threw her for a loop. His eyes and ears wouldn't open for a few weeks? "But how does he see? And hear?" she wanted to know, her voice anxious. She looked at him as he sneezed, absently wiping the bits of saliva off her chest. He was so little and so helpless! She was too young for motherly instincts, yet she nonetheless felt an urgent need to protect him from the world. Wildfire supposed his parents would do that too, of course; that's what they were for!

"What does he do while he waits?" was her next inquiry. How would little Elwood Jr spend his time while he waited for his eyes and ears to open? "Sleep?" she guessed. Because, really, what was the difference between being awake and being asleep without senses? For all they knew, he was asleep right now and just squirming, like Nightjar did when he had a vivid dream.

"Well, he just doesn't yet. He doesn't need to; Aunt Finley and I will take care of him and all his needs for the first couple of weeks, then he'll start to become more independent," Elwood explained, his patience for Wildfire's questions seemingly never ending. There was still a lot that he needed to learn as a new father, but he found that he was at least able to communicate this information with her successfully.

He nodded his head. "Yep, he'll be doing a lot of sleeping," he agreed. Sometimes it could be hard to tell if the pup was awake or asleep, since he was so quiet even when he was conscious, but Elwood was beginning to make sense of Eljay's patterns, movements and sounds.

The pup quieted after the sneeze, looking around for a moment before he lay back down on the ground. The pup curled to a ball, trying to let in as little influences as possible from the outside, and fell silent. It was hard to tell whether the pup was asleep yet or not as it lay there, for it drifted in and out of sleep, but did not do much moving aside from the slow movement of its breathing.

There it remained, still oblivious to the conversations of the adults, trusting in his parents to take care of the world around him.

Wildfire remained silent as the elder Elwood explained how the newborn was essentially helpless for now. Were all pups like that at first or was he just weird? Afraid to ask in case she offended her uncle, the youngster held her tongue. Baby Elwood might be a little odd in a few ways, yet it didn't lessen her urge to take care of and protect him.

After recovering from his sneeze, the tiny pup curled into a ball. "Aw," Wildfire remarked, smiling down at him. He was like a tiny, adorable bean! "That must be boring," she said, glancing up at her godfather. She was referring to all the sleeping. "But he's so cute," she added, gazing down at Elwood Jr again. It would be tough tearing her amber eyes away, really.

As if on cue, Elwood Jr. appeared to drift into dreamland. His little movements ceased and his breathing evened out, indicating that he had fallen asleep. Simultaneously, Wildfire proclaimed that caring for such a sleepy baby was boring; to that, Elwood laughed and nodded. "A little boring," he agreed, though truthfully he was just thankful for Eljay's mere existence, even if he wasn't very active.

After a few moments, Elwood gave Wildfire a gentle and affectionate nudge. "Why don't you run along so he can nap," he said, lowering his voice even though Eljay couldn't hear them. When Wildfire obliged -- probably secretly happy to be able to go do something more exciting! -- the Beta watched her slip from the den after planting a breathy kiss on her cousin's head. He then curled up with his little family, though his eyes remained opened and fixed on Elwood Jr.