Bearclaw Valley Cat Eyes

Open invitation to family! @Ameline @Ancelin @Ahni @Asura @Aurelian
No pressure to join. <3

Arlen's existence was a simple one. They would root around at their mama's belly for milk. Now, when they came across one that was occupied, Arlen showed a stubborn streak. Opting for a war of attrition more often then not, they were well accustomed to pushing their body against whichever sibling crossed their path.

In these miniscule battles, there was one opponent that Arlen always lost to. She was larger than the rest, and her fur felt different too. Unbeknownst to Arlen, this sibling was of a different species. Not that the wolf pup could tell. Auberon smelled just like the rest of them.

Today would be somewhat different.

Having filled their belly, Arlen curled up against their mama's arm. Head propped up by her wrist, Arlen's eyes opened.

They didn't particularly know to open their eyes, it just happened.

Fiercely blinking, Arlen's new sense was imperfect. Fuzzy and with little definition, the light that cast into the den filled them with awe. With a chance of pace, Arlen cooed delighted at the very first face they saw: their mother.

aurelian’s belly is warm and full, stretched tight from nursing, and he lies sprawled in a heap of limbs and soft fur. one paw rests possessively over arlen’s back, though there’s no true thought behind the motion—only instinct, only closeness.
something feels different. it isn’t loud or sudden, but it draws him.
his head lifts, slow and clumsy. eyelids flutter. the light stings at first, blinding and strange, and yet he doesn’t look away. his eyes, wide and impossibly blue, blink hard against the haze of shapes and glow that fill the den.
he stares. mama!
her face, though still blurred by newborn vision, feels known. he does not know why, but the sight of her fills his chest with something warm and heavy. a sound escapes him, small and unsure, something like a hum or a whimper as he wiggles closer, pushing over arlen and nudging at the bearcub without hesitation.

gleefully was the bruinic rex run ragged for his wife's demands and that of their children. he slept in snatches of slumber and always woke to bring whatever she wished, newly hunted or otherwise.
"oh man!" he mumbled sleepily, with great pleasure, to himself and everyone else. little arlen's eyes were opened, head bobbing around for queen mama. baby aurelian was next, and for a moment they all three stared in awe and wonder at ameline.
the rex's tail thumped the ground behind him several times, hanging in and out of the den as he was. "wow! it feels so fast, like that was no time at all!" he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to quite how fast a pup grew from newborn to walking.

ahniska had been dreaming of warmth.
she dreamed of her mother’s chest, of milk and the soft rumbles that vibrated through her fur, of the way aurelian’s feet twitched against her side and arlen’s nose always seemed to find her ear.
but now… something called to her.
light.
a pale, strange glow that seeped through her sealed lids. a pull, like a song without words. the air was different. new. she stirred with a little whine, a flutter of her paws as if she were trying to catch the feeling.
then her eyes opened.
at first, it was only color and blur—smudged light, shifting shapes. but then came her mother. like the sun rising over the hill, gentle and giant and hers. a face she'd never seen, but knew all the same. her eyes, large and stormy blue, reflected the haze of the den as her little mouth opened to sing—
a high, breathy coo. not quite a howl, not quite a cry, but something in between. a song, thin as morning mist.
she sang again, louder this time. her small body quivered with it, a heartbeat turned to melody.
then she rolled—clumsily, into a tangle of limbs. her head bumped against arlen’s. she sneezed.
a laugh-like sound fluttered from her throat.
her world had bloomed. her song had begun.

Their mother was beautiful. It was something that Arlen internalized at first site, and their affection for their mother grew.

Unfortunately, Arlen's time star gazing upon the Bearclaw Regina was rudely interrupted by their siblings. The injustice! Aurelian plodded right over them! Ahni butted heads with them!

Pushed to the ground with an ugly grunt, Arlen slowly took in the appearances of their siblings. Faces were placed to the loving, cuddler that was their brother, and the melodic singer that was their sister. The processing of this emotion was something of love and sibling affection.

Not that Arlen would ever admit loving these traits. This was war.

With a puppy-growl, Arlen righted themself without a care for how they shoved Ahniska right back. Clumsily clamber to their paws, Arlen's mouth extended forward, soft gums and the beginnings of milk teeth reaching for Aurelian's white tipped tail.