Redhawk Caldera Too young to rule the kingdom!

As always, open to pretty much everyone since the pack is made up of terror-beans. Slight PP of Raven.

The newborns had survived an entire week without any drama entering their lives. Well, mostly. By the third day there was one less wiggly bean-child (Stoat), but aside from that things were going well. Even the screeching Titmouse had quieted down — not entirely, mind you, but enough so that those living in Fox's old den could catch some winks.

Today he was being uncharacteristically quiet. Sleep had dominated his tiny mind for a solid six hours now (the longest on record) and it had just begun to slip away from him when the pangs of intense hunger set in. The boy reached with his itty-bitty legs in a great big stretch and nudged at the other pup's plush, pudgy bodies. With a chirp he settled, and then began rooting for something to suckle on. Raven must have stepped out to stretch her legs or perhaps aid the newest arrival to the pack (Charlotte); upon discovering her absence, Tit plucked and pinched at anything his little face landed on with the hope that he'd grab a teat and have himself some breakfast.

Towhee was sound asleep up until something began sucking vigorously on her toe. She didn't wake immediately, though her little hind foot jerked, the other toes splaying against Titmouse's lips. When that didn't stop the sensation, it eventually roused her properly. She squirmed there on her back, trying to loose whatever was attached to her foot. It didn't hurt but it tickled something fierce.

She flopped onto her tummy but still her foot was trapped. Although not a particularly whiny pup—especially relative to the very sibling trying to milk her digit—her tiny mouth opened wide and she gave an earsplitting shriek.

Like with Raven's poor parts, Titmouse would glom on to whatever neared his little mouth and terrorize it with his gums. In this case it was a toe - and he chomped and pinched, trying to get a good hold, until it slipped from his lips and he found a similar shape adjacent. This would go on until he got a foot to the face, or until Towhee's entire foot was covered in the babe's saliva. Maybe the adults like watching his siblings get the brunt of his, ah, affections rather than poor Raven? They didn't do much to stop him, leaving Towhee to her brother's mercy - of which he had little.

Despite her squall and continued attempts to escape, the situation only became worse as Towhee's entire foot disappeared into Titmouse's mouth. With nothing else for it, the little girl made like a squid, though instead of squirting out a cloud of black ink, she urinated forcefully. It wasn't really a conscious reaction but more of an automatic physiological response. Perhaps she wasn't in any real danger, yet her brother's actions triggered her self-preservation on an instinctual level.

When he had previously chomped on Raven, he was eventually rewarded with the warm flow of milk straight to the kisser (er, chomper). This time his eager mouth was not filled to the brim with the lovely and satisfying colostrum, but rather something more acidic.

The boy released his sister's foot after a second and seemed dumb-struck by the taste. He was mouthing the air like a fish for a few seconds before deciding that no, this was not the taste he wanted. It wasn't very good at all! He didn't know how to spit, so the mess dribbled out of his mouth and down the corners of his lips, splattering the earth floor — and then he sank back on his bottom, sniffling and cringing for all the world to see.

It worked. The pressure on her foot disappeared and Towhee twitched, happy to be free. Her celebratory wriggling came to an abrupt end when a snout nudged her onto her tummy, then jaws closed around her midriff, lifting and moving her away from the puddle of urine. She was set down again before she could muster up a cry of protest. She was rolled onto her back and licked clean and dry. Her little legs pedaled, occasionally grasping at the rough tongue tickling up and down her belly. This was much more acceptable than having her foot munched.

When bath time ended, Towhee let out a mild peep. She was left on her back, which suited her just fine. She relaxed, prepared to drift off to sleep again, when something warm and wiggly was set directly next to her. Although she couldn't see, she could touch, taste and smell, and she knew it was the earlier ankle-biter.

The adults seemed rather entertained that Titmouse had gotten a good dose of karma. They tended to Towhee quickly while the little Tit rolled about, gagging on piss. Then, perhaps remembering that they'd already lost one child to unforseen circumstances, someone grabbed for Titmouse and made sure to free up Tit's tiny, powerful lungs. A decision they would likely regret in the future.

Titmouse was plunked down as carefully as possible next to the drowsing Towhee. The dampness of his fur was because of the many tongue-lashings he'd received, but there was still a faint ammonia scent clinging to his fur. When left on his own, Tit discovered the plush shape of Towhee and rolled over, squishing himself as close to her warmth as he could. Although he'd just been given a mouthful of nasty, there was no way to prevent the boy from rooting when he got comfortable — and this time he grabbed his sister's little ear and began to suckle confidently.

An indignant squawk escaped her when Towhee felt her brother latch onto her ear. She kicked out a foreleg, aiming to shove him away, though her effort was poorly aimed and subsequently futile. She snorted, perhaps in frustration, then grew still. She'd either decided it didn't feel that bad or simply given up—maybe a little bit of both—but, either way, Towhee simply let the ear-chewing happen.

But then Titmouse's tongue poked inside her ear and Towhee writhed reflexively, twitching and jerking and giggling in short little blats.

Pleased by the feeling of the ear in his mouth (but also finding it a touch too soft), Titmouse continued to suckle on it. It didn't matter how much Towhee wiggled or protested because Titmouse had a firm hold, and even if he didn't, he'd have made another grab for the tiny piece of his sister. With the moment punctuated by her occasional wriggle or giggle, things seemed to have calmed down — and before the adults knew it, Titmouse had fallen in to a drowsy half-sleep. Towhee's ear served as a pacifier — and he only let go when he gave a biiiig yawn, then seemed to pass out beside her.

No matter how much she squirmed, the hold on her ear didn't let up. The tickling tongue did retreat, however, allowing Towhee to relax again. She let out a tiny, comical huff, as if accepting her ultimate fate as her brother's chew toy. Better her ear than her toe; the former was at least less sensitive. She wriggled a little bit to get more comfortable and let the gentle rhythm of Titmouse's sucking and chewing lull her to sleep.