Lost Creek Hollow you’re a fireman, you should know how to treat that burn

a couple days in and things really hadn’t changed a whole lot. most mornings started off with a good stretch and then some food. we couldn’t forget about brunch, though, because that came shortly afterward. then onto afternoon snacks and maybe a few wobbly movements from one spot of the den to another. in reality, aengus was so tubby that he really couldn’t make it very far without needing a power nap to help him the rest of the way. when he managed to wiggle too far away from his mother’s warmth, she always found a means to get him back.
 
so, while there wasn’t a whole lot to worry about… it was all still very boring. aengus wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be more to all of this, but the most exciting thing that had happened to him had been actually being born. after that, it was like entering super early retirement. naps and eating until he felt like taking another nap. it could have been worse, maybe. he rolled onto his back and stretched his stubby limbs up into the air with a small grunt.

Gannet had learned from Aure and Eljay both a few things that were good for new mothers, and he fairly regularly stopped by both @Mona and @Liffey's spots to drop off a thing here and there as he found them. He had no stores, nor official supplies, so his outlook on aiding was fairly lax. If his travels provided it, he brought it home.

Today he had found some of the leafy greens that were supposedly good for strength (idek there prob is one, reasons Starr doesn't do healers) and was carrying a small mouthful of them to his friend. His lips turned up delightedly as the telltale squeaking met his ears, and he announced who he was with a soft woof before poking only his nose in. He wasn't about to go all the way, not without a welcome. He didn't care if Liffey had at all said he could.

I brought you these, he said, dropping them and then looking at the small shapes by her. They were so little! He'd never seen pups so small.

small? excuse you, bitch – aengus was far from small. he was rotund and ready to rumble. sure, he might not have been able to stand up straight on his own. he couldn’t see, right, so that was a small setback. also, sometimes he ate too much to be able to even wiggle in a straight line. none of that mattered! he was large and in charge, and there was nothing about him that was small.
 
while he wasn’t a mind-reader, and he had no idea that there was a stranger who had politely decided to drop in and check on his mother, aengus could feel that something was amiss. he wiggled a little before scooting himself around and lifting a shaky head upward to look at the complete darkness of his blind eyes. the child squeaked loudly and wiggled forward a few inches.

mama cameo!

Liffey was attempting to get a few minutes of sleep in when Gannet arrived. It was the most she could ask for with four newborns constantly squirming and squealing and demanding her attention - a few minutes here, a few minutes there. If they would just learn how to all be asleep at the same time, it would work out a lot better for her. But, they were puppies. What's a mom to do?

Her eyes fluttered open at Aengus's ferocious cries. She frowned and immediately moved to step over him, but it took only a moment for her to settle back. It was only Gannet. She smiled weakly and gave a soft whine to let him know it was alright to come close, then planted a comforting kiss on her son's crown before lying back down with her other babies and shutting her eyes.

Liffey seemed to be wanting sleep, but let him come in anyway. He settled himself lying down a small distance away, keeping a part of him out of the enterence if that was necessary, and silently watched.

One was out and around. Before this year, he'd never been allowed near pups before their introduction to the pack, and their blind little faces fascinated him. How did anything so tiny become as impressive as they would?

He laid his head down in front of the squeaky one and inched it forward, placing a light touch on them. He could distract while his friend got a nap.

as liffey kissed the top of his head lovingly, the boy peeped with delight. it was as though he was looking the rest of the world dead in the eye and saying, 'that's right, bitch... mom fuckin loves me.' of course, it wasn't any surprise that the young man was surrounded by love of that magnitude. one look at his plump form and it was difficult not to fall in love immediately. even though he could not see gannet, he hoped that the pale stranger had been influenced by a similar sensation.

as if he was trying to amplify his own cuteness, aengus stretched his stubby arms outward so that his stomach was flat against the earth. his mouth parted in a large yawn that showed a flash of his curling pink tongue. with a quiet peeping sound, he completed his yawn and lifted his head upward. blind as a bat, but he was facing gannet directly. gannet was kind enough to place a sweet touch to aengus. the boy shuddered with delight before squealing and rolling over to his side.

Instead of being bothered, the puppy seemed to delight in contact. Gannet felt a thrum of warmth in his chest and pure blissful happiness as he listened to the chirping. This was possibly the best thing.

He stroked the puppy's tummy lightly with his nose, then blew out a little air, smiling. He didn't want to get the puppy too keyed up in case they woke Liffey, but a little play that it could enjoy despite blindness was fun.

damn, this attention was nice. i mean, mom was real good about the life necessities, but she wasn’t too keen on giving undivided attention to any one pup. aengus had to fight with lumpy and the twins in order to get any personalized attraction from mother dearest. she did what she could, but if the boy could get his needs fulfilled by strangers then… mom, you’re out of a job.
 
as if to show his appreciation for the warmth and attention he was receiving, the young pup kicked his stubby limbs in the air and cooed softly to his companion. the cuter he was, the more likely he was to keep gannet around. that was really all that mattered, wasn’t it?

Gannet rumbled in reply to the coo and allowed the paws to bat at his face, closing his eyes in appreciation. Everything he did was with the utmost gentleness... pretty soon the pups would be large enough to play properly, but until then, the lanky adult made no sudden moves.

Slowly, though, Gannet used a paw to nudge the pup into flipping over onto his stomach if he did not resist. Would he crawl?

it was nice to beat someone else’s face up. it really did wonders for the youthful ego that was inflating day by day. gannet was really just a saint for putting up with the discomfort of having child feet being shoved toward his eyes and nose. any sane individual would have likely scooted the puppy back to his mother and left the den. they’d have probably taken a chastity vow on top of that, too.
 
instead, gannet used a gentle gesture to roll aengus over onto his stomach. from there, the rotund little figure found a great deal more power in his limbs. he inched forward on furiously winding nubbins and met the warmth of gannet’s chest. once there, the young puppy began to search for a way to sneak a quick bite to eat so that he could keep trucking along.

Unfortunately for Aengus, Gannet didn't exactly have the equipment to provide what he was looking for. He didn't realize the pup's intentions though, and let him go, patiently watching him nudge him with mild amusement.

You are strong, he said quietly, wondering at the way the little legs pushed his body along. Ashlar was the same... he had grown quickly into his body, but at the start, it seemed impossible they would be able to shift themselves.

'you are strong.'

this was something that aengus did not understand very well, but the word was not missed by the young and very impressionable puppy. strong would be something that would be easily associated with him as he got older and grew into the massive shape that he would have inherited from his father and his grandfather before that. he was already a big boy. it was shocking that his mother hadn't been damaged when he'd swan dived from her internal cavern and into the outside world.

with a wide yawn, aengus made himself comfortable in the warm neck fur of his new companion. he nuzzled his nose as deep as he could get and breathed a quiet sigh that seemed to come from every inch of his perfectly round frame.

Oh this was prime. As Aengus snuggled in, Gannet relaxed and cast an eye over the rest of them. All seemed quiet, but he remained where he was for a while, likely until Liffey woke up. It was good company, with a puppy snug, though if he'd start getting testy after a time he'd be moved right back to the feedin spot.

But, for now, he gave a big yawn and enjoyed the cuddle session.

we could wrap this one up and have a new one? now that gus can be outside the den

the warmth was really all that it took for the small bull to find comfort enough to sleep. his eyes were already so heavy without any ability to see what was going on. while gannet did not smell a whole lot like his mother, aengus didn't see this as a problem. he did not feel as though his life was in any danger. he did feel like he had worn himself right the fuck out and he needed a good nap. while he was enjoying his snuggles with the pale stranger, he pressed himself tightly against the chest fur of the man and then drifted off to sleep with a small peep of a noise.

yes!!

As Aengus drifted off, Gannet settled in, content to stay a while. He didn't sleep, but watched over the rest of them as well, enjoying the pup's comfort likely as much as he was enjoying Gannet's own.