Haunted Wood ghosts haunting me

tags for reference

there wasn’t anymore room for him inside of the whelping den; vanity’s pups were constantly growing larger, forcing him to find a new uncomfortable sleeping position almost every night. although this arrangement had worked for a while, he could tell that the situation wasn’t ideal for anyone involved, and decided to acknowledge that himself before @Vanity got the chance.

like every morning, he rose at sunrise to fetch their breakfast from the nearest cache. not much to pick from, he laughed to himself, ignoring the uncomfortable reminder that he would soon have to start providing for the pack, too. he sighed and grabbed two muskrats which were sitting closest to the surface, then turned back toward the den with a nervous wag.

quiet chuffs were meant to draw vanity outside, were she not already there. he offered her one of the rodents before blurting, i’m going to find somewhere else to sleep, and turning to look inside of their den. it’s getting too cramped, and i don’t want to get in your way. some goofy smile spread across his face as he used his tongue to wipe away food debris.

after finishing his portion, he chewed the remaining scraps to leave for vanity’s pups. can they eat this yet? he asked as an afterthought, but then figured it didn’t matter; anything that might help vanity would be worth trying. he thought about going for seconds on his way to the rendevouz site, but saw the outline of a belly pressing at his sides and continued straight on his path instead.

hey-o! he called, anyone around?

the extra company in the den was tolerated on her good days, and ignored on her bad ones. he didn't pose much of a threat, though the competition of who was going to get the most comfortable sleeping position was shaping up to be a tough one. they were growing, he was growing, and it's not like mom was getting any smaller.

and so when the extra body suddenly departed from the den and she was able to stretch out her legs again, arwen offered nothing but a satisfied yawn in place of the empty space he'd left behind. she likely would have drifted back off to sleep if it wasn't for his constant yapping outside. he was quickly forgiven  though, if only because he'd brought something to eat.

regardless of what her mother's response may have been to his question, arwen stole away whatever piece of meat she could get her jaws on before running off to hog the food for herself. once finished, she returned to find the retreating form of the older boy slowly vanishing in the distance. the sooty girl offered only a glance in her mother's direction before she slunk off after chubby, curious to see where he was hiding all of these delicious meals.

anyone here? he called again, h- oh, hey. one of vanity’s pups (quickly identified as arwen) seemed interested in tagging along, so he slowed down to give her time to catch up, then gave a proper greeting: hey, winnie. are you old enough for this yet? if she wasn’t, then he assumed that her mother would soon arrive to make that point clear.

sunlight struck through the canopy and onto the forest floor, providing the pair proper lighting to wander deeper into the rendezvous. i’m your guard. do you know what that means? he asked. violet eyes studied the girl’s expression while he followed with an explanation: it means i’m gonna keep you safe, but we can probably have some fun, too.

guardian stopped beside a small collection of low-lying ferns and stepped his hindlegs back to lean into a play bow. do you wanna play? he asked, curious to see how well she could speak.

where he slowed down, she sped up, seeking to put as much distance between herself and her mother as she could before she was eventually ushered back towards the den. until then she sought to make the most of her newfound freedom.

and so as the pair continued forward and he kept babbling away, the young girl's attention was stolen away by the world around her. her home thus far had existed of nothing more than the den and a few feet of roaming space. who would have thought she'd been trapped in a bubble all this time. to be out this far was both exhilarating and frightening all at once, but he'd said he'd protect her, so what was there to worry about?

but enough of the serious stuff. he'd offered to have some fun and play, an activity she often didn't get enough of considering her brother was no more fun than a chew toy. and so when he lowered himself into a play bow, she aimed to do the same, eager to see what fun they'd be having.

Cameo post, skip her

Once she'd awoke, Famine was already getting breakfast. At the chuffs, she moved outside, Arwen in front, Leshen behind.
Famine spoke as she watched Arwen snatch up some food, and Vanity smiled.

Her children were all growing.
"Don't make your den too far away, you're still my son," she smiled, her tail waving softly.
She was always grateful for the boy's goodwill and helpful, swift paws.
"And they'll try," she chuckled softly.

As Famine left for whatever duties he saw fit for the day, she saw Arwen's sooty form trot up behind him.
Vanity finally had her Family.

Vanity would catch Arwen later. And knew Famine was smart enough to not let her follow him to the borders.

guardian hadn’t really expected compliance from his current ward but didn’t complain when it was given. you’re smart, he complimented, then reached out a paw to tap against her shoulder, but.. are you quick? without further warning, he buried himself deeper into the foliage, trying his best to hide a large body in some very shallow ferns.

this was the smarter decision, anyway. play-fighting was too risky with his size and apparent strength, and hurting arwen wasn’t something he intended to purposefully do. this game of hide-and-seek would do just as good, maybe even teaching the girl something about the hunt.