Swiftcurrent Creek clothmaker

pup thread for @Leonore and @Suzu? tagging @Saturin & @Caliste for visibility! <3

almost a fortnight after lestan had left the pack came his return. rejuvenated and perhaps even holding a little more confidence, he carried a thrashing weasel directly to the den where suzu reared her young ones.
before leaving, he had attempted to leave several caches of meat for the young mother; sheepishly his honeyblue eyes darted around as the weasel hissed and struggled in his grasp, fetching the mayfair's muzzle a hard scratch. he would explain his absence to her, but maybe the live prey she had requested would make up for it.

Nope. For de last time- you be carnivores, not cannibals! Suzu complained, before she grabbed her child by the ruff and pulled their grabby shark-toothed mouth off her teat. It would’ve been easier to do if her children hadn’t grown so damn much- now, even if she held one by the scruff, they could still reach her belly be simply stretching themselves into giraffe mode and latching on. 

And when they latched on now, they really latched on. 

Out! She barked, All of you, sea-gremlins! She said, but before she could badger them out of the den, someone came in- with a small, brown writhing thing in his jaws. For a moment, she thought it was a pup, and a very upset one at that.

Dat be not one of mine, ask Arle- It was a weasel, not a child. And that was Lestan, returned with live bait as promised. Her features brightened. Alright! Everybody out! OUT OUT OUT! She barked excitedly, tail thumping against the den walls, and children’s bottoms to get them to crowd out into the daylight. Their hunting lessons were about to begin!

Leonore was left displeased, rushed out of the den by her maman. The girl had been woken up from her nap by the squealing of her siblings, and she was never nice after a nap.

But she was much too old to cry to maman she had decided, and maman was the one who had rushed her out. Instead she eyes the stranger who had entered her home, along with the creature held in their jaws.

backing from the den as the children and their mother began to exit, lestan's tail waved happily. three pups poured from the entrance. a tiny golden girl with black ticking, a chubby boy with mismatched oceangilt eyes, a silverwhite daughter accented in pink.
"h-hello," lestan said beyond his mouthful of fur and flesh; setting down the creature, he held it against the ground with a hard paw. "this is a w-weasel. they're v-very f-fast and th-they bite. but if y-you c-can c-catch it, their m-meat is qu-quite good."
eyeing the three and then offering suzu a warm look, lestan slowly lifted his foot from the saliva-streaked animal. "try n-now!"
it skittered and whirled, hissing catlike at the assembled pups, two of whom began to press forward at once.
overwhelmed, terrified, it was then that the weasel dashed.

She breathed in the fresh air, grateful for the cool scent of the woodlands after being in a den full of babyfarts. She moved to the side to allow the children to focus on Lestan and the weasel. She clicked her tongue and used her paws to redirect Saturin before he could wander off, grateful when he finally noticed the squirming weasel and took an interest. He'd been ill lately, so she could not blame him for being lethargic. However, when the weasel was released, he seemed to recover- as children did, after staying home from school with a cold. 

Go get it! She whooped, gently slapping a paw against Caliste's chubby behind. Catch dat weasel! She goaded, herding her children forward so they might take flight after the creature on their own.

All too much was happening at once - Leonore found it difficult to keep up. But when her siblings took chase of the creature, she was quick to join in.

Whether or not she cared to catch it was questionable, but her recent mean streak would not allow her to lose. Snapping at the heels of Saturin, her favourite victim, she pushed ahead of the boy, clumsy little paws carrying her.

If she caught the weasel, would she get to keep it for herself? Oh how fun that would be! A true trophy!

very much a furry snake, the weasel twisted and galloped in arcs between the stamping paws of the pups. lestan kept to the outskirts, his slight smile broadening into a grin that eventually lifted itself to laughter.
his own steps kept the weasel from truly escaping, a nudge or a nip turning the poor creature back toward the pups. "w-watch its t-teeth!" he exclaimed once, tail lashing furiously behind his hips.
another time, another place, another child; golden haziness fell over lestan for a moment, nostalgia lifting in his spirit.

Suzu chuckled to see her children dash off after what would be a tough adversary. But if the three of them could pull together enough to find the weasel’s trail and corner it, they would have a chance. 

Ah, she said, brushing her shoulder against Lestan’s. T’ank you, my friend; Dey will remember dis day. An’ I will be makin’ sure dey know ‘o de generous benefactor be.

When the weasel was driven back towards her, Leonore suddenly seemed to put the brakes on, screaming bloody murder and running the other way - though by now it had run from her.

Maman, maman! What if it bites? Shark had bit her once or twice, his tiny teeth sharp but his grip forgiving and playful. Surely this creature would not be so nice.

"th-that's v-very g-generous of you, suzu," lestan said with heat climbing his face. such recognition often meant uncomfortable focus, though he doubted it would be so. "it's m-my pleasure t-to h-help."
now poor little leonore fled the equally terrified weasel. lestan stopped its leap by pushing his paw heavily to pin it. "b-behind the h-head, like a sn-snake. come h-here. you c-can b-bite while i h-hold it."

You ‘ave to bite it first, She explained with a little chuckle. While she was a first-time mother, Suzu had grown up in a wild and cruel place- and helicopter parenting wasn’t her knee-jerk reaction when presented with possible danger. 

Lestan, kindly, held the creature still for her daughter to execute. You can do it, Leo, She encouraged warmly.

The pair of adults encouraged her, and after a moment of hesitation she took her step back towards the creature. Behind the head, Lestan had said.

Her head draws back but after a moment jaws open to reveal little sharp teeth, and she moves to latch onto the weasel. Poorly, but a bite none the less.

Squeaky growls, she feels that she's being quite vicious.

"v-very good, leonore!" praised lestan with all the pride of a beaming father. for a moment he was transformed; another place; another child. his own daughter, blossom as he often remembered her. blossom before things had gone so very wrong.
"that's it. v-very good," he said again, feeling the struggles of the thing lessening as the puppy became more confident in her bites.