Redhawk Caldera Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.

For the first time in days, Towhee felt too warm. She wriggled out from beneath the pile of puppies, the cold air such a shock that it took her breath away. After recovering, she nearly reconsidered wedging herself back beneath her brothers and sisters. She really needed to answer an urgent fall of nature, though, and she was already learning not to mess herself or their sleeping area. Shivering slightly, the small pup waddled perhaps two feet from the heap of warm, sleepy siblings. She squatted, her little tail pointing straight up in the air as she emptied her bladder.

She began to wobble back toward the welcoming halo of body heat when her baby blue eyes caught sight of a chunk of meat sitting on the cave floor. On unsteady little legs, she moved toward it instead, black nose bumping against the cold meat. Towhee shivered, drawing back an inch before pressing in again and darting out her tiny pink tongue for a taste. She held still, trying to discern whether it tasted good or bad, and when she tried to move back again, her tongue stuck to the frozen flesh.

Gannet was enjoying the new arrangement immensely.  Despite the cold, having the entire pack huddled together in one space was a treat to the affectionate boy, and when he wasn't off with the rest collecting eats, he was making the most of it.  This meant spending more time than usual with the little blobs, siblings that both surprised and confused him.

Had he really ever been that helpless?  Watching them wander about was a funny sight, but he couldn't imagine ever being that small.  He watched from the side as one of them (Towhee) departed from the flock to pee.  He didn't think anything of it, until she strayed from the usual plan.  His head lifted as she turned, not towards the warm pile again, but away to the side.  What was she...?

Oh.  Meat was ok, yeah?  The older brother paused thoughtfully a minute before rising and coming over.  He didn't think it was an issue, but probably best to keep an eye out regardless.  She seemed to like it ok, so he simply stood, observing.  He wasn't aware quite yet of the predicament the pup had gotten into.

She wasn't expecting the resistance. Towhee fell still, blinking in confusion. She tried to tug backward again but she was stuck fast. A puzzled whine climbed up her throat, dribbling out of her open mouth right along with some drool. Reflexively, the pup swallowed, the pink muscle flexing but remaining attached to the icy hunk of meat.

Towhee couldn't hear—would never be able to hear—but she felt the vibration of footfalls and sensed a presence on her left. Unable to turn her head, she slid her blue eyes sideways in an attempt to identify her observer. He (or she) stood just out of view so all Towhee saw was the vaguest glimpse of white fur.

Starting to get frustrated, the pup began shaking her head back and forth and unleashed a whimper of distress in the hopes that the bystander would stop standing there and come free her from this bewildering trap.

Used to using cues more than words himself, Gannet caught on pretty quickly that something wasn't right.  What he was going to do about it? Completely different matter.

He frowned, bending down to gently press her side with his nose.  Stay still. Not sure if the pup would get the memo (but seeing no reason she shouldn't, as usual), he inspected her muzzle.

It was stuck.  He'd never seen such a thing.  She wasn't holding it, so it wasn't her jaws that were jammed; her tongue was just inexplicably attached.  He couldn't pull her without risking injury.

Perplexed, he whined, unsure of how to proceed.  Looking around, he sought out anyone who might be able to help with the situation.  If none were forthcoming he'd need to think up a solution himself, but he was flabbergasted.

The pale silhouette moved closer, the scent comfortingly familiar. She felt a slight pressure on her ribs. Towhee momentarily forgot about her predicament and tried to turn her head to get a better look, though that hurt. She gave a muffled cry of surprise, her mouth suddenly flooding with saliva. It pooled over her lower lip, dripping in ropes off either side of her chin.

Simultaneously, the warm bodily fluid melted the ice fixing her tongue to the hunk of meat. She was freed out of nowhere. Stumbling back, Towhee fell on her bottom, frantically licking her wet chops. Her tongue felt oddly stretched and sore, though there was really no harm done. Eventually, her mouth even clapped shut.

The youngster suddenly remembered her company and turned sideways to blink at her big brother. Moving with grace equal to a drunkard, she climbed back onto all fours and hopped at his nearest leg.

Of course, because she was a pup and did not read minds, she failed to remain still when he attempted to settle her.  When she moved and cried out, Gannet flinched back, ears tucking while he tried to see how badly she'd hurt herself.  Then she came loose, and he stared at the frozen hunk of meat anxiously, mostly checking to see if she'd left anything behind.

No, thankfully! Just ropes of drool and a good section of Gannet's poor nerves.  

He intercepted as she approached, pulled her in with a paw and nuzzled her face affectionately, not minding the likely drool that came with it.  He was a fan of the little squirts, awkward as they may be.  He was glad that little adventure was over, though he kept an eye on the meat in case.  The concept of a frozen tongue wasn't one that had occurred to him yet.  He had a suspicion something on the meat had caught the pup, and wondered now if he shouldn't give the thing a couple good snaps for good measure.

She missed the mark, though Towhee didn't even realize it as Gannet struck out a foreleg and scooped her closer. He bent down to nuzzle her and a giggle burst out of her even as she reared onto her hind feet (weight balanced against his fetlock) and mushed her own tiny paws against his face in a playful attempt to shove him away. An equally jocular growl rumbled in her chest.

When she was met with resistance by pure merit of his superior strength, Towhee went boneless and slipped to the floor, then tried to wriggle underneath his broad paw to make her escape. All the while, she made a continuous chuckling noise not unlike a city pigeon.

She attempted to escape by wriggling under and he let her, careful not to play too rough with the little bundle.  It would be a bit before they reached a hardier age and were able to better keep up with the adults.

When she got away, he took a little jump back, tossing his head and lightly whapping the ground in front of him with two paws - an invitation to try and get the better of him, if she wanted!  She seemed game enough to play and even puppy wrestling was a fun time.

She slithered free. Rather than making a run for it, the puppy whirled (a bit drunkenly) on a heel, her mouth opening into a small, wolfish grin as she faced off with her elder brother. Her blue eyes sparkled when he thumped his paws invitingly on the cave floor. She couldn't hear the thwack! each foot made, though she could certainly feel the vibration in the pads of her own feet. And his body language spoke loud and clear.

Towhee didn't really think, she just acted instinctively. She bowed forward, little rump wiggling and tail waving to and fro, holding the position for about three seconds before she leaped at Gannet's toes. Her lips wrinkled back from her gums, revealing the tiny white cones of her milk teeth, and a playful growl bubbled from her babyish lips.

They played like that for a few minutes, Towhee proving particularly scrappy in spite of her tininess. It wasn't long before Gannet then ushered her back toward the pile of sleeping bodies to warm up and get some more rest. Although Towhee protested slightly—she felt so feisty—she quickly curled into a ball and shut her eyes once the welcome halo of her family's warmth engulfed her.