Stone Circle Come and meet the babies

Backdated a week! AW! MEET THE BABES! @Krypton @Nikai @Nanook @Mawk @Murdock @Illecebra @Sunny @Steph @Clary @Ezra @Burr (@Ezekiel :D?)

Edit: I decided this will be easier in rounds! Round 2 starts 1 Oct.

Valette was eager to show the pack her children. She knew that she had kept them away slightly longer than that was the norm but she wanted her children to explore the world around the den first so they would be comfortable around the den. She didn't want to drag them out and have them be overwhelmed by all these scents and smells. Valette was excited to show off what she made.

The mother nudged them outside for their usual playtime. They were around 3,5 weeks old. She loved watching them play and explore. She was always alert if anything would happen. She figured more eyes would be helpful and howled to the rest of the pack. She welcomed them with a long howl, hoping to also stimulate the pups to use this type of vocalization.

Illecebra was on her way back carrying a rabbit in her jaws. It was her lucky day apparently because she had found the creature hobbling with a twisted limb beyond repair. It had tried to run away but had wiped out in the dirt before it could get very far, and she killed it quickly. It would make a good meal for someone, and she had ended it's suffering so she had no qualms about the easy catch. As she neared the center of the pack Valette's howl made her pick up her pace, her eyes lighting up with curiosity. There wasn't any urgency to the summoning, so Cebra guessed nothing was wrong. Choosing to bring the rabbit with her and offer it to Valette she walked to the front of the Alpha's den, lowering her head with respect. Her eyes fell upon the babies playing close to their mother's side and she smiled warmly, dropping the rabbit and watching the children with an air of nostalgic happiness.


Finally she tore her gaze away from them and looked to Valette placing her paw on top of the rabbit "I figured i'd offer this to you, it's fresh." she said and then her eyes darted to the children again before returning to her Alpha's face "They're beautiful Valette." she said softly a genuine smile taking it's place on her maw.

A few short weeks back, a summoning howl like Valette's wouldn't have registered. Burr would have needed to be herded to the meeting by his mother, having never experience a pack rally before. Now, he lifted his head and his ears flipped up to attention the moment Valette's long howl rang out over the pack territory. Part of it was that he was older now than he had been a few short weeks back, and part of it was his new fear of breaking the rules and being attacked again.

His paws were moving before Burr even consciously realized it, and he picked his way through the territory toward the heart of Easthollow. Somewhere along the way, Burr picked up the scent of his mother and fell in line with her trail. He wandered away from it several times—he needed more practice with tracking, that was clear—but he eventually arrived at the meeting site where he saw Illecebra.

Burr picked up his steps, cantering toward his mother, only to dig his nails into the ground and come to a screeching halt when he spotted the second wolf behind her. The pup's eyes went wide and his tail immediately pressed down under his legs. Illecebra and Mawk had done their best to explain Valette's anger that day, but it had done nothing to calm Burr's terror. Now that he was face-to-face with the monster wolf with the only separation being several yards of open space, all of Burr's horror came rushing back, and before he knew what he was doing, he was crouched against the ground in a severe and instinctual display of submissive fear.

The call woke Murdock from an uneasy slumber at his camp on the borders. It took him several long moments to stir to wakefulness and realize that the howl had not been one of pain or terror from his own tired nightmares, but one of summoning from within the borders.

Murdock hadn't met the alpha, yet. Her seclusion within the inner territory and his own self-appointed duties as sentinel had kept them well apart - and he thought, perhaps, the shewolf was seeking to remedy that now that her babes were a little bit older, and she had a little more time to herself.

I should've known that a thread title like that would lead to something like this, the male thought rather sourly, stopping short of approaching the dark woman when he saw the tiny creatures around her. Naturally disinclined to approach a mother and her cubs, Murdock settled in the grasses a couple hundred yards away, unwilling to ignore the call completely, but equally repelled by the idea of getting any closer.

She hadn't understood ma's call, only that she liked the note as much as every other, and Clary tipped her head to wobble a mimicry - or the closest she could get. Her own voice pitched  high next to hers in something more of a babble, nothing like the trained and lofty croon of her ma. But this couldn't dampen the girl, and her little tail waggled to shake her entire rump at her accomplishment, and she bounced up to boop her ma's chin with a flash of her tongue before she tore off to play.

But an unfamiliar shape cut through her usual path, and, with pricked ears, Clary flopped her head with a quizzical tilt. Two shapes. Her fuzzy eyesight had at first missed the boy ( @Burr ), but now her focus honed in on the crouching one. Something about him made her unhappy - like Steph, when she had been afraid. A little whine pressed through her throat and without really thinking much beyond this, Clary set armed herself with a goofy smile and struck toward him at a prancing wobble. "Ba!" she let out a happy and wolfish noise, something of a greeting to announce herself to him, and lowered her torso with a playful bow.

The round child wiggles and worms his way out the den, booking it past his mother and into the wide open air. Or so, he believes. Stubby legs only gets him so far before he sends himself catapaulting into the dirt face first, having suddently tripped over his own feet in a premature attempt to prove his own insticnts. At first he remains shocked that such a thing evern occured in the first place, then the sensation of having the wind knocked out of him meets his consious and he lets out a startled yelp after the fact. Suddenly, he was somewhat unsure about this whole "outside" thing, it seemed a rather savage introduction into the outside world if one could ask Ezra. It also didn't help that a stranger was currently nosing about his family like some... some... stranger, while he lay defeated by his own devices. Letting out a scream of frustration, he protest the current predicament with force, putting his under-developed vocal chords to good use.

Steph had rather enjoyed their small world inside the den, and had no need or want to explore beyond it. But as, one by one, her family headed out of the entrance, she sat there alone for only a few moments before deciding she didn't like being alone. But, she didn't rush out, either. She was slow as she went towards the light and emerged from the den for the first time.

She stopped halfway out, her eyes scanning the immediate area. Mom and her siblings were there, but also others. She had known other adults existed as a few were allowed to visit inside the den, but she didn't remember any of these. 

Her eyes settled on Burr, a wolf bigger than herself but smaller than her Mom. She was interested, deeming him the less frightening out of the group, but instead of going over to him, she sat at the deb's entrance, quiet and watching. Her eyes flickered to movement of the others as she gauged whether or not this meet and greet was something she wanted to participate in. For now, she opted to simply take in the scene around her.

Rowana was quite content staying within the vicinity of the densite, for it was where she felt most comfortable. When the distinct call of the woman everyone called 'Alpha' rang out, she hesitated slightly before bounding towards the welcoming sound. She was nervous to go without being at her mother's side, but her curiosity quickly overtook any feelings of doubt.

It was a short walk to reach the source of the howl, and the girl quickly became more intrigued by the new scents surrounding they area. She nearly grinned with joy as she spotted the familiar markings of her mother's back, before she truly smiled at the sight of three small bundles of fluff hovering around Vallette. No longer worried about the encounter, she trotted to her mother's side, nudging her with her snout in a quiet greeting. The girl then quickly took to investigating the little wolves, as they seemed suprisingly smaller then she ever remembered being. Her curiosity sprang to the surface, "What are their names?" She inquired.

New Round! Next one starts on the 8th

Valette watched as Cebra approached. She smiled when seeing the prey. The alpha female was rather hungry. The other mother confirmed that the meal was for her. Valette took it gratefully and smiled at Cebra. "Thank you," she spoke. She placed it by the den entrance so she could eat it later. She carefully watched her babies as she saw someone else approach. However, this one dug his heels into the ground and looked rather fearful. Oh, the boy. Valette felt a bit guilty for making him feel this way.

Another wolf came, one she didn't know yet. She squinted her eyes and pushed herself to her feet, her tail up. The male kept his distance though. He did smell of Easthollow so Valette relaxed more as he kept his distance. She greeted him with a nod. In the meanwhile, Clary decided to approach the fearful boy. She looked eager to play with him. Valette was about to approach Burr and Clary when Ezra let out a scream. The mother approached him and licked over his face before nudging him back to his feet, encouraging him to explore more.

Valette briefly looked for her other child, Steph. But she was quietly sitting at the den entrance. Her heart skipped a beat. So quiet, like Steady. Like she was watching everyone. Her attention was taken from Steph as a question was asked. Valette smiled at the female. She must be one of Cebra's children. "Clary, grey one over there. Ezra, mister protest, and Steph, over there," she chuckled. She stepped closer and then looked down at Burr. She made sure to keep an eye on Clary and if the boy would behave but she also wanted to apologize to him. "Sorry I was so harsh on you," she spoke to Burr. "I wanted to protect my babies," she added. "If you are gentle you can play with Clary if you like," she spoke.

Valette let out a soft woof to Ezra and Steph, perhaps it would encourage them to get closer.

She was late, it seemed, but the girl had arrived all the same. She slipped over to the small gathering, reclining on her haunches a short distance from Valette, soft chuff slipping from her throat in greeting. Her gaze fastened onto the pups, both the older ones she assumed were those of the mottled woman, and the younger ones that were obviously her half step-siblings. The tie that bound them with her was very, very loose, but it existed all the same. She slid onto her stomach, peering owlishly at the pups as a smile played on her muzzle, ears flicked forward to catch their tiny vocalizations.

His eyes rested on the mother for a beat longer than the rest. Not even Murdock was conscious of this, and thus, did not know the cause. However, I will tell you that the mother - Valette - was a dead wringer for Murdock's first and, sadly, late wife. But, although the woman still lived in the man's heart, it'd been a long time since he'd pined for her, and even longer since he'd last seen her. Now, she was nothing more than a passing fantasy to be enjoyed on rainy nights and sunny afternoons. When he looked at Valette, he looked a bit longer than was usual, but thought nothing of it.

His eyes simply skimmed over the children, noting that they all seemed to possess - at least at this distance - the classic pelt of dark fur that was common in children of that age. He did remember that his own children had looked much like this, though a bit smaller due to the young age at which they'd perished. This thought pained him for a moment, but no longer.

Still, once he'd determined that his presence was not needed, the male made a quick escape.

Illecebra had waited for Valette to accept the meal before she turned to see who else had approached. She noticed that one of the children had spotted someone and turned to look in that direction her eyes falling  upon Burr who was crouched with fear, something she released a soft sigh at and stood to walk over to him. She lowered her muzzle to his pelt and licked him between the ears "Burr. She won't hurt you. She had a reason to protect the den before" she cooed softly under her breathe, only loud enough for herself and Burr to hear. Her words finished just before Valette began to speak to her son, and she smiled softly down at Burr giving him an encouraging bump toward Clary with her nose before sitting up straight.

She startled slightly as a small nudge made her look down, seeing Rowana standing beside her. She smiled as her daughter asked the names of the children, silent pride swelling in her eyes that her daughter had spoken up. Everything seemed in order here so Illecebra let her gaze wander spotting the red furred male who stood a distance away staring at Valette. Cocking her head to the side curiously she watched him look away and then leave, causing a few questions to rise up in her mind.

Things were rapidly happening and it took almost all of Burr's focus to keep everything in his perspective. He first noticed the bumbling silvery shape heading in his direction with a loud cry, the sight of it setting his tail to frantically wagging. It was so small! Momentarily, Burr forgot that he was in the presence of Valette, his mother, and a few other pack mates. As Clary drew nearer, Burr stretched out his neck with a placating whine and sniffed gingerly in her direction, but abruptly drew himself back when he spotted Valette coming toward him in the corner of his vision.

Although Burr now understood that he had been at fault, the terror rooted in his breast that he associated with Valette was harder to dispel. Consequently, although the words coming out of the Alpha female's mouth were apologetic and perfectly reasonable, Burr was more concerned with her nearness and the fact that there was a pup nearby. While he was utterly enchanted by the tiniest wolf he had ever seen, he knew Valette had been so hostile because of them. His thought processes were currently simple cause and effect ones. Cause: Being near Valette's pups. Effect: Being punished. He didn't quite get that things were different now that the pups were older, so his response to Valette was to fold back into a ball and whine softly to ease her.

Illecebra's well-meaning nudge sealed the deal. His mother urged him closer to the toddling babe, which everyone sort of intended, causing a surge of unreasonable uncertainty to crawl up Burr's throat and loose as a whimper. He dug his paws into the ground, refusing to get any closer for fear of Valette's reaction in spite of her invitation, and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he rose in a submissive crouch and bolted back toward the trees, where he intended to stay.

ACK SORRY I'M SO LATE

Unfortunately for Mawk, he had been quite a distance from where the call had sounded, and currently was patrolling. He did not ignore the call, though, and set off in a brisk pace to where the others were waiting. On his way he did rebury an exposed cache, but other than that the man was stopped by nothing. The only cause of his lateness was the distance he had to cross in order to reach the gathering. 

When he finally did arrive, thought, he was greeted by a grey blur racing toward him. Not toward him, he soon realised, as the boy hid amongst the trees he had just left. "Bud?" He tilted his head quizzically, but recognised his son's fear instantly. To hopefully find the cause of his anxiety, the Scout glanced up and took in each of the wolves there. His mate, he flashed her a smile, his daughter, who he also flashed a smile, and then Valette with her young. Beside them was a man he had yet to meet. Mawk padded closer to Burr, approaching slowly and as unintimidatingly as possible. "Hey, it's okay." He spoke gently, quietly, his words only for his son. The wolfdog, as he often did, crept closer and comfortingly nudged the boy's shoulder before stepping back and gazing at him. "Come over when you feel comfortable doing so, alright?" 

Then he turned and continued on his way, walking up to the rest of the group. "I'm sorry I took so long. I was patrolling and saw a cache undug so I decided to bury it again before I made my way here." Then Mawk's eyes focused in on the youngsters, the tiny pups that he had not met, nor had he seen them. He smiled at them, and his eyes found Valette. "Oh, so these are the youngsters? They're lovely, Valette," Even as he spoke, his gaze trailed back to them. So small. They were adorable, he could not deny.