Swiftcurrent Creek Wake me up before you go-go

25 days: Pups will begin to appear outside the den and can be found near the den entrance. This is the time when the pack will begin interacting with the pups.

Brook, so far, was having the time of her life. Okay, so her life hadn't really progressed that far, but she was till having the time of it. Trust me, it makes sense. Today, she was lured toward the mouth of the den by sights and smells. Instead of turning away (or being brought back immediately), she slipped out into the world, blinking in the bright light of it all.

It wasn't particularly sunny, but it sure was bright compared to the dark of the den. Not only that, but it was drizzling, making Brook blink away the water droplets. Eeee!!! was the sound of her pure excitement and joy.

aditya was close by when he heard the excited squeal; it brought a smile to his face, even as it brought alarm to his heart. he dropped the squirrel he held clasped in his jaws near the mouth of the den and sat down, looking over her while she explored the outside with her baby blue gaze. it was wonderful to see her grow. . .but, dear god, it was terrifying, too.

how long would it be before she ventured off by herself? how long before she had to face the perils of the world? for aditya, it had been too soon, with his mother dying shortly after he was weaned and his uncle not too long after that. he hoped beyond hope that she could be a child for much longer than he was allowed to be.

yeh bahut adbhut, hai na? adi remarked, tucking himself down to a sphinx-like position, watching her from a distance closer to the ground, closer to her little face. he stretched out his muzzle to give her a kiss. shabash, lakshmi. tum itni tezi se badh rahe ho.

When her father returned, Brook's tail wagged, causing her whole hind end to sway from side to side rather comically. Her vision still wasn't perfect, but it was a whole lot better than it had been a couple of weeks ago. Her sense of smell was certainly on point, and she knew her daddy when he approached. When he dropped the squirrel, she sniffed at it, but her attention was soon diverted as he spoke.

Being so young, she couldn't really understand what he was saying, but the tone was enough. It was pleasant, just as her mother's voice was soothing to the young girl. Yah-habba-tum! she mimicked in her babbling way, then she licked his nose when he brought it toward her.

he chuckled at her gibberish, wrinkling his nose when she licked it. mohabbat, he whispered, for he found the echo of the word in the babble. even if it wasn't what she'd meant (likely the case) his daughter didn't need to voice her love for her to show it. he felt it, in every gesture, in every look.

gilharee, aditya explained, touching his muzzle to the squirrel in illustration. then moved it to the grass. ghaas. a rough-edged, toe-sized stone nearby. chattaan. he licked her forehead again, grinning. lakshmi.

god, he was going to give this girl an identity crisis. perhaps, though, she'd relish having the use of not one but two tongues to travel the world with—only time would tell.

He said more meaningless (to her) things, and Brook grinned up at him as if every sound that came from his mouth was the best sound she'd ever heard. At this age, that wasn't too far from the truth. As she grew, Brook would come to learn not only the common tongue, but also the language her father spoke. In fact, she would likely meld them into a singular language for herself, tossing in references of each as she grew, learned, and changed.

Baat-baaaat-bah! she squealed, giggling as she frolicked in the very grass her father was trying to teach her the word for. She tumbled onto her back, swiping at his muzzle with her paw as he licked her forehead again.

he chuckled, shaking his head slowly, bemusedly, as she frolicked. kaaphi nahin, beti, adi murmured kindly. he sank to his belly in the grass, placing his nose on his paws and watching her. lekin lagbhag.

did it sound like music to her, like his mother's voice had to him? god, he was only perhaps a moon or two older than her when rekha had disappeared. imagine if dawn. . .

no. she wouldn't. they wouldn't. aditya would not let his children's youth be spoiled and fragmented by absence. for all he'd relished traveling the world so young, there were just as many nights he spent alone and crying, yearning for his mother. not in a million years would he wish that upon lakshmi and anand.

main tumse mohabbat karti hoon, he said, stressing the word from before—as if he could, with steady tongue, imprint it onto her heart.