Arrow Lake endrega drones

with their exploratory phase ramping up - something that would go on for the next several months - the sandraudiga brood were finding themselves less and less impressed with the immediate area of their densite, and more interested in wherever it was their parents often disappeared to for subjectively long periods of time. it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep them reined in, but the cubs were obedient enough after a bit of firmness, and besides this, neither parent were inclined to deny them much. 

stigmata guarded them now, in the clearing before their den, and he was completely alone with the four ruffians, as takiyok seized a much needed break. and each of them, still nameless and not yet fed, were wired up and begging for punishment - scrabbling, gnawing, and rumbling over one another like crabs in a barrel despite all the space they had been given... it clearly wasn't enough, and suddenly he thought it best to exhaust them all with a short jaunt into the woods. 

rising from his sphinx position - which automatically called the attention of the pups, who were ready to prevent any brand of progress at a moment's notice - stigmata looked briefly over their stout, bulbous faces, and then motioned for them to follow. a simple, muted gesture that caused a sudden frenzy of activity.

right away, the first-born (@Stag) nearly ran ahead of him, and the fair-headed twins (@Monarch and @Mesa) were hot on the collared boy's awkward heels, neck-and-neck themselves. the three of them went noisily in all sorts of directions, giving stigmata immediate whiplash as he tried to keep them within a few tail-lengths of him, but thankfully they were not all so brazen; as proven by the last-born, and large darkling of the clutch (@Ego), who kept close and kept quiet the entire time.

@Sadiq

THANK YOU FOR STARTING! I am so sorry, I got super busy all of a sudden!

Like a ghost the man weaved through trees, his silent step leaving only a whisper of his presence behind. If he had been born with fur any other color than snow he would have meld perfectly in the southern territory for which he now called home. Alas he had been burdened with the color of his ancestors, of whom had been born to snow and ice rather than trees and grass.

There was a deep-seated loneliness that had blossomed with the changing of seasons. Sadiq found his lacking skill in the common tongue to be more of a burden than her had originally thought it might be. Not that he had thought to deeply into the matter before leaving the northern land. Other than his sister, he was incapable of holding any meaningful conversation, and while he was normally of quiet disposition… this was a bit extreme. He missed his parents deeply, and longed for the kinship he had always known, and safety of his siblings and cousins at his side.

He knew that slowly this land could offer him something more, something deeper. And yet it hovered just out of reach, like an indistinguishable scent on the breeze. He was lost. Lost and very much alone. Sadiq had taken to visiting his sister as much as was seemingly normal, and he reveled in the time he was able to spend with the newest additions to the family. They may not share his name, but they shared his blood, and that was more than enough.

On one such occasion Sadiq had ventured toward his sister’s den, seeking some kind of validation in his choice to travel south. That his decision wasn’t simply rash and reckless. Although as he grew closer the distinct sound of puppy’s paws fluttered his way, and soon enough their scent was approaching mingled with Stigmata’s. He had yet to catch sight of them, yet he figured they would soon be upon him. The northern man wasn’t sure on his take of his new leader, or what the other man thought of him. But he was sure to find out quickly.

stigmata became visibly on guard at the somewhat unfamiliar approach of sadiq. the iron wolf could identify each of his packmates by the cadence of their gait alone, but had not yet determined the sound of their newest edition's pawsteps. only the youngest of his children (ego) seemed to notice the change in his father, even as the other pups scrambled about him wildly, and the boy looked on uncertainly as stigmata began to ripple ominously.

he relaxed when he realized it was takiyok's brother, and he greeted the northerner with an immediate flattening of his hackles. his firstborn (stag), and arguably the most brazen of the four, charged unabashedly at the newly noticed sadiq; demanding supplication with a show of tiny, ineffectual, brute force - aimed right for the tall wolf's front legs.

the twins were quick to follow, and even the youngest strayed from behind stigmata to investigate the smells, all of them swarming about their uncle's legs with noses and teeth and paws actively trying to dismantle him.

the general, mollified by the pups' infatuation with sadiq, moved to recline in a patch of shade that shifted listlessly in the breeze. he watched them interact, and remained silent if only because he knew he did not share a common tongue with the newcomer to their ranks. he was content to observe him instead; watch him grow close to his children, and watch all of them bond until he would see fit to gather them back up for the den.

it was a companionable sort of silence between them. the kind of company he could get used to.

i made this post rather vague so that, at your discretion, we can either continue this thread OR you can just archive it here and we can have something more recent <3 either way, i require more keg time!

The man said nothing, all though there wasn’t much to say as his eldest nephew barreled into his front paws. Although being the large brute that he was Sadiq simply looked down at the boy with a raised brow and a small grin. Of course the twins had to join in, at taking from the sides and finally the youngest of the bunch.

As they ran past Sadiq would playful nips at their sides or the paws. He would skittered to the side to avoid them, and swing around to chase them all. He never tired of playing with his niece and nephews, loving each of them and happy to simply be in their presence.

I think this is good to archive and we can have another more current one?! I need to get this guy into gear so I’m game for more threads! I’ll start another one for us when I get home from camping!