Blackfeather Woods watch you sneer at me

Their ears will perk up around 27 days and by day 30 they should have relatively good hearing and straight ears.

She had practiced for this moment, the entrance of where she had been sheltered welcomed her arrival on sturdy large paws. And to think that not long ago she had been confined to the space next to the milkbag mother and between two brothers. Now she was more than a mere sphere that fed with reckless abandon. Such would be obvious to any who spotted her near the den's entrance.

Her head swiveled to and fro as the outside sounds greeted her. Blackfeather's familiar sounds — crows and ravens bickering, the rustle of branches above — seemed less like a lullaby now. They woke something in the child. A bold sensation in the pit of her stomach that seemed familiar to the way she felt when @Maegi spoke soothing enchanted words. It stirred her to take steps that carried her further away from entrance of everything she knew so far.

Anansi teetered on limbs that weren't yet steady, watching his mahogany-haired sister as she passed the threshold to Outside. His ears, huge and bat-like, swiveled forward to listen to her steps as he leaned forward from the shadows. A sidelong glance was given to Parvati, who was as unresponsive and uninteresting as ever; then he took slow steps away from her, quiet as he could manage, until he felt the wind from the forest brushing the narrow fur on his cheeks. Then he scampered after his sister, appearing oddly subdued despite his rapid pace.

The whisper of a growl he made as he reached her flank was admonishing in nature and his soft eyes were narrowed slightly as he sought to draw her attention. Maegi will not like this, he tried to silently convey with a quick lash of his tail and a glance back toward home.

She knew, very well, that Maegi would not like this. No adult's gaze (that she was aware of) securing the location of the cryptic children. Her ghostly brother didn't need to speak to convey the thought. Something soft vibrated in her throat as she aimed to step back just a touch and lean against him. Small eyes sealed shut as she listened to the world around her. The music seemed to shift with every passing second. Different birds, different trees creaking with the wind, leaves shaking in greeting.

Sakhmet had to pause from her listening to gaze at her ghost. Did he hear everything the way she did? Did it move him the way it moved her?

Anansi didn't feel the forest's cadence in his bones the way his sister did. Unlike his forebears, it was unlikely he would ever come to view Blackfeather Woods as anything more than just another forest, albeit an interesting and well-storied one. The daedra were with him in other ways and he would carry them always. Whatever magic the others believed in would manifest differently for him. But his sister's warm touch and the way she seemed to tune into the world around him did draw his attention to it. In that moment, he supposed he did hear it like she did.

But she wasn't moving, and he knew ena could come by at any time and find them here. The spidery little cub wasn't keen on being punished. He allowed Sakhmet another few seconds to listen, then reached up and attempted to nip her ear, returning her to the here and now so he could usher her back home where they were supposed to be.

The teeth in her ear shattered whatever trance had wrapped around the young Melonii. Harshly brought out of the trance, it was as if a switch flipped in her mind. Lip pulled back to expose pointed teeth as the beginning of a growl vibrated within her chest. The outburst was short lived though as she reeled back from her own aggression. It hadn't meant anything. Her tongue refused to move to explain. She would never hurt her ghost. Never.

An apologetic look sweeping over her features with a swiftness. Ruby ears flattened against her skull as she grew akin to a guilty dog. Eyes sought the face of her brother.

Forgive me. Please.

Sakhmet moved swiftly, sending Anansi skittering back from her as her lips twisted into a snarl. This wasn't altogether unusual for him, for Sobek was often too aggressive and firm for his tastes, but coming from her, it cowed him. Anansi swept his tail in rapid sweeps behind him as he ducked his hindquarters toward the forest's floor, crouching in place to appease her. The snarl disappeared, replaced by remorse, but the abrupt lurching of the pale boy's heart did not.

This was simply his lot in life. Anansi would never be the fiercest of wolves within Blackfeather Woods. He was born with a slight figure and a tendency to avoid violence ... yet there were other ways he could prevail, in time. Not today. His blue eyes danced lightly over his sister's face, and then he turned to head back the way he came. He forgave Sakhmet. Of course he did. He would always forgive his brother and sister, even when they were too rough with him. But Anansi took it as an indication that she wished to be left alone, and that was exactly what he would do.