Moonspear E.T. phone home

@Meerkat and @Nasamik shared babysitting duties as the children continued to grow. @Raiyuk had slept over for the night in the Sveijarn-Corten ulaq, snuggled in between Seal and @Orca II. The den was still dim in the early hours when the sun rose, but in the distance, Sialuk's ethereal howl greeted the morning. Seal perked up and then a new instinct suddenly unlocked in the little predator.

She tipped back her head and whimpered out a very un-mighty "oooo, oooo!"

Her voice cracked as it learned. And then she howled a second time. "Awwoooo!"

It had taken him a little longer than he'd meant it to, but eventually Penn made good on his word to @Meerkat to drop by to see her kids. He'd found the seed pods without too much issue, but then the challenge had become how to get them back to the den. He didn't fancy stuffing them all in his cheeks like a hamster—the spikes on them weren't dangerous sharp, but certainly uncomfortable sharp. Plus, he wasn't actually a hamster. And the thought of kicking them all the way to the other side of the mountain seemed far too tedious.

In the end, Penn had impressed even himself with his brilliance by finding a different tree (one he could climb), and tearing off a branch full of the little seed pods. He carried it over to the Sveijen-Corten ulaq like it was the branch of a Christmas tree, seed pods dangling from it like glittering ornaments.

Penn knew it was early, and so he'd planned to just drop the branch off outside of the den and leave it for the pups to find when they came out to play for the day (more Christmas metaphors!). But when he dropped the branch and turned to go, a tiny little howl stopped him in his tracks and had him turning around to peer into the den's dark depths.

He smiled and dipped his head low, uttering a very soft, low "Awooo!" back to her. He waited then, eager to see if he would get an answer back.

Meanwhile, underneath his warm exterior, he battled silently against the feeling of terrible loss and devastation that had suddenly roared up in his chest at the sound of that tiny little awooo!

Seal audibly gasped, surprised when she heard a response just outside the family Ulaq. It wasn’t a voice she recognized, either… Seal wasn’t even sure she was communicating with a wolf. Was the mountain’s spirit calling to her?

Go see who it is, @Meerkat encouraged her daughter. Doe-eyed and curious (and a little cautious) Seal tip-toed outside the mouth of the den to go greet the stranger on their doorstep.

There, she saw the large silver man… but, more importantly, she saw the branch of spikey balls at his feet.

Of course, the pup who emerged was a little girl.

Penn had to work very hard to hold himself together at the sight of her. In his mind flashed the memory of Druid (who he knew as Penn) on the beach, casually speaking to him as though he were any other random wolf on the planet. Which he was to her, of course. But he knew better. He knew better, and it had haunted his every step ever since.

She had once been as small as this one. Had she also had the same curious, innocent stare? Would her eyes have lit up at the sight of the seed pods like those little girl's did? What would her little howl have sounded like?

Outwardly, Penn showed none of his inner turmoil other than the shine of his eyes. He lowered himself fully to the ground then to appear less threatening, his tail sweeping across the ground behind him.

"Awwooo?" Penn said softly again through a gentle smile.

The little toddler was provided a better glimpse at Penn when he stooped down to Seal’s level. His fur had similar stoney grays like her Da and one of his ears was even torn, too. But unlike the oceanic blue of Njord’s gaze, or the bright berry red of Chakliux’s, Penn’s eyes were a deep kind-looking chocolate brown.

Awooo? he mini-howled. So the voice was his!

Seal stomped her feet in place, barely managing to contain her excitement. Then, she struck a very majestic pose and flung her head back. “AWOOOO!” The girl caterwauled, off-tune. However, it was like her head was too big for her body and Seal fell and somersaulted backward. “oof!” she giggled.

The howl that burst from the girl’s maw was not so little this time. Penn laughed aloud with delighted surprise at her gusto, but faltered slightly when she suddenly toppled backwards.

”Woah! That was a good one!” Penn said, pulling himself up to stand and get a better look to make sure she was alright, ”You’ve got some serious skills, girl. D’you think I could try?”

Penn stretched out all four legs then, doing his best, exaggerated version of the pose she had struck but with legs spread uncomfortably further and his head arched back comically far so that his chin was tucked against his puffed out chest. With a voice of choked concern, he looked at Seal for guidance, ”’M I doing it right? Do I look cool?”

Seal’s chest puffed out when Penn commended her performance. She wasn’t even the slightest off-put by her tumble. In fact, Penn did such a good job of framing it in a positive light that she almost forgot about it a moment later.

He contorted into a very odd pose and checked in with Seal (in a very convincing way). She laughed, barely able to catch her breath, and chided, “noooo!”

Penn created space for an unwitting Seal to develop her confidence and leadership skills. She pushed and pulled his legs in different directions to correct his posture and then struck the correct stance as an example.

“Dis!” she showed him, tossing her head back majestically.

Penn smiled at her reaction to his silly pose, marveling when she went right into alpha-mode and began currying around his feet, correcting him. He happily played the marionette as she re-positioned him, every so often saying "Ohhh, that goes there??" and "Oh wow, that's way better. Nice call!" until she hopped back and showed him once again how to stand like master and commander of the universe.

"Alright, lemme try it again," Penn said as he ducked his head down low, preparing himself. He touched his nose to the ground beneath his forelegs and took in a deep breath. Then, with a little huff of energy, he flung his head backwards just as she had. Sort of like she had. So, his head went the same direction, but the energy behind it was way overkill.

With comedic grace, Penn flung himself backwards, his body following his head to land with a plop onto his back. He let out a surprised cry as he did so and a loud "Ooof!" once he landed. He stayed still for a moment, as though paralyzed with shock and asked aloud, "Wh...What happened?"

Sorry for the delay, last post for me! Gotta thin out my threadlog :)

Penn instilled a confidence in Seal that she hadn’t thought herself capable of! He took her critique to heart and attempted the magnificent howling pose a second time, only to flop onto his back.

The wee girl screeched a laugh – not at him, but with him. She loved Penn’s enthusiasm!

Seal would continue this game with Penn until Meerkat came to collect her daughter for a nap.