Moonspear hard knock life

All fucking night long @Alya had been calling, and Charon was sick of it. Why was it a good idea to have pups again? How did anyone get through the first months without murdering their children? He'd taken care of Flóki and his siblings too, but they had seemed so much less bothersome... Or maybe it was just that he'd had Thistle, and he hadn't been solely responsible. He could do only the fun things, then. He'd leave the parenting to Ame, but couldn't really, since he was on guard a lot, obsessed with keeping them safe, especially after all that had happened... And so he caught all of little Alya's crooked violin lessons. She was a... happy child, he supposed, but mostly a very loud one, so far. And once one of the black girls started to wail, well...

It seemed he finally got some quietude as he lay at the den's entrance while the sun started to rise. Alya, @Hydra , @Lyra and @Korei Julia were inside with @Amekaze . He didn't want to sleep, too afraid something may happen, but found his eyelids closing anyway, only to snap back awake every once in a while. Fuck parenthood.

Lately she'd learned about a lot about a slew of unpleasant aspects of puppies. One of the newest? Milk teeth. Her underbelly was quickly not a fan of that one. The soreness mixed with the usual assault on some other sense of hers was a lot to bear sometimes, and all of this made her anxious for them to grow up and out of this phase so they could be more independent of her specifically. They wore her out, constantly finding some way to be needy or wake her up as soon as she managed to sleep. Sometimes, thanks to Charon, she'd catch up a little when she could, but the bigger they got, the more they took away from her. She was having to work herself hard to keep up with four puppies and their needs.

Nevertheless, she'd slept on and off through the night and finally had to give up on sleeping anymore and go stretch her legs. She was getting restless about the den herself, wanting to spend more time outside of it whenever she was able. When she blinked away the last bits of shitty sleep and found Charon in the entrance, she slipped silently (slowly, delicately) towards him and the dim morning's light. She didn't particularly like the little chill fall had already draped over them..

She did all she could to make no noise, so stifled the soft rumble of a good morning she wanted to give. Instead, with her ears fanned back, she pressed her nose against his cheek, unfortunately mindful of her sorest nipples as she moved just a bit. Amekaze worried she would pay for this motion soon enough, thus the vaguely worried look on her face because her absence was usually a cause for complaints. But she was happy to have these scarce few seconds between just them, so treasured them appropriately.

He turned his head as he startled awake when he heard a sound come from the den, afraid it might be one of his noisy daughters. Imagine when they would start to walk and were able and willing to run around all over the place. As a child with Flóki & co it'd seemed fun, but now that he was a father things were different and he was afraid for their well-being.

Ears perked forward, but he was glad to find it was only his mate. A smile fell on his face as he looked at her. She didn't look too tired — not more than usual — so maybe she hadn't been too occupied by Alya's serenade last night. "They're quiet for the moment," he observed, followed by a sigh that mirrored some sort of contentness. Even though he wouldn't be able to sleep now, he was glad just to have this moment of solitude. His eyelids still felt heavy and he couldn't stifle a yawn as he reached his nose to touch her cheek.

With a soft scoff, she nodded. "But I do not expect it to last long. It never does," she sighed barely above a whisper with a conspiratorial look over her shoulder. Not knowing exactly how well the litter could hear, just that they could, she wasn't going to take any risks raising her voice any further. She stretched out and leaned lightly against him; he seemed tired, and she understood deeply, but they would probably arise soon after noticing she'd slipped away from their immediate reach.

"Wish I knew where Alya got the voice from, or if she intends to grow out of.. that," she grumbled, still hushed and careful not to make any sudden movements as she settled next to Charon. She suspected she may appreciate the notion much more in moderation, and once she could carry a tune. Speaking of them growing out of anything, she huffed, thinking about the new challenges that could potentially pose. While she wanted to get them eating meat and out of the den, then she'd have to worry about feeding four growing mouths and keeping track of them all. Daunting..

"Hmm-mm," murmured Charon, and he stifled another yawn as he gently leaned into Ame. He knew all too well the silence never lasted that long; just when you thought you could sleep, they'd start yowling again. Still, they seemed to be growing so rapidly. Already they were beginning to look less like loafs of bread and more like actual wolves in progress. He knew the progress all too well from when Flóki'd been little.

Charon didn't remember if he had been loud as a pup, obviously, and there was no one left to ask about that. Who knew, maybe one of them had been a loud child, too, and they were getting a hot shot of karma right now. "I don't exactly remember if any of my siblings were like that too," he said, referring to potential inheritance. "But I hope she realises that yes, she's got a fucking voice, it's not that special a thing to have." There was a grump to his voice as he glanced back at the den, hoping that they would be able to enjoy their solitude for a bit longer. And at the same time, he sort of missed the clambering of pups all over him — it was funny how things like that worked.

Alya had excellent hearing by now. She had already been roused by the Kind Mover standing and moving away (as Movers tended to do, she imagined), but would have been content to go back to sleep in the warm, soft throng of her sisters if not for him. His voice was like a warm blanket over her whole body, but she fought against her eyes to keep them open, and struggled to her paws without much thought for the sisters she was stepping on.

The Great White had come back, and she wanted to see him!

Toddling over to the mouth of the den, she stared in awe at the glowing white beast that had graced their cave once more. The moonlight light him up in a way that Alya could only see as magic - and she had no trouble attributing magical properties to their mysterious father. He came from outside. Her sisters, Hydra, the Kind Mover - they were all from the den. They had always been there, even if the Kind Mover got to leave it, sometimes, she still always had to come back. But the Great White knew no such limits. He came and went as he please, tall and strong and handsome. Alya loved him with a ferocity that came very close to worship.

"Gagaga ga ga," she said in a stage whisper, a little uncertain as she approached the shining king.

She snickered softly although she felt his dismay on an intimate level. He spoke true, she agreed, and nodded quietly. Maybe soon the novelty of her voice would wear off and she couldn't remember if her siblings were so noisy, either. As for herself, she'd never been the sort. She didn't have a good howling voice, anyway -- never had, never would have. There were other characteristics they'd be sure to inherit from her instead. Hopefully not the traits that had always set her apart from her own littermates, either.

"Speak of the devil.." she sneered over her shoulder, ears turned towards the stage-whispering sprog who had appeared. She squinted at the whelp and then chuffed lowly that way, but did not discourage her with both parents here at the entrance of the den. It was well-watched, and so long as she was not overbearing, she'd let it be.

Charon wasn't paying much attention to the pups for the moment, so tired was he as he leaned against Ame's neck. Yet the tiny baby sounds caught him from his moment of rest and made him turn his head towards her. He saw the tiny inky pup, having no clue which of the three it was — he just hoped they'd become more distinctive as they aged, otherwise he wouldn't have a clue which one was which except maybe for their behaviour — as she oggled up at him and waddled towards him.

He grimaced as Ame addressed the child, though he of course felt loving towards his children — it was just that they were really loud. If they weren't as loud it'd be perfect. "Hello little princess," Charon said and he leaned his head down towards her, nosing her tiny face and finding it hard to believe how much they'd grown already.

The Mover said something disparaging, but thankfully, Alya did not know any better. As far as she was concerned, the Mover might well have been absent. She had eyes only for The Great White, who lowered himself to her level and spoke low and kindly to her, his breath washing over her face. Her ears perked at the sound of the words - Alya loved words, even if she did not know very many. Even if she could not say any of them.

Mimmicking her father, Alya attempted to speak in the same low, steady voice: "Hah lo leep," she whispered in greeting, repeating the sentiment a few times to herself in order to memorize the sounds. It distracted her for a few more seconds, but soon enough, her attention was captured once more by the magnificent being before her.

Considering herself invited to their party, since The Great White had already acknowledged her kindly, Alya chirped a greeting to the Kind Mover ("Hah-lo-leep, Ka-mee!") before finding herself a place between the two of them. Nearer to The Great White, of course, so she could lie on her back and put her paws in his fur, because wasn't it amazing how her little black paws looked so dark against his Great Whiteness? He must have some kind of secret, magical power, she thought. White power!

When no other puppies came trailing from the den's depths, that granted her the smallest of reliefs for the time. However she knew that may not last, and to never let her guard go down in full.

From there on, it was easy to see who would be the focus here. Amekaze was more than fine with that as Alya took her place between them -- and with her paws on him not long after he had greeted her. She found herself quick into contemplative silence as she observed the pup behold her father, seeming more than pleased to take him in. Ame only gave a soft rumble of approval.

After a long silence, she piped up with a casual thought inspired from watching her touch and feel. Since their sight and hearing had improved recently, she was actually finding a bit more interest in what they could do. Plus she liked their company a whole lot more when they minded themselves as Alya seemed to do for now. "I am eager to show them more one day.." she huffed, a little impatient to see them grow and flourish so she didn't have to tend so aggressively to their every whim. Plus she liked watching them learn new things, and wondered what they would be like so very often..

When she tried to make words, Charon smiled, his tail batting the earth behind him a few beats. He thought to decipher a 'hello' in there, which was a pretty big step up from what she'd done so far. "Good girl," he praised and he placed a kiss on her forehead as she plopped down between both parents. She entangled her paws in his fur and he grinned as he looked down at her, finding himself mesmerised by his daughter. His tiredness seemed forgotten in the moment, drowned out by his love for little Alya.

He stared at Alya for the longest of time as she wrapped her black paws along his fur and looked, well, happy. Only when Ame spoke did Charon look up at her. "Yeah.." he agreed thoughtfully. "Probably another moon or so until we can move them to the rendezvous site and dump them on the rest of the pack." He grinned, clearly joking — if he didn't have any other things to do, Charon would spend every moment with his girls, loud or not.

Such words! Alya listened greedily to her father, selfishly absorbing each word, even when they weren't meant for her own ears. "Guh, guh," she echoed, entranced, and bestowed excited licks and kisses to the underside of his jaw when he deigned to lower himself to her level.

Soon, though, his attention returned to the Mover, and Alya had more words to memorize. She stared between the two, bright blue eyes bouncing back and forth like a ping-pong match as she tried to determine what was being said, what all this could mean. Hydra, she knew, was also interested in these things, and even if she had not wanted to gather the information for her own knowledge, she would have gathered it for her Most Beloved. Although they were yet young, Alya had already thrown her lot behind the quieter girl, and had easily aligned herself with the other's agendas.

*sinster laughter*

She observed and studied, and found her ease here in the moment watching the girl paw through her father's pale fur. Overseeing them not only begin to unfold and bloom into their own personalities, as well as their ties to the world around them was strange.. but she was easily interested in the process. It hadn't been nearly so enthralling when it had been her younger siblings, or maybe she'd not taken the time to know them that well all those years ago.

"Yeah.. hope they are ready for that," she smirked. "The pack, I mean. Aesop has offered to watch them, too..citing past pup experience and all," she added, wondering if that had come up between them already, and reasoning it had. Of course, there was no doubt about the girls meeting the pack and being alright enough with that transition of moving to the rendezvous. It would probably seem like a jarring change at first.. but they were such young, malleable things still -- a thought made clear by the eyes she felt on her from below. They'd forget soon enough, and in the meantime, she'd be working to prepare them.  She already intended to gradually let those bold enough to come by see them, as well as get them comfortable just outside the den as soon as she could.

It was funny in a way that Ame would mention the pack needing to be ready rather than the pups. They had a lot to learn, all of them, but Charon trusted in them. They had a strong core. Aesop, who'd been there for Charon when he was of similar age; Pyx, who had little experience but a bubbly, good personality; Flóki, of course, his brother, who Charon trusted above all others; Dash, who'd been there for a long time; and Heldi and Judas, who Charon didn't know as well, nor did he like them as well, but he didn't deem them dangerous, really. They would do well, all of them.

"Ah, yeah," Charon said, still a bit undecided about Aesop; mostly because he didn't want to take him in only to see him leave later. "I just hope he sticks around. He's a good wolf, and he was there when I was little, but he's left a couple times since." Then, most wolves left; only Ame and Flóki had really been consistent factors throughout the last year for Charon. Even the wolves of his core weren't there for as long as they. He looked down at Alya with a fond smile, hoping it'd be different for his children. But how could it not? His siblings had all lost parents early in life, and they would not let that happen to them. And so, they would be fine.

Alya listened to both the wolves as they spoke, but her focus was mainly on the Great White. "Yaaaah," she agreed as he responded to the Mover, and there, here eyes began to droop. It was a struggle just to keep her head up, let alone listen, and so the other words she tried out didn't come out quite so well. Still, she kept on echoing her father until the last dregs of strength were drained from her tiny body, and Alya fell asleep with her body curled around her father's paw.

Probably last Alya post

Charon's input on Aesop was noted. Her first impression had been good. She fancied having a presence like his around, and not only because he offered to help get the pups off her by watching them. But knowing that he had his reservations about him lasting was worth keeping in mind. Ame didn't get too attached to many wolves very quickly for that very reason; she knew better, but would give Aesop the benefit of it, and hope that he would be here for a good run at least. "I see," she murmured thoughtfully, but decided not to dredge on the topic any further right now. Instead she reached to groom the fur behind Charon's ear, content in their company and silence for the time being. She hoped that he'd get some rest soon, but for now, all seemed pretty alright with her even.

He felt grateful that Alya was not being as trumpetty as she had been of late, calm yet bubbly; just the way he liked it. There wasn't much more to be said, and he smiled as he watched Alya's eyes starting to fall. "Looks like we'll be able to sleep for at least a little bit," he noted and rumbled a growl of approval as Ame groomed the fur behind his ear. He leaned into her, closing his own eyes and feeling very tired suddenly. He was content just being here, for now, in their presence, and looked forward to the sleep that was soon to come.

fade? :D