Stone Circle Hounds of Athens

It was rare, this day. Days of muggy, rainy, clouded weather had given way to this; a beautiful, warm day with but a few fluffy clouds floating above. A brisk breeze flew through the Glenn every so often, sifting through her thickening fur and bringing a chill that the warmth quickly chased away. Raising her three through the winter would be a challenge, but she was devoted.  Without a mate, she had to do double the work, and at times it wore on her. Today she basked alone, children safe behind her, and for a brief, fleeting moment wished the freedom she had known. She had not known that freedom for weeks, always close to her children, worry tugging at her constantly. As she reclined in the clearing, her expression turned wistful as she thought of such things, waiting for the day she could detach herself from her children without fear.
@Grayday!

After his talk with Steady, Day had been eager to go and visit with his newest packmates. Having kids around was one of the things he'd missed about being in his home pack. They'd rarely gone a year without two or three litters being added to their ranks, and though most filtered out like Grayday had, he'd never been without pups to look after until leaving his family behind. Hopefully, by the time his and the new female's pups were grown, Steady and Niita would have another batch on the way.

Grayday loved kids. Loved how cute and tiny and bright-eyed they were, and how they crawled all over and chewed on ears. They were just fun, and he hoped he could befriend Althaia quickly enough to have a chance at seeing them when they were tiny.

"Hey there," Day said as he approached her den, pausing a few yards away to see if she had any reservations about him coming nearer. "I'm Grayday - delta," he added, wanting her to know that he was not some stranger, but a trusted member of the pack. He didn't expect her to simply allow him near because of his rank, but figured she might feel better about his presence if she knew he was someone that Steady trusted.

The scent of another had her focus, shift so that her stance didn't seem as lazy. He had a coat of argent as did she, yet when she looked at his eyes, in that brief moment she noted the odd film that covered them, seen normally in older wolves. Yet...he did not appear old. 

She smiled in greeting, sitting up amiably,  confident the children were safe and well behind her. "Hello. I'm Althaia; kappa." She mirrored his greeting, though not in the slightest in a mocking manner. She knew by the scents that clung to her that her children were obvious, yet he did not seem a threat and she did not worry. She rather liked all the wolves she had net so far,  Grayday showed no signs of being any different.

A sneeze was what woke her; her own. Her eyes snapped open and she yawned, before loosing another miniature sneeze and realizing something vital; her mother was missing. She swiveled quickly toward the entrance, seeing a distant grey form that had to be her mother, she got to her feet and headed toward the entrance of the den. 

But it was apparent when she popped out of the entrance that she what been wrong,  the grey shape was indeed a stranger and her mother lay closer. But the strange captured her attention, and she sniffed violently as she looked to him, catching his scent. She babbled happily a moment, before trundling out toward him, passing her mother uncontested, yet surveyed carefully,  and stopping a short distance before her to stare at the stranger and make some more disconnected noises.

Day wagged his tail in response to Althaia's greeting, his eyes already focused on the small shape behind her. His excitment was palpable, but he restrained himself. Lowering himself to his belly, he tore his eyes away from the tiny girl and looked back to her mother, smiling.

"Cutie," he complimented. "I haven't been around so many pups in years - it's good to have you and your family here," said Day, wanting her to know that before she heard anything else about him and his own pups - not that he thought Steady would chat about it, except maybe to Valette. Day found that he didn't mind so much. "What's her name?" 

Her daughter emerged, trundling straight for the other, and for a moment she was alarmed. But Grayday reminded her of Steady in his gentleness toward her pup, and she smiled softly at his question, allowing him near her daughter without contest.  "Keoni. She's only about a month old now- her and her brother and sister." She said amiably, alert yet relaxed. She didn't want Keoni outside should she not be feeling well, but herbs had done her well it seemed.

His voice was friendly,  and happy, and that gave her confidence. She trundled toward him, this time colliding with his forelimb with a startled oof . But she recovered quickly, eyes one the large thing attached to his head. Ear. She races for it, clamoring over him in a clumsy attempt to grasp the ear in her gummy jaws, legs kicking every which way and her babbling excitedly as she focuses on the ear.

Day laughed as the girl bolted toward him, and lowered his head agreeably when she tried to climb onto his head. "She's got some legs on her," he commented, thinking that she probably would've made it even without his help. His eyes, though, stayed on Althaia, checking to make sure this was okay. Hopefully she could learn to trust him around the kids - it must've been hard for her, without a mate along, to care for all three kids. She could have some freedom here if she could trust the pack to watch the youngsters.

"What're the other ones called?" he asked through his chuckles, pleased by the month-old's energy level. He'd be less pleased if they were all this energetic and he was the one in charge of rounding them up - but this was fine. He could handle this. He'd just have to call for back-up if he ever found himself babysitting the three of them while they were all awake.

Witch, for once, had not awoken as soon as her mother vanished - it was Keoni's sneezes that brought her eyes open, but she felt sluggish. It was another minute or two later, upon finally focusing on the voices outside, that Witch stumbled to her paws and out of the den. She stopped when she was just outside the entrance, sniffing distrustfully of the newest stranger in their glen. Grumbling audibly the entire time she walked, Witchhazel stalked her way to her mother before looking to everyone in tern sternly - as if she was scolding them for leaving her, ignoring the fact that she'd left her older brother Nikai in ther all alone. Plopping onto the earth next to Althaia's flank, Witch put her head on her paws and watched the group quietly, yawning from time to time.

Success! Her jaws clamp around the ear, which she chews contently a few moments before deciding to let out a happy squeal, sliding down the males face and landing on the earth with a soft plop. She looks up at him adoringly, tiny tail wagging excitably and eyes bright. She's taken a liking to Grayday, and expresses this with a few cooed babbles. "Addo? Aaaa." she says with confidence, as if it means something. Her gaze latches onto a bird, bright red and plump, as it alights in a tree behind Grayday. She lets out a facisnated oooh and races toward it, rearing up and placing her hind legs on the tree as she looks up to it, the bird in turn looking rather alarmed.