Golden Glade Is all that we see or seem, but a dream within a dream?

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Darkness.

Long before he’d been born, and then long after, he had been surrounded by nothing more than darkness. Cold, endless darkness—he adored it. It was peaceful, filling him with the fading memories of his time spent within the womb. So hazy had they become that he could hardly figure out what was happening within any of them. It mattered little, though he knew not the reason why. For, in truth, the memories were not memories at all. They were nothing more than figments of his imagination, gritty images pieced together by a mind that knew naught the appearance of even his own mother. For blind was the boy to the world around him, but not the one beyond them all. There was nothing that he could not see, when his mind was set upon something. Deep into the depths of his conscious could he sink and be submerged by the darkness that he was so fond of, whilst still having the ability to see all that was around him; only could he ever bear witness to what lurked on other planes, though, since that was a term of his gift.

Forever would he have remained content with what he’d been born with, but it seemed as if the universe—or had it been nature’s decision to make?—was not. Within the night, he’d been awoken by a shift in the air around him. What had caused it, he was never meant to find out, but he was well aware of the fact that something had been there. It’d taken him but a moment to lift his head up and off of his forelimbs, nose pointing upwards as he sought out the being that had forced him out of his sleep. Yet, there was nothing to be felt, the culprit but a phantom on the wind by the time he’d reached for it. It should have frustrated him, but it hadn’t. The Prince’s brows scrunched together and a moment was taken to sniff at the air but, still, there was nothing for him to find. Huffing, he’d started crawling forward, seeking out a space against his mother’s stomach where he might be able to fall back to sleep.

Again, things were not meant to go his way. There were greater forces at work around him, each of which had decided that he could not doze off just yet.

Suddenly, he’d felt a pressure against his eyelids, and then a sensation that he could relate only to how it felt when one of his sister’s nails snagged one of the many rolls in his skin. Never was his flesh torn, just as it wouldn’t be now. Bramble had tried pawing at his face, and made several attempts at chasing the feeling away, but it was there to stay—or so he’d assumed. Without warning, it’d vanished just as abruptly as it'd arrived, but it was not forgotten. In its wake, the boy’s eyes had opened up for the very first time. A wave of emotions crashed over him—fear, confusion, excitement, concern—which had resulted in his mind shutting down momentarily. Once he’d regained all of his functions, he blinked, and then smiled widely as he gazed at the world around him. Everything was so blurry but, at the same time, enticing. Bright were his baby blues, undoubtedly amazed. Giggles spilled out passed his lips, sounding far more similar to gurgling than actual laughter, as he worked to drag himself around with the desire to see everything.

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Rose had stirred in her sleep, tossing and turning till the point of waking up. A sigh slipped from her mouth and although she tried her best to fall back asleep, it just wasn't happening. She wiggled around for a little accidentally bumping into a few of her siblings in the process, but she eventually found herself free of their embrace. It wasn't often that this happened, that she was the only one to be awake in the den but it felt good. There was no screaming, no fighting, no shoves and pushes...it was just peaceful and that was exactly how the russet girl liked it. 

But something inside of Rose told her this moment in heaven wasn't going to last very long, and if she wished to continue to enjoy the quiet she was going to have to find it elsewhere. So she pushed herself towards the only place she new could lead her far, far away which happened to be the entrance of the den. A purr rumbled in her chest as she felt the warmth of the sun reach her and although the light hurt a bit at first, it was worth getting away from her siblings for a while. She could get use to this.

Alder's days were mainly the same - wake up, patrol, hunt for Aspen and Heartha, spend some time with the kids.... Patrol again.... Hunt again.... It was a boring, tedious routine, but the King was also thrilled that nothing bad was happening in the Court. He was glad to snore his nights away beside his wife, and thats just what he intended to do when he brought dinner to the girls. 

For once, he'd decided to take Aspen her's first - why, he didn't know. Maybe it was the guilt of Honey pressing down on him, but he wouldn't know. 

What he did know, however, is that when he strode into the Inner Sanctuary, he was not alone. His one blue eye fell at once to the tiny little russet girl... Which one was she?

Dropping the two rabbits, he grinned coyly over at his daughter - deciding that which twin she was didn't matter, since they didn't know names anyways - and jerked his head towards the tunnel he'd just come from. If she wanted to adventure, why not? 
 
                                     "Come, little one. Come."

Calling to her softly - enunciating the command "come" for later possible benefit - Alder grabbed one of the rabbits and turned to again go into the tunnel. Aspen could wait.

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Within the space that he occupied, there existed two other forms: a large one, whose scent was like a drug, and a smaller one. He knew not their names nor the titles that they possessed, as such knowledge meant little to him. If ever there was anything that he wished to learn and his mind provided him with naught a single answer, then he was made to believe that it lacked importance. In his dreams, he knew everything that was necessary for survival—which was not a category that his family fell under. True was it that his mother provided for him the milk that kept him alive and functioning, as well as the warmth that he could not yet be without, but those were but simple things to the boy. In his world they were unnecessary, since everything that they had to offer could be provided for him by his Guides. They existed to protect and teach him; such roles had earned for them his gratitude, though he did not yet have the capacity to feel so strongly.

Right passed his nose there had flown a blur of light, lacking a true form. It had not spooked him as it might have any other child, for he pulled from the unknown a strong sense of familiarity. It would not hurt him, and this he was certain of, just as it never had in the past. It was an entity from his dreams, having exited his mind in order to bring light to the grey world that he currently resided in. As it floated through the air, it would drop small pieces of itself in order to ensure that the light never faded, which amazed the Prince to no end. When at last it was satisfied, the light drifted back down towards the child and landed upon his muzzle. He squealed with delight, eyes wide and full of wonder. To the fairy of his dreams a kiss had been offered, but not accepted. It soared away once more, but the boy knew better than to do nothing more than sit back and observe. Just as he had done each night whilst he slept, Bramble engaged with his friend. After the sprite he had began to crawl, all four limbs working as well as they could in order to carry him forth towards the light.

Nearly had he captured it when all of the droplets disappeared at once, casting him back into the dark. Just as before, everything was dull, but the reason behind it all eluded him. Where had his friend gone? With his ears having yet to begin hearing, he was oblivious to those that were steadily making their approach. Yet, the second they arrived, he would know to blame them for causing the magic to vanish from their world.

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Heartha was deep asleep. Or at least would have been, had it not been for the squeals and other sounds one of her pups were making. She lifted her head tiredly, looking around to see which one was making all the noise. And found it was the boy. And, to her surprise, his eyes were open!

She smiled and carefully stood herself up, making sure not to wake the other pup if it were already awake. "Bramble, come here!" she called out, beckoning. She wanted to test if his ears worked at all. And she wanted to see her boys eyes, and let her boys eyes see her. "Come to mommy!" She bowed down so her head was on the ground, tail wagging in the air. This was a moment to enjoy.

These first few steps away from her mother and siblings was something Rose wish she could remember forever, but as time would go by the russet girl would eventually forget what happened here. But at the moment she was determined to do this alone, without the comfort and support of those she cherished most by her side. She took a few more steps away from the den entrance, almost loosing her balance every now and then, but for the most part she was doing well. 

That was until a stranger appeared and Rose was quick to slink into a ball to try and avoid whatever wrath this wolf would surely throw at her. But when his familiar scent invaded her nose, the little girl bounced up and did her best to speed wobble over to her father. When she reached him she began to rub alongside his legs, not unlike a cat would. She did this for a few moments before he called to her, and Rose was quick to follow his command, doing her best to bounce after him. Whatever adventure he had planned, the russet girl was happy to be apart of it.

Alder rumbled joyously as his daughter rubbed against him, reaching down to breathe warm air over her tiny frame, and she was easy to bound along after him in the newfound adventure. 

At least one of his kids liked him and would listen. Rowan, already, got on his last nerves -- even so young as they were, the needy heir was one pup he could live without. 

The King took short, slow steps in order to let the twin keep up with him. By her easy nature, Alder correctly assumed this one was Rose: her sister, Tigerlily, was much rougher. 

It took longer than Alder would've accomplished alone, but the father was happy to spend time with his daughter -- chuffing his presense to Heartha and the youngest Pryor puppies, the ruler nudged Rose's tiny russet body in before stepping after her. Heartha's excited words reached his ears easily, but it wasn't until he'd set the mothers rabbit on the stone floor and sent his one good eye around the den that he noticed the change. 

His youngest son's eyes were open! A grin split Alder's blackened face, his tail wagging behind him -- he didn't speak, eye trained on the boy to see how he reacted to the world, unknowing that he'd had his eyes open for a couple minutes now.

Little bit of PP to Rose, Im happy to change it if its not okay!

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Silence.

Not a single sound could break through the barrier of his still sealed ears. There was nothing to be heard, nothing to be responded to. He stared off into the space where the fairy had disappeared, searching for a sign that might tell him of his friend’s return. Never had anything happened, though, as the boy was left behind by the wisps he so adored. Blurry had his vision once again become, for there were no bright entities there to gift him with the ability to see through the darkness more clearly. All that existed was the dull, colourless world of his mother, which was dissatisfying at best. Very few emotions could be felt by the child, and none could be understood or reacted towards properly. Yet, in spite of that, he’d found himself cast into a rare state of absolute upset. So strongly was it felt that he’d frowned, sighing deeply when it began to feel as if a heavy weight was pressing down on him. It was uncomfortable, perhaps even painful, and a sort of emotion that he’d desperately plea for a release from should anyone present themselves with the capability of providing him with relief. Somewhere within his head there thrived a part of his mind that knew said ability was not one that anyone on the physical plane was in possession of, but still had he wished.

Throughout his mind there echoed the voice that he would someday call his own, and then there was nothing. It was as if his wishes had been answered, and all by a flicker of light behind his eyes. Towards the corner of his one had it drifted, dragging along with it the child’s attention and making him turn his head. Immediately afterwards had the twinkle vanished, but no longer was he frustrated for across from where he stood was his mother. Bramble’s nose twitched once or twice as he tilted it up into the air, the scent of milk being all too familiar—there was no denying the fact that the large form was the one to have birthed him, just as he’d suspected. And whilst her words had not been heard, he acted almost as if they had been as he began crawling towards her. It was difficult work, he could not lie about that, but neither a break had been taken nor had his mission been abandoned. Onward had be moved, dragging his body across the surface of the earth until he’d eventually reached the woman raising him. She was not nearly as bright or warm as his otherworldly guides, but she was still a relatively important presence in his life. Thus it was against her muzzle that he’d butted his head, demanding nothing but her touch at this point.

The new wolves to have entered his home went unnoticed, their approach having not been heard. Of the two, the larger one’s being there had made the boy feel uneasy. His survival instincts kicked into gear, the feeling of eyes trained on his smaller form having made the fur along his back stand on end. A shiver crept down his spine, then, suggesting to any onlookers that he might be cold—which wasn’t the truth of the matter.

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Heartha's tail wagged high in the air joyously, watching her son open his eyes for the first time. At that moment, Alder and his daughter came in, the former carrying a rabbit. And despite being a bit hungry, she could not ignore her son's achievement. "He's opened his eyes, Alder. His opened his-" She stopped short when she noticed him crawling towards her. A smile stretched across her face. "That's a good boy, Bramble. That's it" she said in a softer voice.

It was difficult to keep up with her father, far more difficult than Rose ever could have imagined. And every now and then she would plop down on her rump believing herself to be utterly defeated before jumping back again up to chase after her sire. With this routine she eventually made it to another den's entrance and while many new scents invaded her nose, there was one distinct smell that the girl could not ignore. Milk.

At first Rose believed it to be her mother, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was in fact not. It didn't matter though, whoever this was had food and after her long journey Rose was starving. She wasted no time in shuffling herself over to the woman and doing her best to find a teat to suckle on. The other blobs within the den did not go unnoticed, but at the moment they simply weren't very interesting so the russet girl chose to ignore them. Food was a lot better than siblings anyway.

Alder payed less attention to Rose than he should have, but to his credit his massive paws slowed, even stopped, when her own tiny ones did. The breaks were usually brief and, while slightly annoying at the slow pace, rather cute.

He hadn't been there when the Chaspen Brood had opened their eyes, but it seemed for at least his youngest son, he could be.

                     "A strong boy, clearly. Good job, Bramble."

The boy seemed odd, but then again most newborns were, well.... Potatoes. The Brood had been painfully boring in their first weeks -- still were, a little -- yet the brute found himself tirelessly and endlessly working for them and his wife. Tail still wagging behind him, smile lighting his face, Alder reached slowly down to the boy, breathing a gush of hot air over the boys spine moments before reaching to smooth the lifted hairs. At this, his brow forrowed in worry, confusion -- had he been away from Heartha too long? Was he sick?

                                                                  "Is he cold?"

When he looked up to Heartha, however, he saw the little russet girl headed for her half-siblings nest. What she wanted was lost on the father, and he grunted in dissaproval before reaching his jaws out, intent on gently grasping the girl by the torso in order to bring her close to his own chest. There, she could stay out of trouble and be warm.... If he could only get her.

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A smile and praise.

The latter could not be heard, his ears still sealed shut, but the former was witnessed each and every time he lifted his head up to stare. It was all very exciting indeed, though he knew not why the greater mass was as thrilled as he. Was she experiencing the same sensation? Had the dull, pitiful world of the Earthly beings only just been revealed to her, too? There did not exist a way for him to ask, his inability to speak proving to be quite the hindrance. Someday he would utter his first words but, for now, there was only silence and nonsensical babbling filling the air around him. None of the other creatures were like his fairies, after all. They could not speak through his thoughts, nor could they pluck from his mind all of the words that seemed to whirl around within his skull. In comparison to his otherworldly friends, they were below average, capable of nothing more than simple actions and speech, whereas the lights could do so much more. They held his favour now and forever, especially since there was a beast lurking behind him that the living flesh had yet to chase away; had she not been there, the boy knew that his fairies would have. They could have gotten rid of the intruders, and would have, should the Prince have asked them to do so. Yet the opportunity to ask had never even been given to him, the collection of Earthbound entities keeping them away.

A hot breath fanned out over his back, which did little to ease his worried soul. Another shiver raced down his spine and then up again, panic gripping the child. Against his rib cage had his heart began to thump, mimicking a trapped animal as it beat itself bloody whilst searching for an escape. The monster had closed in on him, it wished to bring him harm, and the one that fed him had yet to do anything about it. His eyes grew wide, frightened, then pinched shut just as his mouth opened—with iron lungs, he screamed and screamed, relentless with his onslaught of noise so as to make sure that his terror was realized.

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Heartha couldn't get over her excitement. Her little boy could see. Perhaps not hear, but he could see. She was happy. She watched carefully as one of Aspen's approached. But Alder's question started to worry her. Had she not sensed something? Had she left him away from her warmth? She started to panick, not wanting to lose another. 

And then the screaming came. The loud, painful screaming that pierced at her ears. Her ears pinned back, her head flinching back. She didn't know that it was Alder breathing against that had caused it, and that terrified her. "Why is he screaming?!" she shouted over him, looking him over carefully. She needed a way to calm him. Immediately, she laid herself next to the boy, softly prodding him with her nose and running it across his back, as well as giving him some soothing licks over his head.

Just as she neared her reward, Rose felt the ever looming presence of her father overhead and with a quick glance behind confirmed that he was indeed reaching out to stop her. Not one to protest, the russet girl easily pressed her stomach to the ground and waited for her father to pick her up and sweep her away. Although upset at the fact that she couldn't get a meal, Rose refused to be negative and instead set her sights on another interesting object. It just so happen that this object was her brother, and the young princess was entranced by his newly opened eyes.

They were as beautiful as her other sibling's ocean orbs, but they remained no match for Rowan's striking scarlet gaze. Still, she was captivated by the little prince and scooted forward to take in his scent. However all that whining he was doing wasn't making it easy to like him. Tip toeing a few inches forward Rose observed the young boy carefully and watched for any sign that might show how to shut him up.