Blackfeather Woods Atanniutivigivâ

Translation: Advises him. Set before his thread with Starbuck. For Keelut, @Atshen, @Astrid & @Abraxas

Following his daily patrol, the Inuk had ventured deep into the territory. To his children he’d yet to return, allowing himself a break from them. Whilst he was happy whenever he saw them, to have a moment to himself every now and again was also pleasant. And so he’d wandered, slowing to a stop only after he’d spotted one of the many entrances to the tunnels down below. It’d been a great while since he’d last traversed them, so, of course, he’d proceeded towards the opening and sniffed around. Rather than going inside, however, he’d lingered there, debating whether or not he should call for someone of the pack, perhaps even one of his children. Going through the tunnels alone wasn’t the least bit exciting, after all, and he needed to teach the Apaata children how to navigate them anyways.

At last he was given some freedom, and the pale child took the chance to find his way to an unknown place. He did not mind whether his brothers and sister followed, but he had Anna by his side and she was always more entertaining than the rest. But suddenly she stirred away from him, forcing the barely-stable pup to trip over and roll down to a stop. "Inittik! Namut?" he barked as he got back up to chase after her, who raced her way across the forest of dark and unknown. But Anna knew what she was doing, it seemed, for the way across the mantle of vegetation was easy on her paws. She led the boy to his father, and the sight of him made the middle child joyful. "Atâtak!" he squealed, and raced up to him with a crazy wag of tail.

It had become a job for the tiny girl to keep an eye on her wandering brother- not wanting what had happened days ago to happen again. He would not wander without her amazing self with him, unless dad or mom took him along. Today was no different. As soon as the other pup got to his feet and followed something unseen by her, she was quick to rise too. She followed his tiny bum outside, curious as to what he was planning and to whom he was talking. When the boy tripped and stumbled, Astrid stood there staring at him for a moment, watching him somewhat go insane. A grin painted itself on her young face and she let out a chuckle. When he started to move again, she followed suit until the white frame of father came into view.

Âta! She screeched in her young, girly, squeaky voice. She "sprinted" towards her father, arriving only a little later than her brother.  

The boy seldom spoke in the tongue of his father, mainly in spite for the man was always the one to scold him, unlike his mother who let him wander and bite and do fun things, not sit him down and tell him to learn silly words that made his ears hurt and his brow furrow. However, it was truly his arrogance that refused to let him earn the patience to even try, and for that he stuck to his mother's common language as default and preference; only speaking his father's weird tongue in the presence of his insufferable siblings. From a very early age, he had come to acknowledge his place as the eldest of them all, a sense of dominance about him for as he was he oldest, he had grown the biggest. Mother had often reminded him of his place, a reminder that he was to act in the way he was expected, a light way of scolding him while teaching him to control his behavior. Unknown to her, this method of correcting was not at all efficient; boosting his already inflated ego by the simple notion that he was the best, and he was to be respected as other's bowed to Mother herself. 

However, something about the call of his father that day intrigued him; otherwise he would have simply ignored the beckoning and gone off to stalk his mother instead. Perhaps it was simple boredom, otherwise, the opportunity to perhaps trip one of his multiple siblings in a public setting; who knew? The boy walked without haste to meet his father, though unlike the rest of the brood, at first he did not rush up to them like any other desperate child. However, when the notion came to mind that whatever his father had summoned him for may be a task of great importance that may further establish his place as head-sibling, the boy barreled past his sister, almost purposefully shoving her to the side as did he to his brother; coming to stand before his father with a light wag of his tail. Atshen paid little mind to the feelings of his siblings nor the unacceptance of his actions at times, figuring, they were his younger brothers and sister anways; they had to do what he said as Mother bossed around everyone else too. 

he followed, expression dismal and silent, blue eyes the only spark of brightness in his slate features. he was rather handsome for a pup, though he had no knowledge of this; nor would he have cared. his siblings streamed away in a fast paced current, he a silent sentential in the back of the pack, gaze turned towards his father though he did not utter a sound. He was the only one of his siblings to not speak yet, it seemed; the only one to not seem interested in tank nor place. he sat but a little ways away, watching his father cooly a moment before his gaze slipped to the mouth of the tunnel, interest evident in his features.

Minutes had passed before he’d suddenly been bombarded by puppies, his thoughts alone having seemingly been enough to summon them all. The first to arrive had been Keelut, who was followed by his sister. Both whelps were greeted individually, the Inuk having pressed his nose to the tops of their foreheads one at a time. The peace hadn’t lasted for very long, however, for barreling towards the small group had come Atshen. It was clear in the way that he presented himself that he’d been the first to leave the womb, his behavior often reminding his father of Alexander; like the dark child, the albino had been the first to be born in his litter. Given the way in which his eldest son had grown, Kove felt the need to be a bit more strict with the newest firstborn. Thus, he’d made an effort to correct the boy’s bad behavior by nipping at his muzzle and giving a stern look. For now, no drastic measures had been taken, primarily due to the fact that all of the other children were there—he’d noticed Abraxas’ approach—and he didn’t want them to witness their brother’s punishment.

Focusing back on the matter at hand, his fiery gaze proceeded to glide over each of the pups, regarding the foursome with a smile. “You four will be learning how to navigate the tunnels today,” he began, using the common tongue. It was rare for him to not speak the language of his family when around them, but he was making an exception for this task alone. “The tunnels are tricky, though. If you do not pay attention, you could become lost or even drown.” He couldn’t let that happen. Four living children would be going in, and so four living children needed to then come back out. “If any of you act out and stop listening, the lesson will be ended and we will all go home immediately,” the father warned. “Do you all understand?” He would not hesitate to stop the journey right away, and then leave the miscreant to explain to their siblings exactly why they hadn’t listened.

Astrid was alright. She was bossy, of course, sometimes even annoyingly so, but she was better than Atshen. That lil shite was just a pain in the ass. And today was not the day that would change, no, he was just as painfully bothersome as every day, and he barreled through Keelut and his sister to greet dad like the cocky lil bitch he was.

/rant

But anyways, the day was still great! Keelut's frown and lil growl stopped as soon as Dad started explaining they were going to traverse the tunnels for the first time, learn how to navigate them, and there could be nothing more awesome than that. He squealed from the happiness and his tail went helicopter mode behind him for a moment. The tunnels were strange places full of dangerous and magical creatures... Or at least that was what the whispers said.

With her head held high, she sat in front of her father when her brothers also came to see what was going on. She felt loved by the tiny bit of attention she had gotten from her father when her eldest brother came running up. Oh hell no would he shove HER away like that. She "growled" at him as he pushed his way to the front and snapped his way a few times. He may have been the eldest, but that did not give him the right to act like this. Oh, what a hypocrite she was.

When her father spoke again (reacting as angered as she at Athsen's behavior) he got her full attention. The tunnels! How exciting! Âha tagga. She nodded proudly.

It was with more than a flicker of excitement that the boy learned of today's agenda, though none of this he showed as he dipped his head in a slight nod, showing that yes, he understood. Obeying was another matter entirely, though he would probably do so, as long as it was interesting. The tunnels had drew him for a long while, and now, he was finally to enter them. His eyes were focused solely on the entrance, and impatient he was.

Atshen’s actions were swiftly corrected.The child’s ear fell flat as Kove dove his muzzle forward to deliver a sharp nip to the Spiderling’s muzzle. His eyes blazed at this, his tail lashing, but he knew better than to lash out now. He’d get his revenge in due time, he was sure. The heat of the moment was still fresh as the Conjurer went on to explain the task for this day.

Despite the excitement he felt, he could not get past the anger he felt. Instead of drawing his eyes to the tunnel, they lingered on their father, waiting for his father's next move angrily.

Each child had shown interest in the tunnels in their own way—with the exception of Atshen. Clouded by his childish anger, he’d done nothing more than glare, which the elder Inuk held. As fire clashed, he’d growled lowly, warning the boy; the fact that the other children were there no longer mattered, he’d still punish his son right there in front of them. “Taima,” the man stated dryly. For now, his body remained as still as a statue, though within there was a storm brewing. All that he’d gone through with Alexander was still fresh in his mind and, even though he loved his son dearly, he didn’t want to go through that again. “Inittik, paggiak anânaket,” had been added, his tone just as curt as before. If he refused to show respect to his elders, then he would not be rewarded with a tour of the tunnels—simple as that, and Kove would not cave.

Looking to the other children, he’d nodded his head and motioned for them to follow, then began moving into the tunnel. “Keep close to me, or else you’ll be lost forever,” warned the father. Perhaps he was overreacting a bit, but, then again, it was a very real possibility. “There aren’t many places where you can see the further in we go, so you guys will have to use your other senses.” Within the tunnels, most everyone was blind, and so they’d needed to come up with other ways to navigate. Said methods would be taught to his children, that way they’d be able to use the underground system just as well as everyone else. “Keelut, tell me what you smell. Astrid, what do you hear?” he glanced over his shoulder, able to see them still, but not for much longer. “Abraxas and Atshen,”—assuming he hadn't run off—“what do you two feel?” Pausing, he’d waited to hear what their answers might be. Said replies would lead into the next part of their lesson, where he would inform them of what to keep an ear (or nose) out for.

It wasn't without a grin that Keelut observed his brother being reprimanded by their father. A nip at his muzzle, and then no less than a direct scolding had been issued, and glee eyes danced between the fire in both their set of angry eyes as the confrontation unraveled before him. A giggle came easily, which Keelut did not put any effort to restrain, but when the attention was driven once more towards the tunnels, the kid made his best to focus on his father's instructions.

Their senses were to be used, all but sight, which Keelut found rather interesting. Even in the dark, Keelut's eyes kept looking for his brother's angry face with a giggle. He'd just been scolded, it was hard not to mock him for it. But he was truly making an effort to do what he'd been told.

His cold, wet nose sought the floor, the walls, and the air around him. It was damp, musty and earthy all around him, all scents he knew from the spiderlings' glen, but Keelut was looking for new scents to guide him. "Inalukak Anak..?" Keelut resolved to announce to his dad with a light chuckle. Bats were everywhere, and so were their wastes, but despite the fetid trail of poop and the eerie cries ahead, Keelut couldn't ignore the strong sense of calm all around him and he couldn't wait to go deeper to see what else he could find.

She did not feel sorry for her oldest brother. He had acted out and was called out on it, there was nothing else to it. She had hoped to see a bigger punishment, just for entertainment, but it seemed humiliating  him in front of his siblings was more the style of their father. She followed him into the tunnels when he motioned for it, and immediately felt something eerie about this place. It was as dark as her pelt and as quiet as Abraxas - luckily it wasn't as annoying as Atshen, otherwise she might've left right there and then. No, this place was calming, even if it did smell rather strange. 

Screeches. She answered honestly, not finding this the time for jokes like Keelut did. The echos of our voices. She followed, "looking" around the best she could. Dripping? She questioned a bit later, not sure if she was imagining the water-y sounds ahead. 

Last post from Atshen-- please skip him moving forward!

When Atshen was given an ultimatum, he took advantage and seized the opportunity. With a heavy sigh, Atshen turned from the group and stalked away without another word as headed back to the family's den and, presumably, where he assumed Nemesis would be. He did not offer any parting words, nor a glance. Instead, as usual, Atshen remained to himself.

Wrapping this up with a lil PP, since it’s pretty old. Hope you guys don’t mind!

Atshen’s departure hadn’t gone unnoticed, but the Inuk refused to stop him. After allowing the boy to leave, he focused on the children that had chosen to remain, offering them praise after their answers were given. “Very good, you are each right,” he commented, then proceeded to take several steps forward. As Kove led them through the tunnels, he would explain to them what he knew about the various parts, as well as answer any questions that they may have. Then, when at last their journey would be brought to an end, he’d lead the trio back out into the world above ground. There he would praise them once again for their good behavior, before dismissing the children and settling down just outside of the tunnel; there he could relax, as well as feel some sort of connection to his eldest son, who Kove had never been able to lead through the tunnels.