Redhawk Caldera New rule: you steal my baby, you get punched.

After parting ways with Raven, Towhee headed toward the Alpha pair's den. When she arrived, she was prepared to take up her usual post a few yards away, but something compelled her to come closer. She approached slowly, offering up a soft woof to let her godparents know she was there. She couldn't hear any sort of response, of course, so the Xi took the risk of popping her head inside the den. The worst thing that could happen was that @Finley or @Elwood would tell her to get lost, maybe bite her nose.

Nothing like that happened. Elwood must have stepped out because it was only Finley there with the four babies. The matriarch looked at Towhee but only offered a weary smile. The youth's tail waved as she bent forward to nudge Finley's cheek before she turned her attention upon the four squirming bundles tucked close to her godmother's flank. Towhee gingerly lowered herself to the den's floor to get a closer look, then gently sniffed @Lucca, @Clover, @Fiadh and @Tegan in turn. She knew their scents by now but it was so wonderful to actually see them, to get up close and personal like this.

As far as she knew, they couldn't see or hear right now, so Towhee didn't bother speaking or signing. She just focused on softly touching each of them, offering a little lick or nudge here and there, and trying to memorize every little detail of her new brothers and sisters.

She had been napping when Towhee entered the den. Lost within her sightless realm, Fiadh slept soundly until she was prodded. Unbeknownst to Towhee, Fiadh was a light sleeper. So when she woke, the tiniest of the litter let out a squeak of dissatisfaction as squirmed, her head swinging blindly from side to side as she sampled the air. Even with her brief annoyance in being woken, Fiadh now found herself curious to know who carried the off brand of her parent's scent. Though the smell was similar to Elwood and Finley, there was something about it that told the Tau that whoever hovered was not her mother or father.

Unlike Fiadh, the small girl named after a bear could sleep through anything—she was like a bear in hibernation—and so even when Towhee came to observe them, she continued to snooze. Not even Fiadh adjusting herself could rouse her; she continued to sleep deeply. Only a rough prod or three would wake her, if she was not feeling hungry. But she was a wonderfully sound sleeper otherwise.

They really didn't do much, Towhee observed, mostly because there wasn't a whole lot to them just yet. They were very small, with hidden eyes and ears so tiny they were nearly nonexistent. Their tails were short and stubby, their paws many times smaller than her own nose. They were teeny and precious. The Xi's protective instincts seemed to increase tenfold even as she lay there with them.

I'll never let anyone or anything harm you, the teenager thought fiercely toward the tiny foursome. She glanced at Finley, who appeared to be snoozing, before one of the pups captured her attention. It was one of the little girls and she appeared to be sniffing the air. Gently, Towhee leaned forward to touch her nose to the pup's much tinier schnoz.

In reaction to when Towhee leaned in to make contact, Fiadh responded with a mewl. Despite her surprise, as she had not been expecting the touch, the Tau fancied the way that Towhee's nose felt. The feeling was similar to how she felt after a cleaning, which was one of her favorite feelings, and to savor the sensation; the girl leaned into the touch and exhaled happily.

To any onlooker, the moment between Fiadh and Towhee would be adorable. But Clover missed it all in the throes of sleep, and if she dreamed she dreamt of milk and the warmth her family brought her. Ah, warmth... Clover did wake when she felt a particular warmth possess her entirely as her mother cleaned her. She was moved to a new, dry spot that was still quite warm. But something alarmed Clover, and she lay there, suddenly quite stiff. Seconds later the reason was revealed: a mighty sneeze came forth, so powerful that she scooted backward half an inch.

She didn't hear the mewl, though she saw the pup's mouth move as she leaned into the touch. Towhee smiled, then glanced upward when Finley stirred. She was cleaning another of the little girls and the Xi watched, fascinated, as the puppy sneezed suddenly. It took her a moment to realize what had happened (without the sound to give her a hint). When she did, her eyes crinkled in merriment.

"Well, that was cute as crap," she said, mostly to Finley, who took the time to quickly give each pup's name before closing her eyes again. Appreciating the implicit trust being shown, Towhee curled even more tightly around the puppies, touching her nose to Fiadh's again before reaching out and nosing along Clover's tiny little spine.

Being the ripe age that she was, Fiadh's attention was dictated by what was immediately around her. As she aged, and she acquired more of her basic senses, she would find her attention divided between what was near and what was far. As Clover was not in her immediate bubble, Fiadh failed to realize what was going on. With Towhee's attention turned, and nothing really to do, the child wriggled closer to her mother. 

It was as she wriggled that her attention was drawn again as her nose was touched. Pausing suddenly, Fiadh attempted to pinpoint where the one that had made contact with her. Of course, being that she couldn't see or hear, it was rather hard for her to do this, but regardless of this she did her best to try.

Having the same mental constitution, at the time, of her sister, Clover soon forgot all about the hellish sneeze she had produced. She prepared to snooze again when something touched her back. Clover mimicked Fiadh, her head turning to the side as she stretched forth. She sought something not within her reach. Sometimes, though, when she did this, things came to her—it was like magic to the blind and deaf Clover.

The little girls squirmed beneath her touch, inquisitive despite their limited senses. Someday soon, their eyes would open and she could begin communicating with them properly, introducing them to the rest of the world along with their parents and the rest of the family. Towhee would've been happy to let them crawl all over her in the meantime, though for now her scent in their noses would have to suffice as they were still so small and fragile.

Soon Finley was tugging them closer to her breast to nurse. Towhee knew that eating would make them bigger and stronger. She couldn't wait. But she was content to simply stay close by and watch them for now. They might not be doing anything exciting at the moment but that did nothing to dampen her excitement over them nonetheless, her excitement to be the best older sister of all time.

I figure that's a wrap? I'd love (a) new one(s) soon! :)