Dragoncrest Cliffs Cordierite

for @Sequoia, but all babies/daddies welcome <3 it's a wee bit early for them to be outside but... whatever...

portia stretched out just outside her den, three children snuggled up inside. dalia too sat inside with the children, as usual, acting as a babysitter when portia needed to leave the den or simply be outside. of course, portia didn't go too far for too long nowadays awayway-- not with this leg. the best she could do was the beach, which truthfully was more than enough for the mother. her urge to travel and explore had died young, which perhaps was not such a bad thing-- as she had a family to tend to.

to stretch out in front of her boulder in the sun was plenty for portia. she basked in it's warmth, her tail tapping slowly and gently against the earth, eyes closed. a good day.

for reference! portia's den looks somethin similar to this-- (: -- but with more trees around it, as drageda's territory is covered in trees!!!!

In a very short three weeks, Sequoia had gone from a blob to something resembling an itsy-bitsy wolf. Her eyes had opened, she had started eating things other than milk, and just a day prior, her ears had really opened up. None of these things were all at once, mind you. Her eyes opening had been a painfully slow process, letting in a little bit more light over the course of two or three days. Now, though, her eyesight was fairly good, the sounds seemed less muffled, and she had actually started to crave solid food from time to time.

Seq ambled her way out of the puppy pile, presently attempting to crawl on top of her mother. The going was slow, but so long as Portia didn't move around too much, Sequoia was pretty sure she could swing it. She was determined to explore as far as her little body would let her.

As Sequoia unfurled herself from her litter-mates, the only boy cracked a baby blue eye open to peer up at her. She seemed to take no notice of her watchful brother, instead turning her attention to the glorious world that lay just beyond their family's den. Dacio lifted his charcoal-tipped crown from atop @Opalia's shoulders to observe his piebald sister's venture into the unknown and, as she toddled out of his line of sight, chose to follow.

Desperate not to be last one out, the sterling pup gathered himself and clumsily hurried to the cave's mouth with a frustrated "rrrr," before stomping into the sunshine to march right up to his mother in demand of her attention.

"mother, they're coming," came dalia's voice from the den, rousing portia from her peaceful state. sure enough, as the fisa raised her head to look, out tumbled her piebald baby and not far behind her little gray baby. dalia watched for a few more moments before settling at the mouth of the den, keeping an eye on opalia, who was (for now) still inside. 

"hello babies," portia cooed, first to sequoia, who was pawing at her side trying to use her as a rock wall. she was mostly succeeding, but portia was such a small wolf so it wasn't too big a challenge. try climbing dio, sheesh. her attention turned to dacio, who looked grumpy and pouty. "what?" she asked with a broad smile, since the look of agitation on her sons face was far more adorable than it was concerning, "do you need something, hun?"

Vibrations that now came with a second sensation—sound—shook Sequoia's body as her mother spoke. Her head screwed one way, then the other as her ears tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. She couldn't quite tell, but that would come with practice. As a puppy, most of her life was practicing skills she wasn't very good at yet (aside from eating... she was very good at that).

Her grip slipped, and off she slid to the ground, grunting as she did so. The "fall," if it could even be called that, had been a slow one, and she had landed softly on the earth. Undeterred, she attempted another round of climbing up her mother's side, curious to see what was on the other side.

Just as Dacio prepared to shove his frowny face all up in his mother's business, she cooed happily to her beloved offspring and at once, the reason behind his frustration was lost to him. He transformed into a tiny, little fluffy grey bundle of happy wiggles as he padded comically toward her, fuzzy black tail whipping the air as he moved in to greet her with a flurry of kisses to an outstretched forelimb.

"Rrrruff," he barked, content, as he climbed over Portia's legs to press himself snug against her chest. Dacio maintained his focus on her, adoration gleaming in his baby blue eyes as he beamed up at her with the brightest of smiles to mimic the one she shared for him.

sequoia slipped off, slowly and without any injury, of course, but portia's head still turned quickly. not wanting to deter her from doing what she so desired-- but also a bit fearful she'd hurt herself-- portia craned her neck to give sequoia a slight boost onto her back via her rump, retreating to view her daughter to make sure she was stable. "be careful, hun," she said softly, smile on her lips as always, before looking back at dacio, who demanded her attention as always. he kissed at an outstretched paw before plopping himself against her chest. portia gazed down at him lovingly, and he did the same. 

oh, those puppy eyes-- portia was such a sucker for them-- but who wasn't? 

"oh baby baby," she purled, bending to kiss him softly before using her non-crippled leg to curl around him, keeping him nice and safe where he was. and then she glanced back at sequoia, curious what her daughter was thinking of the world from a new vantage point.

After that bit of a tumble, Sequoia was content to snuggle right up against her mother, breathing in the warmth and good feelings that emanated from each and every one of her family members. In no less than thirty seconds, Sequoia was fast asleep, making quiet whimpering sounds as she dreamt of simple puppy things.

Last post for me so I can start some fresh new threads. :)

Happy to fade this here if you are, @Portia.   :)

He stared up at his mother with utmost adoration, and smiled happily as she met his gaze with vivid peridot eyes. Portia's smile was infectious and, as always, lit up his whole world, so the boy brightened considerably. The corners of his mouth turned upward, revealing fresh milk teeth in a cheerful grin.

His love for her was endless, and Dacio welcomed her embrace as she swept him close to her in a wolfish hug. Forgetting Sequoia entirely, the ashen Goufa buried his darkened muzzle among the pale fur of his mother's fur to coo contently against her warmth and bask in her affection.

portia cooed gently at both of her babies-- both who decided that a quick cat nap was appropriate. she couldn't agree more. the piebald fisa gave each pup a gentle touch to the head with her snout before getting comfy. she tucked her paws around dacio and curled her tail and hind legs around sequoia, giving both pups a little bit of security, before she tucked her own nose in her chest and relaxed.