Lost Creek Hollow wait, what? did you say 'eat people?' are you a cannibal, caleb?

so, the ears came shortly after the eyes, which was kinda cool but also entirely unexpected. aengus was basically just turning into a superhero and he was on the fast track to being the most powerful one out of all of his siblings. it only made sense, of course. aengus was the strongest and the best looking out the lot of them.
 
his discovery of hearing was definitely more exciting than eyesight had been. instead of morphing blobs, the young pup had heard the sounds of birds chirping outside of the family den. he had been completely shocked by this. on wobbly limbs, he trekked closer to the mouth of the den and peered upward with better eyesight than he’d had before. he searched the stretch of blue sky that seemed to go on forever. the sound of the birds still filled the air like nature’s music.

She had been keeping a close eye on her newest siblings lately (sometimes even having no choice but, as Liffey left them in her and her father's care occassionally to go stretch her legs). Their teeny size and strange noises made her nervous, but Deshyr was determined to be a good babysitter. No. The best babysitter! Rannoch had been teaching her each of their little quirks (at least as much as each one had formed in their few short days on this earth) and needs, and she was beginning to get the hang of it.

Her parents had left her in charge again while they were out doing adult things, leaving Deshyr to idly lay just outside the den, peering intently at its dark opening. Nothing had really happened within the past hour (she had been told they were sleeping), and the girl almost felt herself drift off before a sudden movement caught her attention. She immediately sat up straight. A small, wobbly potato had materialised out of the void of the den and now sat, wide-eyed and staring up at the wide open sky above. Aengus, she was pretty sure this one was. They all really just looked like brown blobs with nubs for feet at the moment, if she was being completely honest.

"Oh, hey little buddy, what're you doing out here?" she greeted, wiggling forwards and falling to her stomach in front of her brother.

excuse you, deshyr. that's the supreme and most handsome brown blob with nubs for feet, to you! the audacity of elder siblings... at least he was getting some attention, though. better yet, he was getting attention that he didn't have to share with his lame-o siblings. lumpy and the silver nuggets could rest unaware beneath the warmth of their mother while aengus ventured out on his own. if he had the ability to speak, he would have recounted his tales with far too many exaggerations attached.

the sound of a voice caused the boy to turn his eyes toward a figure he'd not noticed yet. a squeak fell from his lips and the rotund little monster inched toward the figure, seeking the warmth that they would provide. the world was still pretty cold, after all, and he was not yet big enough to regulate his heat so that he did not shiver when he was on his own.

Oh! It had taken him a moment, but suddenly the boy focused on her and a tiny little noise squeaked out from his tiny puppy lungs. Deshyr beamed, laying her muzzle almost flat against the ground as he waddled his way towards her. She wiggled forward herself a couple more inches just so her brother wouldn't be too exposed out here in the elements, away from the warmth and safety of the den. She wasn't the anxious sort, but she didn't want to take any chances with her baby siblings. Especially this most handsomest one.

As he reached her, Deshyr excitedly (and perhaps with a bit too much vigour) leaned forward to touch the tip of her nose against his smushed in little face.

"Boop!"

after his trek across the vast stretch of earth, aengus was pretty beat. he didn't imagine that he could inch any further, but he had managed to reach the warmth of his older sister. it was here that he opened his mouth in a wide yawn and poked his nose at her, hoping that it would give him some insight as to where it was that he was headed. when he'd found the cold touch of her nose, he recoiled in a surprised manner and sneezed a wicked little sneeze for a body as small as his was.

the boop had been enough to incite some playfulness in him. he might have tuckered himself out, but he felt like he could work up some juice to show off his sick muscles. there was an attempt to rear back on his hind legs – give her the full display, y'know? - but all he managed to do was to plop down on his rear end in an anticlimactic gesture. then, he blinked confusedly and stared up at his larger sibling with doleful eyes.

Thankfully, she hadn't sent her little brother flying off like a ragdoll right back into the den, but it did however cause him to sneeze. The adorable noise was too much for Deshyr, who let out a squee of delight that dissolved into a fit of barely stifled giggles (she was mostly trying to stay quiet, not wanting to disturb the rest of the litter). Behind her, her tail thumped on the ground excitedly as she shuffled forwards even more, her front half almost taking up the entirety of the mouth of the den.

Fascinated and completely enamoured with her baby sibling, the older Frostfur watched as he seemed to reignite with energy and reared back like a tiny, chubby dragon about to spit a fireball her way. Except he wasn't too successful with his imitation. Instead, the boy fell back onto his haunches before giving her a dejected look that broke her heart. "No, wait, don't be sad!" she exclaimed as if he could understand. "Try again, 'Gus!"

In an effort to help him succeed in...whatever he was trying to do, Deshyr reached out a paw with an encouraging smile and rested it beside the dark puppy, for him to use as a support.

um, i just fell on my fat ass sister... i'm gonna be sad for a second, he likely would have responded to her if he could understand a word of what she had been saying. instead, he peered at her with wide baby blue eyes and did what he could to catch what she was saying. she was very encouraging, which was a plus. it was one of those moments that set the foundation for what he would grow into. with the help of his sister, aengus wiggled himself back to his paws and looked at her with a deep breath.

she reached out a paw to assist him, and he extended his neck to touch it softly with his little nose. she smelled nice to him. it was a different scent than what he was used to, but it didn't make it any less pleasant. the little bull opened his mouth in a wide yawn before he looked up at her face with a happy expression. from there, aengus attempted his feat of strength again. he pulled himself back onto his hind legs and reared up like a stallion. once he had managed the balancing act, he was overcome with excitement and nearly topped again. were it not for the safety of his sister's paw, he would have surely eaten the dirt.

She was certain her little brother had no idea what she was saying (or even what she was doing), but she sensed some sort of understanding as he looked up at her with those baby blues. She beamed back at him, watching as he seemed to ready himself for attempt number two. Here goes.

After a wide yawn and one last adorable little smile up at her, Aengus then reared back in an almighty display, his big puppy paws flailing about as he sought for balance in a battle against gravity and his own strength (and girth). To her delight, her brother managed to stay upright and did not bring shame upon the Frostfur name.

"Yaaay, you did it, bud!" she cried as he triumphantly collapsed onto her outstretched paw. With her other one, Deshyr leaned forward and — as gently as she could — gave him a congratulatory pat on the head.

that was the expression of sheer triumph, dear sister. aengus might not have fully understood it, but he had been flooded with a feeling of extreme pride at his own capability. while he may have been rounder than his other siblings, all it meant was that he had more substance to turn into muscle, right? at least, that would be what he would set out to prove. the coming months would certainly be kind to him. growth would allow him to find his own strengths and to improve on those as he aged. the only thing that might not have progressed as well was his brain, but that was a subject that could be touched on at a later time.
 
after his great display of ability, aengus was pretty tuckered out. he yawned again and peered up at his sister with watering blue eyes. with a soft squeak, the little bull inched his way toward her and found a warm spot where her coat was thickest. it was there that he nestled his puppy snoot into her cloak and breathed a quiet sigh. nap time, bitch.

It seemed his grand feat had worn him out entirely. Deshyr's proud smile faded as her brother yawned, tired eyes turned upon her as he began to worm his way into her coat in an effort to find a comfy place. Nooo, you can't be tired yet! She still wanted to play and be the cool older sister! She wanted to watch him do more awesome puppy things! But sleep came quick to the exhausted Aengus, and soon he was nestled at her elbow, snoring softly.

Deshyr looked down at him, defeated. Her front half was in the den, while the other half was sticking out for all to see, but she was stuck with a tiny puppy using her as a pillow. With a sigh, the girl accepted that this was her life now, and positioned her head beside her brother, giving him a few licks on the head for good measure before settling and peering into the darkness of the den. Well, at least this way no puppies would be able to escape while her rump blocked the entirety of the entrance.