Neverwinter Forest I'm back in town

He'd caught yet another rabbit -- how unsurprising! -- and this one was assigned to be brought to @Miriam. Mal suspected he'd get his usual silent treatment from her, but @Asmoses and @Liliana seemed like they were getting more lively day by day. He needed to try to start interacting with them, especially if Miriam really hadn't said no. It was just weird for him to drop food and run. He was their father. So either she needed to tell him to buzz off proper or he was gonna be a part of their lives. That's just how it was!

Things seemed to be quiet this day, and the three grey wolves that lived inside were relatively still shadows for the moment. He couldn't tell if Miriam was asleep or just tucked so her head wasn't towards him, but it wasn't like Mal was being ultra sneak mode or anything. So, he brought the rabbit and tucked it in the entry where he normally left things, but this time he lay down in the tunnel, sphinx-like, tailtip flicking more like a cat's than a wolf's, waiting to see what would happen.

somehow, liliana managed to wriggle her way onto amma's ribcage, resting atop the flurry of bones as a princess might her throne. she had been resting there for quite some time, content with the added warmth, until being disturbed by the familiar scent of her father. 

her head slowly lifted from outstretched paws as she opened her eyes, still largely unseeing. liliana called for him with several small peeps, then rolled to crawl toward the shape outside of their den. she tumbled down her mother's side, bumped into asmoses along the way, then lay there motionless to wait for an adult's assistance.

I'm still cool with the others joining too!

He didn't know to what degree the pups would still be helpless. He hadn't interacted with Caerus when he'd been that young. Basically once he was crawling about freely and able to see, that was when Mal really was able to interact, before that he was way too freaked out by Cupid to try.

But just because he didn't have a clue didn't mean that he was going to totally just ignore her. The pup that had slowly wiggled into existence out of Miriam's ribcage -- and then promptly rolled off. Mal actually found it rather distressing, finding himself on his feet and moving up to make sure she was okay. She was just still which was so weird, so he had to get his nose right on up to her, sniffing for any sign of injury, and not seeming to find any, giving her a couple of licks.

His ears were folded back on his head, half-expecting Miriam to whip around and try to chew off his nose -- but he needed to make sure Liliana was okay!

liliana released a comical sigh, opening her mouth wide to expel a child's woe. she enjoyed the closeness of her father (really!) but he smelled different from amma, smelled like an outside which she had hardly seen yet. rather than grateful, she seemed largely indifferent, lying there in silence to allow him some leverage.

Yeah. She was fine. He couldn't wait until the pups were all larger and more active -- it'd be much more enjoyable to be able to play with them then worry so much about whether or not they'd been hurt. It was just easier on his poor ol' noggin to not have to think that hard about it because when you got right down to it, his whole life was just playing things by ear. Either way, he'd try to make sure that Liliana was right way up if needed, and close to pointing the direction she probably should be -- and he was very careful about it, hesitant to use his teeth if just a nudge with his nose would do. He was probably being too careful.

there's no such thing as 'too careful', liliana might have assured him.. if she could speak, anyway. she obliged his efforts to reposition her upright with a soft chirrup of appreciation. he could hang around if he wanted, perhaps spend the rest of his time with @Asmoses, but liliana's attention would be focused elsewhere — her mother's boob.

If nobody else wants to join I'll archive at some point!

There. That was better. Betterish. Something. But he felt like he was doing a good job here at least. Maybe. Well, he tried, you know? But now both little gray bundles were tucked against their mother and he backed up a moment, crouching down again. He'd just watch, just a little bit to make sure they were fine -- ready to scatter the instant Miriam did anything that suggested he should scram or until he decided it really was all ok. He really wished he had a better idea of what he was doing when kids were this small.