Moonspear 25 days

backdated to when buppies are 25 days old!!! @Altair @Mintaka @Mira @Caelum and open to the rest of the pack, too, if they want to join in and meet buppies! Not mandatory since this isn't rendezvous den shift. Also, joining quality post challenge for June and only writing up to 100 words this post! So... forgive choppy bluntness while I experiment >_> 

 

As with her last brood, something, instinctively, seemed to shift and click. Hydra could not say what, exactly, it was... only that something had changed. And so when the sun lowered some, and Hydra woke from a nap, she looked to her still-slumbering cubs and rose to all fours to slip outside the den. After a quick investigation of their immediate surroundings and determining there was no threat, she returned to the denmouth and lay down, placing her chin upon her forelegs. There, she waited for them to rouse so they might join her.

Mira was the first to rise, twitching her ears and blinking one eye open slowly. The other had swollen shut and was tightly closed. The serpent found her footing, and settled herself into a seat on her haunches, gazing toward her dark mother with blue fire, silent. What did she want of her children now?

The shifting sounds of her mother and sister stirred Mintaka, and the little silver pup rubbed one paw across her eyes before opening them. She got to her paws and padded over to Hydra, blinking blearily and fur messy from sleep. Tired, but still willing to get up and be part of whatever was going on.

Hydra beckoned Mintaka near to her side so that they might watch the sky together while she worked toward wakefulness. Mira's eye, though, became priority. Hydra called to @Lyra so that her sister might be able to get a better look at it herself, before gently pulling the dark cub to her chest to begin to groom her. Hydra was marginally gentler near the girls eye, though paid attention to that area in particular to cleanse it of crust and whatever else might be there and to perhaps even aid it in opening, if that were possible.

He opened his eyes and blinked as he looked around. The dark child yawned and stretched his legs, taking his time to get up as he sleepily looked around. He watched as his mother fussed over his sister and looked at his other sister, eyesight still a little blurry as he tried to get used to this newfound power. Sleepily he smacked his lips and looked inquisitively at his mother, waiting to see what was going on.

When Caelum had stirred not far from him, he roused too.

Groggily Altair took in his surroundings to find that they hadn’t changed much, though this time it was MOTHER who rested near the denmouth over any other sitter to their mounting conquest of the world deemed as outside. It was hard to resist now, something calling at him just in the way it had the others—the desire to know where his parents and his keepers went was just as tempting as any morsel they could put their mouths around.

He stretched slow, a yawn splitting his features as he rose to investigate this change of pace too, though it was safe to say that he desired attention just as much as he was already plotting to catch another glimpse of that vast world beyond. His approach was still in a waking mode as he pawed for MOTHER, but his focus betrayed that he wanted attention at all.

The birds called out there, and he listened to him with a weak pat to her leg.

squeaking this in here, if i hold it up feel free to powerplay him kit

As much as she hated her limited vision, she hated being touched even moreso. A low rumble sounded from deep in her chest- one of annoyance. Crusted bits were taken away from the edges of her eye, but ultimately it remained shut tightly, if only because she would not allow herself to open it- too painful still. From the inner corner wetness leaked as it had the first time it had been damaged, and her ears flattened against her head, uncomfortable.

Woooooow, it was pretty outside the den. Mintaka ooohed as she looked up at the sky, but was momentarily distracted by Hydra's fussing over Mira and their brothers' waking. Mintaka padded over to her sister and licked at her closed eye, clumsily, trying to help clean it up. She could do stuff, too!

Hydra assumed that Lyra would come sooner rather than later, but she had yet to arrive; no doubt she had gone to pick some herbs in her own spare time, now. She stopped cleaning Mira's eye gunk when she felt she had done enough for it, for now, and nipped at her cheek gently in playful rebuttal toward her growl. Mira would learn that sometimes, things such as this were necessary evils in this lifetime... much like her mother herself was one.

One by one her children made it from the mouth of the whelping den, emerging from it into their new outside world. New for them, in any case. The matriarch had ensured that the territory surrounding them was safe enough for them, but also that it was not without its own obstacles for them to overcome. Nothing that could kill them, of course. 

Hydra squinted at the wetness in the corner of Mira's eye, though the scent of it was not alarming to her. Lyra had taught her enough for her to know when she ought to be more concerned, but she felt now was not that time. Altair pawed at her, and Hydra moved to hold one paw within her mouth before pushing him gently down to nose his vulnerable stomach, a growl employing his siblings to aid her in this cause of giving him attention through whatever means they saw fit.

Not much direction came from their mother. Caelum just looked at her for the longest time, seeming to be focused on her. It was hard to tell whether he was simply watching her because he liked her or he was zoning out, or if he was waiting for some kind of direction from her. He just stared at her for the longest time as she fussed over his sister.

Eventually, after maybe thirty seconds -- an unusual amount for a young child to be focused on one single thing -- he turned away and looked around outside, trying to figure out what they were supposed to be doing.

A gentle nip to her cheek, and then Mira was being hustled out the den. Her one working eye squinted at the bright sunlight that surrounded them now... she did not like it, and was not good at hiding the grimace on her face. Though she wished to return to the den, she would bear this hell however long it was necessary until her mother might be satisfied. For now she sat still, not as eager to run and play as siblings might be, only wishing this might be over sooner rather than later.

Brother-cameo!

 

Osiris had been nearby, protecting the area surrounding @Hydra's whelping den. The sound of movement drew his attention towards the cave, and soon enough, he spotted his mother and siblings. Upon first glance, as he realized how tiny they all were, he was mesmerized for a moment as he watched them waddle into sight.  

"Mother," Osiris woofed after a moment, as he dared to take a step forward. He had been taught to keep his distance, and he had every intention of abiding by the instruction.  Osiris lowered himself to the ground then with his ears slicked back, and his gaze averted; he was not a threat. 

"Can... I come visit?" he asked, licking his chops nervously.