Sawtooth Spire gespenstisch

if he was to travel, something to be settled at a later time, mahler would not pass the opportunity to visit the sunflower cubs, as he thought of them. today their grim-faced father brought a length of bone with a hanging hoof still attached. they were young for it yet, he supposed, but @Nyx was nothing if not fierce. their children, so, would be the same.
he had lately grown fiercely bonded to the idea that he might raise more savage offspring. the nuances of thade's disappearance sickened mahler; he attempted not to think upon it at length, a futile mission for a parent.
and so he thought forward, to how only the honing of fangs and clearer eyes and better individuals than himself might go long toward preventing this happenstance another time.
"@Ciri. @Elke," the gargoyle murmured, chuffing to them both by their well-placed names. "komm und sieh."

Nyx could not stomach the thought of losing either of her little daughters. Since learning of young Thade's disappearance from the mountain days before, the tawny lioness had been unable to shake the discomfort of such a thing happening to her own offspring. She watched the cubs quietly as they explored the clearing beyond their den; had the fox she'd killed been responsible for Sagtannet's most recent loss?

She felt for Wylla, truly, despite not being her biggest fan. When her own babes were crooned to sleep, bundled together for the night, she had shed tears for a puppy who might never experience such tenderness again, for a dam who was left without answers. Yet despite the ache in her heart for another mother, Nyx found herself unable to shake the niggling doubt she felt that the sharp-tongued Eisen could ever feel such remorse for her should their positions be reversed.

Instead of offering condolences, she would do what she did best: stay out of the way. She would turn focus entirely on the upbringing of her own children, and see to it that no one would take them from her.

The arrival of a stone-faced Mahler brought Nyx' sable lobes forward, but the absence of light in his frosted lilac stare answered the question that hung on the tip of her tongue. She remained silent, settled at the arch of her cave's entrance, knowing that no words from her maw could ever smooth the pain he currently felt.

Ciri, oddly, had not tormented her sister in five whole minutes. Instead of batting at Elke's porcelain heels so she might giggle when she tripped over or testing her patience enough to initiate a battle, the little blackbird had found something far more intriguing.

New flowers had sprouted between boulders beyond the cave, with long stems that peaked above the wild grasses with tiny petals that matched the colour of her father's eyes. Ciri stared with wide-eyed wonder, delighted by her find, and reached with her nose to poke and sniff at the delicate buds. Normally she would go right ahead and fit anything different into her mouth, but these little flowers seemed too pretty and delicate to consume. Special.

When she heard the approach of another, however, she abandoned her newest curiosities and turned, excited. Only one other adult had ever come to visit, so she was quick to assume that it was her father's turn to dote on her. She went to him when he called her name and beckoned her closer, stumbling over her large paws as she whined and wiggled her scruffy tail.

"Ooooooh," she cooed, pressing her little body lovingly to Mahler's strong forelimb, before stormy eyes looked upon his gift with intrigue. 

Yet another day and Elke felt herself growing stronger, smarter. She could run for longer (and without falling), had better balance (with her sister's help actually by keeping her on her toes and teaching her to think fast), understood more of her mother's words and could speak the words better herself. Whilst her sister was more then likely to hone in on her physical traits, Elke stuck to learning the world around her. 

With her sister otherwise occupied, Elke moved along the open flats at the mouth of their cavern. She had rolled and stretched out in the sunlight, had scrapped and chewed at the bark of a tree and now sniffed at some particularly enticing herb. Her name called and the word 'come' being given by her father had now fully lifted ears perked. She turns her baby blues into the direction of his dark figure, something large and long in his jaws. A stick? But it didnt smell like one... So she eased up to her sister's side to sniff and investigate curiously.

he met her eyes once, but it was just as well that their girls attended his presence quickly. he had nothing he might say, nor the ability to assure whatever lurked beneath her level gaze. a pall lifted from him somewhat as he lowered his muzzle to brush them with gentle butts of his crown.
"ein großes tier ließ dies zurück," the man grunted as he settled upon his belly against the cool earth. he lay it down, pawed at elke, grinned toward ciri. 
these moments were sparse in the days that had passed in agony and tension; mahler savored them, knowing the moment he left he would return to his hard contemplations of his missing son, devote himself anew to the search.

This wasn't about her, never about her, yet she felt the sting of his silence all the same.

Nyx had never asked after Mahler's relationship with Wylla and the pups they shared, so fearful she was of hearing the little Eisen's scorn against her on his tongue that she'd convinced herself she simply didn't care. Though the mother's heart ached for a missing child and the desperate situation his parents had found themselves in, it was obvious that no progress had been made in locating him; her asking after Wylla would do little but add insult to injury.

Anxious, the tawny Ostrega observed in silence as the wounded gargoyle turned from her - what are you thinking? - to shift focus entirely on their little daughters. Nyx, suddenly, felt as though she was an intruder in her own home. Was this what they were to become? Passing ships, void of any affection for one another? She'd never asked for him to love her, never made any demands that he play a role in her daughters' lives, yet Nyx couldn't quite shake the worry that his cold, wordless stare felt almost accusing. 

Exhaling softly, Nyx gathered herself to her paws. She slipped quietly into the cave and settled in the darkness where her demons could flourish, suddenly eager to be alone and leave Mahler to find some semblance joy in what they'd created together.

Unaware of her mother's inner turmoil, Ciri's attention remained fixed to the gift that her father had brought to her. Denim blue eyes blinked down at the severed limb of a beast, took in the detail of its cloven hoof with intrigue, and shifted her weight to reach out so that she might poke the pallid bone with her nose.

 Elke was swift to make an appearance, but Ciri did not regard her sister's arrival at her flank with anything more than a twitch of a raven lobe. The adult explained to the pair, in their secret language, that some large animal had left this latest prize behind. At once, she was intrigued, and her gaze sparkled as she tried to imagine the creature who now roamed with a missing leg.

Would he grow another? Was he looking for it? It didn't really matter, she supposed, as it now belonged to her family. Always eager to fit everything into her mouth, the blackbird parted her jaws and attempted to gather the bone between her baby teeth.

He touched her head in greeting, to which her tiny white tail waved to happily. His voice, a deep and groveling tone, spoke with words that were different - different from what her mother used, which he could too use as well if he felt like it. Elke understood them both now, though she rarely spoke the odd tongue. Well, honestly, she didnt often speak much at all. 

A large animal left it behind, hu? It looked to be a leg - kind of. But different. It hadn't no fur, no skin. It was just hard and without a paw but... what was it? And if it were a leg, how could someone just 'leave it behind'? Whilst Ciri tried to mouth on it, Elke leaned in to sniff and then nosed her father's own paw which padded towards her. They were definitely not the same thing. Whot it? She asked finally, breaking her silence if only do to so many questions swirling her little mind.

nyx departed, melting into the darkness, and mahler looked after her emptily. but the children gathered close, and he chuckled as ever-inquisitive ciri fell to testing her teeth upon the item. "ein bein und ein huf," he answered scholarly elke.
"es gehörte einst einem sehr großen tier mit scharfen ästen auf dem kopf," he revealed, crossing one broad paw over the other as he nudgedthe cloven end and glanced toward the mouth of the den, where nyx had gone.

Mesmerised, Ciri slobbered carelessly over the rounded edge of exposed hinge joint with her tongue as she aimed to fit the entire thing in her mouth, milk teeth grinding against it. She growled with determination, unsure of the bitter and metallic taste of aging blood.

Elke's curiosity differed entirely from that of her bolder littermate. Where the paler of the duo piped up in question, Ciri continued to gnaw until her jaw muscles tired. When at last she was prepared to relinquish her hold, she turned instead to pawing at it to hear the sound of her little claws against enamel.

Like tree. She responded, remembering back to her mother and father telling her of the large and strong trees when she had first exited her den. This animal had the same branches or so for now she believed, meaning this was a very strong and powerful animal. It worried her to think of it but also mesmerized her. 

She watches her sister then silently as she chews and drools on it, as though awaiting for her to tell her what she made of the thing. Was it good? Was it fun? When she was able she would grab the hoof of the creature and pull it over closer for her now to have her fair share of examination.

"like tree," he confirmed, grinning at his paler child. she held the words, ciri the details, and together they made sense of the thing their papa had brought into their world. ciri began to claw at the leg, elke poring over it, and mahler lay his head across his forelegs to watch them both with quiet fondness.