Whitebark Stream Time together isn't ever quite enough.

Backdating this to Apr 22nd, puppies leaving the den for the first time. Anyone's welcome to come meet them but primarily for @Frost, @Storm, @Juniper and @Winter.  :)

The day was young, and morning sunlight beamed through sunlight to dappled the ground just beyond the leaders' whelping burrow. Artyom observed this bright Springtime scene from the mouth of the den and, as he looked over a gilded shoulder at his mate and young cubs, he just knew it was a perfect time to introduce them to the world.

"Приходить," the father beckoned to the little ones, taking a moment to watch their reaction before he gathered to his paws, "давайте встретим этот новый день вместе."

Artyom stepped into the open then, lingering close to the burrow to emit a soft woof of encouragement. @Dawn would herd out the more reluctant, he was sure, though he fully anticipated that most of them would grasp at this opportunity for freedom.

Winter was bored. Until his father piped up in encouragement to go to him, the sterling youngster had been gnawing lazily on a rugged antler stolen directly from the maw of a sister, so he pricked his dark ears forward in anticipation.

He abandoned his prize and toddled forward with playful rumblings, scruffy little tail swinging excitedly at his rear even as he stumbled clumsily over his sire's ivory tail. Unphased, Winter Whitebark pressed himself between Artyom's forelimbs briefly then followed closely when said parent stepped beyond the threshold of their den. He did not hesitate - too eager to be first into the open, Winter's wide blue eyes took in his surroundings with silent wonder.

Frost was not unwilling to venture out into the world for the first time. He'd been curious about it for a while after so many days of watching his parents come and go out of the den's entrance. He knew there had to be something out there--something that had to be full of stuff considering how much his parents brought in when they returned. He hadn't been in a hurry to go see anything for himself, but he had wondered, watched, and waited.

When the time finally came, the boy was about as ready as he could be. He didn't charge forward like his bolder siblings, but followed instead. Not out of fear, but simply because he felt no need to be first.

He'd had no expectations for what he would see beyond the tiny world he had known, but this was much more than he'd dreamed. There was... so much. Only then did Frost hesitate, frozen in place just outside of the den with wide eyes quietly taking in the sheer vastness of it.

Guess it's just us since everyone else is on PPC right now.   xD

Artyom waited patiently, warm eyes keen to observe the cubs' first venture into the unknown. It was Winter who charged first into the open, naturally, as bold and eager as always to be first. His sisters followed swiftly, the ashen Storm then little Juniper, until at last the smallest of the bunch made a less hurried appearance.

He swept his gaze fondly over each of them, before it settled on Frost with an encouraging glint. "Давай вместе!" Artyom called out gently, his tail wagging at his rear to show his littest son that all was well - he would be safe with him. "It's alright, see?" A gesture then, as he pointed his pale snout in the direction of Winter and the girls as they nosed around their new surroundings. 

The world was bright, and the grass beneath his paws felt warm. Winter looked down at his feet, curious to know why when the base of their den was cool to touch, though the thought was swiftly replaced by another when the appearance of siblings caught his attention. As he turned his head in their direction, something else attracted him: a wildflower, made extra vibrant by an unusual pink hue he'd never seen before.

Eager to investigate, the sterling boy padded closer. He wasn't the only one who'd noticed, however, as a littermate shouldered past him in her eagerness to be first. "Rrr," came Winter's frustrated growl as he stumbled after her, aiming to deliver a reprimanding with pointy baby fangs at her hindquarters before she could reach the prize before him.

Frost didn't immediately recognize that his father was speaking to him. He was too overwhelmed by the sight before him. There was so much to it. There were trees and grass and ground, sure. But it was more than that. There were leaves, there was dirt and rocks, petals, seeds, everything. So much. It was a great deal for his little puppy eyes to take in, and even more for his little puppy brain to calculate.

But after a moment, he found a way to zero in on the one thing that was familiar. Artyom. Frost blinked a few times and settled his gaze on his father, his ears perked and head canted with interest. He followed his father's gesture towards where his siblings were playing so boldly and swallowed his nerves. He took a few steps forward and paused again, his eyes slipping to the side where a long blade of grass reached out to him. He blinked at it for a moment, then took a step towards it, sniffing with his little nose.

Dark eyes lingered with fondness on the littlest Whitebark, and observed in silence as his stormy blue eyes took in his unfamiliar surroundings. Artyom had experienced an unknown world once before, of course, on his own first venture from the whelping burrow, but it wasn't a memory he'd been able to hold onto. He wondered what it was like, and offered a few happy swishes of his tail as the youngster's attention turned to him.

"That's it," the father crooned as his tiny son stepped forward carefully - void of his mother tongue this time, hopeful that Dawn's words might bring the boy out of his shell. The gilded Alpha blinked in the direction of his more adventurous pups, keen to assure himself that all was well in the world.  

Winter and Storm rolled around, yipping and chomping, though it was all in good fun. The boy laughed, always happy to wrestle with his siblings, but this particular scuffle did not last long. There were far more interesting things to experience on that day.

He roamed the clearing beyond the whelping hollow, poking curiously at wildflowers and lengthy stalks of grass. Baby blue gaze followed the awkward flight of a bumblebee and for a time he padded along after it, to observe with wide-eyed wonder as it disappeared among the foliage.