Noctisardor Bypass caribbean blue

@Skaigona and @Worripa remained. The longevity of their stay puzzled Druid at first, though she soon adapted to and accepted their presence. Actually, she quickly began to think of them as her second and third sister, though of course @Witch would always be the first and most beloved of all.

All four pups bumbled in the dooryard outside @Sequoia’s den as midday approached, the sun bright in an endlessly blue sky. Druid didn’t know about the concept of “lunchtime,” though she hadn’t eaten anything since breaking her fast earlier this morning. She knew she only needed to ask and her mother would provide both meat and milk.

Instead, she listened to a wordless voice that urged her to hunt for prey. She wandered away from the other youngsters, nose combing along the ground as she tried to make sense of all the scents.

no need to match!

following his meeting with iana and his reunion with ciri, mahler had checked wearily upon the children he had left with sequoia. the duskfire wolf had warned him of putting too much strain on the young mother's plate, and she had not lied. but it was dark now, and he could see that they were asleep. 
a murmur to her, one of thanks and affection. he would return in the next day.
after a night's sleep, albeit one fitful, mahler lunched alone on the food that iana had given for the children. he must bring something for her, and for duskfire, the man knew. he had forgotten neither their hunt nor the potential threat of ursus, looming larger now that rivenwood had lost a skilled fighter.
mahler set out to the borderlands. he ended his patrol by chasing a lone coyote for some minutes before he returned to rivenwood, and therein, sequoia's den. while her own were young, he knew she would helpfully share the task of dividing her time with worripa and skaigona. but for the nights and for some of those times, he wished to relieve her of some of it. would it be better to leave them as they were, or bring them to his own den? he hoped to find out.
little druid was the first he spotted, her small grayling self intent upon something nearby. mahler, who had brought a fresher duck for sequoia, set it down and watched her for a moment. 
maybe it was easier, then, that they grow here, and he find a rendezvous for them all in the coming months. he could offer her his time in shifts, and keep the quartet under his watchful eye. and he could bring her meat while they weaned, and after.
mahler was contemplative.

she barked in frustration as one of her younger siblings pulled at her tail, preventing her from immediately following druid. though she had a fairly independent streak, the tie she felt to her littermate was a strong one; she wanted to experience nothing without her sister at her side. witch turned and flashed her milk teeth in mimicry of an adult's snarl, and when her tail was released, she galloped with a lanky gait to join druid's side.

the wind changed as she approached, and instinctively her little head bobbed upward to catch the scent on the air. she couldn't place it, but it evoked a large rumble from her stomach— and then came a scent she had come to associate with mahler's arrivals. witch yipped excitedly, turning to nudge druid below the ear with her snout. smell that!

jealous of the fact that druid seemed to prefer her sister's company to anyone else's, confused by the sudden change in scenery, and frustrated by the fact that her mother had not returned, the girl turned her attentions to witch. 
she meant to bully the other child into being lesser, but for her pains, was only scared by witch's teeth and left behind.
pouting, she glared at worripa, who had not helped her, and slowly inched out toward mahler.
it helped that she knew him; she pushed her way forward, keeping away from witch, and whined plaintively toward the graf, intrigued by his aroma.

As of yesterday, her brood had doubled. Wherever Praimfaya had run off to, she had not yet returned. Mahler seemed #concerned, but Sequoia figured the girl had just gotten herself into a rough spot. Maybe Sequoia should have been overwhelmed, but she found the extra pattering of feet kept her busy. The den was big enough for them, and they knew her kids well enough to get along with them.

It would still be at least another month before her own would go to the rendezvous site, but Sequoia was looking forward to it. Having them all here was nice, but they were growing quickly, and she wouldn't mind stretching her legs more often, giving the girls more freedom.

Sequoia watched the four of them interact, not interjecting into their play. Socializing was something they had to suss out for themselves, and so far, they'd done a good job of regulating amongst themselves.

Any luck with finding her? Sequoia asked when Mahler arrived, grabbing the duck for herself as she began to tear into it. She figured the answer was "no," but it seemed like good manners to ask.

They all seem to be getting alone fine in here. Helps that they're familiar with each other already, she said between bites.

a long sigh. he shook his head, favoured the children with an affectionate look. "i found evidence that she had fought vith a cat, in the cuesta. it is gone now," he added, "but so is she. and both trails end in nothing."
describing in a perfunctory way the blood and the fur that he had discovered, mahler lifted a paw to touch the bridge of his nose for a moment. when he set it back down, it was to glance beyond the first three children to where @Worripa was. "i a, glad they get on vell. i have decided to set aside my den as a rendezvous when they are ready. vone of them, anyway," he smiled tiredly, not wanting to take that search from sequoia.

Party thread! Worripa is welcome to pop in anytime, of course! Can we stick to a posting order so nobody gets lost?

Druid didn’t pay much mind to the bustling around the den, nor Mahler’s arrival and the adults’ subsequent conversation. She did acknowledge Witch’s appearance beside her and the pointed nudge with a wave of her tail. She raised her head to glance at the patriarch and the two newer charges (her gaze lingered fondly on Skaigona in particular), then exchanged a quick smile with her litter mate. But none held her interest for long as she dropped her nose back to the ground, keen to resume her sifting.

She found it momentarily difficult to concentrate on anything but the prevalent scent of wolves, not to mention Sequoia’s meal. Though the odor of freshly torn flesh tempted her, the prey was already dead. She wanted something live to investigate and perhaps even hunt. The odds weren’t in her favor at the ripe old age of five weeks, yet Druid didn’t know that and would not be deterred.

sowwy, didn't realize i was next!

the time would come when she grew more interested in the houseguests, but for the moment she found them a bit uninteresting and more nuisances than anything. witch wasn't cruel; she simply paid them little mind.

druid followed witch's gesturing, but didn't seem as interested in the duck as the pale child was. loathe as she was to leave her sister's side, the child was far more interested in investigating her mother's meal. with something akin to a shrug, she moved to sequoia with purpose before laying opposite her mother, playfully nosing and teething at the dead creature's feet and tail feathers.

ope my b D: i think it goes druid > witch > skaigona > sequoia > mahler? please lmk if not! <3

the adults spoke. nothing they said mattered to skaigona, who looked curiously at witch, who had retreated toward sequoia, and then toward druid, who hunted about on her various little quests. mahler was not paying attention to many of them at this moment, and so the war-girl stepped forward with a yip, seeking to gnaw at one broadstone instep, small tail revolving wildly.
he smelt of many things, first among them meat and blood. skaigona whined again, seeking to lick at his jaws and muzzle as the man lowered it in response to her pleas.
he had brought them meat before; she would worry it from him again.

That looks right to me!

A frown drew down the corners of Sequoia's mouth. She wasn't sure what to think of it. Why would Praimfaya go after a cat? Why wouldn't she run? Picking a fight with such an apex predator was a recipe for disaster, and disaster was exactly what it had resulted in. No more Praimfaya. Sequoia looked sympathetically to the children. If Praimfaya didn't come back... well, Sequoia would do what she must.

The puppies did their puppy things, and the Zweite watched as they displayed their individual personalities. Witch seemed more interested in the food, and Skaigona appeared to be more interested in Mahler's gifts than any of her peers. Druid, on the other hand, seemed to be preoccupied by trying to find something on her own. Another step toward independence, Sequoia knew, which made her wish they could stay forever. Deep down, she knew that when they were older, they would do as she had done and spread their wings to flee the confines of the nest.

They can, of course, stay here as long as they need to. They've practically been my kids as well as hers since they were born so close together and we traded babysitting so many times. I won't lie to 'em about where they're from, even though I think they're too young to really understand right now.

grief and respect twined together in a tight circle for mahler. "thank you, sequoia," he said with a good deal of gratitude, glancing between the son and daughter he did not yet wish to think of as abandoned. "i believe that if she vas able to come back, she vould."
the implication was grim. he forged onward. "i vill, of course, help you in every vay that i am able. rivenvood vill help to rear them." 
children were the lifeblood of each pack. that was one of myriad reasonings why he had allowed them to be born this year, despite his lack of siring. first to their mothers, then to their knitweave hamlet did each wolf belong.
rivenwood would need another leader. he hated to think with cold pragmatism, and felt it cut at his heart. 
it would be sequoia, if she wished to take the helm once the four had grown older and less reliant upon her. he would not ask now.
skaigona's clambering soon had its effect, and mahler stood to turn entirely, politely, surrendering a line of meat for the children from his craw.

The sound of Mahler regurgitating distracted Druid. Momentarily forgetting her tracking, she raised her head and peered longingly at the slurry he set before Skaigona, soon joined by Worripa. Her eyes then flicked over to Sequoia and Witch, who enjoyed their feathery repast. The little gray she-wolf licked her lips and let out a breathy whine, though none of this easily won food was what she truly wanted. Druid wanted game.

Reluctantly looking away from the tempting offerings, Druid toddled further away from the others and did her best to concentrate. Of course, she came across nothing that would strike particular interest in a full-grown wolf—no small animal would come anywhere near this close to such a heavily populated wolf’s den—but when a large grasshopper sprang from the grass, Druid gasped and gave pursuit.

Back and forth, hither and thither, to and fro she followed the crafty bug, bounding and leaping just out of reach. She snapped her jaws and swiped her paws but it soon hopped away, disappearing back into the grass. Druid grumbled, though she smiled at the same time. She breathed fast, heart pounding, just from the thrill of the chase.

Appeased, Druid wandered back toward the group. She paused beside Skaigona to taste Mahler’s stew, giving the girl’s cheek a nudge. But it was toward her mother and sister that she gravitated the most irresistibly, sidling up beside Witch and head-butting her like a cat before flopping down to nibble at the duck’s webbed feet.

skaigona was upon the fresh piles with a sharp little snarl, one that continued as she consumed as much of mahler's offering as she was able. she thought nothing of her siblings now, only her own belly.
even when there was no more, she scampered here and there, little legs carrying her after the smell of it.
skaigona wanted something beyond, but for this there was only a nameless feeling.
her sharp little gaze took in each of her family by turn, and she waddled over to lie down in tree-shade, yawning loudly as her full stomach brought along the usual sleepiness.

My pleasure, she replied. She did worry for Praimfaya. Her children would be safe here, Sequoia knew, but what of their mother? She realized now the perks of having a father present as well, though Mahler was as steadfast as ever. He would not be leaving them, and Sequoia knew that.

She continued to watch the four pups interact, hoping that they would continue to get along as well as they did now.