Duskfire Glacier take a look around you and get a good whiff

Developmental age: 3.5 human years (@Meerkat maybe if you'd like to use this as a sitter/coaching thread?)

 



Siku had wandered just beyond the stone walls, drawn out into the light by the way it played hide and seek between the clouds. The air was cooler now,  though this was a fact that was vaguely noted in the pup's mind. He soon found his attention scattered like the leaves across the ground, his focus redirected to chasing after them as they skittered along across the stones and pine needles in time to the sound of the wind brushing through the trees. 

Again, his eyes -- which were taking on more of a diluted hazel color these days rather than the smoky blue of his earlier childhood -- darted to a new and fascinating object as it danced into his peripherals. A small, striped lizard with a tail more vibrant than the sky! (A blue-tailed skink though Sikuliak had no way of knowing.) He raced after it, even as it scurried away from him, barking jubilantly as he stumbled along over too big paws. 

The merle, whose navy-tinted spots were beginning to darken, soon backed the poor reptile into a corner. He pressed his sniffer in close to get a good whiff and bam! It latched onto his dark gums, causing poor Liak to recoil with a scared squeal. The Pi promptly began to race back to the nearest guardian, yipping with his tail tucked between his stubby legs the whole way. 

She didn't aspire to be a sitter. Of course, it was all sort of bundled in with the role of coach, though Meerkat intended for her time spent with the pups to be more engaging than simply sitting back and observing them. With that said, she enjoyed doing just that for a few moments as Sikuliak gave chase to a lizard, even as she wondered how to turn this into a proper hunting lesson. It was never too early, after all.

The instant she heard his squeal, the yearling sprang to all fours. She took no more than five steps before the puppy came scrambling toward her. She held out a paw so he wouldn't crash into her legs, though she quickly gathered him by slinging it around his shoulder. Meerkat sank to her haunches and ducked her head to see what was the matter.

"What happened, lil' Liak?" she asked, her voice calm and soft, though she resisted using a babyish tone with him (or any of the other pups, for that matter).

Makatza had wandered off again. Like she did a little too often. She thought her brothers too annoying for their own good, in fact, they were good for nothing but trying to please her. She didn’t like how they didn’t do as told by her. Who could really blame her for wanting to leave that behind? Even if just for some time. She didn’t walk to anywhere specifically, but when she noticed another pup chasing a lizard with an adult nearby, she stopped to see if it was of any interest to her.

Maybe she wanted that lizard.

The pup gave out some sort of annoying sound like someone was trying to kill him! (being a little overdramatic, surely) and she pinned her ears at the sound. The pup ran to the adult and Makatza rolled her eyes as much and as visibly as possible. Savage little queen.

”Oh please! She walked toward them when she heard the adult trying to gather what happened. She thought it all beneath her really, but she had to set the straight, right? ”Don’t be a baby.” Unreasonable demands were made at a baby, from a baby. Or child really. She didn’t look at the adult for now, completely ignoring whatever she had to say to her, giving off nothing but a cold and snobbish attitude.

”Tough it out. Now play with me.”

Where on earth the child had that attitude was beyond anyone, certainly not her parents, right? She positioned her forepaws on the ground, ready to play with the other and leading (demanding) the way. She wanted to play, and she was going to whatever or not the other one felt like it. She jumped toward the other pup to tussle him over on the side.

sorry for any pp, I'm fully willing to accept IC consequences for this, it's all for the sake of drama~~

While stumbling towards Meerkat, he was still trying to paw at the lizard and get it to let go -- the poor beast now missing a tail that it had left wriggling in the dirt somewhere along his haphazard path -- and the young Hotah might've crashed into her legs if not for the Coach's intervention. The cub only let out a whimper as he turned wide eyes towards her, about to attempt explaining when Makatza arrived on the scene.

Fortunately, Sikuliak didn't really understand what she was saying. Only that he didn't care for her mean tone, so he turned back to face Meerkat -- tiny ears pinning against his skull. 

He'd just managed to scrape the lizard off his face -- which went scuttling back to freedom -- when he was blindsided and tackled to the ground from the side. 

He didn't understand. But he didn't need to; he just knew that he'd had enough of girls pushing him around. Instead of crying or seeking help from Meerkat, Sikuliak twisted and bit down on his half-sister's muzzle hard.

Mama had explained (after meeting Wayfarer) that it was okay to play and even to play at fighting but if anyone ever touched him in a way he didn't like, to bite them and keep biting until they quit. And if that didn't work, then bite and scream for help. Of course, Imaq probably hadn't planned for this situation -- and likely had wrongly assumed that he wouldn't need to use her advice at all. 

He wasn't sure if he would need to keep biting just yet so he made sure to dig his teeth in real deep, even as he began to taste the new flavor of blood, and sucked in a deep breath around a mouthful of Makatza in case he needed to screech too. 

Lane had departed with many teasing remarks about leaving Meerkat alone with Veteran and Wayfarer, yet it wasn't her two immediate charges that would present a challenge today. Before the coach could say "boo," she suddenly had a fight on her hands.

Though she didn't particularly care for the older pup's bullying attitude toward Sikuliak, she understood that this was all part of establishing the pecking order among themselves. Unfortunately, his smaller size and younger age put Liak at a disadvantage. Still, Meerkat didn't intend to interfere. As long as there was no bloodshed, everything should be fine.

Of course, there was bloodshed.

"Hey," Meerkat said loudly, moving to crowd the pair of pups. "Hey," she repeated, trying to gently push at Liak's shoulder. "Let go, Liak." If he did as he was told, she hoped to get in between the two before the older pup—who must be the enigmatic Makatza—could retaliate and the situation escalated.

So let the drama begin :D

Makatza was not used to things not going her way. So when the younger and smaller boy turned and bit onto her muzzle she reacted the only appropriate way possible. She didn’t cry or shout, no she screeched. Closely resembling the sound of a siren not getting a hold of its prey, she screeched loudly over and over as blood was drawn.

”How dare you!” She didn’t register the adult saying things, she didn’t hear her call to stop the boy, instead she moved her face (with the boy still attached to it) and bit back onto his shoulder. Even if he let go she would still do so. And she began shaking violently into it. She wasn’t a big brawly fighter, but she wasn’t scrawny either. She was bigger than him and she was about to let him taste his own medicine.

”I’ll teach you your place” when she was done shaking around with his shoulder or if he somehow evaded the bite she would push her face into his tiny jaws and force her entire weight down on top of him. Wasn’t keen on getting pushed around by girls? Let a princess do it instead. A mean princess.

If she got on top of him, she would let him bite all he wanted. Let the blood flow. She would push her weight onto his chest and lungs. Force the air out of him and let him struggle to breathe, suffocating him just a little bit. She wasn’t some born killer, but she wanted to teach him a horrid lesson, so she would stop before things got too heated – maybe.

Afraid to escalate the situation? Too bad and too late. Things just escalated. She forced her body down, her legs forcing the little boy into the dirt where he rightfully belonged. If she had the words for it, she would likely have called him a number of things, but words were not as effective as this. Teaching him some manners and letting him rub his nose deep into the dirt where he could get a taste of what he had done wrong.

Makatza was a bully alright, a princess bully.

Incoming angry dad!! Please let me know if I need to change anything, I tried to keep it vague-ish while considering Siku has accepted IC consequences. Also everyone here is welcome to pp Rye for coherence/minor actions 

Letting go of Liak was harder than anticipated and Rye already knew it would be an undertaking, things turned out to be far worse than that. He cried. Privately but tears fell nonetheless, that was also unexpected for him. It developed into a confusing tangle of emotion, happiness but bitter sweet. The man felt foolish, downright idiotic for crying but he was thankful he had the space to do so alone. That was a while ago, for the time being he settled on checking in on Siku every few hours while he was with Meerkat. As much as Rye was grateful for her help, jealousy brewed beneath his appreciation and it was beginning to boil. It went unnoticed, mostly, or rather willfully unnoticed as the hotah went about his days. Tending to the usual, going through the daily motions.
That was until he heard his son screech. Rye had never heard his son scream in such fear before, the sound alone ran his blood cold. He stopped moving, his breath hitching in his throat while he tried to remember where he last saw Meerkat. Thoughts felt like lightning, one after the other with speeds to match and firm ferocity chasing close behind. His body gave chase before the hotah truly knew where he was headed. The distance from him to them was too much, he began fearing the worst; arriving too late to save his son, to save Imaq another heartbreak. 'Please!', he begged. Blood whirred in his ears loud enough that he could not hear his own paws contacting the ground at mach one speeds (not really). Another screech and his heart squeezed, his speed slowing as the fear chained lead to his legs. Just a little farther, he could see two silhouettes. One obviously Meerkat but the other large blob wasn't his son but he could see movement and Meerkat trying intervene. A fight was the conclusion, quickly Ryes fear turned to anger. 
The smell of blood only further justified his anger, it didn't matter if it was his sons or not, blood was drawn and he wasn't going to let that be taken lightly. Rye came barreling in, skidding to a stop just before the fighting duo. Adding to his anger, the unfolding scene poured gasoline into the already raging fire. Makatza, daughter of Tzila and Wintersbane, had sunk her teeth into his son. "Makatza!" He growled. "Let him go!" He shouted, it emerged as an enraged snarl, as well as a threat. Alphas daughter or not, his son was not to be hurt and Rye would make sure they separated anyway he could if she did not listen.

Veteran is skippable, he's just watching. This will probably be his one and only post.

The sounds of a scuffle at main camp had also caught Veteran's attention. Rye came racing by-- a one-man stampede of daddy rage-- and Veteran followed behind as quickly as his still-developing limbs would allow. Veteran hadn't heard Sikuliak's cry himself, but granted he also didn't have the finely tuned ear and instinct of a parent. So his jaw just about hit the floor when he got to the scene, which looked like some kind of Meerkat Coaching Session gone really, really wrong. 

Sikuliak was eating dirt, thanks to Veteran's half-sister. She was getting more and more obnoxious by the day, it seemed. But.. was that blood on Siku's teeth?  Had he snuck in a hit on Makatza?! Damn! You go, little man! As high and mighty as Makatza acted, she actually was a pretty good fighter-- the best of all the pups probably, since she got extra points for viciousness and zeal. Even if Sikuliak had only gotten in one good bite, Veteran was still impressed. 

Veteran knew his place among the adults: he did not attempt to insert himself in any way. He stood, passively watching on the sidelines. If someone attempted to shoo him or lead him away he would comply, but not before drinking in all the drama he could through his sharp, curious eyes.

whoops so sorry to hold this up! for clarification, Imaq has not joined this thread just to avoid confusion and she would probably be outside the territory hunting, etc. :)

The high-pitched noise that Makatza produced when Sikuliak sank his sharp, mint new, canines into her was nearly enough to make him let go on its own. He didn't at that exact moment, determined to keep biting, but he did cringe -- ears twitching in pain and eyes squeezing shut. His ears were still ringing when Meerkat's words trickled through, her authoritative tone breaking through whatever rebellion might've inspired him. He released the older girl but it seemed she had no intention of playing by the rules.

The toddler had never experienced anything that might prepare him for what happened next and indeed, it happened so quickly that he didn't even have time to fight back or react. One second he was shifting back, either to step back from Makazta instinctively in response to Meerkat's reprimanding or to take on a submissive stance as the Counselor approached. The next, he was being rattled around and there was a horrid grinding, a searing pop as he was flung down by his shoulder. 

Now, it was him who was screaming like a wounded animal just before the mercy blow.

Another heartbeat and pain exploded through his head, aftershocks rippling through his body as darkness enveloped him. He could not see. Could not scream. Could not even breathe.

He did not register his father's or Veteran's arrival nor anything Meerkat might've been doing to stop the Duskfire pup. He could not feel anything beyond the dirt invading his airways and the blind panic tearing through him as Makazta ground his face into the dirt.

Please let me know if you mind the following PP, I'm happy to make edits! :)

She couldn't be sure if Sikuliak obeyed her. Meerkat couldn't be sure of anything, because a lot of things happened in rapid succession. It felt like she blinked and suddenly Makatza had flung the smaller pup to the ground and proceeded to suffocate him, while a furious Rye appeared, shouting and snarling. Meerkat's ear was ringing.

She most definitely didn't fancy herself a mediator but her instincts screamed at her to deescalate the situation. Meerkat did not wait for Makatza to heed the angry father's words. With a calmness she didn't really feel, she grabbed the bully by her scruff and gently but forcefully pried her off Sikuliak. Anticipating that the girl might struggle, she let go of her the instant she was no longer pressing little Liak into the dirt.

Surely Rye would get between them before Makatza could redouble her efforts, shielding his son from any further retaliation. Certain that no amount of harsh looks or words would get through to the young girl, Meerkat didn't bother with them. Instead, she crowded in close to her, prepared to intervene again if it proved necessary.

Spotting Veteran, Meerkat said to him, "Vet, call for @Wintersbane, @Tzila and a medic," without ever taking her eyes off Makatza. Her whole body was shaking but she tried to suppress it. This was unprecedented and above her pay grade, though hopefully Makatza's parents could handle it from here.

it takes wintersbane a bit to reach the caverns from the borders where he was patrolling when the call rose up for him. the urgency in it does not go unnoticed and he bursts onto the scene with nape hairs bristling. it takes him a moment to understand the situation beyond the angry snarls form rye aimed at his daughter. looking past meerkat and rye, he sees makatza with the young son of rye and imaq in her grasp. makatza, the tundrian booms, tone echoing back at him like the rumble of a thunderstorm in the cavernous space. enough! if allowed he would seek to brush past the other adults.

his glacial gaze focuses on makatza and considers the correct punishment to dole out, providing she let go of the poor boy. what is the meaning of this? he demands.

Just in case Ryes location was unclear, he is only a few feet away from the group. Apologies for the lackluster post.

Words alone did not stop the young heir and the only next logical option for Rye in his anger addled mind was to fling her half across a forest but Meerkat beat him to it (or whomever), albeit with less flinging and more gentle removal. While the hotah started reaching for his son a flash of resentment crossed in his eyes and the man aimed it squarely towards the sitter, his hawk eyes half lidded and his brows pursed together. However, she was too occupied with the she-devil to likely notice but on the slim chance she did, his glare of unalloyed disappointment would sharply turn into unbridled hatred. Waves upon waves of undercurrents would skim just below the surface of his glance, a legible warning of repercussions to come. Regardless of his warning being seen or not, the father slyly flashed his canines towards the coach and heiress before he snatched up his son by his scruff and separated themselves from the group. There was little fear of Winter retaliating, even if the larger man did Rye had no qualms fighting for his son.  
Nearby the man tenderly laid the wounded pup across fallen leaves, careful to not further injure his boy but still remained harshly unaware of all sustained wounds. A lump formed in his throat as the full extent of Sikus injuries began revealing themselves, the anger painstakingly faded into obscurity and somehow Rye wished it stayed. Wished it stayed to shield him from the onslaught of emotions that ravaged his brain, scrambled it into disarray and left his medical knowledge to be sundered. All the father managed to do was lap at the blood and dirt that covered his boy, stuck in a trance of uncertainty until he could visually confirm his boy was breathing.  

Near the caverns, there was a commotion. The sounds of which made her blood run cold then boil. The screeches of children. More specifically, Siku and her rebellious daughter, Makatza. What's worse, blood was in the air. Tzila's scarlet hackles bristled. 

She had had quite enough of her daughter's stuck up, entitled attitude. The child was completely out of line, just like she had been when the leader confronted Astaroth a short while ago near their borders. Apparently, she had not learned her lesson since then. That day, she had glimpsed the flame that was Tzila's true wrath, when she chose to expose it. Now, she would see it again. But not directed at a stranger, but at herself.

Rushing towards the caverns, she took toll of the damage, finding a bleeding and trembling Sikuliak, while Meerkat pried Makatza away. Also at the scene of the carnage was Veteran, an infuriated Rye and Wintersbane. Lips curling, she pinned her daughter under her steely gaze. Rolling her shoulders high and raising her tail to make herself look all the more imposing. "Makatza!" She roared, clacking her teeth harshly. "This is not how we treat one of our own!" Her features softened a moment as she glanced to her family and the wounded Siku. "There will be consequences for this." She rumbled, leaving the details for her and Wintersbane to sort out later.

She felt the other pup let go of her when he was told to, but Makatza was made of a different substance. She didn’t listen, she didn’t pay attention to the adult who told her to let go of the smaller and younger pup. She was beneath her she was not someone important. Makatza went on and when she heard the child scream, she didn’t stop. She felt an urge to continue on, she felt alive. She loved the way he squirmed. The way he was fighting for his life and a smile formed on her lips as she pushed down harder. She laughed.

She laughed loudly and without sympathy. This ought to teach him! To never, ever touch a princess!

”Makatza!” She heard Rye’s voice but it did nothing to stop her. She smiled and her eyes turned dark, absent from the real world a sadistic look about her as she watched the boy struggle. This was what it felt like to have this much power? This was what it was like to control another’s life. She loved it. She wanted more, more and MORE. She giggled. Didn’t notice Veteran watching from afar. She only saw the pup fighting for his life, and she enjoyed it too much.

”Let him go” Rye’s words went to an unwilling child. She heard him even if she was emerged in the rush of power, but she ignored him. She pretended to not hear him. Why should she let go? He was no one, nothing. He didn’t matter to her. Then something rather unpleasant happened. Meerkat dared to touch her. She tried to pry her away and Makatza was too small to fight it, but oh did she fight it. She snarled and snapped, first after Sikuliak to grab on to him, but she was soon out of reach from him. Then she turned her anger toward the adult pulling her away. The moment Meerkat let go of her she screeched again like a wailing siren. ”How dare you touch me!” It did not please her in the least. With a swift motion she tried to bite at Meerkat’s leg with all her might. She meant for it to hurt.

She heard Meerkat tell Veteran (whom she now saw) call for her parents. Makatza ignored the call and went ahead and attempted to bite her leg instead. She wanted to feel it again, the power rush. It was meant for her, she was meant to feel it.

”Makatza, enough” She knew the voice of her father and she finally stopped assaulting the adult Meerkat. She looked at her father with a weird look. She had always loved and respected her father, but today she felt a rebellious voice within. Something that told her to not obey, to not pay attention. She watched him as he came closer.

”what is the meaning of this?”

Her lips pressed together. Then she went to her father for fake comfort. She didn’t cry or wail but wanted something from him. Support.

”He BIT me! He deserved it dad.” She wanted to add so much more to it. He dared to bite her, he dared to go ahead and even touch her just because she wanted to play. He had the odacity to think they were equal. She felt entitled to get what she wanted, and he hadn’t given in to it like she had wanted. That in itself ought to be some kind of crime, right? She watched her daddy with big puppy eyes and tried to poke him with her nose for comfort.

”Makatza! This is not how we treat one of our own! There will be consequences for this." She turned in a snap motion to look at her mother and her eyes shot daggers. Consequences? She wasn’t even sure what that meant, but by the sound of it, it meant punishment. It did not please her.

”Consequences?!” She turned around and walked toward her mother who had been roaring and yelling at her, the least favorable way to get her attention and understand the seriousness of something she had done. It just meant it was working after all. She watched her mother from the much smaller height, she was still small, but she felt no fear, no respect for her mother at this very moment. ”He bit me, and he gets no consequences. How is that fair.” She had her ears pressed against her skull and she was about to throw a fit. It wasn’t fair! She had just defended – no taught the boy where he belonged. Into the dirt like the rest of them.

”Dad, tell her it isn’t fair!” She turned to her father for help, support and love. If you had asked her if she could count on her father he would likely have said yes, always. That her father was likely on her mother’s side would likely shake her world and cause something within her to shift. Though not likely for the better.

you guys can skip Siku from here! He’s gonna be unconscious/just sorta out of it for the rest of the thread and I think he and Rye have already exited. Correct me if I’m wrong y’all. :)

He was still struggling, albeit more feebly than before, still flailing in his father’s grasp as Rye carried the wounded boy away from the scene of the crime. Both out of sheer terror and out of pain from the way his weight hung awkwardly on his injured shoulder. The small merle gagged and choked until he coughed the dirt out and then, he set to loosing out all the screams that had been smothered by the substrate. 

Much as a baby would continue to cry long after a traumatic incident, he screamed and sobbed at the top of his lungs until his father finally settled him upon a cool bed of damp leaves. Even then he squirmed in pain and screeched out his abused emotions until his voice had gone soft and squeaky.

At last, his sire’s attentive grooming seemed to reach him and he slowly wormed closer to Rye — as if to burrow into him the way he still did Imaq when he nursed. Still, it took some time before his hiccuping breaths and tiny whimpers died off into a fitful sleep against Atâtak’s pale underbelly.

No sooner had the word "medic" left her mouth than sharp little teeth scored into her flesh. Caught by surprise, Meerkat instinctively yanked her leg free from Makatza's jaws. The knee-jerk swiftness saved her from a broken bone if not broken skin. She blinked down at the bloody but shallow wound, then gaped at the pup.

Before she could react beyond that, stern voices were demanding an explanation from Makatza even as the youngster screeched belligerently. Meerkat had never seen the girl before today and couldn't wrap her head around the past ten minutes. The word "consequences" was being thrown around and all the yearling could do was blink and think, Where did she come from?

And then another question occurred to her. Why didn't you do something? Meerkat felt guilt sear through her. She could've intervened earlier, yet she hadn't. She hadn't anticipated that this would happen. She also didn't consider herself a sitter. Nobody had put her in charge of Liak's care today, she had just happened to be in the area.

Where had Rye been? And Imaq? And where were they now? She blinked and looked around but didn't see the father nor his son right away. Then she spotted them off in the distance, Rye crouched over Sikuliak, who lay limp on the ground. The sight of them prompted Meerkat to finally do something other than stand there, buffering. Shaking her head lightly, she stepped toward Veteran.

"It's too bad your mom's away. But maybe @Eldritch can help. Let's go find her," Meerkat said, glancing at where Wintersbane and Tzila stood rebuking Makatza, before calling out to Rye, "We're going to get help for Liak. We'll be back as soon as we can." After nosing Veteran, the yearling pivoted and swept away.

This will be my last post, methinks!

El is on the scene!

 


"No need, @Meerkat. I'm right here!" The Seer-Medic called mid-gallop, coming quickly upon the chaos with bundles of herbs tucked into a large pelt between her molar teeth.
Assuming @Rye was still close by with his child, Eldritch would give a brief greeting nod to @Tzila and @Wintersbane before slowly easing herself to the ground a few feet away from Rye and his son. 
Respectful of Rye's anger and protectiveness, El swayed her tail slowly and crawled closer with a medic's gentle, know-how tone "May I see him, Rye? I need to be able to diagnose all his injuries, please." She explained lightly, offering him her well-meaning gaze so he might relax just enough to give over the terrified boy; so she could get to work. 

Before her arrival, El had heard the screeching and commotion even from her own keeps, and quickly grabbed almost every kind of injury-related plant she had just in case; and had sprinted the entire way to the scene. 
Now, she was here. The witchdoctor placed her pelt-full of herbs between her forelegs and awaited Rye's cooperation. She would already have at least one patient from this, and possible wounds from a protective dad was the last thing she wanted to deal with alongside treating Sikuliak.