Redtail Rise the happiest day

somewhere, sometime, in the week between the pups' birth and this instant, something changed.

she wakes from a brief nap to stare down upon the trio of @Relic, @Masquerade and Redd, and feels love. real love.

her dreams had been filled with her mother—of her still suckling at Astara's breast, tiny and entirely dependent on the woman. the warmth, the safety she'd felt. and now, she realizes she's responsible for these three in the same way.

everything has come full circle.

Avicus draws her muzzle along their small heads, breathing in their scent. they all bear bits of reddish hue, some more than others. unknown fathers, but no doubt who their mother is.

and she must be to them what Astara had been to her. a rock of constancy; a shelter against the outside world until they are ready to face it.

and they will be ready. warrior blood courses through their veins.

for the first time, she draws them close, and her heart swells bigger than ever before.

can be a cameo!

instinct drove him far to look for rich food.

the ravens had told augur of a kill. he looked at them clustered in the sky and then he had gone to find it. a bear had killed a young elk. augur harassed her until she saw fit to leave in exasperation.

after eating his fill he had torn off the haunch and now he arrived at red woman's den. the hoof dangled at the end of the limp foot. he dropped it where she could smell the blood and whined before retreating a respectful distance away. if she did not emerge the clawan would return to his hunting and marking.

Still a slave to her instincts, young Masquerade fell into a cycle of feeding and sleeping, with brief bouts of movement in between. Mother’s milk grew bone and flesh during every rest and slowly, the whelp gained enough strength to advance beyond mere squirming.

Driven as ever by the automic quest for sustenance, Masque braced her small legs against the dusty den floor and pushed herself forward. She discovered her sister’s snout latched onto one of Avicus’s teats. There were many others, though an innate sense of competition compelled Masque to insert her tiny snout in between Redd and the nub of flesh, shoving her sibling aside to claim it.

She suckled voraciously. Masque might have drunk herself into a stupor if not for the new scents that wafted into the den moments later. She unlatched, whimpering almost querulously, head wobbling as she made an attempt to raise it.

Another routine, uneventful and peaceful day. Bathed in darkness and warmth, with a comforting fullness in his belly. Relic had a healthy appetite and hogged the milk, jostling for the best position often. He switched and shared spots with Masquerade, but Redd, the last born, he would shove aside. Deeply ingrained instincts of dominance, of establishing a pecking order, were already sprouting in the boy.

With his mouth firmly around the teat of his choice, he only burrowed in closer against Avicus. He felt then, his near twin, shift beside him. Something smelled different. He grunted, too indulged in his supper to care. But his stubby little tail did begin a propeller motion. Then, likely because he had drunk his helping too fast, out popped his first hiccup. Bewildered, he ceased suckling but did not let go. He shifted and squirmed in place, unsure of weather to make a fuss or not.

like a moray eel, Avicus abandons her doting and shoots out, grabbing the haunch and pulling it back into the den with her. her indigo eyes shimmer in the dim light, though, and she gives a whuff of thanks to Augur before beginning the process of wolfing the meat down.

she's ravenous. she's never been so hungry in her life. the pups feast on her milk, and she in turn requires more meat than ever to sustain her own body.

within minutes, the flesh is gone and the bones are picked clean. 

Avicus gnaws at the gristle just above the hoof, trying to work the hardy bit free to keep as a souvenir. the pups had stopped suckling, but they seem querulous at the newness of Augur and his kill.

The ones who were "like her but not" were nearby.  She never complained when they shoved her aside, reacting as water would and shifting easily to another teat within range.  Her favorite times were when the "ones who brought blood" visited.  She couldn't eat it yet and didn't fully understand that it was food, but the scents the prey carried filled her with avid curiosity.  She always tried to get closer to blindly explore more.  Today was no exception.

Their leavings were better than the "one who smelled of grass".  His voice was soft but he did not interest her yet.  Only the lifebringer, her siblings, and the messages carried by death were relevant in her world now.

augur had not been rebuffed.

he crept closer, eventually dropping to his belly. the ears pinned back against his skull. he whined a long note, asking if he might look inside the den.

that was up to red woman. men had been mauled for less.

A soft rush of air pushed against her when the unseen guest slung his belly to the floor. All the scents he brought with him washed over her too, each of them as fascinating as they were meaningless to her. She sifted through them with nary a conscious thought about it, categorizing them by some innate knowledge passed down to her from her primal ancestors.

It was a tiring business. Without really being aware of it, Masque gave her wobbling neck a rest by letting her chin sink back to the cool floor of the den. She had fed—her belly as well as her senses—and the pattern insisted it was time to rest now. She let out a sigh, her body relaxing as her awareness switched off momentarily.

She’s asleep, so feel free to skip!

The tickling, fluttering feeling in his chest subsided. With it, his confusion. Neither his sisters nor his mother seemed bothered by the mysterious presence lingering by the den. So he wasn't either. Or he was too tired from his hearty meal to bother. Curling up in a ball of fluff, he let the blanket of sleep wash over him again.

through her hungry reverie, she heard Augur's request, and found his golden gaze with her own. well, why not? one or more of them were his, after all. she nods, allowing him in.

the tawny girl draws close to the bone; she instinctually growls from the corner of her mouth before remembering herself, and her daughter, and gives the pup a brief lick instead.

Redd's cheek will smell of meat, even if she can't yet smell it herself.

didn't realize it was me - if I hold things up again feel free to skip at any point! Haven't been able to keep up with anyone lately <3

Redd sensed the growl, in some form, and froze in her reach.  Instinctually a sense of danger came and a growl of answer nearly rose within the tiny pup, but the sense was accompanied by the knowledge of caregiver.  One who was not yet to be questioned.  She remained still instead and was rewarded with the touch of warmth.

The small rumble that left her was one of pleasure then rather than fear.  She lifted herself as high as she could on her legs and wavered there, a moment, before falling forward and crawling towards life-bringer's side.  She would forget the bone and content herself there.  Challenging would wait.

<3

augur approached.

but he was not yet ready to put himself within reach of her teeth.

the great man settled outside the den. he would remain a guardian until hunting or her dismissal sent him away again.

he was content to be near red woman and the children in this way.