Dragoncrest Cliffs Corona

hoping for some auntie time with sister/val/babies!

The fluttering she had felt in her abdomen had changed; now she felt movement, stirring- and every now and again, a little tiny prod that assured her that her children grew. In the wake of Mireille’s birth, she was in excellent spirits, and her own children seemed to feel it, and roll with delight.

She brought a fish she had caught from the falling boughs of Suzy’s fishnet. Her daughter’s absence had stretched for longer than she had expected but Chacal could do nothing but hope that her daughter had perhaps chosen to stay with Etienne longer than planned. Her net was useful, still- but it would need some maintenance soon to weather the daily tides.

She brought the meal to her sister, chuffing softly as she approached- hoping she could glean some time with her beloved sister as well as her four new children.

a puptato for u!

the first to greet tante chacal upon her arrival was little jadou. hardly more than a lump of flesh, he could not exactly do very much to garner her attention or greet her, but he feels her presence by way of the shift in the air.
seeing as how he was presently curled up against his mother's armpit, he rolls emphatically away and wriggles between his siblings, climbing over their bodies with his tiny, unsteady gait. he, of course, then proceeds to tumble down onto his side, melodramatically spasming in response. he is fine, of course — though perhaps it may draw a wink of concern from the guardians.

<3

The first to catch her attention looked just as Mireille had when she had been born- borrowing cinnamon fur with little flecks here and there of freckles. He toppled over the others in his conquest, only to be carefully scooped toward his aunt’s chest where he would be cradled with warmth.

”Jadou, Jadou, Jadou,” She crooned into his soft, velveteen fur. ”C’est qui que j’adore? Jadou, Jadou,” She sung with a warm smile.

he feels himself be moved from his warm safety net, which, at first, he does not like; until he is met with the soft cushion of his tante's pelt. though he cannot yet hear, he feels the vibration of the hymn — instinctively drawn toward it, with a tiny squall leaping from his throat, he snuggles closer, wriggling with unsteady movements.
despite the fact that his warbling is rather tone deaf compared to chacal's, he tries to sing along anyway.

feel free to skip me <3

another fish for the nursing mireille. val rolled over onto his flank as chacal passed and ducked into moss-den, aiming a playful nip at her ankles as she went past.

somewhere in that pile of puppies, jadou stirred. val observed the boy's unsteady gait and how he fell -- if it was his first time with children he might have rose and gasped; but he knew the resiliency of puppies. besides, if they were not made to bounce, why be bouncy-ball shaped?

chacal's lyrical voice spilled over the quiet wood. val placed his head on his paws and watched, grinning as he heard rather than saw one tone-deaf puppy voice join the chorus.

The infant’s croon brought a smile to her lips, one that mirrored the expression on her brother’s face. So similarly they smiled, having grown up together. She hummed to the child, attempting to tune her own voice to the child’s whimpers, with only moderate success. Still, even the dissonance was endearing.

”I will teach you one day to sing;
Melody an’ ‘armony be a most wonderful t’ing,” She assured the child.

Val watched, happily. She thumped the earth with her tail and gestured with a flick of her jaw for him to come closer and lay beside her.

he is surrounded by love. the tenderness of family, the sweetness of community.
the tiny boy's jaws split open in a yawn, spilling a cloud of puppy breath into the air as he settles into his aunt's embrace, nestling his face into the comfort of her fur.
his own humming comes to an abrupt stop as he begins to drift into a comfortable sleep.

two noises fill the air, their voices braiding into one melody that was occasionally disonant. val inched closer, encouraged by chacal -- he set on the ground by her flank, looking at tiny jadou in silence.

the child's hums ended suddenly. his ears flicked forward in alarm, thinking the worst -- but he saw the way his breast rose, and his little nose moved perceptibly. whew, still breathing.

he would never get used to how quickly puppies tired - they would run around him in circles, but then fall on their face as if their batteries fell out.

it's a tough life being a puppy.

Jadou slipped into a peaceful slumber, and Chacal continued to hum for a few more verses until her voice tapered off. She looked to Val and thought for a moment that they might be able to speak without waking the baby up- but in the end, she felt herself speaking with nothing more than a happy smile.

Sapphique grew once again, another generation that would thrive on the cliffs. And in the shared warmth, she couldn’t help but feel what she interpreted to be the glow cast down by past generations, beaming to see their lineage continue.