Verdigris Ravine ~Seeking the sun, feeling the sand….~

All family, and other pups welcome! This is time to explore their world a bit more.

Chisa, now finally old enough to explore outside the den a bit more wandered to the entrance where the sun reached in. The morning was warm, yet cool inside the confines of the den. She carefully climbed out to the sand and sat a moment catching her breath and taking in all the sights.

She made a noise, “wow” in awe of everything, she smelled the air for any scents in particular. She smelled aunty @Koa, she smelled Andi, and various other things. She also smelled mama still nearby.

She made a yip, friendly and beckoning for someone to play with, she tried to speak a name…. Hard as it was she managed to get out “Koo-aah.” Aunty had brought toys previous day, she liked aunty. 

Birds and plants caught her eyes, distracting her for a moment. They chirped! She brought her attention back to looking around for someone. This was her current mission.

S'ari watched her daughter, Chisa, hover at the entrance of the den. They were getting older, day by day, and walking on surer legs over time. She came and sat beside the girl, looking out at the world from the mouth of the den. Chisa, she said softly, what do you see? Mother sees something up there. She pointed with her snout, looking up into a nearby tree, a squat little thing with waxy leaves. In its branches was a bird. What is that, Chisa? Do you know the word?

She looked up at her mother, listening…. She thought about it, “bi-rd?” Then looked back at the feathered thing, with more surety “bird!”

Her tail wagged a bit, happy at her accomplishment and having mommy here with her. What else was there to see? She could endlessly wonder, “more?” Everything was still new to her, just as it was to her siblings. It was fun.

Ko'a had always brought little toys and trinkets and chews to the pups, having come to take much enjoyment in watching their first interactions to the things she brought which they had not yet seen before. Today, she holds a rattle snake's tail and when she sees Chisa outside the birthing den, she shakes her head back and forth, causing the snake tail to rattle. 

Coming close, she nudges her cousin's shoulder and settles down the snake tail. Chis-aah. Ko'a speaks back with a smile and playful wrinkle of her muzzle.

Her ears perked up and her attention now turned to the rattly noise maker. She walked up to Koa and sat looking up “Koo-ah.”

She sniffed the object then picked it up and gave it a gentle shake, it rattled softly, then she shook it a bit more and it rattled faster. How very interesting! She let out a happy yip, enjoying the snakes tail. It also could be thrown up in the air, and it landed with a plop. She crouched, then jumped for it, to play with it yet again.

S'ari is skippable for the remainder of this thread, but please forgive me if I have her jump in every now and then.

S'ari lay down at the mouth of the den and grinned at her cousin, watching silently. Watching her daughter play with Ko'a, interact, speak in her broken, dragged-out way, making vowels long and lingering, like the sun's heat baked into the sand.

Ko'a would teach Chisa to hunt, perhaps. She spoke up then, past her daughter, to Ko'a herself. Be sure she understands that the snake is prey--not a friend. It was her only warning, for she did not wish Chisa to think that a snake's rattle was a happy, fun thing. Snakes were common in the desert, and dangerous. The sunlings would have to learn early that they were not to be played with--unless they were, of course, dead.

Her mother spoke then turned her attention away to speak aunty K’oa, and she listened intently. She put the snake tail rattle down to listen. Mama was signaling caution, that perhaps this was not a joy object but instead food? It didn’t seem delicious, yet it did make a nice sound to her. Was that what she meant.

“No toy? This- one like rattle sound.” She wagged her tail a bit, which then ceased to focus. “Food?” She wondered what prey meant for a minute.

It was with a patience the girl sat, awaiting Ko'a to precent her the gift. Then she was on it quickly, shaking it in the same fashion as Ko'a had. Then harder. Then tossing it up and grabbing it again. 

Ko'a sat, watching and gingered ears perked high at attention when her cousin speaks. Ko'a nods, turning back to Chisa at her questions. Ah, yes, food. She nods and places her paw on the rattle. This one is like lizard tail, bird feather, deer horn... it comes from thing which we eat, but only if we can. She presses. This food is hard to catch and very dangerous, yes? Only to hunt when you are master hunter.

Koa faced mom. Then faced her, she looked up at her then down at the rattle. Then looked back up at Koa…. She nodded. “Food. No toy…?” She could sense the seriousness of the situation yet there was no sternness, she understood now. “Food hurt this one?”

Aunty had set her paw on the rattle herself. Deer horn, bird feathers? She knew of bird yet not, “deer?” These all must have been food items then, she wondered though, why would one want to eat rattle?

Food hurt this one. She confirmed. This food hurt many. She lift her paw off the rattle and flicked into Chisa's direction with a laughter. Koo-ah very fast. She grinned. Koo-ah will hunt it and bring back whole thing for Chisa to see. 

She laid then, stretching herself out on the sands. Deer is animal with long legs. Hooves instead of feet. Horns on head, but not always. Many different kinds.

She gasped, “hurt Koa?” But aunty was so strong and powerful, that food must have been dangerous. Koa fastly tossed it in her direction with a laugh, she grabbed it, shook it, and laughed too.

She realized this was toy, it came from dangerous food. Koa would bring it back, that would be very cool! “Okay!” Now she would know what this not so safe food looked it. She then talked about deer, “big horns? Can this one chew on horns?” Sometimes her puppy teeth hurt, since she was growing new ones in soon.

Maybe someday she could go with aunty on a journey. Perhaps see deer and these other animals, she mentioned.

It did indeed. She nods her ginger skull. This one tell you that story another time, yes? She would much rather toss the rattle around and laugh with her little 'niece'. 

Yes, horns are great for chewing! She tells, with a big smile. Just as much as bones. Their hooves too.

A good stopping place? This has been such a lovely thread! :D

She nodded eagerly, “Okay aunty Koa!” “This one doesn’t mind.” she too would enjoy playing in the evening sound with her dear aunt. She wagged her tail and wrapped her self around Koas leg before walking off to pick up the snake tail and gave it back to her to throw and toss. Pure childhood fun.

All done with a smile of pure joy. Warmth, and love.