Moonspear Little lights

Tika moved from the side of her sleeping siblings and slowly crawled/walked towards the door to the den. She would look back at her sleeping mother every so often, but she wanted to see the blinking lights that were outside. That she saw dip down and all around when the wind blew.

She hadn't yet realized it was the sun when cloud cover was over it. She just saw it sometimes. She pushed her multicolored head out of the door and stared all around. Eyes wide in her head. So bright it hurt. She peeped a soft noise, and heard nothing return her call. Shoulders followed head and she was standing on rough rock.

I couldn’t resist! Please let me know if I need to alter any assumptions made here.

@Sialuk had begun taking her pups on short forays beyond the ulaq, usually all at once. But sometimes she singled out one of the children. Today was Tiuttuk’s lucky day. They happily fell into step behind the pale figure of their mother, sticking so close they occasionally bumped into her heel.

Whether or not it was planned, their jaunt took them past @Moonshadow’s den, where a little face peered out at them. Sialuk stopped and Pie’s own face smashed into her hock, sending them bouncing backward. They shook their head so loudly their little ears flapped, peering up at Sialuk before following her gaze.

Hi! Treepie immediately chirped, frolicking toward the stranger. Smol! they squealed in delight, thrusting their nose forward to boop their newest friend, button to button.

HALF SIBLINGS! <3

Tikaani was enjoying her little adventure. There were so many things to see. She enjoyed watching the wolves walking to and fro. She could occasionally hear Alaric singing. Which she found comforting. Even if he hadn't met them all yet. She liked to hear the sound. 

Today a white wolf draped in colors of clouds was walking. She looked to be her mama's age, maybe younger. But she smelled a bit like mama, the smell of babies and milk and other things. An ear tilted in surprise as she watched. At first not noticing the pup that trailed behind their mother. They looked a bit like her at least black face wise.

Aani backed up in surprise, but not before they were eye to eye and nose to nose. She cheeped in surprise. Falling on her rear. A small dust cloud popping up around them. 

Hhhhi.

Bright yellow eyes, in black face. The tip of her white ear twitched. A noise like a small little bug or the sound of tree against branch. And she pressed further out of the den. Another pup was there.

Treepie grinned as the smaller puppy backpedaled with a cheep, stumbling into a sit that kicked up a bit of dust. The slightly older babe held their breath—a trick someone had taught them to avoid sneezing spells—and waved their tail.

Kewd! they exclaimed, tipping their head at a strange angle to see if Sialuk agreed with this assessment. Facing the other youngsters again, they repeated more softly, Kewd…

As much as they wanted to close the small distance between them, Pie instead lowered themself to the ground, folding their forepaws primly beneath their chin. Eyes wide, they watched the littler wolf, tail sweeping the ground behind them as they waited to see what she would do next.

Tikanni sneezed once, twice, three times. She was certain that her snot and spittle had gotten all over the older wolf. She folded her ears to her head for a moment. Took one breath and two, trying to get the dirt from tongue and lungs. 

She didn't know the word the other was calling her. Wide yellow eyes in black face. White nose pressed forward to sniff again at the older pup.

Tikaani stood up and toddled forward. Paws akimbo. She wasn't fully great at this whole walking straight thing. Balance yea, but her depth was still off. But she finally made it to the pup and blinked at them. 

Hi.

The little one sneezed. Tiuttuk smiled softly, deciding they must teach her how to plug her nose to prevent the dust from getting in there. It had taken them many tries to understand how to do it, though it was such a useful skill. They would be happy to teach…

Name? Treepie suddenly chirruped, giggling as they spoke right over the baby’s shy second, “Hi.” Hi! they parroted, then, Name?

She’d come close enough that Pie could boop her snoot with their own again. Gently, they rose from their prostrate position. It felt a little strange for them to loom over her; they were used to being one of the smallest wolves in any given situation! They decided to hunch a little to put them on more equal footing.

Aani rubbed at her nose. Trying to get the feeling of the sneeze out of it. But she still felt as if she needed to sneeze. It just wasn't fair. She even snorted to try and get it out. Finally, giving up and focusing on the one in front of her.

She didn't know how to say much, but her name she could say at least part of it in slow bursts. Tttikkaani. Aani. She parroted back. Her name was not easy, but she had gotten used to it now.  

Aani had to lean her head back a little to look up at the older pup. Until the said pup bent forward a little and paid closer attention to Aani and her vertical handicap.

Their eyes flew wide when the puppy stammered out her name. It was very much like theirs! Treepie didn’t realize they also looked very similar, as they hadn’t had many occasions to see their own reflection.

Tiuttuk! they said, thumping a tiny paw against the spot on their chest where black turned to white. Pie! they added, their preferred nickname.

Movement over Tikaani’s shoulder momentarily drew their attention. Treepie thought they could make out an adult wolf tucked into the shadows of the ulaq. Were those more babies bundled close to her chest?

Their world narrowed back to their current playmate before they glanced back at Sialuk to ask, Can has?

They took their mother’s patient smile as confirmation and reached out to tug at the smaller child’s elbow. She was coming home with them. She was too small to be a sibling, so maybe she could be Treepie’s baby!

C’mawn, Tiki Tiki!

Tikaani didn't know why the other wolf was so excited. But she smiled and wagged her tail along with the. It was a good time right. They were all happy for the moment.

Aani narrowed her eyes. And tried out the name. Tiu tiu tt  uk. UCK. But then a new name was given that was much more easier to say. Pie.

Suddenly she was being pulled. She looked back to her mother wordlessly and her siblings, but didn't fight it. She followed along with the curiosity of an ever growing pup. Who had made a new friend.

She was very vigilant with her children and when she awoke from her nap she noticed one strayed towards the entrance. She knew they were getting coupled up in the den and she watched as things unfolded. 

Her baby began to be pulled by the other child and this made the mother get up and walk to them. She was calm as she looked down at the children. “She can’t go too far but you two can play.” She said softly and in simple words. She nudged her other three if they were determined to leave the den she would follow the young ones.

The she-wolf who lurked in the back of the den suddenly stood, moving closer to the two pups. Pie froze where they stood, still grasping Tikaani’s elbow, and smiled sweetly at the unfamiliar adult. Their tail waved as she spoke to them, though Tiuttuk didn’t pay much attention to the specifics of what was said.

Tiki, Treepie said again simply because they felt like it. Tugging at the younger child again, they added, C’mawn, kewd smol baby Tiki!

Aani saw her mama coming. She smiled and tilted an ear. She was still being pulled. Mama didn't seem to mind so much.

Tiki followed behind. Ok Pie.

A small ungainly gait. A little wiggle in her step and tail. A small smile as she too everything in.

I’m going through and pruning Pie’s thread log a bit. Since this has sat for a few weeks and we have a more current one, I decided to slap an ending on it for us.

They grinned when Tikaani said their name so agreeably. Treepie let go of her, allowing the smaller child to move under her own power as they bustled past the den’s mouth into the little clearing outside of it.

Tiuttuk meant to take her all the way back to Sialuk’s ulaq with them, though of course the two mothers didn’t let that happen. The babes were allowed to play together in the pleasant spring air for a little while before the head said it was time to head home sans Tiki, who would be escorted back inside the den to rest with her mother and siblings.

Pie pouted for all of three seconds. Sialuk assured them they would return here soon, perhaps even the very next day. The little calico’s face brightened immediately. They looked trustingly into their mother’s face, then with a slightly wistful backward glance, they followed her home to their own ulaq.