Noctisardor Bypass may i be snuggling your mom by candlelight?

Preferably just one or two others, please!

REEEEEEEEERAHGHARAAA!

Gideon's war cry warbled from his throat as he charged across the den. In his ears, still folded down and partly plugged, it was little more than a whisper, but in truth it was loud enough to wake the dead, and likely every other inhabitant with fully functioning ears.

He had found his legs in the past couple days and had already mastered them, aside from the occasional stumble. His vision was still hazy, the edges indistinct and blurry, but already he was familiar with every inch of the den, having wasted no time exploring it. From the moment he could stand, he proved to be a very active little boy indeed.

A darkling beetle skittered across the floor, warned away by the pounding of clumsy puppy paws. Gideon pursued it, undeterred by its speed and head start. He was so focused on it that he lost all sense of his own body in motion.

AAAAAAH! he shrieked again as his front paws tangled together and he pitched face-first into the dirt, twin tails flagging up over his raised rear end.

I hope you're feeling well after your procedure. And sorry for my sulky Eti. <3

A noise reached the senitive ears of Etienne. And at first he thought of ignoring it. Because it didn't sound like one of the little girls. That meant it was probably one of Anselm and Heda's brood and that thought alone. Etienne shuddered.

But the tired healer. Who perhaps a glutton for punishment. Stuck his head inside and studied the little child that ran about. Despite his feelings. He couldn't quite stop the gentle smile that curled up half his face. Puppies were adorable.

He chuffed gently. His familys language coming to his maw quickly.

kisa ou eksite, ti wa.

I am, thank you!

Gideon clambered unsteadily back to his feet, his face suspended somewhere between a wobbling lip and a determine scowl. He was tempted to run right back to mommy for comfort, but was also filled with a little boy's bravado and the knowledge that his brother would have stood strong. He sniffled and wriggled his aching nose.

Then the choice was taken from him. The moment Etienne's face appeared in the den, running back to mommy wasn't an option. He could hardly make out the words Etienne said, but it wouldn't have understood even if he could, and that wasn't even considering the different language.

Mustering what strength he could to keep himself from whimpering, Gideon turned to the big face that blocked the light, sucked in a huge breath, and yelled, BAAAAAH! Nothing could keep distress away like being ferocious instead.

Welxome

Etienne saw the fierce determination and sadness and he wanted to comfort, but wasn't sure. Would the boy want comfort or was he like Eti's brothers who preferred to stay away from such things.

It seemed the child warred between some inde ision, but of what Etienne didn't know. What he did know was the fierce look on the child's face. Was this one Gideon or Ezra? He didn't know them well enough yet.

He bit back a chuckle and have a soft grr grr back. But he didn't press further in. He wanted to play with the boy not scare him.

Well, there was one thing that could keep distress away even more than being ferocious: a goal.

Yes, a goal could move even the most timid and meek of creatures to action, and Gideon was certainly not timid nor meek. The distress disappeared, replaced by the stage set in his head. He, the knight in dark sterling armor at the gates of the village, and Etienne, the indomitable dragon roaring at the threshold.

His goal was simple. Eliminate the dragon. Save the village. Become a hero who would never feel pain or humiliation again.

With a war cry that was more akin to the burbling of a brook than a fierce warrior, Gideon snapped his tiny jaws toward Etienne's nose, with only the frantic wagging of his tails giving away that this was, in fact, a game.

Etienne was surprised and delighted when the child turned to him to seek a game. Though he wasn't entirely certain how he could play. He hadn't played in a long time. He hoped he could figure it out. Had he ever really been a child? So much chaos in his early months.

Etienne lifted his nose and did two gentle bap baps of his paws to the childs shoulders and side if he wasn't too quick for him. Featherlight and soft. He didn't want to harm him.

A quiet grr grr left his throat and his own tail wagged as he bent forward in a play bow.

Gideon's head snapped side-to-side, missing Etienne's toes with little teeth by a mere whisker each time. It seemed he had decent reaction time for his age, but suffered still from a youthful lack of coordination. His throat bubbled with excited growls to match Etienne's own, and when the man dipped his front end down, Gideon completely lost his mind.

The pup slapped his paws upon the earth and gave in to his zoomies. He began to run, his tails and limbs flailing around while his body wound itself into tight tailspin. Soon he was whirling in place and yapping his head off, so focused now on his own extinction burst of energy that Etienne faded into the background.

As always I adore writing with you and he's so cute.

Etienne felt the brush of hot breath, along edges of his toes. He had to keep himself from reflexively rolling them back. Even if the child got a hold of them. It would hurt, but not terrible so. And it would be a teachable moment. But luck was on Etienne's side mostly.

Etienne felt a laugh bubble up in his throat. And it danced from his throat lyrical and soft. Golde eyes warm and aglow on the pup as he ran and ran around in circles.

Etienne curled his tail around his paws and settled in to watch and join in when Gideon was ready for him too.

Hope you don't mind me wrapping Gideon up here! Feel free to post once more or archive as-is!

Gideon whirled and whirled, and when he wasn't whirling he was bobbing and weaving around Etienne. His was a chorus of growls and giggles as he snapped at the sea wolf's wispy fur here and lurched away from a playful retaliation there. This burst of energy lasted only a little while, but to Gideon it was hours of fun.

The last of his energy ran out just as Heda came to gather him for a nap. She found him sprawled on the ground, panting heavily, the picture of a well worn-out child. Gideon spared Etienne one last backward glance as he followed his mama into the den, and he was so exhausted from the play session that he was asleep before his chin hit the dirt.

Thank you for the thread! I'm going to post one more time so I can use it for caretaking. Thanks again <3

Etienne's own laughter joined Gideon's and his heart felt fuller than it had in a long time and for the first time since the child was born. He didn't think of who his father was.

But he was slapped in the face with it when Heda arrived. He felt his heart fall to his toes and he quickly excused himself and walked as fast as he could away from the den and the wolves therein. Tears gathering in the golden gild ofhis gaze.

But there was a smile there, for despite it all. He had, had fun.