Bearclaw Valley i speak for the trees

open to pack members and family, some tags : @Towhee Jr @Periwinkle @Jackdaw @Cole

the den mouth yawns open behind him, but falk is already halfway into the world, legs too long, paws too heavy, and determination far too big for his little body. he stumbles forward with all the grace of a rolling stone, muttering nonsense under his breath.
“mmbah... g'nnuh... t’cha—mmph,” he huffs, tongue lolling briefly before he bites down on it in concentration. his brows furrow, tiny teeth flashing as he narrows in on... a leaf. a particularly suspicious leaf.
“hkk!” he grunts, launching at it. his paws slam down wide, missing entirely and sending him into a slow, wobbling topple. he lands on his side with an offended squeak.
then a growl, soft and wet and barely threatening. “nnnnn. bah. mine.”
he tries again. staggering back to his feet, tail raised like a banner behind him, white face furrowed with wild-eyed intensity.
a war cry bursts out of him—“GKK!!”—as he barrels into battle once more.

Rhonen tried to stay far away from any babies. Truly he did. He did not want angry mothers after his rear end. Today he was carrying the newest batch of herbs. Some flowers he saw his mother collect. Sage he thought it was called it was used for a few things that he knew of. And he was anxious to become a healer and as such he wanted to learn as much as possible. He kinda wished his mom was here. 

A noise nearby caught him off guard and he turned towards it. The voice was young, reedy. Not quiet strong enough yet. Though his ears swiftly went ot his head  at the cry of something. Rhonen nosed forward slowly. Curious. Ice blues falling on the child as it attacked the leaf. a small smile. Though he was careful not to drop his bundle.

Periwinkle, meanwhile, had found a toy to chew on- something that had likely been a lovely gift at one point, but by now it was impossible to tell what it could have been. Had it had fur? It had either been gummed off the limb entirely, or had become so sticky with spittle and dirt that it would never look like fur again. It could have been a branch- but there was something suspicious about its texture that made it not quite wooden. 

But it was loved- it was very well loved. 

Periwinkle had begun to learn how to ‘hold’ something so that she could chew away on it. One paw pinned one end, the other paw supported it, and she could chew on the end that stuck up. The only problem was her own lack of coordination and she’d forget, at times, to keep pressing the one end into the ground. The…toy, thing, would roll away, only to provoke a growl from the little girl who would then rise, teetering, and clumsily pounce it again. 

Her brother’s voice didn’t distract her- until she heard his battle cry. She looked up then, tilting her head to the side, and squinted. Pawk? 

And caught sight of the stranger, in the distance. 

A wolf who was neither Tvar nor Towhee Jr, nor those who had come to visit regularly. She didn’t know him- and she didn’t trust him. 

Wild-eyed she stared at the stranger for a moment, before she grabbed the toy with her foot and drew it closer to herself, crouching so she could be balanced. Pawwwwk! She whined quietly, to catch his attention.