Swiftcurrent Creek Stuttering Stanley

Here you go, @Scimitar! Others are welcome too. :) <3

Over the past few days, Paarthurnax had begun taking her pups on longer, further forays beyond the den, gradually introducing them to the pack's territory and the daily goings-on of pack life. Soon, she would abandon the birthing den altogether in favor of a rendezvous site. The pups would learn and grow together there, then eventually start striking out by themselves as they transitioned into their juvenile stage and, beyond that, into adulthood.

For now, though, they stuck close to their mother when she escorted them. Today, Relonikiv's brothers and sister stayed behind with Aunt Bazi while Paarthurnax went out to stretch her legs. The youngest tagged along, babbling happily in his dam's ear as he shadowed her. Much of what he said was difficult to understand (especially with the persistent lisp), though he was beginning to string real sentences together and ask a lot of questions about everything he saw, heard, smelled, touched and tasted.

"Mama, wha'that?" he queried when they came across a pile of moose dung near the creek's bank. "Poo?" he guessed, then dissolved into a bout of boyish giggles.

He was healing, but it did not stop the pain that would throb in the male's torn ear from time to time -- or the stiffness he felt when he moved that stemmed form his chest and neck wounds. His bruises were healing, but the cinnamon Alpha did not fully feel like himself yet.. but unfortunately, that did not stop day to day life, nor did it allow time for rest.

He paced the borders more often than not, feeling each day more like a caged tiger that needed to escape. They would leave soon, of that he was sure. The pups were getting older, and the adults could carry them when they tired.

With a gentle chuff, the male set off form the border to the heart of the lands, his paws crunching against the blanket of snow. He was met with a pleasant surprise, and while greeting Paarthurnax with a gentle graze of his nose to her cheek, it was Relonikiv who truly stole his attention. Loping toward the boy, who was giggling over something, the Frostfur cast a quick glance down to him, wolfish brows arched. "Did you do that?" His mouth twitched with a grin, but instead he pretended to look shocked.

Paarthurnax rolled her eyes affectionately and stepped away a few feet to take a drink. Meanwhile, Relonikiv spotted someone approaching from a distance. He froze, his tail sticking downward like a broken stick, then began bounding toward the familiar form of his Alpha. When he reached Scimitar, his entire body bowed and his tail wagged so fast that it was hardly visible. He made wordless noises of joy as he bounded upward to nuzzle Scimitar's chin.

"Thcim!" he crowed, glowing when he not only (mostly) remembered the Alpha's name but pronounced it (mostly) correctly too. "Hi!" he said, then burst into another loud round of giggles when the Alpha asked him if he was responsible for the nearby pile of dung.

"Th... thilly!" he managed to say, golden-dusted ears perking. His blueish gray eyes shifted from Scimitar to his mother, then back again as he sought affirmation: had he used the word correctly? "Thilly... thilly Thcim!" he yelled with yet another laugh, presently oblivious to the blatant lisp that afflicted his enunciation.

Met with a rather exuberant greeting, the cinnamon male snorted with amusement, his own muzzle tipping down to nudge affectionately at the boy's face. They were growing so fast that the Alpha would have sworn he had grown a few inches since the last time he had saw him -- and briefly he wondered if Paarthurnax woke up each morning and thought this as well.

Relonikiv made no inclination one way or another, and with a quirk of his brows, the Alpha felt a smile stir to his lips as the boy crowed with laughter instead. Stealing a quick glance to Paar, who had chosen to trail away from the two, likely for some much needed quiet time, the large male shifted his weight, his form dipping low to a 'play bow' before the boy. "Want to see something cool?" It was a hushed whisper, his eyes flicking back to the boy as his smile widened.

The sight of the Alpha male bowing playfully made Relonikiv's heart beat with excitement and joy. He responded in kind, ducking forward. His rump wiggled in the air, his little tail spinning. He clapped his golden forepaws on the earth and even gave a little bark, his blue-gray eyes shining as if back-lit by his sunny heart.

"Yah!" he replied when Scimitar offered to show him something cool. Of course he wanted to see, which he made extra clear by adding, "Yah, yah, yah! Thow!"

With enthusiasm in hand, the agouti male only waited for the chant of his little companion before hw whirled on his paws, albeit clumsily and injured. Loping over to a larger rock, his nose bent to the ground, Scimitar began to sniff, knowing he had left it here somewhere..

It could have been used as an opportune time to teach the youth a bit about tracking -- but the pups were not quite at an age yet. Making a mental note to teach them with some exuberant treasure hunt come time, the Alpha found the spot he was looking for, his nose pushing aside some of the light snow.

Creamy paws making fast work, he began to dig, and casting a stolen glance to his little ward, Scimitar gave a small wink, feeling the stiffness in his sides from the battle with the Blackfeather wolves. Still, this was a welcome distraction, and as his claws chipped away at frozen terrain, he finally felt what he sought. Pulling back, a glisten of ivory flashed through the small hole -- the tip of a deer antler he has stowed away for the pups at a later date. "Want to help me dig it out?"

When Scimitar rose back onto all fours, Relonikiv felt a stab of disappointment. Weren't they going to play? It didn't last long, though. His cinnamon ears perked when the Alpha male loped to a nearby spot and began to dig. Relonikiv bounced after him, tail waving in the air and eyes shining with interest. He ground to a halt near the Alpha, head cocking to the right as Scimitar began to dig.

When he invited the pup to join him, Relonikiv didn't need to be asked twice. "Yah!" he chimed, jumping in right beside the adult. He watched for perhaps three seconds before beginning to claw at the dirt, emulating his superior. He began to giggle when dirt flew behind him, then made a noise of interest when something began emerging from the churned soil...

"Wha'that?!" he yelled, beginning to dig even faster.

Kiv's excitement grew tenfold it seemed at the sight of the antler, and as he bellowed out the question to what it could possibly be, Scim held back a lopsided grin, his eyes gleaming as they took far more interest in studying the boy's reaction than the actual unveiling of the object.

He dug more gently, allowing the pup to exuberantly do most of the work. "Look at how fast you can dig!" It was teasing encouragement -- it would seem the cinnamon Alpha was an entirely different wolf when he was with the puppies, and it was stolen moments such as these that he found he reveled in. No mask had to be worn to keep emotions at bay -- they craved nothing more than affection, attention and perhaps a carefree playmate. He could easily provide all of these things.

The antler began to shift as the dirt loosened, and Scim knew it would be free soon. "Try tugging at it -- I'll keep digging," he suggested, amusement filtering his tone as he swiped more dirt to the side, revealing even more of the prize.

As always, Relonikiv beamed under the Alpha's praise, like a flower thriving beneath sunshine. He dug even faster, hoping to further impress Scimitar. As he flung dirt away, more and more of the object appeared. He wasn't sure what it was but that didn't inhibit his excitement any.

The Alpha suggested that the puppy tug on it while he finished pulling the dirt aside. The runt did as he was told, closing his little jaws around one of the exposed spokes. With a playful growl, he pulled while Scimitar's broad forepaws shoveled at the dirt so much more efficiently than the cub's tiny paws had done.

Small PP. :o

They worked together – a united team, albeit a clumsy one. As the Alpha gave a few more swipes of dirt, he felt the soil begin to loosen now with the persistent pulls of his little pal. Soon it would pop out – and only then could he hope Kiv would be thrilled over what the surprise was, rather than disappointed it was not more.

As the treasure was finally revealed, the regal male pulled himself back, his eyes sweeping over the boy for a reaction. Amusement stirred at his features as he gave a nod toward the antler – “One day, you’ll know how to take down the beasts that grow those on their head”, he explained, a roguish grin creeping up to his lips. While he was not anxious for the pups to grow.. he was curious to see what they would be like when they were older.

At long last, a branch emerged... or that's what Relonikiv thought it was. Feeling a deep sense of accomplishment, the tired boy eased back onto his haunches, looking at their unearthed treasure. It was like no branch he'd ever seen. It was curvy, with pointy spokes. He could see little marks he'd made with his teeth.

Only when Scimitar mentioned that these grew out of a beast's head did Relonikiv second guess his assumption about it being a branch. He blinked loudly at the Alpha male, then stared at the object again, seeing it in a whole new light. He pictured wolves with these "branches" thrusting from their foreheads. The mental image was fascinating but sort of scary.

"Wha? How?" he asked, uncertain what Scimitar meant by take down and incredibly interested to hear more of these beasts with trees growing from their heads.

Kiv seemed drawn to his words, and the regal wolf beamed down at the youth. Pulling the antler fully from its hiding spot, he nudged it toward the tawny youth before straightening, rolling his shoulders back in a leisurely stretch. "When you learn to hunt -- your siblings and yourself will work as a team with your fellow pack mates to learn the art of the hunt," he assured with a lopsided grin, before bending down to nudge the boy on the top of his head.
 
Paarthurnax had returned once more, her eyes watchful upon the two, and pushing Kiv gently on the side and in the direction of his mother, he gave a nod toward the crimson beauty. "Take it with you.. go show your mother," he suggested lightly. When the pup did so, albeit with slight difficulty due to the size, he gave Paar a wink before turning, his paws now carrying him away from the family and to the borders for another sweep.