Blackfeather Woods different kind of happy

AW, but maybe daddy @Bane ? :-)

Cicero was a cheerful child. Even when he was in pain, his yelps were often followed by laughter. For others, it was hard to tell whether his laughter stemmed from a cheery outlook on life, a sense of comfort in the life he had been given, or if there was a different sort of meaning behind Cicero's cheer. Whatever the case, anyone who had ever seen the patchwork child would describe him as something of an oddball, not just in appearance.

Presently, he was at the age of discovery: For 6 weeks, Cicero had been practising his lungs with all sorts of tones, growls and laughs, and now he was trying them out.

Like most children, Cicero was very fascinated by the outside world. He sauntered out of the den, while looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was awake and following him, and took a peek outside of the den. "Oooh," he cooed excitedly, a content grin plastered on his face, as he looked at the woods surrounding the den. "Seessss," the pup babbled to himself, and he looked over his shoulder again; this time hoping that there would be an awake sibling or parent to give words to.

Yes please :I

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The scar on his face was the most painful of all. He could forget about the limping, the bites in his throat, the scratches along his flanks and even the mess that was now the brotherhood mark on his shoulder, but it was like he still felt Scimitar's sharp claws tearing off the skin from his face.

It had been six weeks since the pups' birth, but Bane still couldn't avoid sticking around the den just to make sure everything was going well. He'd already caught two of the pups trying to get a better look at the outside world, he had enjoyed watching them babble around, but there was one little fella' he hadn't quite interacted with yet. Cicero was the middle child, always giggling for one or another reason, but that's just as much as he knew about him, not that he knew much about the other two, tough.

Bane's face laid buried in the snow in an attempt to ease the pain that still numbed the snow warriors face. He was supposed to be watching the den, but he hadn't noticed yet that he had a breakout. A sneaky, giggly, black-and-white little rebel.

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Cicero blinked his eyes as he looked around and took his surroundings in. He liked that the outside world had snow, which moved when you touched it. "Sees goooo!" the boy yipped excitedly as he stepped into the snow. He toddled through it with big steps that made snow fly everywhere, and watched the snow fly with excited gasps and "Ooooh!"'s. Cicero waddled forward on his stubby legs until he suddenly bumped into a lomp in the snow.

"Aahck!" Cicero called out in surprise as he bumped into (unbeknowst to him as of yet) his father's face, which was buried in the snow. The pup tumbled over and his face fell flat in the snow that covered the lump. Cicero quickly collected himself and tilted his head as he curiously stared at the lump in the snow. It seemed it was attached to a body. Cicero laughed as he saw the headless body; how silly! What sort of wolf had no head?

A sudden bump made the arctic warrior jerk awake with a growl. He lifted his head from the ground, shaking off the snow that covered it with an aggressive move, sending snow in all directions. The hair of his back bristled and his tail went as high as it had ever been, he had never been taken by surprise. It wasn't until he identified the attacker that he lowered the guard.

"Oh, hi!" the father barked at his giggling son. They were the same giggles he so often heard from outside the den, they made him smile every time he heard them. "Where were you going buddy?" he asked swaying his tail. This was the first time he had ever interacted with his youngest son, and it was both exciting and terrifying.

Abvhwrrr!" Cicero yipped when the headless body suddenly came into motion and took on an agressive stature as it showed its head. He flopped on his butt in the snow and tilted his head, still giggling as he looked up at the wolf. He had seen the wolf sometimes, but never from up close, and stared up at him in awe.

The wolf greeted him with 'hi', a simple word that was used often by others. "Hi hi hi hi!" Cicero squeaked cheerily and his tail batted into the snow as it propellored in excitement. "Buh," he then repeated, trying to grasp the last word that the other wolf had said. Maybe it was the wolf's name?

Been busy lately, I'm really sorry :s

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The inexperience of the pup made Bane chuckle. He not only was clumsy, but his was barely under control. The pup squeaked in glee to see his father rise from the snow, and with high pitched barks tried to repeat each word he said. He failed at it, but he was in the right path.

"Wanna go around and explore a bit?" Bane said, docking into a playful position with his tail high over his head. The interaction with Potema had been the most amazing one, and Damien had been a very nice contestant in battle. He though it would be safe to go on a stroll with his youngest son. Nothing would harm him under his father's watch.

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no problem :)

Cicero didn't know who this wolf was, except that he had seen him around before, but he liked him already. His tail propellored excitedly as the other wolf bent down into a playful bow and suggested exploring. Cicero didn't really know what the words meant just yet, but he was excited nevertheless. Whatever they were going to do, it would probably be lots of fun.

Barking in excitement, Cicero shouted "Waaarrgbl!", nodded his head and started to run off. He figured that the adult would follow, and possibly pick him up and put him back into the den with the rest of the family. For now, however, he enjoyed his freedom while throwing out excited "Rawgh!", "Baw!" and "Sees go!"'s while waiting for the adult to follow in tow.

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Bane laughed at the excitements shown by the little Cicero, and chased him when he decided to go crazy. He trotted beside him, keeping a safe distance to avoid stepping on him and ending his short life like that... He just wasn't that confident of himself around pups, specially his'.

"Go, Cis!" Bane barked airily and took off to leave him behind for a moment and look back every so often to keep track of him. He introduced himself in the darkness of the woods, awaiting for Cicero to catch up and start their journey across the haunted forest. "Shhh...." he'd say once the pup got there, and then he would start creeping slowly with his head low to create suspense.

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Cicero was overjoyed to go out on a trip with the funny scarred wolf. He happily jumped around, not really following a set path but jumping from left to right through the forest. There were so many things to explore, Cicero wasn't even sure where to go first! The pup excitedly dashed around, poking his head from behind trees and searching for adventure. As the scarred wolf said 'Go, cis!', Cicero's tail propellored in boundless joy as he repeated "Sees go!" to confirm that he was, in fact, going.

Once he caught up with the scarred wolf, Cicero looked at him in surprise as he said 'shhh'. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-hhh?" Cicero repeated, long and drawn-out, and he tilted his head and looked at the scarred wolf. Instinctively catching up on his father's sneaking movements, Cicero moved close to his father's front legs, staying near and making himself small, wondering if anything was nearby; dangerous or edible.

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Slowly walking with his son between his front paws, Bane got deeper into the shadows. Crows fluttered above their heads, and -intentionally- Bane jerked his head towards the sounds to make sure Cicero was paying attention to each and every one of them. Both Bane and Meldresi had high hopes of seeing all of their children become avid members of the Brotherhood, and the art of sneakiness was just one of the requirements to be a Dark Brother, Bane wanted to make sure that the pups knew how to move without being noticed. Every now and then, the large northerner would stop to sniff the many scents in the air, and his eyes moved from side to side, keeping track of even the smallest movements around him, all of it hoping for his son to mimic the behaviors that one day would find essential for survival.

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Cicero moved quietly between the scarred wolf's forelegs. When the crowd noisily fluttered above their heads and the scarred wolf looked up, Cicero followed his glance and told the crows, "Shhhhh!" because this was sneaky quiet time, so the crows shouldn't ruin the sneaky quietness!

Cicero made sure to follow his father's every move, mimicking as his instinct told him to, to learn about survival; obediently listening and following where his father lead.

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Bane looked down to his son with a smile and a warm chuckle, and stopped for a second to let the pride that Cicero lit inside him take over his emotions. As a very inexperienced first-time father, Bane saw everything his children did, for as little as it was, as a great accomplishment, they were just the best kids ever, a little bit different perhaps, but the best regardless.

A branch cracked on their left, and Bane's head turned sharply towards the source of the sound. One of the white deer was close, wandering directionless through the woods. With a gentle pat on his back, Bane pushed Cicero towards the sound, instructing with his his muzzle where to stalk. Not a sound came out of his mouth, he was silent, showing Cicero how to behave, and expectant of what his secondborn's reaction would be.

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When the crack of the branch sounded through the foreast, Cicero let out another whispered "Shhhhh!" in its direction. Silly branch, not understanding that now was quiet time and that meant they needed to be 'shhh' quiet! Cicero arched his neck to look in the direction of the sound, but he saw nothing.

His father pushed him forward, and Cicero did not really understand what to do, other than walk in the direction of the sound. He waddled onwards, trying to be as quiet as he could by mimicking his father's behaviour. However, being clumsy and young, Cicero didn't fully manage; he stepped on and cracked a branch and tumbled on the ground with a yelp. Cicero heard something run off nearby and looked up at it, only to see some animal disappear into the depths of the forest. "Ohw," he said as he looked after it, and then looked over his shoulder at his father for further instructions.

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Cicero failed to stalk the deer, something Bane was actually expecting, and although it did frustrate him a bit, the young father licked his pup's forehead and pushed his little butt with his nose, encouraging the novice to continue.

"Try again..." The father instructed calmly as he allowed his body to lay on the ground to watch his little hunter give it another go. Maybe a deer was still too big for the month-old, but the Northerner was sure that one day, a whole herd of them would be just too little.

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Cicero, at the age of one month and a bit, did not understand much yet about the world and what was expected of him; he mostly worked on instinct. He could mimic his father, and could come up with things and games all by himself, but he could not yet decipher what anyone wanted when they spoke to him. Cicero let out a happy "Bwaaagh!" when his father licked his head, his tail wagging cheerily, but when he was asked to 'try again' he did not understand.

"Wah?" he queried and he looked at his father expectantly. After a moment of silence, Cicero was distracted by a nearby plant rustling in the wind and with an excited "Sees!" the pup threw himself at the plant, pouncing on it. He ripped the piece of greenery from the ground, roots and all, and then trotted back to his father, proudly presenting his caught prey.

Wanna wrap up so I don't keep making you wait for me? I love this thread and I wish I could have a thousand more with you :( Maybe when Cicero is a bit older???

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As soon as the patchworked pup dropped the plant in front of him, the arctic hunter let out a warm chuckle as he closed his eyes and shook his head. Well, at least he had caught a "moving" target, hadn't he?

"Soon you'll be a great hunter, Cis. Just like dad..." he woofed and licked his son's face again before getting up and pushing his flank in an attempt to topple him down playfully and running away, expecting for the pup to go after him. That would show him what hunting was.

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yeah, i'll wrap this one up :) we can have another one at some point when cicero is older <3 until then we'll have to do with bro-threads :D

Cicero proudly presented his caught trophy, and his tail wiggled excitedly when his father praised him for it. Soon the plant was forgotten again, now 'dead' and no longer moving, when his father nudged him and ran off. Cicero woofed excitedly and then started to run after his father with clumsy gallops.

The pair played for another good while, Cicero hunting after his father and changing the roles to be the huntee at some point, until Cicero grew tired and was returned to the den for a nap.