Swiftcurrent Creek And I know you don't know, but I need you to be brave.

Father looked Very Seriously down at his offspring more than once, though his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Talos loosed as hefty a disgusted sigh as her little lungs could manage, glancing back at him once again; Serious-Time very clearly meant, in her mind, No-More-Fun-Time. This was obviously not an acceptable way to spend her first real sanctioned visit outside the den. ...In the meantime, Talos saw first one brother, then another stop and make a more creditable job of trying to add small voices in a howling chorus. She cocked her head at this, taking one more uncertain step, and letting out a final small Wooo...oo? before giving it up as a bad job. Akavir was being a lame-o slowpoke and Viinturuth and Akatosh, the kiss-ups, could have all the weird howly choruses to themselves and Mother. She glanced at Father again, but he was standing there looking grave and being boring, not even speaking directly to his children, so she only kept her eyes pinned to him for the minimum required span of attention to make sure he wasn't going to change his mind and do something more interesting.

What was much more interesting by far was the staggered parade of wolves that came quietly and obediently to listen to her parents. Talos wasn't about to learn from their good examples, but she did appreciate their lining up in a loose semicircle and keeping obligingly still so that she could get a good noseful and look at them. Two in particular caught her eye: one big round one smelled extra-interesting, similar to Mother in a way that made Talos lick her lips, especially since Durnehviir seemed to be shutting down the milk bar at home a little more, lately. Talos pricked her ears and wriggled all the rest of her as eagerly as her nose, as she thought that maybe this lovely creature with its coat so similarly colored to her own (save for that strange milk-colored bib) might prove another and maybe more reliable source of deliciousness. She picked up her feet to investigate, but then started to make a wider detour around another wolf she recognized: the ill-fated @Samothes who had deliberately deprived her of adventures and intriguing wet-fishy-smells both, before.

 Talos didn't intend to make that mistake again as she determinedly marched wide of the spectacled male— if only, that was, her brother hadn't yet again latched himself to her precious tail! Talos squalled and flailed furiously at @Akatosh to try and knock him loose. Mother was talking about all of them and somethingsomething wolves-Talos-didn't-know and rankchanges, but Talos was especially uninterested in listening to any more parental jabbering any longer; the moment she dislodged her brother she aimed a final warning air-snap in his direction before making a beeline toward @Chusi and her delicious-smelling burgeoning belly. She picked up as much speed as she could, hoping to outrun any limiting adult paws, seeming likely to plow straight into the poor unwieldy mother-to-be— but Talos could not allow this fresh milk source to be discovered by her greedy brothers first! Far-off bears were only vaguely interesting in comparison to this prospect. ...It would obviously continue to remain a great mystery throughout the pack as to why poor Durnehviir might feel herself a little...overtaxed, in the meantime.