Sawtooth Spire All that you are is all that I'll ever need.

First invitation to leave the den! All welcome, but please let the puppers post first.  :D

Nyx peered beyond the mouth of her cave, judging the weather that morning while her little daughters continued to sleep. The day was young and bright, holding promise of a warm Summer afternoon, and the lioness was keen to make the most of it. Hawkish eyes turned toward the cubs again, sweeping warmly over the rise and fall of Ciri's dark flank before lingering fondly on the charcoal peppering of @Elke's dorsal.

Still, no matter the growth of attitudes that would likely be the source of many a headache as they aged, she adored them. That love bloomed in new ways each and every day, in manners she'd been reluctant to think possible. They brought out the good in her and, more than anything, Nyx hoped to be the best version of herself - for them.

The tawny Ostrega stepped closer to the two snoozing babes and dipped her muzzle, careful as she pressed her snout between them. Breathing deep, she stole a whiff of that soft baby scent she'd come to love, and nudged each puppy with an affectionate croon. "Today's a big day," she told them when they'd roused enough to (hopefully) pay some semblance of attention to her, "we're going outside."

She gestured toward the daylight that spilled into their burrow, then turned to meander toward it with a happy sweep of her feathered tail. "Come on," she beckoned, hopeful that there would be no fear from them. With one last glance over her shoulder, the lioness slipped into the wide world that her children would soon see for the first time.