Sawtooth Spire what does the fox say

PPing @Iqniq and @Tonravik being here because I want them to hear Ping's first word. I hope that's ok! In fact I've pp'ed that the entire family is here, bam! Open to anyone though who wants to be the one "walking by".

It was a comfortable afternoon. The family was sheltered from the heat of the sun by intermittent cloud cover, so the temperature was at a happy mid point, and the wind was not but a soft breeze. His parents and siblings were dozing after finishing a meal, but the fox was was not tired and so was trying to find someway to entertain himself.

He tried first to find some bug or other critter to play with, but came up empty-pawed. He dared not stray too far, knowing that mother bear would drag him back anyway; but as he looked at his resting family, he hatched an idea. He stole toward a particularly leafy bush not far from them, certain they did not notice him. He hid himself then, and with his paws and mouth shook the bush while making weird noises. Then he listened.

He heard paw steps coming close.

He pounced out of the bush with a loud "BOO!"

It was his first word.

i... i don't even know. i'm so sorry for this.

With Tonravik out and patrolling the borders, Nanuk found herself circling inward to snatch a strip of moose flesh from a nearby cache. Later, after she went to find Iqniq at the den with his parasites, she would catch another small morsel and tuck it in the cache as replacement. Once she'd finished her snack, the Beta made her way to the heart of the Spire, assuming that the red wolf would be lingering there. That was where she expected him to be, anyway.

What she didn't expect was a small, high-pitched 'boo' to ambush her as she came close to the clearing. Her head snapped around, growling and showing teeth to the young monster. Of course it was the kid but after her growls died away, she wasn't exactly sure what to do. Or say. 

So, with a new, tremendous snarl Nanuk played his game with him. "BOO!"

She was not expecting him and he was not expecting her. She jerked her head around, growling and snarling in a way that startled the otherwise bold fox. He scrabbled backwards, splaying his ears and lowering his body with a soft whine as his white-tipped tail curled beneath him. Despite the thunderous boom of her second snarl, he was perceptive to the subtle changes in her that told him she was reciprocating his game. He perked up, grinning mischievously at her as his tail swung in a happy fashion. He inhaled a deep breath, scrunched up his face and blew the loudest raspberry he could, with his tongue pressed out between his front teeth. Then with a giggle, he darted back into the brush and scampered away.

Perhaps she was rough with the small cub but then again, she had never been a gentle creature to begin with. Childhood was a different story, of course, but those months had long been forgotten under the mantle of almost six years. This one was resilient though, coming back from his scare with a laugh and a grin. It was this that led to Nanuk following him into the underbrush, maybe a little intrigued about this one's personality. This was three — Pingasut, and he was the smallest of the alpha's brood but as Echelon showed, that meant nothing. 

Her efforts to track him were not quiet, nor were they laborious. She found the fox-like brat (briefly, she remembered Wildfire) quickly enough and — unsure of what to do — barked at him to the pup's attention, which she might have already had with her not-so-silent footsteps.

Whether she knew it or not, she had just agreed to a game of hide and seek. The fox was quick and spared no time in locating a spot to crouch down amid some plants, but his seeker was just as quick in finding him. Later, as he grew and learned more, he would come up with better strategies for concealing himself than trying to hide his red fur between green leaves, but for now he was just excited to play.

She barked at him, and he jumped up with an enthusiastic nod, as if to say "ok, you found me!" He waved at her with his paw, in a friendly go away gesture, then turned his back, settled to his belly, and covered his face with his paws. His tail swept the ground as he laid there in silence for whatever amount of time he would decide was sufficient for her to take her turn as the hider.

He seemed... excited. Why? She had simply located him, which hadn't been all that hard considering the color of his fur. That this was a game never crossed her mind, even when he waved a paw at her. She peered at the smaller creature as he hid his face, concerned that something had happened, though his tail was wagging... so perhaps not... Lingering, the pale Beta found herself unsure as to what he was doing and decided that she would remain right here until it was revealed to her. 

So, when he decided there had been enough time and turned back around to go find her, the boy would find her still standing there, observing his tinier form with a fair amount of curiosity. Nanuk obviously did not understanding what this game was, or even that it was a game at all.

His patience ran out at about twenty seconds, which was good for a toddler that was eager to run around the brush searching for his new pal. When time was up, he jerked his head up and barked excitedly into the trees, only to spin around and gasp to see that the hider was still standing there. The third born stood dumbfounded for several long moments, eyes wide and jaw slackened. But then he furrowed his brows, cocking his head from side to side. "Kii?" he questioned. Why was she not hiding? Did she not know how to play this game?

He could not communicate well with his words, so he opted for the next best thing: he demonstrated. He stuck a paw out at her, then nodded his head as he bounded over to a bush and hid behind it. He then scurried back, gesturing to himself with the same paw, and he charaded a count, hiding his eyes and then leaping up with another bark. He made a show of sniffing around and looking behind objects, before he reached the bush behind which "she" was hiding. He woofed excitedly, tail wagging, and then hurried to switch positions, acting out the part of someone who had just been found.

When he came back to Nanuk, he sat down with and gave her a firm nod. See? That's how it is done. Easy. He dismissed her once more with a wave of his paw, and assumed his counting position. He would give her another chance at this since she was new to it.

The tiny creature showed her what he meant, mimicking out his way of hiding so that... what? So that he could come find her? She snorted a sort of laugh, gold eyes traversing the area around them. What could hide her immense form well enough that he'd have trouble finding her? She wasn't sure but he wanted to play and she guessed that she'd humor him, if only for a little while.

As he went off to count again, Nanuk made herself scarce, going this way and that as she looked for a good spot to 'hide'. Eventually, not knowing how long he was counting for, the polar bear finally chose a perch upon a boulder, curling her body so that all that was visible was her tail, hanging down to offer him his only clue. Besides her scent, of course.

When he finished his count and turned to look, his discovered she had gone. He let out a yip of excitement. The game was on! Adding to his delight was the pleasure and pride that he had been able to show the pack's beta something, even if it was just a game.

He did not immediately pursue, his paws were still as he used the first few moments to look around. He did not spot her, so he padded off in a randomly chosen direction. Eventually, his nose dipped to the ground, and he could smell her. Unfortunately, he could smell many things, both fresh and old, and had yet to develop true tracking skills, so his tracking was a bit haphazard and not entirely effective.

But the fox was persistent and soon developed a sort of pattern as he seeked, crossing back and forth across the area her scent was most prevalent in, in lieu of being able to follow it directly. With his head down, he passed the boulder she perched on and was none the wiser, but on his backpass he caught a strong whiff of her started to circle the stone, unable to see her above its crest. It was not until he made it to the other side did he see her tail, and with his own wagging excitedly he barked happily and reared up to place his forepaws upon it, at which point he could glimpse the rest of her upon her rock.

His wide open grin said I found you!

She waited. And waited. And waited. This was a boring game and despite the fact that the boy enjoyed it, Nanuk did not. Honestly, she had half a mind to just climb off the rock and be done with it, whether or not he'd found her yet. What kept her there, she was not sure but he was lucky he found her when he did, his happy little face popping up from the base of the boulder. With a snort, the pale creature climbed down from her spot, stepping over him easily.

Needless to say, she did not want to play again but she also wasn't going to leave her Alphas' pup out here by himself. So, with a chuff, Nanuk summoned to the boy, tail flicking once or twice behind her as she waited. Again. This little orange ball of fluff was so slow. Ugh. How the fuck did she get roped into this shit again?

She leapt over him, the furs of her abdomen brushing the crown of his head an the tops of his silken ears. He chittered in amusement, reeling around and dropping into a play bow, but she was already leaving. With a chuff, she beckoned him to follow, gesturing with her tail the same. He hesitated, holding his play bow, before he woofed and scurried to her heels, happy to follow her in whatever this new game (he assumed) was. He showed his delight by leaning over to brush a cheek into her flank, sporting a big smile.

The 'game' she intended to play was simply to escort the child back to his parents' den. It had only taken one round of this one to help her decide that she was not interested in such things, nor had she any interest in children at all. Iqniq or Tonravik could resume supervision of the young wolf in her unwilling stead, and she showed as much as they neared the den. Picking him up by the scruff, the Beta wasted no time in depositing him at his father's feet before taking her own leave to go make her rounds.

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