Hushed Willows The keeper of this host

It had been a few days since Stark and the old woman had departed, leaving Tavi with nobody to help her care for Tambourine; it was her own fault really, she hadn't thought of that in the moment. She did have Warbone, but none of the other wolves were trusted enough by the woman. Perhaps she could call on Grace again - but the thought of eating more of those plants made her feel ill. She paced about the crook for a few minutes at a time, then would settle down with @Tambourine and tend to him, feed him whatever she could, clean him. She wondered when Stark would return, and worried about Reek's reaction to the news. Would he try to find her? Would he send someone to track her down or follow the pair of messengers back to the Keep? Had she somehow thrown Warbone's rules out the window and put them all in danger? Octavia loosed a sigh. She didn't know what she was doing anymore - hadn't for a while really - but she was tired of being at her wits end, tired of being so concerned with everything, and tired of... Well, tired of being tired. Once the travellers returned to her, safe and sound, she could figure out what to do next. Until then, she worried like an overprotective mother.

A soft plink! caused Tambourine to freeze where he stood, head cocked endearingly as he wondered at this new phenomenon: sound. His pale blue eyes scanned the dim interior of The Crook, searching for a source. The noise did not come again, though something cold and wet suddenly dropped atop the little boy's head. He peeped in surprise, craning his tiny neck to look up at the ceiling and falling haphazardly onto his small haunches. A third drop of condensation fell, this time grazing his soft gray cheek and causing Tambourine to make a noise somewhere between a giggle and a snort: a giggle-snort.

Then a shadow played across his small figure and the pup glanced in the direction of the cavern's primary entry. His mother, Tavi, stood in sharp relief against the backdrop of the white sky beyond. Tambourine's tongue lolled from his mouth in a boyish grin as he somewhat gracelessly bounced onto his feet and did his best to totter over toward her. His soft ear flaps bounced and his thin, whip-like tail flicked with every ungainly step.

It had been a while since her son's eyes had opened (well, a while to her was only a few days in Not A Mom time,) and she hadn't noticed their brightness, or their shine. But when he turned to look at her with such a gay expression upon his face, Tavi finally saw them. The pale light outside of the crook slipped in around her, catching on the pale blue, and she couldn't help but smile down at him. It was probably the first genuine smile she'd managed in a long time, perhaps the only real one she'd ever worn. It was different from the smiles she'd given to Reek which never quite reached her eyes, or the sarcastic smirk she often carried as a teenager; this was a look of unabashed love. And as she lowered herself to his level, as she watched him bumble his way over, the feeling swelled within her; it expanded from her face and hit her chest, and she felt her love for him pumping through her every inch.

Hello my little Tambourine, look whose awake! She half-whispered, unable to keep a vein of excitement out of her tone. He was growing quickly. Even with all the emptiness around them, the struggles of the rest of the pack, he flourished. Her little Tambourine. If the famine took everyone else away from her, if the pack was gone, if Reek and Saena and all the troubles they had ever faced were wiped off the face of the earth by this plague, leaving only herself and her son - she would be happy. He was all she needed, now.

The soft lilt of her voice caused those little ears to twitch, his droll smile widening as he took those last few bumbling steps to close the distance. She lowered herself and he arched his neck, his button nose bumping against her chin as a tiny pink tongue poked out to give babyish kisses. His tail wagged so much it was practically a blur, his little hips shimmying back and forth with the force of his glee.

The love pouring from Tavi's eyes was reflected right back at her, unconditionally. He didn't have a proper father; he didn't have any living siblings; and a plague threatened to wipe out his makeshift family of marauders. But Tambourine didn't know about these things and, anyway, all he needed was his mother, against whose chest he now pressed with a series of muffled, happy whimpers.

She bowed to him. Slid her chin carefully across his plump little self, nesting him close while he tried so hard to burrow against her breast. A small sigh caught between her teeth then spread, forcing her to breathe deeply of the stonework and the dust, and her son's sweet aroma. Eventually he would smell like the willows, and like Warbone. Octavia thought suddenly, would he one day call Arkham 'father'? And truthfully, the mother did not know what to feel about that. It was not the worst idea. He was capable, strong, and seemed to be somewhat devoted to her - for whatever reason. As she exhaled, Octavia's deep breath became a yawn, and the sound of it murmured through the cave.

She sank down and stretched out, feeling her ankles crack and her leg muscles strain briefly; there was a strangeness to her belly too. It wasn't heavy like before, which made sense. There was no movement from the unborn children. The famine had yet to truly sap Octavia of anything. With a shift of one forelimb she propelled her little bundle of joy away from her chest and towards the base of her ribs, then seemed to think better of it, and used the alternate limb to catch Tambourine. She lifted her head and watched him.

Little boy, what are we going to do? The woman half-hummed. Then, she got an idea, and sullenly asked him, Can you talk yet? Hmm? Can you say Reek? Reeeee-k.

She sank to the ground and Tambourine gave an approving grunt, allowing himself to be manhandled away from her breastbone and toward her flank instead. His eyes were bright and merry as they clung to Tavi's face, the small pupils blown wide not just because of the dim light but because of his absolute adoration of her. His tail kept wagging, thumping against her curving rib cage on every other swing, though it stilled absently when she spoke to him.

His ears had only just opened a few days ago, their soft and wrinkled tips still not quite standing upright; they would erect fully in the coming weeks. They twitched and quivered with every syllable that slipped forth from his dam's tongue. He could not understand any of them—nor, sadly, replicate them—but his head cocked charmingly, showing Tavi that the little boy nonetheless loved the sound of his mother's voice as much as everything else about her.

"Oo-ee," he replied in a very crude imitation of the sounds she made, one lip catching on a small and sharp milk tooth as he grinned at her. "Oo-ee-oo-ee."

As he started babbling, Tavi couldn't help but loose a small laugh. It was the best she was going to get, he wasn't yet old enough to make any actual headway in the speaking department — and that was fine. She did realize however, that she had not been talking to him very much or very often. Would Tambourine be a shy boy? Would he learn quickly, or slowly? Had he been affected by the famine yet? Oh, and so the worries began. A tug at the corners of her mouth was all that crossed Tavi's features as these thoughts, these many overlapping questions, came and went throug her head.

He would learn. He would adapt to anything the world threw at him, and he would survive, just like she did. 

Almost! she commended him. You're still so young, so little, awh. I guess it'll be a while before you make a lot of noise, and perhaps he would be a loud kid after all; it was entirely possible that Octavia would look back on this moment later on down the line, and wish she'd never asked. Do you want to hear a story? How about that? A little story about... About a big old moose, named Mortimer. At least he could listen. For now that would be enough.

A look of consternation passed briefly over her face like a cloud before her expression cleared again. She praised him for his efforts and though little Tambourine didn't understand her specific words, he inferred their basic meaning in the tone of her voice. His caught lip freed itself as his smile broadened.

"Aw!" he crowed, repeating after Tavi before adding, "zzz!" He sounded a bit like a bumblebee. And something about his own vocalizations seemed to inject the three-week-old with a shot of energy because he suddenly spun and began bounding a bit clumsily across the cavern's expansive floor.

"Oo-ee," he repeated with each hop, his tail now sticking out straight behind him as he tried to maintain his balance. "Oo-ee-zzzzz." Without realizing it, he headed in the general direction of The Crook's yawning mouth.

Hope you dont mind my jumping in :3 Tamborine left the cave, right? o.O

Grace was, currently, bored out of her very mind. Sprawled out somewhere between the entrance of the Crook and Tavi's den, the croons and paw steps of little Tamborine didn't fall on deaf ears. Opening her golden eyes and glancing around, she caught sight of the grey blob that was the puppy. Was he coming this way? Tavi's scent was strong, and the yearling was sure that the boys mother would be close behind. 
          "Hey there little guy...."
Sitting up, Grace gave him a look between adoration and awkwardness. The girl hadn't ever been around puppies, not being so young herself. He was the cutest damn thing she'd ever seen, to be honest, but she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

The story would have to wait, because the rambunctious little guy was bolting for the door. Tavi had not been expecting it, so she was a bit stunned at his speed, then got to her feet and lurched after him. Hold on there -- she murmured above him; but then once she caught up to him, he was in the middle of the crook, and it didn't seem entirely bad to let him wander a little. She was right here, ready to protect him from anything and anyone that came too close. A smile played across her face as she watched him trundle along, babbling endlessly. Alright, I guess we're going for an adventure.

Before she knew it, they were passing out from the crook's entryway and the sunlight winked down at them. She squinted at first, probably just as blind and blurry-eyed as Tambourine. The first thing she noticed as her eyes began to adjust was a dark figure loitering nearby, and instantly Tavi thought of Reek — of the messengers, of the chance that they were followed back (or maybe Nova had led him back on purpose just to cause a stir). The mother bristled and stepped up behind Tambourine, rigid and defensive.

But then Grace spoke, the light cleared from her eyes, and Tavi realized it wasn't someone to be wary of. She relaxed then, sighing softly and withdrawing herself from shadowing Tambourine.

The light drew him, for reasons Tambourine didn't question or even contemplate. He simply scrambled in that general direction, lapsing into silence as he passed through the cavern's mouth and exploded outdoors for the first time in his life. He froze just outside the doorway, not because of any kind of hesitation but simply because the view (and brightness) absolutely arrested him. He crouched there, eyes wide and mouth gaping as he took in the utter vastness of it all.

His eyes began to water but Tambourine didn't know any better. Thankfully, they adjusted after a moment and he prepared to keep going when a sound drew his attention. His head snapped to his left to regard the dark figure calling out to him. Displaying not an ounce of shyness, the little boy hobbled toward the she-wolf, aware of his mother's presence looming behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to grin at Tavi, which caused him to trip over his own front feet and topple against the stranger's hind leg.

"Oo-ee-errrp!" Tambourine cried as he went down, the garbled words punctuated by a boyish bout of giggles.

Tavi's instant reaction sent back Grace's ears, and she lowered her head down to Tam's level. She seemed to realize who the yearling was, however, and both female's loosened. Before the russet girl had any time to speak, the grey puppy toppled right over and onto her bad leg. 
It didn't hurt, not more than a pinch, but the yearling whipped her head around in surprise. Thank god she knew it WAS the little blob, and not something to really react to. His squeaky giggles and cute wannabe word sounds were more adorable than the pup itself, and Grace reached her face out towards the little baby with a happy grin and a coo on her dark muzzle. 
              "Having fun on your adventure, Tamborine?"
Could the baby hear her? Did he understand? She knew of course he couldn't talk yet, but did that mean her words were jibberish too? Still facing the grey boy, her golden eyes flicked over to Tavi.
                          "Can he.... Understand?"

Gradually she would show him to the rest of the pack; flaunt him in all his grizzled, babbling glory. They may have lived next to the Crook for his whole life, but Octavia hadn't been lenient with the visits. Only very specific wolves under highly controlled circumstances had been given the chance to meet Tambourine — mostly Stark, sometimes Warbone — but she knew that eventually they'd all know him, and love him. Octavia watched as her son bumbled and babbled, and then turned her attention towards the dark girl when she asked her question.

I don't know, which was the truth. Octavia had tried to keep him sheltered from a lot of things so far, and so she had no idea if he'd picked up any bad habits or speech patterns; then again, he was very young. She had tried to get him to talk earlier and that hadn't panned out. I think he likes the noises right now. Maybe he'll be a chatterbox when he's older? God, imagine Warbone's reaction to that. The tiny boy racing about the territory with all manner of questions, theories, and stories. He'd probably drive the Alpha Male totally batty.

He was in no hurry to right himself. Tambourine remained draped over the stranger's hind leg, head tilted as she nosed closer to him. With a grunt, he then pushed himself over the limb in question and shamelessly pressed his small face into her side. She was so soft. Without realizing he was doing it, he began to instinctively root around for a nipple in her plush, russet fur. He somehow managed to find one and latch onto it, tugging mercilessly when no milk poured forth to wet his tongue.

Grace felt the pup squirming towards her belly, but she thought nothing more than cuddles as she continued to keep her focus on his mother. Right now, she was giggling about what Tavi said: the little boy was very likely to talk Warbones head off, and that would be a funny sight indeed. 
         "I'd like to see that!"
Tam's rooting around through her fur didn't bring much attention, not other than her own reveling in his warmth. It was then, however, that he latched onto one of her nipples. The yearling yelped at the odd feeling, the pup now granted her full attention, but she didn't know what to do to detach him. The grey boy tugged harder, obviously irritated he wasn't getting the milk he was used to. Grace yipped again, ears splaying back, and turned her confused golden gaze to Tavi.  Her voice was but a squeak, face twisted and showing her discomfort. She didn't know if she could dislodge him herself or if it would hurt-him or her- and wasn't willing to find out herself.
                             "T-Tavi, help!"

The boy was bold, and she liked it. Hopefully the world would not temper such exuberance out of him by the time he was her age; maybe that fire for life would be what kept them all going. Surviving on the blazing energy of a child. As Octavia stood there she witnessed the way that Tambourine thrust himself towards Grace, and then realized what he was going for — and with each of his nips, Grace got more and more overwhelmed. He was hastily graduating from ankle-biter to nipple-nipper, and what was worse, Tavi was too entertained by the entire spectacle of it to intervene.

She laughed without intending to, and tried to swallow the next round as Tambourine rooted about in Grace's plush fur for another few moments. When the girl's protest finally grew so great that she couldn't ignore them, Tavi stepped in. She carefully swept Tambourine away from Grace with a wave of her paw - or she tried to, but he was holding tightly and not very interested in letting go.

Oh come on you little nipper, she cajoled, and with some effort managed to wedge herself between her son and the girl. If and when he let go, Tav would sweep down and grab her son by the scruff and haul him in to the air; he was safe up here, and Grace's delicate parts would be safer for it too. When Tavi turned to look at Grace again she was grinning around Tambourine's chubby little body, casting her an apologetic - but mirthful - look.

Just because Grace struggled didn't mean Tambourine let go. As a matter of fact, he clamped on all the tighter, still attempting to milk the stingy nipple for all its worth. He heard his mother's laughter behind him and his ears twitched in response, yet still he did not relinquish his tenacious grip. Even when a paw swiped at his side, he remained latched on tight. Only when his mother finally wedged herself in between himself and Grace, then grabbed onto his scruff, did the little boy give up on the endeavor. He came off with an unceremonious pop!

Then he dangled helplessly in the Alpha female's jaws. Tambourine batted his forelegs in Grace's direction, just for fun, but didn't put up a struggle otherwise. He was content to just hang out (literally) in his mother's mouth, to go wherever she took him next.

Grace herself could not hold back her own laugh as Tavi found this all amusing, but it was tempered by awkwardness and cut off at another tug. The mother stepped in to help, but Tam just wasn't having it, and held on even as pulled away. Eventually, he did let go, and Grace stumbled to her paws to shake out her pelt with another kittery laugh. Like the alpha, Grace was impressed with the little grey pups bold demeanor, and also hoped that it was something he never grew out of. A fear, naturally instilled into her by her father, that he would grow up like the males of her family flitted in her belly, but she squashed it down. With a family pack to raise and love him, surely he would be a good man when he grew up. 
         "He's headsstrong: hopefully it'll get him through life with ease."
The yearling smiled over at the pair, and pawed gently back at the young boy with a small giggle.

Mmhmm, she murmured from behind the bulk of her son's fur and flesh. A little nod accompanied the murmur, but halfway through the reaction she realized she was making Tam go up and down. Shaken baby syndrome was not a joke; so she stopped abruptly, and then with a smile, held him prone so that Grace could play with him a little. Once Tambourine's reaction time began to slow down (and her neck began to cramp a little), Tavi decided enough was enough. No more play time—it was time for a nice long nap, or something. So she turned from Grace, swinging Tambourine as little as she could in the process, and carried him back to the Crook.