Blacktail Deer Plateau In the Morning

I am powerplaying a teensy bit, if it bothers you, Kat, let me know

Hawkeye stretched and opened her eyes. She immediately shut them again, then carefully opened them again to adjust to the bright light coming into the den. The Alpha looked down, noting that Osprey was the only pup next to her. She was curled into a tight ball, fluffy black fur standing up. Peregrine and Kisu must have taken them out somewhere.

Hawkeye poked her nose into Osprey to wake her. "Let's go, little one." The female raised herself to as high as she could stand, but still towered over the small pup before her.

Whee!

Earlier, Peregrine had tried to rouse all of the pups for a stroll. Usually, Osprey Jr. was at the front of the line when such activities took place. For whatever reason, she really wanted to sleep in today. Stubbornly refusing to be influenced by her father's coaxing, she curled into a tight ball next to Hawkeye and refused to move. After a while, Peregrine gave up and the hiking party departed.

She fell back to sleep and, by the time her mother woke and nudged her, Junior was finally ready to face the day. Grinning up at her mother, she stretched out her stumpy legs with their over-sized paws and yawped, "Muh!" Her thin tail wagged and she rubbed against one of Hawkeye's forelegs much like a kitten.

Hawkeye smiled as she watched Osprey stretch and then rub against her legs. The large wolf began walking to the entrance, stopping momentarily to see if Osprey, Jr. was following.

Walking out of the den, it was now Hawkeye's turn to stretch. She wondered what would consist of the mother-daughter time. "What would you like do do, O.J.?" Hawkeye asked, looking at the dark puppy. She knew any answer her daughter gave wouldn't make sense, yet asked for her input anyway.

Osprey dogged her mother's steps, overjoyed to have her attention without having to share it with anyone else. As Hawkeye stretched in the clearing just beyond their home, Junior clung closely, nipping at the Alpha female's legs when she wasn't busy weaving in between them. Once, she stopped beneath her and looked up, only to realize her food source was hovering there. She latched on for a few seconds, then let go. She wasn't hungry; it was just the novelty of it that momentarily enchanted her.

When asked what she'd like to do, Osprey Jr. didn't understand the question but nevertheless replied, "Ba, ba, ba!" Her blue eyes glowed as she began to run in enthusiastic circles around Hawkeye, big paws slapping the hard-packed earth and little tail flung into the air like a black banner.

Hawkeye chuckled and said, "Okay, the waterfall it is." The dark mother would take O.J. on her first true adventure.

The large wolf began walking, keeping herself aware of where her daughter was located at all times. The walk took about fifteen minutes, but they arrived at the small waterfall and pool of water that Ariston had shown her what seemed like such a long time ago.

Looking down at Osprey, Hawkeye smiled. "This is a waterfall." She bent to drink the water. It was getting warmer out, and the liquid was cool and refreshing. She took a step back, waiting to see what O.J. would do.

Junior smiled toothily at her mother's translation, then bounded after her when the Alpha female broke into a long-legged lope. By the time they reached their destination, little Osprey's chest heaved with the exertion. Nonetheless, she grinned up at her mother, refusing to let on to her exhaustion. Anyway, as soon as she caught her breath, she felt energetic again.

"Wa, wa!" she cried repetitively, watching as her mother dipped her slender black snout toward the water and drank. Osprey Jr. attempted to emulate her and managed to dunk her entire face into the small stream. She backpedaled suddenly, sneezing and snorting and spraying water.

Blinking the water out of her eyes, Osprey eventually regained her composure and gave her mother a wide-eyed, Da fuq just happened? sort of look before nosing toward the surface again and slapping the water to punish it. The resultant splash coaxed a squeal of delight from the young pup and she did it again and again and again...

Hawkeye smiled at the look on her daughter's face. O.J. reminded her of her mate. The dark wolf watched the pup fondly as she dunked her face in the water, which sent her into a bout of laughter.

As the black girl smacked the water in revenge, and then enjoyment, Hawkeye took a running jump into the pool, splashing the area around her. The water came midway up her body, and she looked at Osprey, wondering what the girl's reaction would be.

While Osprey busily splashed in the shallows, her mother backed up, then broke into a sprint. Junior didn't even notice until her mother's body made impact, sending a wave of water up and over her paws. Some of it even splattered her chest. It was both startling and cold and it left the puppy sputtering.

Then she realized her mother was paddling around in the water. An astonished Osprey Jr. gaped at the sight. Then, with little consideration given to the possible danger, she ran at the water. The ground gave way and she was tumbling into the cold, wet depths, sinking like a stone.

Then her natural instincts (those of every young animal) kicked in and she began to kick. Her legs pumped her toward the surface and her head broke through. She gulped in air, then continued to doggy paddle, going in no particular direction but doing her damnedest to stay afloat. At first, all the new sensations were a little overwhelming and therefore scary, yet after a few moments, Osprey took to swimming like... well, a duckling takes to water.

"Heh!" she cried out as she finally attempted to steer herself toward her mother. "Wa, wa, ma, ma!" she chirruped, then hiccoughed when she accidentally swallowed some water. As soon as her throat cleared, Osprey Jr. began to laugh, a sound of pure, enamored delight. Clearly, swimming was the pup's new favorite thing in the whole, wide, wild world.

Hawkeye laughed in delight at her daughter courageously running into the water. It seemed like her children, and surrogate children, were everything she focused on lately, but they brought joy to her.

The large black wolf laughed some more as Osprey took to swimming quite quickly. She hesitated a moment when Osprey began to choke, but smiled once more when her offspring recovered and seemed to enjoy the water thoroughly. Hawkeye ran circles around the pup, sloshing water. She realized this could make her daughter choke once more, so she stopped and watch.

After she seemed to become tired, Hawkeye looked around, then down at the small girl. "Let's head home, little one. Maybe we'll find a snack on the way." Hawkeye lifted herself from the watering hole, wetness pouring from her body. The beast shook her huge body, sending droplets flying everywhere.

Hawkeye noticed Osprey flagging but the pup didn't (or wouldn't) acknowledge her own exhaustion; she was having far too much fun! When her mother sprang out of the water, she swam toward her, yet did not clamber after her. Junior paddled in a little circle near the bank, her small paws striking the sludgy bottom here in the shallows. Yet she refused to exit. If it were up to her, she would stay in the water forever.

Although snacks were one of Osprey's favorite things, even they couldn't entice her from her new favorite thing: water. "NO," she replied to her mother's words, her heart speeding up as she realized she was being deliberately disobedient. She would likely pay the price. Yet the pup was still reluctant to simply give up and leave the water behind. She wasn't done yet! "Wawa? Muh?" she added in a slightly sheepish voice, hoping to avoid Hawkeye's ire for her insubordination.

Hawkeye narrowed her brow when her daughter blasted her with a "NO!", but her look softened when Osprey's bright blue eyes pleaded with her to stay, just like her mother's RPer once pleaded with her mom to stay at the McDonald's playplace Hawkeye found herself struggling to say a strict "NO" right back at her.

Holding her gaze a moment more, Hawkeye sighed and laid down, her paws crossing over one another. "Fine. Five more minutes and then we leave, Junior." She gave her daughter a look that said she meant business before smiling at the fun the pup was having.

Her mother stared at her for a few beats and Osprey's ears wilted atop her head. She could be very willful and dominant, particularly around her peers, yet the pup was an instinctual creature and submission came naturally when it came to her parents (and Kisu). She prepared to flatten herself and roll over (never mind that she was in the water) when Hawkeye relented, telling her she could swim a few more minutes. Time meant nothing to Junior, yet she grinned and splashed her forepaws in the water merrily, knowing she'd been granted both a pardon and an extension.

"Muh!" she yapped, then with surprisingly clarity, she shouted, "Kissies!" and smacked her lips together as if blowing kisses to her mommy. Junior then promptly began giggling and splashing about in the water, clearly having the time of her life. She may have been named for a bird from the sky, yet clearly she related much more to the fishes in the sea.

Hawkeye smiled at her daughter's vocal affection, and raised a paw to bat at the air in playfulness. She watched Junior for about ten minutes, five more than she had promised; it was like an addiction listening to the pup's laughter and happiness.

Standing up slowly and stretching, Hawkeye yawned and slowly walked to the edge of the water. "Let's go, wet butt," she said, wondering where her daughter had gotten an affinity for water. Probably her dad, Hawkeye thought with amusement.

Even though her mother granted her twice the allotted time, Osprey Jr. still complained when told it was really time to go this time. "Nooooo," she protested, albeit halfheartedly, obeying her mother's command and climbing out of the water. She gave her little body a wiggle and a shake, then plodded toward her mother. Osprey suddenly felt incredibly tired. In fact, she sort of hoped Hawkeye might carry her home...

"We'butt?" she repeated after her mother, damp ears twitching. "Wawa?" Junior questioned, as if trying to connect the words water and wet... but failing to completely understand.

Hawkeye stared down at her daughter, sighing and relaxing her body. She swiped her tongue over Junior's head. The mother watched her offspring for a moment, figuring that the normally bounding pup was drained of energy.

"You're getting too big to carry," Hawkeye commented before picking her pup up in her mouth and beginning the trek home.

"Big!" Osprey repeated as if in agreement, forgetting the words she'd previously been trying to sort out aloud. "Bi—!" she tried to shout again when Hawkeye plucked her up off the ground. Junior's voice tapered off into giggly babbling, which slowly faded into sleepy silence as her mother carried her home.