Oblivious to the terrible pain and suffering she'd wrought by vanishing, Osprey Jr. slept peacefully in the strange den shared by Ragnar, Thistle Cloud and their brood. When she roused the following morning, she snuggled closer to the smaller puppies. They would be so easy to push around and dominate, yet Junior had really scaled back on her browbeating lately. Besides, she somehow intuited that intimidating her rescuers' pups would not be tolerated in the least and, though she could be quite headstrong, Junior was no dummy.
When she woke more fully, she stretched and tottered to the den's mouth. She was unused to having a roof over her head these days, though she didn't really mind it. Emerging into daylight, she squinted and felt yesterday's headache pulsing dully behind her two-toned eyes. Luckily, it did not return in full force. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she looked around for a place to toilet and squatted, sighing and grunting loudly as she relieved herself.
The Alpha and his mate had no idea of her loud tendencies, so this morning would be a wake-up call in both the literal and figurative senses. After wiping her paws in the grass, Junior frolicked back to the den's mouth, thrust her bat-eared head inside and screamed, "WAKE UP, ERRBODY, ISS TIME TO PARTY!" It was a line Uncle Atticus had once used when playing with her and now like seemed the perfect opportunity to recycle it.
The previous day had brought with it well…unexpectedness. At first the eldest son had not been sure what to make of her. She didn’t say much and he had taken the name his parents had gifted her and tucked it away for safe keeping and had studied her with about as much discreetness as the a child Ein’s age could muster. Ragnar had told Gyda, him and Sköll in Norse that she had been injured and that they were to be careful with her. Sköll had left shortly after his parents had returned which had bummed Ein out a bit. He liked the painted tiny Viking, liked listening to his stories. They weren’t as cool as Ragnar’s bed time stories but he was odd and Ein felt attached to him in a way that was similar to his father’s own attachment to Sköll’s father. The following morning he had felt her snuggle closer to him and his siblings, though in true big brother fashion he had wedged himself between them and her just in case.
The warmth of her body had left and Ein and shoved his muzzle on Ragnar’s leg in his half asleepness intending to stay like that for a good deal longer. That was until Junior stuck her face in the den and screamed in an alarm clock like fashion about getting up and something about a party. Ein blinked a few times at the dimness of the den, hating that he was now awake as Ragnar muttered something about her screaming being loud enough to put Thor to shame, before he slipped back into slumber having been up most of the night keeping an eye on the Bay’s captives. Ein sighed heavily against Ragnar’s fur before he got up and trudged to the mouth of the den, squinting at her. “Vas vrong vith sleeping?” Ein asked her before a big yawn split his muzzle in two before his teeth clinked together sharply as it snapped closed. He refused to pronounce English words correctly playing like he had an accent like his father when in reality he just really liked Norse better but knew that not a lot of wolves outside of his family spoke it so he begrudgingly learned English as it was forced upon him.
Tveir had noticed the captive sleeping near them, and his older brother's protectiveness, but he was too tired to worry about it much. Walking along the sequoia coast with mother was hard work, for a pup his size. He had cracked an eye open as his brother had forced his way inbetween them and her, but other than that he had ignored both of them and went to sleep.
Tveir jumped as the loud screech filled the den, and he looked up at her, at that moment wanting to bowl her over as hard and as fast as he could. He was tired and she was being annoying like most sisters.
He shook his head and stood up on stocky legs and followed after his brother. Grumbling in norse "það er pirrandi öskra bróðir Ein" He was happy to have that small connection with his little family, the language that most in the bay did not know.
However, it did bother him that his brother faked an accent when he didn't have one, well bothered him as much as it could bother a little guy, he preferred to do everything just right, being a perfectionist at heart really. Yes What's...wrong...wif sleeping?
"Sleeping is for squares!" she announced, springing toward the other pups. She was over three months old and they were scarcely older than a month, which meant she had a decided size advantage. Looking down at them gave her a sense of power and (although she didn't know the word for it) responsibility. "Come on, let's go on a venture!"
She nudged first Ein, then Tveir, and spun on her heel to lead them away from the den's mouth. Then she stopped abruptly. "Oh." Turning her head, she asked them, "What's your names again? I'm Junior." The pup spoke in a chipper voice, then paused and added slyly, "Your new leader!"
It did not take long for Tveir to follow in Ein’s assumed footsteps and join the pair outside soon thereafter Ein’s own sleepy assemblage out of the den to where Junior awaited him. Ein’s ear twitched towards the second born lazily when his sibling spoke to him in their native tongue and gave a smirk that would have made Ragnar, if he hadn’t been sleeping in the den, proud. “nú þú vita hvernig okkur líður þegar þú öskra, tveir” Ein returned speaking in a low murmur to his younger brother though his eyes had never left Junior, caught in the same fascination of her bi-colored eyes of his father. The girl declared that sleeping was for squares and glimpsing over his shoulder back into the den the Ironside studied the dark shapes within for a few moments before he looked to Tveir knowing that if he agreed to go on a ‘venture’ that he would be responsible for him, before Ein’s eyes went back to Junior. “Ok,” The Ironside agreed fearlessly though with the trepidation of the eldest sibling.
This girl was older than them, though, so maybe it was ok that they went with her instead of with Julooke or Sköll. With a bump of his shoulder against Tveir’s he padded after the girl, recoiling back suddenly when she stopped abruptly and spun around, narrowly avoided running into her. “I am Ein. Dis is Tveir.” Ein introduced them in his mimicry of Ragnar’s natural accent, gesturing to his brother with his muzzle. The girl repeated the name her parents had given the night before but Ein nodded for the simple fact of communicating his acknowledgment. “Uh,” Ein hesitated visibly when she slyly added that she was their new leader, having been used to being the figurative ring leader of his siblings as the eldest son. Suddenly, he realized that with her apart of their family now (he did not realize that perhaps her stay was only temporary) she trumped his ‘eldest child’ card. Which in the hierarchy of siblings automatically made her the ring leader.
“Are you our new sister?” Ein finally asked her bluntly, having to think about the English words he wanted in place of the Norse.
Tveir the ever loyal brother spoke up at her words Neinn! Ein is the leader not youse Junya! He stood forward squaring off ready to fight for what he believes to be true, as he always would do. Tveir believed in hierarchy, but he also knew deep down, how he didn’t know but instinctually he knew you fought for dominance, not because you were the oldest. His brother still to this day could best him in a romp, but he hoped someday he’d win or at least draw, especially as he started to grow, and his sturdiness trumped his brothers, though Ein was definitely taller and longer than him.
Youse like gyda? He had heard his father call his sister that a few times, he and his brother had numbers, but she had a name…he had to earn his name..Though his mother had let a name slip one day trying out names for him and his brother, just because she was bored.
Junior didn't really know the answer to their questions, so she shrugged one peaky shoulder and said, "I guess." And why not? She was sister to all the other pups in her life; she was happy to add them to the list. "Sooo? Are you coming? C'mon, ventures are fun."
Ein wasn’t about to have a argument with Gunnar regarding as to the banshee status his brother had taken when he screamed mostly because Junior was a more pressing concern for him at the moment. There was a strange moment when Tveir vocally expressed that their guest was wrong for assuming she was the leader. That wasn’t to say that Ein was entirely pleased with having the title of ‘Ring Leader’ stolen out of his paws but facing facts she was older than him, bigger than him. And Ragnar had told them that she was a Gift from their Gods. Any gift from Thor automatically held variables of superiority over Ein. He had rolled his eyes, making his annoyance clear but he certainly wasn’t going to protest and he thwacked Tveir on the nose with his paw when his brother tried to pick a fight for him. He didn’t bother stating his displeasure at Tveir’s boldness (though he felt an immeasurable amount of pride that Tveir had declared him, Ein, to be leader) even if he didn’t need him speaking for him. He didn’t like to talk. It didn’t mean he was mute (heh, I thought the irony of that was kind of funny).
Junior answered his question with an ’I guess’ and a shrug and Ein settled for it because he had little other choice. She was their ring leader for the moment and Ein just wanted to explore. “Come ’Veir.” Ein shot him a half sheepish, half apologetic look having not meant to be so rough with him but he didn’t want Junior attacking him for Tveir’s outburst even though she had seemed to have let it roll off her shoulders. He looked to Junior with inquisitive milky blue eyes expecting her to take the lead.
Tveir didn’t say a word to his brother’s command at first and he gave him a small glare when he shot him an apologetic look, silly brothers anyway. Finally, begrudgingly he spokeI’s comin’
The two little boys seemed to have a disagreement between themselves and Junior paused and observed them, fascinated by the miniature power struggle. When everything seemed to be resolved and they appeared ready to follow at last (though Tveir looked a little put out by it all), she grinned at them, spun on her heel and dashed away from the den, leading her two little brothers on that promised grand adventure and sealing herself as their new ringleader.