Arrow Lake Proceeds will go to support neutron bomb development

Maybe @Mahler? :D

He'd finally done it! He'd caught one! Though Dragomir had wasted the majority of his day following them around, it was all worth it when finally his perseverance paid off. Clutched indelicately between his lips was one of the thousands of insects he stalked on a daily basis. Watching them flit over the ground and trying to sneak up on them was a thrill unlike any other. Sure, sometimes it was frustrating when he lost track of one; they seemed to disappear into thin air. Doubly frustrating when one of the crawling ones found a snug crack in the ground to hide in so he knew where it was but couldn't reach it. More than one temper tantrum had been thrown when his attempts to secure one were endlessly thwarted. But now, at long last, Dragomir had caught a bug!

...It was a fuzzy caterpillar. Hardly a contest of any sort for any age of wolf.

Nevertheless! Let none claim that Dragomir was anything but determined. He toted his prize along with his tail flagging proudly behind him, eager to show mommy what he'd caught. He didn't have enough words to retell the story properly, but already his imagination was warping it into a thrilling chase scene with a fire-breathing dragon guarding the caterpillar at the end. He would recount this daring tale to anyone who cared to listen in what little detail he could, which was mostly just garbled words in various languages at this point.

mahler had determined that he would depart upon a trip of sorts. now that stigmata's intentions with the vale had been made quite clear, he wished for time to himself prior to whatever decision the general made for the future. he had been tied to the lake and the surrounding areas for months; it was time to avail himself of the rest of the sunspire.
that being said, however, the gargoyle found that he was loathe to leave without a last visit to the three mothers and their offspring. his meanderings took him near the motherdove's thicket, a small glimpse of dark fur revealing dragomir traveling with a proud gait, something clutched in his jaws. "hello, dragomir," the man murmured, stepping to match the boy's pace with his own. "vhat have you got there?"

Dragomir marched along with just his ears swiveled to acknowledge Mahler until the Kapitän spoke. In spite of maintaining this focused and calm facade, however, the boy was practically vibrating on the inside. He dearly wanted to show the man what he'd caught, but he also wanted to bring it home to his mama for her appraisal. He thought he would be able to make it back to Aure without revealing his secret, but the second Mahler asked what he had, the thin veneer of focus cracked and his tail picked up a mad wagging.

Stopping abruptly, the dark-furred cub deposited his catch on the ground. The caterpillar was barely alive now, clinging on just enough to twitch its legs despite how his sharp little teeth had mangled it, but he was proud nevertheless. It wasn't the clean kill of a refined hunter, but it was his first catch. A sad one, perhaps, one that required almost no skill, but he could only grow from here.

Fuzzy! proclaimed Dragomir with a hopeful peek at Mahler for that ever-coveted praise.

following his question, the child's excitement was infectious, provoking a smile from the usually stern mahler. he watched fondly as dragomir lay down his catch, and grunted approvingly as he lowered his muzzle to inspect the still-moving thing. "oh, eine raupe," he exclaimed in his own language, encouraged by the single foreign word that had broken from the entlein's mouth.
"very good," he told the boy, reverting back to the common way. there was in him a definite sense of pride; dragomir was precocious with his kill, perhaps, and at any rate it reflected a potential for hunting that mahler wished to nurture in any way possible. "caterpillar," the man repeated, gesturing down at the boy's quarry.

It was readily apparent to any onlooker that Dragomir lived for praise; his paws began to tap rhythmically on the ground as Mahler bent to examine his catch and by the time the musiker was done, he was grinning uncontrollably. Ee rap, he repeated, though he hadn't the slightest clue what those words meant. Being raised with multiple languages lent his tongue a plasticity known to few, but even he couldn't wrap his mouth around such guttural sounds with ease.

Yay! he exclaimed in common, sparing a moment to prance proudly around the felled caterpillar. Gonna show mama, he explained, wishing he could also show his pa, but Vercingetorix still hadn't returned. For Dragomir, the man's broad face was becoming a fuzzy memory and he missed him more and more each day, but nothing was forthcoming regarding where Verx had gone. Dragomir was one of two who had been told, and yet it was knowledge he was incapable of sharing because he had not the language at the time to know what was being said. Alas.

Capurrrrplr? he repeated, blinking up at Mahler once more.

he found it endearing, how many languages dragomir spoke. it was a credit to aurewen; her education was impressive, and she had passed such to her little darlings. a pang struck mahler as he thought of their father; did verx consider the plight of the children he had abandoned? or had he gone on to conquer and sow new fields?
it was unfair of him to think such things, mahler knew, but it was a greater unfairness that the man had left behind his family. the beaming child at his paws, for instance; vercingetorix should be here, praising the boy, teaching him new words. but he was not, and that left mahler to fill the role, however briefly. 
"caterpillar. very good. let us go show your mother," the gargoyle agreed. "vhere did you find the caterpillar?" he asked, curious. some species could be used medicinally, and he wondered if there were more where dragomir had been.

Capurrplr, he repeated with a little more confidence. Okay, so his tongue tripped over that word, big deal. Eventually he would be able to say it like a pro. Capurrplr, capurrpilr, he chanted, bending to attempt to collect the dead caterpillar once more. He paused when the Kapitän posed a new question, with his dewy little brows gathering in great rifts over his eyes.

Mmmmmm, he contemplated, turning slowly in place until at last he jabbed his muzzle toward a tree. Capurrpilr, he announced. Unfortunately, Dragomir's instructions were rather vague; what he meant was that he had found it on a tree, not specifically that one.

Still, he beamed at the adult as he tried to mouth the caterpillar back between his lips. It was much harder this time; he kept getting dirt in his mouth instead. Determination gave way to frustration and before long he accidentally licked it up and swallowed it in his haste. A shudder of revulsion went through him when it slid down his throat and he gagged, exclaiming ewww!

It took him some time to get over having swallowed it, and then Mahler accompanied him home. Dragomir was disappointed that he no longer had a caterpillar to show his mom, but at least he had caught something. That counted for enough praise.

Tacking on an ending so you don't need to worry 'bout this one anymore, good luck with the new baby!