Whitefish River Bored by the chore of saving face

For anyone who would be allowed in the den, which is pretty much anyone in the pack Speedy has met

Forward dated a bit to 7/28, so that he's about 4 weeks old

He had somehow made it to the den entrance without being spotted and then continued a little bit farther until his wobbly legs grew tired. He sat back on his hind legs, quietly taking in the dark world outside the den; it looked very similar aside from being much larger, and he could smell a lot more than just his family. A light shined far in the distance, and he suddenly became very interested in finding out what it was. Once he regained his energy, he had every intention of making his way over there. 

He yawned and lowered his front half down, placing  his head on his front paws as he took in everything around him. A large twig soon caught his attention, and Acheron reached over and picked it up, placing it between his front paws to work on with his sharp baby teeth.

Unlike her brother, Spica wasn't as laid-back and relaxed taking in the world. Everything was cool and new and there were things to chew on, hell yeah! The memories of the king she had been were waning, perhaps, but remnants of who he had been seemed to cling to her subconscious like a cloak; sometimes warm and light, sometimes dark and made of iron.

Raaaaw! she bellowed loudly as she pounced at her brother. He had a stick and that meant that she wanted a stick! She aimed for her brother, though if she'd manage to knock the stick from his mouth she would go for that right away to steal it from him.

Unphased by his sister's sudden appearance and loud greeting, Acheron stopped his chewing and watched her jump towards him. Possessiveness wasn't an emotion he really suffered from, especially not when it came to his family, so when she knocked the stick from his grasp and immediately went for it, he didn't try to stop her or steal the toy back. Instead, he just watched her for a few moments, a flicker of curiosity in his expression. A yawn parted his freckled muzzle, and he sat up to scratch his ear, dark blue gaze drawn to the light in the distance once more. He really wanted to know what was out there, but he didn't want to lead Spica into trouble, so he would have to try and sneak out again on his own maybe.

Success! The stick flung from her brother's mouth and Spica proudly held it up in her jaws, unaware that her brother did not seem to care much at all. She'd won, and that was the most important thing.

It was just a little bit frustrating when her brother's attention was then diverted. Like, hellooo! Why didn't he care that she stole his prize? Instead he was staring off into the distance like an idiot. With a huff Spica dropped the stick, which suddenly held no interest for her, and she threw herself on top of her brother with another loud screech to gather his attention.

It took him a minute to realize what exactly had happened, but when it clicked that Spica had launched herself on him, he grew a little irritated. Didn't she see he was trying to figure out what that light was? He growled and struggled under her, trying his hardest to gather some kind of leverage so that he could flip them over and pin her to the ground. He was the big brother, he should be able to do that. So he tried and tried, hoping he would soon be successful.

It didn't take long for Spica to be thrown off her brother. He successfully managed to pin her to the ground, something that was accepted with an annoyed and indignated grunt. She was not used to being this weak, but while it bothered her she wouldn't let it deter her and squirmed to get free so that she could get revenge - or be distracted by the next best thing, of course.

He was successful in his attempt to roll them over and pin his sister to the ground. He felt bad after she struggled under him, though, and he released her. He let out a frustrated yip and moved towards the light, stopping to glance back at Spica. Didn't she see the light too? Wasn't she curious about it? Maybe now that he was trying to get her to notice it, she would stop jumping on him and help him figure out this mystery.

The stick was long forgotten now. Spica was let go of and she quickly bounced to her paws and shook her fur free from the debris that had caught in it. She looked 'round only to see that her brother was moving on. As Spica moved after him suddenly she saw a light in the distance. Ooo, she cooed and she took a few more gentle steps towards it, staying close to her brother - but not behind him - by instinct.

He felt his sister's presence at his side, acknowledged by a flick of his ear. His focus was on the light, though, and he continued to move forward on barely steady legs. It was quite a trek for two small pups, but Acheron was persistent. They were soon at the opening of the caves, completely enveloped by the light now. The world outside seemed so big and bright, and he was frozen at the mouth of the cavern, stunned by such a new and different sight. He couldn't have even imagined that this existed beyond the safety of their den. wooo, he whispered. He didn't take a step forward, though, still too unsure about everything and reluctant to leave the safety of the darkness.

Where her brother seemed hesitant whether going further from the den was safe enough, Spica waddled past him, full of confidence (or ignorance with a smidge of stupidity, who knew). At her brother's soft 'woo' she responded with a confident Raarr! and nipped at his shoulder to try and encourage him to come check out this new light thingy they found.

Spica's impatient nip irritated him a little, and he scowled at her; he didn't like to be rushed, and he wasn't yet sure this was such a good idea. He was just as curious about this illuminated world as she seemed to be, but he needed to be sure it was safe. Only, he was quite sure how to do that. But, irritated or not, he wasn't just going to let his sister wander off on her own. He took a few hesitant steps forward, and nothing happened. So far, so good. A few more steps and he confidently arrived at his sister's side. Hesitation quickly forgotten, he released an excited yip and took off running as fast as his chubby, unstable legs would allow, stopping only to make sure his sister was following before taking off again (assuming she was). He would not leave her behind, though.

Her brother was being a stick in the mud and initially didn't budge when she nipped him -- how annoying. Spica decided that she would just have to prove that she was braver than him, then, and she moved forward confidently towards the light. Surely, nothing bad would happen anyway, and Acheron'd be totally proven wrong. He arrived by her side moments later, as if it was his own idea all along (well, alright, maybe it was initially, before he cowered out) and then burst forward. Awrararrr! Spica complained noisily as he went forth and she dashed after him. When he looked back at her as she reached him Spica launched herself onto his shoulder, biting at him and trying to push him over to initiate play. Light or not, it was always a good idea to play.

Before he could move again, Spica was at his side, jumping against his shoulder and forcing him to lose his balance. He fell to the side with a startled growl. He hadn't wanted to play, he wanted to explore but now that he was presented with the opportunity, he couldn't exactly turn it down. He launched himself back at her, aiming his white paws at her shoulder assuming she hadn't come to the ground with him. If he connected, he hoped to take her to the ground and playfully mouth at her neck and chest until she was able to escape his hold.