Golden Glade all dip is just mayo

aengus was hungry. he’d been roused from his nap by the sound of his own stomach grumbling throughout the den walls. he’d thought it was thunder, but when his eyes fluttered open and he gazed up at the shimmering sun and blue skies, he knew that he needed to find something to eat. they were still a bit too young to go out and watch the adults hunt, but the young bull was eager to see what that was like. he wondered how challenging it was to fell large creatures, and how many others it would take to bring down something like an elk or a moose.
 
the more he thought about food, the hungrier he grew. aengus roamed out into the pack, nose to the earth in search of the juicy scent that would bring a sigh of relief from his lips. all he wanted was to find a cache that someone had created nearby. why couldn’t things be as simple as he’d like for them to be?

It had taken some time, but her children seemed to have made peace with their new home. She was sure they still missed the Hollow and missed the friends they'd made there, but they appeared to be moving on. Not long ago, she had expressed her hope that Gannet might come visit and bring Ashlar along with him. Now, she wasn't so sure if she wanted that. Maybe it was better that they forget the bastard boy and make new friends. Better friends.

Liffey was thinking of this when she happened to notice her son was on the move. She looked up from what she was doing to watch him sniffing about. She smiled fondly as she spent a moment simply observing him before moving to close the distance between them. "Hello Aengus," she greeted with a soft touch to the tip of his ear, "You look like you're on the trail of something big, hm?"

halfway through his hunt and the boy was stopped by the sweet voice of his mother. the dark child spun around and peered at her with wide eyes before his features split into a wide grin that stretched his face. aengus wagged his tail and bounced upward to boop his nose against her cheek. “hi mama,” the young bull greeted cheerfully. for a moment, he had almost forgotten that he was searching for something to munch on. it was her question that had sparked the memory. aengus nodded his head and looked to her with pleading eyes.
 
“i’m hungry. i thought my stomach was a thunder storm,” he explained to her pitifully. aengus wondered if his mother would know where there were any tasty morsels. she always seemed to be able to procure snacks when he had needed them before. while he no longer needed the milk that she had once provided, aengus still imagined she could pull out a crispy rabbit or chipmunk that he could chow down on.

Liffey smiled at her son's comment. He was a sweet boy, and silly. In some ways, he reminded her of Breccan. In others, he actually made her think of Remi. It wasn't surprising of course, that her and Rannoch's children would have things in common with each other, as well as with the rest of their families, even those they hadn't met. Sionnach was definitely Fin reincarnate, and from what she knew of Rannoch's mother, Eshe seemed to be, well, Eshe. But they also brought their own unique individuality with them, and she appreciated everything about them.

"You know, I thought I felt the temperature dropping earlier," Liffey commented with a smile, "Yet, no storm! And here it was in your belly the whole time."

it was fortunate that liffey loved her children as much as she did. aengus and sionnach had already grown into some troublesome little pups, but it didn’t seem to sway the devotion. as soon as liffey played into his comment about a storm existing in his stomach, the pudgy boy plopped back onto his rear and rolled onto his back with a soft huff and a smile that crinkled his puppy features.
 
“maybe there is a storm in there,” the young bull commented, using one of his large paws to prod at his own stomach. aengus was fairly certain that if he didn’t get something to eat soon, he was going to wither away to skin and bones. with a desolate expression, the dark child looked up to his mother and batted his eyes.

Liffey smiled as her son rolled about, inspecting his stomach. She had always looked at Breccan when he was younger and felt that he would one day rival Rannoch in size, but that hadn't quite proven to be the case. Aengus, though. Looking at Aengus made her think that this must be how her mate had been as a kid, and one day his puppy pudge would strengthen into muscle, and he would be just like his father.

Thinking about that, however, made her heart pang for Breccan. She pushed this away, not wanting her longing for one son to dampen her time with another. "Could be," Liffey replied, deciding to toy with him a little longer before she got him some food, "I've heard of this happening before, you know. Your belly gets so empty that when you breathe in, too much air comes in and you end up with a belly full of clouds. Then the more you run around and play, the more those clouds get shaken up and turn into a thunderstorm. It's pretty rare, but not unheard of."

Liffey was pleased at the look her son gave her. In the end, it was adorable enough that she relented and helped him hunt down a meal that they could share.