Sun Mote Copse Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Wraen's paying a visit to the little peeps (@Quetzal , @Primrose Redhawk , @Alyx ) and proud mom - @Niamh - and/or dad @Phox )

Now that the kids had outgrown the stage, where they were pure, innocent angels to their parents and boring loaves of fluff, feet and ever-so-hungry mouths to the rest of the world, Wraen decided to pay a visit. It was not that she had deliberately avoided the whole family - she had exchanged formal greetings and congratulations, when and where it had been required, but with the family nest already bustling with people, she did not wish to meddle. 

Besides forging of three brand new firebirds did not mean that Wraen's duties as a Sovereign of the pack became any less. She did her share of patrols and providing for the young and at the end of the day felt just as tired and in no mood for social activities as the rest of the working class. But this day was different - two successful days of hunting in a row and and catching glimpse of a deer herd in the glade, meant that she was not only in the mood of a little celebration, but in a process of organizing a group hunt. 

With these two important reasons in her mind and the genuine curiousity to see, how Niamh's and Phox's brood had turned out now that they finally looked remotely like wolves, she neared the denning site and announced her arrival from afar with a bark.

Sleeping softly within the nestled warmth of his family, Primrose tossed and turned at the distant sound of a bark, his attention caught and mind centered. He was curious of the sound, especially since he was still learning to find his own voice, practicing whenever he could for any reason. So far he had only gotten whining perfected....

Flicking a tiny ear, one that had just popped up, the boy wiggled out from the pile of fur to run towards the mouth of the den; His tail held high and wagging excitedly as he stumbled out into the open with a loud 'oof,' He was also still practicing how to sprint...

Shaking the dirt off his peachy fur, he looked up to see an unfamiliar face, one covered in warm greys with splashes of brown. He tipped his head at her, mouth closed and tongue peeking out through overgrown teeth. "woof," he echoed, attempting to match her previous sound.

Alyx, who found all these rapid fire developments in her life to be quite exhausting, would've happily slept right through Wraen's summons if not for Primrose's status as lightest sleeper ever. Her brother wasted no time vacating the pile, trodding right on Alyx's leg in the process and causing her to snap awake with a shrill yelp.

Thankfully, she was still young enough that excitement and the promise of a new discovery quickly overrode any negative feelings she had. She rocked and rolled herself onto her feet, then scampered after Primrose to pop her head out of the den.

She halted right there at the entryway, squinting and blinking watering eyes against the sunlight. It punched her retinas so forcefully that everything in view blurred together so that Wraen appeared to be a slim boulder with Primrose representing the delicate flower waving at its base. AAAAAH! she screeched, her own way of saying hello while also loudly protesting her sun blindness.

Her ear lifted at the sound of Wraen's bark- but it took Niamh a few moments longer to wake up, stretch- and then realize that her little cherub had bolted out the den. This was absolutely not okay, as the puppies were still young- and Niamh had, for the most part, kept them sheltered. She lunged to her feet, cracking her head off the low ceiling of the den, and shot quickly out the short but narrow entrance and once she'd locked her maladjusted eyes onto her son, she slid to a stop with one forefoot on either side of him so that she towered over him protectively. Fortunately, she managed to keep herself from snapping at the figure who'd lured her son out of the den as soon as she blinked and recognized Wraen. She shook her head. Sometimes she woke up far too quickly- and acted before she even had a chance to think. It was happening more and more often. 

"Sorry," She apologized, for her frazzled, suddenly overprotective entrance. "Alyx, Prim, you shouldn't ha-PRIM?!" Niamh shouted, and bounced nearly a foot in the air in surprise when she looked down at her son mid-sentence. She avoided him when she landed- but still stared at her son in disbelief, her fur standing on end. She leaned toward him to sniff at the small child, and while she recognized his features and shape- his colour...Wasn't what she'd thought it was. In the dim light of the den, she had simply assumed that Primrose had been a blonde like her- albeit with a slightly different tint, but not nearly as rosy as she realized he was now, in the sunlight for the first time. "You're pink?!?" She demanded, having more or less forgotten that Wraen was even present.

Q's development was a little quiet, to say the least, but that was all the calm before the storm. Her parents would likely remember these idyllic moments of peace and cling to them. Nothing, as of yet, was a momentous occasion; not her eyes opening, not her comprehending hearing... Like Alyx, she thought it was all exhausting. And Q had been exhausted. AH! Q echoed, a demand for silence. A scuttled away, Prim... something happened there, she was too groggy to tell... 

All of it was hella commotion, and none of it caused by her. Q watched lazily for a moment, one eye open, prepared to go back to sleep when her mother became quite distracted. Slyly, another eye opened. Who knew how long this might last? Q rose to dart away, neverminding their interesting new visitor in favor of hopefully bolting past her at a certain point. Now you see me, now you don't. Of course, the sun offended her the same way as it had her sister... but that didn't stop her. The disorient did cause her to take a minor tumble; no one would ever call Q graceful, not as a child at least.

Fortune favours those, who are patient and wait long enough. Just as Wraen had sat down, a small form appeared in the mouth of the den, earning a curious glance from the older wolf. It was a little Niamh look-alike, oddly-proportioned and not as handsome as his mother was (yet), but she gave him (or her - she could not see from her vantage point) a good-natured smile and a wag of her tail. For being the first and the bravest. 

The second came soon after and greeted the world with a loud screech of surprise and discomfort. Wraen shot a quick glance over her shoulder, then around, then let it land back on the puppy, who was squinting and blinking its eyes against the sunlight. That explained some things, Wraen sighed, raised to her feet to go over and comfort the little one herself, when Niamh - being the careful mother she was - beat her to it and took matters in her own capable paws. 

"Hey!" she greeted her Sergeant-at-Arms, who had no trouble bossing around her almost-adult son and embarrassing grown-up men, but who seemed to be a bit disorganized, when it came to managing her youngest brood. Kids were not soldiers. They did not abide to discipline or rules yet. Then another exclaimation turned Wraen's attention from the three in front of her, to the last one in the background. This fellow seemed to look very similar to puppy No.2. Not only in looks, but mannerisms as well. 

"I see that you are doing well?" Wraen raised her eyebrows and smiled sympathetically at the mom, then lied down in order to be in the same level as the kids were, so that it was easier and more comfortable for them to get to know her.

Before she had a chance to respond to Wraen, her third pup came stumbling out of the den and fortunately, was slowed down by the brightness. She made a small sound that likely came across as light exhasperation as she picked up Alyx and promptly set her next to her twin, right in front of the den's entrance, and then reached out to pluck Primrose up as well, by his scruff, and once she seated herself- right next to the girls, so they were still within reach- she gently set him down, and lovingly kissed the top of his rosy head. She still couldn't believe the colour of him. 

"Well, they're a busy lot," She said, finally getting a moment to look up and greet Wraen, who she gave a tired, but honest smile. To reassure her son- who was likely a bit spooked by his mother's reaction to his looks, she nuzzled the top of his head, where the fur was short but soft. "S'their first time outside. I ain't even seen the shade of like...Peach in this little guy until just now," She admitted. "But maybe I'll be finally able to tell them two apart," She said, gesturing toward the girls.

Prim was unknowing of his mothers surprise. He thought her gawking was playing, and as always he was ready to play! He opened his mouth back up at her, paws flailing as he wanted a game of jaw war.

Except no jaw war came.

He was simply plucked up by his scruff, causing him to go limp 'cept for his wagging tail. He didn't understand the words around him, only that 'prim' seemed to be his name. He thought it was a nice name. A good name. He felt proud for being named something so pretty sounding.

"Prim, prim!" He cried in a warbled tone once he sat down, still seeming unable to form complete words. He giggled though, feeling so fear or insecurities. He just liked his mothers licks.

but.

He also wanted to meet the stranger! So up he stood, attempting to crawl out of his mothers paws so he could pounce his way over to the other adult.

It seemed no one was fully paying attention to her. Good, she thought to herself with glee. For her backpedal tumble—oh, no! Plucked like a prize from one of those damn Dave & Busters games, she was deposited alongside Primrose and Alyx. She looked left and right with a huff, and garbled far less intelligibly than her brother, arbarwrit yxs os, translated to, I am busting out of this joint. 

And then she darted ahead, full speed, heading out. A little too quickly, given there was an adult-wolf sized  blockade there. Q stopped and stared indignantly up at their visitor, displeased. AAAAAHHHHHHH! She bellowed, expecting to be obeyed STAT.

Please don't skip me unless I've granted permission to do so!

Before Alyx could manage to blink the glaring light out of her eyes, Niamh arrived to pluck her cubs one by one from the lawn and drop them in a neat row on the threshold. Anyone who ever tried to corral young pups together for a photograph would know how ineffectual lining them up was; even while Niamh replied to Wraen, Primrose was trying to break out of his leggy jail and Quetzal was gauging for the right opportunity to try to flee past their large grey visitor.

Alyx, on the other hand, was neither caged between Niamh's legs nor interested in escape. When Quetzal moved, Alyx began toddling in the opposite direction, toward Wraen's other side, although not in a bid for freedom. She was much more interested in something small, round and yellow in the grass next to the Sovereign's paw, which she tried to clamber over to better reach the little flower.

Wraen was a little disappointed that, when she wished to get know the kids better and let them get acquainted with her too, Niamh interfered and lined them up in front of the den entrance. True - for a split of an impossible second, where all three sat still, she stole a glance at them, but then the moment was gone and the kids dispersed. 

One of the two girls, who Niamh had not called by name (and a smart move it was - you could not tell them apart yet or maybe ever) darted in her direction garbled something incoherent right in Sovereign's face. "Okay - that is truly awful," Wraen said sympathetically and leaned forward to touch the kid's cheek reassuringly.

In the meanwhile, the other twin had come near too and seemed more interested in something small by Wraen's feet than the leader itself. She looked down, tried to figure out, what it was that the girl wanted, and inadvertently put her paw right on the little yellow flower, squashing it effectively. 

Niamh's favourite kid or the only one that she could tell from the others was still in the process of getting out of the leg prison he had been set in. "If you need a break for a bit, I can watch them for a while," Wraen kindly offered Niamh.

That was my bad- and I apologize. <3

There was no holding the kids back- and really, no reason to. While she was able to get a few licks in, fussing over the beautiful, new-blossom peach of her son's beautiful coat, she lost him as well and allowed him out of her grasp to go and greet their packmate. The twins were interested in Wraen, naturally, and had more or less flanked her though one seemed very focused on getting Wraen's attention while the other had found and begun to investigate a flower. That was alright- she knew that between the two of them, they'd be able to keep an eye on all three kids. 

She still found herself admiring the hue of Primrose's pelt, and felt quite proud of having produced a child with what she figured was a rare pigment. The two girls looked even more like little wolverines in the sunlight, with the golden hairs stippling their foreheads and along their sides shining in the light. Damn, she and Phox made pretty babies. She smiled softly. "I'd like the company. But feel free to keep them entertained," She said, stretching a bit so she could relax into a more comfortable position, laying with her hind feet stretched out to the side, like a hare basking in the sunshine. "Quetzal and Alyx are the girls," She said, finally introducing them...Though she didn't point out which was which. The only time she could make a solid assumption was when she could see the place on Alyx's wrist, where she would suck on the fur. As soon as she gave up that habit, though, she'd need some other way to tell them apart. "They look like their father," She said, with a warm smile. "Primrose," She said, beaming at the little fellow and chuckling as she noticed the very slight, feminine curl to the fur along his cheeks, "Is all me."

skipping prim since he's NPC!

 

Uhm, did this person not understand move when they heard it? Wrinkling her brow, she made another attempt: AAAAAAAAAAhhhH! Thinking that this time, there could be no confusion. But even still, she and her mother talked amongst themselves... just... ignoring her. Not at all okay with this, Q backed up a little and surged forward to headbutt the nearest appendage to her, thinking that that ought to send the point home.

Alyx's attention was wholly focused on the little dandelion bud waving in the breeze, at least up until the moment Wraen's paw came down and crushed it. Wh... what?! Alyx's little jaws fell open in an expression of complete disbelief. While cause and effect remained a nebulous concept to her, she couldn't help feeling like their adult visitor crushed the flower on purpose.

WAAAAH, she shrieked, ramming her head insolently against Wraen's toes and scrabbling her paws against the ground as though she thought she alone could move the Sovereign's leg out of the way and save the little flower.