Wheeling Gull Isle like the sand on my feet

kids being welcomed outdoors as they are 24d+ and can start meeting pack!! this is a pack activity for as few or many want to join. NOT a replacement for the activity y'all voted on- that will be happening midweek! I am tagging, but no pressure on joining as I wanna keep this fairly quick! next round will start may 28th. @Astaroth @Aiolos @Minori @Tyche @Ruò @Ruvik @Oleander @Tzila @Takara @Daiyu 

With @Xiaoqing and @Haoming 's eager paws scrambling constantly to the exit these days, Huā felt nature was giving her a sign. It was time to allow them a little bit of freedom, as much as that thought frightened her. She had lost Ying, and then Atausiq- she feared she was beginning to understand the dangers of the world, and her motherly instinct only heightened that fear. But every bird ought to spread its wings at some point, and even if it started with one feather or two, change needed to be made to aid the growth of the little ones. And so that morning when her children began to rouse from their slumber, she nudged them to their feet carefully and delicately, especially careful with @Luli, encouraging them slowly upward. Would they understand? 小青，女巫，浩明，露莉，你们要出去吗?

She did not await audible answers, rather turned on her heel and headed out... but this time no babysitter replaced her, and she gazed back into the den, dark face filtering the light like an eclipse. A smile bloomed on her face, encouraging- would they come out to see the world? Momentarily Huā turned away, issuing a howl into the winds of the isle, summoning the pack if they wished- my children are meeting the world. I hope the world will spare the time to meet them too. Those who came would be appreciated, those who were too busy would be understood- she did not care too much either way.

her mother nudged her- what did she want now? nüwu pulled herself to her feet, finding little desire to explore. her mother left the den as she often may, and the little thinker half-expected the dark babysitter. instead as nüwu blinked away the sleep, she saw her mother's smiling face from the entrance. nüwu stared back, unreadable- what was this supposed to mean? then the familiar face vanished, and she began to curl up again... but one minute, then two passed. where was the was the babysitter? finally the enchantress made her way upward in the slope towards the exit, peering out hesitantly with wide blue eyes. the world beyond was quite bright, and so she squinted quietly, bothered but too intrigued by the grass and trees to look away.

Luli, roused first by the movement of siblings around her, first parted her jaws in a wide yawn. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and twitched a little ear at the sound of her mother's voice. Made more alert by hearing her name, the smallest of the Empress' seadragons gathered to her dainty paws and wiggled her scruffy tail in a cheerful greeting.

She did not know the meaning of "going outside", so the suggestion went right over her head. Luli simply followed with a curious stare as her dam moved off toward the mouth of their hollow and into the daylight beyond, leaving the cubs within.

Alone. Without Daiyu or one of the other grown-ups to watch over them. 

Luli's tongue traced her lips anxiously, and she begun to whine softly. It was the bold Nüwu who stepped forward first, but the dappled youngster held back and waited, curious to see how her other littermates would react to this strange new development.

Well, this was different, but Haoming was not one to back down from a challenge. If her mom thought she could just walk away like that and leave them in the den, she certainly had another thing going. Haoming got to her feet, and with slow puppy mobility, began to stride up to the entrance of the den. Nuwu was already there, and Luli and Xiaoqing had yet to approach the entrance, but unlike Nuwu, Haoming did not stop. 

She padded up the slope and poked her head out, then her shoulders, then her rump, and grunted as she wandered up to her mother's paws again. 

"Mmm," she hummed, looking around. The colors were so different than what Haoming was used to, puppy blue eyes squinting in the light to take in her new surroundings. Far better than the den, of course.

Children.

The aching emptiness inside of her that was her motherly instinct had her rising to her paws and striding across the sand quickly. Along the way she stopped to pee for what was the third time more than usual and finally came upon the den, tail swaying as her seafoam eyes fell upon the bold and curious light sandy child, then spotted the girl that looked more like her mother except for darker fur at her muzzle and ears. They were beautiful in the small, untouched way that babies usually were and she found it hard not to continue staring. It was her manners that caused her to turn a smile to Hua "They are beautiful Hua" her words went quiet as a soft whining came from inside the den, tugging her heartstrings as she realised there was a third inside who must be frightened. Clucking her tongue she made an expression that read as "awww" and then dropped closer to the ground, creeping forward a few inches to greet the curious children before looking for more solid permission.

she had followed her beloved when the call rang out, something about the new children of their queen finally be old enough to leave the only home they ever knew. she smiled softly as the little puff balls filed out of the den, pulling at her own guilt as she thought of the children she left behind. she had made the right choice, she repeated for the umpteenth time inside her mid as she pressed herself against the dark woman. 

"such an occasion warrants a song, wouldn't you say?" she spoke in a sing song voice as another woman arrived, her dark fur uniquely marked with charcoal and scars that someone of her age should not have. she did not know her name but she seemed familiar with the children, maybe a regular babysitter? her sent was everywhere. quickly her attention moved back to the queen and her brood, her tail waving like a banner in the wind.  she opt for a silly song, one her mother sang to her in Japanese but she chose the common language for this one.

"down by the bay
where the watermelons grow
back to my home
i dare not go
for if i do
my mother will say

'did you ever you ever see a goose
kissing a moose?'

down by the bay"

daiyu is here as needed, a little shadow to make sure children are good.

she had arrived before the chocolate woman that smelled like the dark warrior started to sing, they had exchanged a look but she did not speak. the only ones she spoke to without being spoke to first was the siren she often liked to be around and her children, the very children that now were allowed to wander outside the den. she did not speak to them but they knew the look she gave them, don't cause your mama any trouble or I will step in. they knew she would not let them misbehave, she was here as insurance, and to help keep an eye on the unruly children. the woman's singing was nice, even if it was silly.

Aiolos did not particularly expect to be one of the first wolves to come along to greet the princesses and prince of Yuelong. At least he would be amongst the first pawful. In fact, unlike quite a handful of members of the pack, he had not even a chance to meet them from within the den. Despite his constant work, he felt like up until recently most of his affairs had been pulling him outside of the islands protective bubble. He had been off training an allied pack, then in search for Ying, then helping with a certain kidnapping of a friend of his, bringing another pack at well deserved good standing despite the distance between them. 

It was his own newly born pup which had him on the island at all and the mother which bore him. He had gotten back into fishing when he was not simply taking from the caches and allowing the hunters to do their jobs. And he was watching Jin, every moment he could...maybe he could take a break, if at least for a day or so. After all, he still needed to inform their allies on the mountain of what happened to Ying, too. 

Taking Hua's call as a word not to be ignored, when he came he could not help the smile on his lips, the waving of his gingered and cream tail. Hello, little ones... He crouched his body low as he approached and then all at once laid flat to the ground to be on their level. It was yet another new experience for him. To be invited to meet the children of the Leader directly. That typically was not allowed in his past life. It was only last fall since he had been a pledged servant of the Nereides coming into the Teekon Wilds for the first time. Only seven months and yet, so much had changed.

 He, had changed.

oleander can be skipped!

He heard the call and moved without hesitation. Excited for this little gathering that they'd been summoned to. However he would easily note that he was not the first to arrive. Which was not a problem, but it gave him reason to not push his way forward.

For now he'd linger near the edge of the gathering. Crouched low as he tried to peer at any emerging children. His tail did broad sweeps behind him. Very eager to see what the children might make of the world.

Heeding the call of Hua, who was inviting the pack to gather and meet her brood for the first time, Tzila was quick to seize the opportunity. Just after the Empress had given birth, she had dropped by to check in on them, but had not been afforded a peek, which was understandable. Since then she had left the new family in peace. She had herself to look after, now well aware of the changes going on with her own body. To say she was nervous was an understatement. But with many other mothers in the pack, Tzila did feel some sense of relief.

Arriving on soft paws, she was not the first to show up, unsurprisingly. With her eyes glued to the den, she could already see that one youngster, Haoming, had fully emerged, with Nüwu not far behind. A small smile on her lips, her tail wagged gently behind her. She did not get close, experienced with the potential uncertainty they may be experiencing. Instead, guided by instinct, she laid out on her belly on the soft sand, trying to look harmless.

he'd not thought much on the matter of children until hua's call summoned all those interested in meeting the pack's youngest members. his paws carried him steadily towards the empress' den until eventually the figures in the distance began to materialize into familiar faces. he recognized most of the adults, having seen many of them during patrols or hunts, but knew none of their names save for tzila and hua.

he moved to offer a friendly tap of his nose against his inky friend's side when a strange sensation caused him to pause for a moment. he stopped, gave a few blinks down at tzila, and then proceeded to make his way towards the mother of the newly introduced brood. "they look like troublemakers", he teased as he aimed to place a gentle bump to the empress' shoulder.

woah, crazy good turnout! yall are awesome!!

​First came Nüwu, carefully picking her way towards the entrance. Haoming followed, going beyond her sandy sister and making her way steadily toward her mother. Huā chuckled as she placed a lap of her tongue upon the girl's head. Luli and Xiaoqing seemed perhaps too nervous to exit- but she recalled they'd been the last to open their eyes, and maybe they were developmentally behind slightly- and so she would not force them into what they were not ready for. 

Then the people came. Minori, complimenting the daughters- Indeed they are, Huā agreed warmly, eyes sparkling. Then there was Daiyu, the girl with the power to keep the children well-behaved, and the beautiful Takara, who brought with her lovely music. The clearing felt more lively already. Aiolos came, approaching the children low to the ground. Huā fought off the instinct that told her to snarl at any too close to her brood, maintaining her smile though fur pricked along her spine. 

Oleander came, hesitating at the edge of the gathering, though Huā wished he might come closer. Tzila, lying on her stomach, and Astaroth, who greeted Huā warmly. She chuckled at his comment, nodding- Yes. Especially that girl, She laughed with a gesture of her muzzle toward Haoming. Now that everyone was gathering, she swept them all with kind seaglass gaze. Everyone, this is Haoming and Nüwu. Other two still in den. She introduced, gesturing to each of the daughters outdoors in turn. She settled back on her haunches then, wondering what the children would think of the crowd, and allowing them to explore for themselves.

so many... so so many. nüwu had not imagined that this many people existed in the world. she peered out still as they gathered, all different shapes and colors. different- in a beautiful way, creating a harmony without being the same. she scrawled each of their faces in the sketchpad in her mind, tucking their identities away for later. the dark girl, who silently hung at the edge. the red boy, who came forward boldly on his belly. blue eyes studied them, and as her mother spoke, nüwu finally exited completely. she strode up to where haoming was, quieter and less eager in her movements. the red man close to the ground was just begging to be observed, and so she closed the distance in silence, coming to sniff at his snout and learning his scent.

More gathered, quite a few more though Aiolos attention didnt break from the mother and pups before him. Hua would bristle, remaining protectively on guard. He did not approach forward further, nor did he back away either. His placement was stilled and even more so as one of the children, introduced as Nuwu, made her approach to him. He felt as though should he  move it might scare her, send her back into the confines of their dark den which he protected them since birth. As her little brown muzzle stretched to reach for him, to sniff, only Aiolos own muzzle made movement, nose twitching like a bunny's as he too took in her scent. The smile was evident on his lips, content to be observed by the little princess.

The little sailor was fast asleep before his mother woke him. Not yet ready to be up and moving, he batting his paw at her lazily before rolling over and attempting to steal a few more minutes of sleep—but movement continued around him and the commotion of those gathering outside was difficult to ignore. Frustrated, Xiaoqing huffed and rose to his feet, ears partially back to make his annoyance known. Why wake him up? Why not let him sleep? There wasn’t even food offered to make waking up worthwhile!

Looking around for his mother—perhaps to complain or cry, he wasn’t sure which would be best yet—he found she was nowhere to be seen. He did, however, hear her outside. Curious, the boy crept towards the entrance and peered out at those gathering, although he did not yet exit the den entirely. There were so many out there, so many he didn’t know… he wasn’t sure he wanted to leave the comfort of the den just for them.

It was clear that Hua was proud of her children by the smile given to her compliment. She remembered that feeling, the burning pride of watching your children walk the ground beside you. Her eyes misted up as she realized that feeling had never lasted for her, for her children were both gone somewhere off on their own. The aging warrior could only hope that her panda colored boy was okay out there somewhere. Focusing back in on the beautiful children the sound of Takara's melodic voice turned her head and suddenly there wasn't anything but her chocolate furred lover crooning softly to babies that weren't her own. Standing she walked toward Takara and nuzzled into her smiling warmly and finishing the last line with her, voice added softly and ending with a warm laugh. As they both fell silent she watched others pour in from other parts of the island, studying the faces of those new to her making note of those who seemed more familiar to Hua than others. 

Skippable and might be my last post unless mentioned

She watched helplessly as Haoming slunk past their sister and into the vast, bright unknown. Anxiety bubbled uncomfortably in her gut and still she hung back, though it heightened when Nüwu stepped forward too. Luli made to exchange a panicked glance with her last remaining sibling, but he did not even acknowledge her fear.

The dappled cub emitted a high-pitched whine as Xiaoqing, too, ventured forth - though the sound softened as she saw him pause at the bright mouth of their hollow. It was then that she dared to creep forward. Dwarfed by her much larger brother, Luli blinked up at him only briefly before she squinted against the light to peer outside.

So many strangers. 

So many eyes, searching.

So many!

Little Luli froze, terrified of all these unknown faces, and involuntarily lost control of her bladder.

Oh, no. Not again. Strangers - this time, so many! - appeared, and Haoming did not like it one single bit. How was she to know this many wolves existed, much less such big ones? This was beyond unacceptable, and the spotted girl wrinkled her nose at the approachers. 

A light growl formed in her chest and she snarled - or, at least, the closest she could get to it - at the strangers, fur along her nape rising in fury. She barely even registered her mother - traitor - lick the top of her head. She'd done it again, after all, with the inviting strangers over, and that was Very Bad in Haoming's book.

it seemed the two girls outside the den were the most courageous of the bunch as one crept forward while the other stood her ground. "i see what you mean", he whispered quietly to hua has the newly introduced haoming began to throw a fit before the crowd.

he mimicked the girl's expression as his nose wrinkled and brow furrowed in a mocking manner as she went about growling. after a few moments he shot the rowdy child a playful yet teasing smirk before he stuck out his tongue as an answer to her childish tantrum.

"down by the bay
where the watermelons grow
back to my home
I dare not go
for if I do
my mother will say
'did you ever see a whale
wiith a polka dot tail?'
down by the bay!

down by the bay
where the watermelons grow
back to my home
I dare not go
for if I do
my mother will say
'did you ever see a fly
wearing a tie?'
down by the bay!"

she was having so much fun she had not realized that all these people was not the best option for at least two of the babies. one was terrified and the other filled with anger and disgust at the gathering crowd. she would have growled back at the little one in a show of play but before she could take notice her vision was clouded with the sight of the woman she loved. the dark warrior sans with her and she could only let her song fall with laughter, oh this was the life! a home with the prettiest girl, a song in her heart, and children.

The dark babysitter watched the children, not the adults. Two of then had emerged, her favorite koi colored girl and trouble maker. She listened to her leader and friend as she introduced the children she already knew by name, scent, sight, and touch. Luli, the gentle koi colored girl that was so well behaved. Haoming, the escape artist who has the attitude of a raging sea. Nüwu, a child of curiosity and wonder but always silent. And the only boy, Xiaoqing, demanding of attention but sweet nonetheless.

She loved these babies as if they were her own, so of course she noticed when the koi dragon was under distress and moved from her friend's side just as the little girl relieved herself. She knew it waa not on purpose so she moved to nuzzle the sweet baby with affection amd reassurance, she gave her soft cooing and kisses to soothe her only to hear the trouble maker acting up.

"足够多的了" her usually soft voice was a little sharper in tone as she spoke in their mother tongue, she knew better manners than that.

 Haoming and Nüwu. Those were the names of the two who had emerged first. Haoming in particular, didn't seem especially thrilled with the audience that had gathered outside the den, bristling and growling. Properly chastised, Tzila could only chuckle slightly, not in the least bit intimidated by the youngsters oh-so fearsome attempt at looking tough. But as for the other two...Xiaoqing and Luli... They were much, much more timid. The poor cream speckled girl lost all control of herself.

Maternal instincts stirred, compelling her to soothe the nervous babe. But Tzila resisted, staying put, knowing that she wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by inching closer. Instead, she got creative. Dark ears splaying, she rested her head flat against the earth, that black banner of a tail upright, fanning gently while she emitted a whisper of a whine.

last round!

Things did not go as smoothly as planned. Nüwu was confident yet quiet, Haoming angered, and the other two... Huā's head whipped back to face them, finding the peeking eyes of Xiaoqing, as well as little Luli. As Astaroth joked to Huā, and Daiyu (thankfully) scolded the fitful Haoming, the mother's only focus was on the scent that came to her from the den. Urine... she was willing to bet it was the shyest of the bunch, and scampered over to check, finding her belief was true and trying to nudge the children back inside. Was it too early? Haoming and Nüwu seemed to be slightly ahead of the other two developmentally- in terms of eyes opening, exploration... though Haoming seemed to have much more of an attitude. Ah, well. She would not force them- in time they would gain their own confidence. For now she encouraged their return, not wanting them to be further intimidated by the crowd. And as for the crowd of adults? She turned back suddenly, hushing them gently as if they were children. She did not care if they felt annoyed by this; her children's comfort was more important now. Assuming they came to a hush... Huā would head to Haoming, pushing her slightly less gently with her muzzle. She would not have her kids acting like Rusalkans- manners towards strangers were important, and even being shy was better than being rude. 浩明， She huffed under her breath. If the girl would not subdue her own temper... Huā would lift her into the air gently and carry her back to the den. The party was over. Nüwu could socialize as she pleased, but if a temper was found in her too, Huā was willing to intercept in the same way. As for the rest of them... she dismissed them silently with a wave of her tail, though dipped her head as a thank you for their attendance, slight smile on her maw in spite of her children's reactions.

All the eyes on her suddenly became irrelevant in the moment that she felt liquid run hot down her inner thigh, until it pooled on the earth below her tiny paws. Confused, the tiny seadragon shifted uncomfortably, turning to blink dumbly down at the puddle she'd created.

The pallid fur of her rear end, now drenched in urine, chilled the delicate skin beneath in the crisp sea air. Although unable to fully register what had happened to her, Luli felt her lip tremble. It took a few moments before tears flooded her stormy eyes, and she lifted her muzzle to wait in her mother's direction as they spilled down her velvet cheeks.

It was her most beloved babysitter who answered first, swift to attend her crying ward with gentle assurance. Luli, however, was inconsolable. She wept freely, even when the Empress swept forth to usher the cubs deeper into the burrow. She went willingly despite her loud sobbing, eager for the familiarity of its snug space and the comfort its darkness provided.

that eighth sense detected the tension that fell among them as nüwu's mother seemed to grow frustrated, alarmed. though the broad male before her sniffed back, which she found intriguing, she became distracted by the scent of something gross. her muzzle wrinkled and she turned her head to gaze at luli, who hovered at the entrance. nüwu's expression was unreadable, but certainly not pleased. she did not want to get close to the rosy girl now, and remained outside of the den for however long her mother would allow... sad to see the strangers go, but head full of fresh thoughts and ideas inspired by the newness of a crowd.