Bearclaw Valley They grow into adults, and become dangerous things

Aventus woke with a start at dawn, wincing at the ache that slowly blossomed across his flank. By now, he no longer needed to wear the stabilizing brace Evien had fashioned for him. His broken ribs had fused properly, and now it was just a matter of building the bone back up and not disrupting the process. He'd been allowed to return to his home at the rendezvous with strict instruction that he limit his activity to slow walks and the stretching exercises the medic described to him.

Which was easier said than done. He was bored out of his mind most days and wanted nothing more than to return to his usual routine of skulking around the valley, testing his ability to sneak around and gather information. Not that there was much information worth gathering these days. The alliance with the Saints was over. Ursus once more stood alone and, in his youthful opinion, was mightier for it. There were new faces in the pack, but none he particularly cared to meet.

He slowly shook the remnants of a bad dream from his mind, yawned, and pulled himself carefully to his feet. He wanted to give his entire body a rough shake, but he knew it would hurt, so he swallowed the impulse. He forced his feet to move instead, his gait stiff at first, and made a beeline for the closest stream so he could wet his dry mouth.

astara lurked after aventus as he made for a stream. she did not know his destination, but she watched his gait critically.

it was stiff-legged. unsure. tentative.

no doubt he still hurt from his run in with nyra.

astara chuffed softly for the boy, easing into an open stride to close the distance between them. no toad this time, but aventus was the recipient of a warm glance, and careful wag of her tail.

A slender ear flipped automatically back at the sound of his mother's voice behind him, but Aventus bent to drink first, clearing the cobwebs from his mouth in three quick gulps. Satisfied, he swiped his tongue over his chops and straightened, turning to his mother with an inquisitive tilt of his head. His tail lifted a little to swing in tandem with hers.

Was she here to begin training him? His ribs were doing a lot better and there was less risk of re-injury now, so it seemed as good a time as any to start. He definitely couldn't do anything as intensive as sparring yet, but there was more to training and even fighting than just throwing punches at each other. This question he communicated in silence by lifting his lip a little, letting the tips of his teeth peek out in a tentative grimace, while he slashed his tail twice through the air.

aventus drank. for a split second of time astara's reality was sheathed by the wonder of the world -- the way sunlight glittered off his deep obsidian pelt -- the way the stream's dull waters rippled from his pale pink tongue -- the rivulets of moving sunglitter as they bounced in silent bluewhite waves from his dripping muzzle and dark neck -

and she had created that --

that perfect, beautiful, powerful specimen that one day would rule the world alongside his sister.

she need not bend to the reflective light of a crystal ball to understand the lift of his gums and show of teeth. astara worried for the durability of his freshly healed wounds, but would not say no.

how then, to proceed? what way to teach or tell him the order of their kind, if not by brute force?

they could swim, or walk uphill. both would benefit aventus' fitness, and both had their own purposes when it came to training. she glanced to the stream pointedly for a moment, and then drew her long muzzle south where the path wound around a gentle hill. which would he prefer?

He pulled his puckered lips back over his teeth and followed his mother's lingering gaze first to the water, then the hill. Each had their benefits. He already knew from experience that walking up hills took more effort and energy, but his time spent in the water was limited in comparison. He knew he would tire quickly on a hill, but water didn't seem all that challenging. Unbeknownst to Aventus, it took many more muscles to swim than to climb.

Choosing what he thought was the easier option, he strode loftily into the water, ignoring the pull of his flank when he pranced through the shallows. With a wolfish grin adorning his slim muzzle and a high wave to his tail, he swept his narrow forepaw through the water and up, sending a playful spray of droplets in his mother's direction.

it was the water the blackbird's son chose. astara trailed after his confident gait, amused by the way it seemed to buoy every step. when she slid into the water she ignored the icy brace, feeling a chill ripple down her pelt.

turning, astara received a faceful of splashed water. she shook the droplets from her pelt and eyed her son -- her cheeky, beautiful little son.

her muzzle dipped below the water, only the amethyst of her gaze peering above the surface. bubbles frothed and foamed where her nostrils were; she circled aventus carefully, making her approach in the languid manner of a crocodile.

Something—danger—stirred in his veins as he watched his mother slide into the water, nearly disappearing beneath the surface. Like a gator, only the top of her head was visible over the waterline as it lapped over her cheekbones and swallowed her muzzle whole.

He lashed his tail a few times, feeling some primal caution zinging up his spine, and his ears cupped forward when bubbles erupted from the slender tip of Astara’s muzzle. It was a little like a gunshot at the races; the second the first one popped, Aventus lurched forward, jaws parted as if to grab his mother’s nose.

But he wasn’t accustomed to the water or the strength of its drag on his leg. His lunge grew clumsy after a single step while the current did the rest. Snagging his ankles, the water unbalanced him and before he knew what was happening, Aventus fumbled and fell with a surprised yelp.

wc: 152

if astara was a human mother, CPS probably would have taken aventus from her long ago. it was far from a good idea to take him to the water, but he was her prince -- and she would do whatever to keep him happy.

his tail made little eddies in the dark water. astara waited, tense, for that lunge -- when it came she pushed to the side, dragged down by the resistance of the stream. aventus' yelp rung clear behind her; when she turned she found him unbalanced. mosying forward astara raked his form with her gaze, having her first doubt on the intelligence of rough-housing in the water.

Water sloshed into his nose and mouth while he floundered. It should have been easy to get his legs back under him, but water had a peculiar way of turning right-side to upside-down. It took longer than he would've liked to straighten himself, and when he finally did, he was sopping wet and overcome with the warm flush of embarrassment. Astara witnessed the whole thing.

Perceptive as he was, he caught the searchlight of his dam's gaze on him, and imagined it was disapproving. Desperate to prove that he wasn't some struggling babe any longer, Aventus surged through the water again, gaping jaws seeking the side of her face while the water dragged him back.

if there was one thing going for the water, at least it softened any falls.

astara had been second guessing her idea when aventus came at her again -- this time parting the dark waters as he dove towards her. she felt the muck underfoot suck at her feet as she moved, too slow to possibly dodge his onslaught.

his teeth clicked against her own as she attempted a jawspar, buffeted back by the collision. the rattle of her teeth against his own was unpleasant. she did not offer a counter - instead she pulled herself towards the bank while water and muck below dragged at her.

once she was up the bank, astara shook roughly and then stopped, realizing if aventus did the same he might instigate the pain in his ribcage.

Their teeth met with a loud clack that reverberated uncomfortably between Aventus' shoulders. He drew back and flicked his tongue over them, already calculating another angle, but Astara was moving away by the time he was ready to strike again. He stood fast in the running water, watching his dam haul herself out of the river with a canted head. Their training was over so soon?

He sloshed after her, exiting the water and preparing to shake himself as well, but stopped and grit his teeth together as soon as the ache started again in his side. Bad idea. He had no choice but to stand there dripping water and shivering lightly in the cool autumn while he fixed Astara with a questioning gaze. The water had buoyed and chilled him, making it easy to forget the pain, but now that he was in open air again, it settled back into his ribs with a vengeance.

bad mom, giving your child frostbite.

astara turned to see aventus had clambered up behind her, but his inquisitive gaze communicated well his confusion. she'd made two lapses of judgment here, and for that aventus would pay terribly.

she pulled alongside her son to lick his pelt carefully -- the water would congregate down his flank and sides and drip off, but he must be kept moving. she began to walk forward, pressing herself so her bodyheat could be transferred to him.

time to retire to their quiet den, where warmth would return to aventus slowly and he would be sheltered from any wayward wind.

He was grateful when Astara started to move. At no point would he consider any of this to have been a mistake—these were the ways one trained the body to be more resilient, and he would always trust his mother's judgment on that. She had yet to lead him astray. This shivering and aching was only part of getting stronger.

Still, the allure of a warm bed in the ground was strong. He made no complaints as he was led home to rest.