Moonspear after rain

Thread for babies?

Eventually, @Meerkat explained to Seal and @Orca II the reason for Moontide’s sadness. The alpha female had passed in childbirth and her husband and their two sons had come to Moonspear for aid.

Death, and its hand in life, was something the young girl was beginning to grasp. She had seen it in the gravesite. Met it in the tiger’s eyes. Felt it in the moonwomen’s keeing songs…

But it seemed, to Seal, that for every sadness there were one hundred joys. The smell of summer flowers, running alongside her parents across the mountain, playing with Orca, her friendmines, and the birth of @Acrux and @Maggak…

The thought of @Sialuk and @Elentari’s children brought the juvenile warm feelings, and so she volunteered to entertain them as their parents tended to the two little boys.

“Hi wee ones!” Seal called to them as she crawled into a vacant pocket of their den (after greeting their mothers, of course).

he'd been gnawing on the deer hoof alaric had brought him when seal came knocking. he paused his chewing to go give his visitor a playful boop on the nose once she'd settled within the ulaq. 

up to this point, anyone who had ever watched over him within the den had been regarded in some way, shape, or form as family. seal, upon joining them in the ulaq, had suddenly met the requirements to be considered as such. the babe didn't question why she'd suddenly appeared after all this time, or why she was so large, he just assumed she poofed into existence like his new little brothers had. 

"sista!," he called out with childish glee. he had a new sister now, how exciting!

Seal stepped over the babies carefully and laid down on her side. Though her tail was tucked submissively, while in the presence of Sialuk and Elentari, the tip of it wagged incessantly.

Baby Acrux abandoned the hoof in order to press his nose to Seal’s. “Hi Acrux!” she exclaimed (with an indoor voice… she was getting better at that) before planting a little kiss on his wee forehead. “Aye, I’m sister Seal! Sssseeaaalllll,” she enunciated. “Och, you’re so big an' braw already!” Though this was Acux’s first time meeting Seal, she felt as if she had known his spirit forever. “I remember when you were just wee in your mum’s belly.” She hovered her paws together, almost touching, to show him just how small he used to be!

sister seal! "seeeeaaalll," he practiced just as she'd done, baby blues wide as he looked for her approval. she went on to explain how he'd been small and in mother's tummy and...wait a minute. he'd been in mother's what now?? 

he glanced over towards where sialuk and elentari lay, mouth agape and face in complete disbelief of what he'd just heard. they'd EATEN HIM!?! did that mean they'd eaten maggak?? and his new brothers too??

horror was spread wide across his face now as he imagined himself being devoured like a jellybean.

If this were an anime, Seal would have had big heart eyes.

“Aye! That’s right! Seal,” she exclaimed excitedly when the little boy said her name aloud. “I cannae believe you can talk already, Acrux! Such a smart lad!” she squished her nose against his.

Then, she guffawed at his incredulous expression. It made Seal realize she was not exactly certain how babies got in (or out of) their mom’s tummies… only that they grew there. “Right??” she laughed in agreement with him.

“Hey, do you wanna play a game?” she asked as she laid her chin on the ground between her two front paws.

the horror of having been eaten quickly faded as soon as seal mentioned the idea of a game. "game, game!" he chanted as he watched with overjoyed excitement. what would they play, there were so many options to choose from. tag? hide and seek? i spy? 

his little mind ran wild with possible game ideas that the pair of them could enjoy, though he eventually snapped back to reality and awaited the answer from his new big sister. he looked to her with wide eyes and a windmill tail, his excitement scarcely being contained.

Acrux wanted to play!

“Okay, the game is called Red Light Green Light,” Seal announced with a flourish of her paw. “You start by standin’ over there,” she pointed to the far wall of the den. “You win if you touch my nose!”

“But!” she made a stop-sign gesture. “You can only move when my eyes are shut an’ I sing the words ♬ Red Light Green Light ♬. If my eyes open an’ I catch you movin’ you gotta go back to the wall and start over! Got it?” she asked the pup with a wag of her tail.

Feel free to PP Seal playing the game!

sister seal went on to talk a lot, and truthfully the boy didn't quite understand all that she'd said. but when the words stopped and the older girl looked to him for confirmation that he understood, he simply offered a happy grin and an excited "o'tay!"

he moved to position himself against the wall where seal had pointed, a glimmer of playfulness in his eyes. the older girl squinted her eyes shut and begun to sing, and so acrux inched himself closer with an excited tail propelling him forward. 

the older child's eyes burst open, and acrux stumbled his way forward more, only to be redirected back towards the start again. ah, he got it now! 

he walked back towards the wall again, this time with determination upon his features. he'd get her this time!

Acrux fudged it right off the bat. But Seal knew that failure was the only way to learn! She had played this game with @Orca II and @Towhee too many times to count and each time she had gotten better and better. Maybe Red Light Green Light was to thank for her developed dexterity?

“Ohh, I got you,” Seal laughed. “That’s okay, Acrux, you got it this time!” She encouraged the lad.

Once again, Seal shut her eyes. This time, she covered them with her paws too.

“♬ Greeeeeeeeen Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiight ♬” she began to sing very slowly. “Red Light!” Seal opened her eyes a bit slower this time, to give Acrux an extra second to stand still.