Jade Fern Grove everywhere i look i see green scenic sublime.

I hope you don't mind the PP, papa! Open for anyone if @Scimitar doesn't have time :)

In truth, Whittier could not have cared less where their little family settled by the end of their journey. He had been so exhausted, they could have curled up in a desert for all he'd cared. As long as there was a surface he could sleep on, a creek he could drink from, and his mom there to feed him, it was home enough for him.

As it turned out, though his standards had been low, the reward was actually quite pleasing to the little pudgster. He liked the bright green of the ferns and the coolness of the damp air. He liked how protected the whole place seemed. It actually reminded him of one big den, and though he had not been too eager to explore his first home, he was far more willing here at his second.

Likely to his father's surprise, Whittier that day had been the first to hop up and volunteer to accompany the patriarch on a trip around the borders to mark their new territory. Toddling ahead, the hefty three-month-old squatted happily every few yards to set free another stream of pee that apparently let the whole world know that this place was his. With each squat, he turned a happy gaze backwards at Scimitar to search for his father's approving smile.

I love me a Whit thread!

The difference in air form their regal home to here was almost surprising, even to the well-traveled wolf.  Nova Peak’s altitudes had been impressive, but the moist air that clung to his fur within the small forest they had come to settle in felt foreign to him now, despite his time in Swiftcurrent Creek. A part of him wondered if that was where he should be taking his mate and children – if she would feel more at home there, rather than here.
 
He swept through the to-be borders, only half heartedly attempting to mark, as his mind wandered to how he could make Bazi happier. If she wanted to hold out and explore further. She had been a scout before – she could efficiently find them a home she would be happy in.
 
His thoughts were broken when he heard the familiar sound of a piddle, and his eyes glanced down to his son, who had been eager to help him today. A smile fell to his lips then, and bending his muzzle down, the brown wolf gave a rumble of approval. “What do you think of it here, Whit?” With that, the Alpha lifted his own leg, marking yet another fern.

Yay!

Whittier's butt began to wriggle with the force of his wagging tail when Scimitar gave him an approving smile.  Unfortunately, he was still peeing at the time, and so he got a bit of piddle onto his back legs.  Being a wolf puppy though, he couldn't have cared less.  Lifting his rump, he turned back towards the path ahead and toddled forward, eager to find a new spot to claim as his own erm, for the pack, I mean.

The Frostfur paused when he heard Scimitar talking, and he turned to fix him with a curious look.  He canted his head slightly, but soon enough his face broke into a broad smile.  "I like it, pa!  Is mine!" he replied brightly, squatting down again to illustrate his point with another trickle of urine.

Whittier was not usually so ambitious – and so the Alpha gave the boy a smile as he once more lifted his leg and peed, announcing to the world that Jade Fern Grove was now taken. He did not believe Bazi was content here.. but perhaps she would become so after awhile.. after she got used to the greenery, rather than the harsher terrain they had just come from.
 
And if not.. perhaps it would be time for him to take her back to Swiftcurrent Creek.
 
Whittier, however, seemed pleased, and the cinnamon male noted the enthusiasm as the boy piddled on himself a bit. Perhaps later they would steal away to take a quick swim through one of the smaller creeks that flushed past their new home. “You should convince your mother,” he decided then, not once feeling guilty about trying to use his child to place Bazi in what he considered a better state of mind.
 
Glancing sideways at the chubbier boy, he waited for a reaction, once more marking a fern as a border to the pack in the meantime.

While Scimitar moved to mark a nearby bush, Whit swung his butt around and plopped it onto the ground to lean down and clean up the little drips of urine he had accidentally splattered himself with. His ears perked as his father spoke to him again, his happy face drooping at the tone and the fact that he'd used it when referring to Bazi.

"Ma?" Whit implored, his eyes wide with concern. He didn't understand what Scimitar was trying to say about her attitude towards their new home. All he knew was that his dad sounded sullen and they were talking about the pudgy pup's most wonderfulest and perfectest mama and that just did not compute.

Wit hadn’t seemed to pick up on Bazi’s morose state – which was likely because she was attempting to hide it from her children. Good, he determined almost bitterly. At least she was attempting to not afflict their children with her frustrations of the world.
 
“Mom could use a hug,” he explained, his voice attempting to shift to a more laid back tone. Given how wide his sons' eyes had gotten, Whit was close enough to melting on to the ferns in a puddle of upset over the possibility of his mother being unhappy. “Especially from her big guy,” he added, nudging the boy with light praise.

Whit watched his father with round, nervous eyes, waiting for him to explain what was wrong with his perfect mom. If she was unhappy, he couldn't imagine why that would be. He was perfectly content with where they were and their new situation, and to think that perhaps she wasn't was a bit beyond him still. So, he looked to Scimitar for answers, which he eventually provided to the chubby Frostfur's satisfaction.

"I can give hugs!" he assured his father with a bright smile and a wag of his tail. The fact that Scimitar hadn't actually explained what was wrong with Bazi was lost on the pup as he hopped forward to continue his mission of peeing on all the things. Whit had just squatted to unleash another spritz of urine upon the ground when a thought suddenly occurred to him and he spun back towards Scimitar with excitement in his eyes. "Pa! Let's find ma a present!!" Whit practically shrieked, his entire body wriggling from the force of his wagging tail.

Whittier was addicting to the male – the boy’s bright smile and eagerness pulled at the heavy weight that seemed to cling to his shoulders, and the cinnamon wolf felt the corner of his lips quirk in to a lazy grin.
 
With a nod of agreement, Scimitar nudged the boys flank, pushing him to move forward. “That’s a good idea, kiddo,” he mused quietly, though he didn’t know how to tell his son that his mother would probably only appreciate it as long as Scimitar had nothing to do with it. Or as long as he wasn’t in the vicinity.
 
“What do you think you should get her?” As if trying to coax the ‘we’ to ‘he,’ the cinnamon wolf began to lope forward, his eyes drifting about the ground then in search of something his boy could give to his mate.

Scimitar gave an encouraging smile and agreed with Whittier's suggestion. The boy's tail wagged furiously, and he turned his gaze to cast it with excited concentration onto their surroundings. His father soon voiced the question that Whit was just asking himself - what should they get for her?

There were so many options... The grove was full of neat plants and tangly vines and things. But those being so common were a little too boring for a gift to someone who could so easily just grab one herself. Whit turned his small muzzle up towards Scimitar, probing his face for help. "I wanna get her something cool," he stated confidently, hoping that this might prompt his father to make a suggestion of his own.

Whittier determined it had to be something cool, and the wolf waited for a stolen moment to hear what it could be – and then realized his son was waiting for him to make the suggestion. Giving his tongue a quiet cluck in thought, the male swung his muzzle around, taking in the area. Plants and herbs were Swift’s thing, and so he pushed that from his mind.
 
Bending his muzzle down to give the thicker boy a nudge, Scimitar began to trail along the paths of the Grove, quietly thinking to himself. “Well, what would you like to get as a gift?” The cinnamon wolf wasn’t certain just what Bazi would appreciate receiving – hopefully, anything from her son, but he knew her mood would sour if Scimitar himself was there for it.
 
His eyes lingered upon an empty turtle shell – faded by the sun, and yet in otherwise fine condition. Padding lazily over to it, the male rolled the item with his paw, inspecting it carefully to make sure nothing popped out at them.