Nova Peak merrily, merrily, merilly, merilly.

Aunty @Kaskara :)

At two months old, life had been quite kind to the young Frostfur.  He was whole and healthy, well-loved, happy, and oh so wonderfully chubby.  Though his awareness of the world around him had grown immensely since he was just a little puppy lump latched upon his mother's teet, he had not yet reached the stage in his life where self-consciousness and social opinions made him feel guilty or somehow inferior due to his weight.  Thus, he reveled in it and was free to just go with whatever naive or childish whim his hefty self was moved by.

Such as that day - day three of being two months old, to be exact.  Dad had been kind enough to bring back presents for all of his brood - a rib bone for each of them about the length of their little bodies.  Whit had spent the better part of an hour gnawing upon his prize to strip it of every lingering scrap of meat, there was still a hint of flavor staining the ivory that he still wanted to have his way with.

So, without a word to his siblings lest they track him and try to steal his boon, Whittier slipped out and away from the den to stick his face into a little thicket of bushes just a few feet away where he went to work setting his bone upon the ground and then brushing futilely at the shrubbery to try and cover it.  One day he'd figure out how to dig.  For now, though, smashing the bushes down on top of it seemed like the best option.

She still hadn't spoken to her brother formally about his anger at her, though it seemed less and less likely they he would remain truly cross with her. For that Kaskara was grateful. So that morning she headed toward the den and found Whittier, her biggest nephew, heading away from his siblings with a rib bone in his mouth. Kas smiled and detoured to follow him, watching carefully from a distance as he "buried" it beneath a bush, tossing dirt and debris on top.

Kas gave a low bark to announce her arrival and approached, bumping her nose against Whit's head gently in greeting. "What you got there, Whit?" She knew what it was an what he was trying to do with it, though he wasn't very successful at the moment. Maybe she could teach him a thing or two.

Being so focused on his task, Whit was unaware that anyone was approaching. His ears twitched with recognition at the last moment just before he felt a tap upon the top of his head. Like a cat, every muscle in his body tensed as he froze, ears slipping back and tail tucking right beneath his rump as he peeked up to see who is "attacker" was. He relaxed immediately as he recognized her face and her scent, his tail beginning to wriggle rapidly. "Aun' Ka!" he chirped, reaching up to place a series of licks upon her chin before his attention shifted back to the rib.

Eagerly, he stuck his head into the little pile of debris he'd collected to clasp his jaws onto his treasure. He turned as he lifted it up, grinning broadly as he showed it to her. Whit hadn't actually discovered it himself. He hadn't torn it from the doe himself, nor had he wrestled it away from one of his brothers. You wouldn't have known it from the pride that beamed from his little face as he dropped it at his aunt's paws and then smiled up at her expectantly.

"Well hello!" She smiled and wagged her tail as Whittier returned to his cache, unearthed his treasure, and returned to her to drop it at her feet. She studied it for a moment and then realized she was supposed to comment on it. "What is this, Whit? Wherever did you get it?" She settled onto her belly before him, noting how small he still was despite his girth. She nosed the rib-bone with her nose, snuffing at his carefully, wondering if her brother had brought this home for his son. "Did you steal this from your siblings?"

For the record, I may or may not have shoved my finger in my mouth and tried to say what he says out loud to see what it sounds like....

As Whit waited his Aunt's reaction to his bone, he felt as though his heart would simply burst from anticipation.  He was a loving boy - every inch of his extra fat seemed to be there to house his overabundance of affection.  And right now, his attention and yearning for adoration was completely on his strong, somewhat stoic Aunt - who was quick enough to deliver.

His entire body was wriggling with pleasure as she dropped onto her belly before him and began to comment on his mighty treasure.  He lifted his chin and ears proudly, giggling as she poked at the bone with her own nose, causing his head to tilt at the downward pressure.  Not dropping it from between his jaws, he grinned and gave the most coherent answer he could.  "Sth'bide!" he crooned proudly, "Ba gabe i'dobe ab'ow I buddy id!"  His eyes shining, completely unaware that he'd made no sense whatsoever, his hopped up onto all fours and turned back to where he'd been attempting to bury it before, dropping his bone onto the ground and then proceeding to shove whatever debris and foliage he could over the top of it with his stubby nose.

Haha! I've done that before. :P

Whatever he said, Kaskara had no idea how to translate into intelligible speech, though she didn't expect a pup of his age to be truly clear with his words. Kaskara smiled and nodded, following his enthusiasm. She still didn't know where he got it, but she could guess that this was Scimitar's doing, probably from a recent kill or a nearby cache.

Without much ado, Whittier turned from her and returned the bone to its burial site, and began to nose leaves over it. With a laugh, she followed him and offered to help. "If you want to make sure no one can find it, you've got to bury it deeper. Let me show you." She moved a little bit away from the bone's spot and began digging, a furious but quick effort to unearth a hole for his bone. She stepped back, flaked with dirt, and grinned. "Go ahead, bury it there!" The pile of dirt that stood beside the shallow hole would work well to cover it completely.

Whit busily shoved at the brush with his nose, trying to cover up the bone. Each time he did, the grasses popped back to where they were, held tightly down by the roots he had failed to dislodge before trying to lay the grass upon his treasure like a blanket. Still, he worked at it, over and over again brushing. There was not much to be said about his physical prowess, nor of his mental skill or... anything, really. But he was determined - that much could not be denied.

As his Aunt stepped over to join him, the chubby pup paused and looked up at her, canting his head to one side as she spoke. His gaze trailed down her forearms to watch as she began to dig, his head again tilting back and forth, one way then the other. When she stepped back to reveal the hole she had made, he continued to sit there and stare at it stupidly. With a glance up at her, he saw her expectant face and grew even more confused. But! She clearly wanted him to do something, and though the dots weren't connecting to where they needed to go, they did go.. somewhere.

Bouncing to all fours, the boy waddled over to the hole and hopped in himself. He spun in about 3.5 circles before he paused, looked up at Kaskara with a happy smile, then proceeded to roll about vigorously.

As she digged, Whittier watched. She glanced at him once while she worked and saw his head tilt to the side, curious. She smiled and after she was done, waited to see what he would do. Instead of buying the bone, Whit climbed into the hole himself, turned around a few times, and laid down.

Kaskara laughed. It wasn't her normal chuckle wither, but a deep belly laugh that left tears in her eyes. "Very good, Whit!" Her heart raced at his cleverness and she smiled at him. There was never a dull moment with him around. After a moment, she turned and grabbed the bone, placing it in the hole with him. Then she began, in a very silly manner, to fling dirt all over it and the boy. After the bone was mostly covered, and Whittier was coated in bits of dirt, she proclaimed, "Now it is done! Time for a nap." Then, without further ado, she turned and began a slow walk away, one ear flicked back to listen for her nephew.

Whit laughed aloud as he rolled about in the hole his Aunt had dug for him. She was laughing along with him, which made him even happier. He liked making her laugh. He liked being the reason there was a smile on her face. He paused for a moment to watch her turn away, only to continue after a few seconds when she returned to drop his bone in beside him. He twisted his spine as he laid upon his back, trying to snatch his prize up in his jaws. He was distracted soon enough as flecks of dirt suddenly came raining down on him and he jerked about again to see his aunt flinging it at him with her paws.

Whit laughed again and wriggled to pull himself onto all fours, ready to pounce at her. Before he could, she was announcing that their job was done and that it was naptime. He gave her a pout and shook his coat good and hard to remove the dirt. Despite not really wanting the play to end, Whit snatched his bone up and waddled after her. Maybe he could coax her into another romp before he settled down to sleep. Or maybe they could just sleep... He did so love to cuddle. Okay, no romp, straight to napping. Whittier wagged his tail, happy now after only a few seconds of thinking through it that he was about to have naptime aunty snuggles.

Kaskara heard his scrambling paws as he tried to catch up. When he did, Whit was carrying the rib bone securely in his jaws, both it and he covered in specks of dirt and debris. Kas laughed warmly, nudging his head softly as they continued toward the den. They arrived in the clearing and Kaskara plopped down outside of it, under the shade, and motioned for him to come closer.

Whittier needed a deep cleaning before she'd let him go back into the den. Bazi wouldn't appreciate her dirty son flinging dirt everywhere. "Okay, Whit...Shake!" She mimed the action by shaking her head and shoulders, sending bits of dirt everywhere. Then she stopped and looked at her nephew, encouraging him with a nod.

Whittier toddled happily after Kaskara, totally oblivious to the fact that he was covered in filth. Left up to him, he would soon be snuggling against his Aunt, dirt and all. He was not a creature overly aware of his cleanliness. Hopefully that would come as he grew older. It was one thing to be fat, that was totally fine. It was another to be fat and gross.

Whit paused when his Aunt did, peering up at her with curious eyes. She instructed him to shake and then showed him how. She looked silly and so he began to wag his tail and grin. The nod was his cue and he began to mimic her with all of his might, sending bits of dirt flying in every direction. And since he had no idea what he was even doing it for, he went ahead and kept on shaking until he stumbled backwards and plopped onto his bum, his head spinning. He shut his eyes and shook his head, his gaze imploring when he again set it upon his Aunt's face, now very much ready for his very well-earned nap.

Kaskara watched her nephew shake, dirt flying from him in every direction, and then wondered if he would stop. Whittier wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, but then again he was only a puppy, and she hadn't instructed him to stop. When he fell backward onto his bum, Kas chuckled and smiled at him, her heart swelling with love. She stepped forward and kissed the top of his head. "Oh, Whit, that was very good!" She then nudged him to follow her and moved into the shade of their little grove, inviting him to cuddle. They both deserved a well-earned nap.

Finishing this up :)

She complimented him, and Whittier couldn't have been more pleased. Except he was when moments later, his Aunt laid down in a cool, cozy spot and made room for him to snuggle on in. He did so happily, burrowing his head into her arm and pressing himself as close to her side as possible. With a sigh like a purr, he shut his eyes and was out like a light in moments.