Sawtooth Spire there goes rabbit, he choked

Opening this to any of the pups! @Atuaserk @Malrok @Pingasut @Sitamat!

He caught a rabbit. Iqniq had been stalking it for a while and when the opportunity presented itself, he gave chase, caught it by surprise, and had a meal ready to eat. Currently, he had the rabbit by the throat. It squirmed and wiggled and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. The kids were starting to eat solid food. That regurgitation thing was a fancy trick that freed up Tonravik most of the time as he, Aariak or anyone else could help with that. But if he introduced solid food... Was it too early for that?

Iqniq contemplated wounding the rabbit and letting the pups play with it. Hunting for real. However, upon thinking of it, the bunny he caught was roughly the size of his own kids so it was perhaps to early for that. His jaws crushed about the rabbit's windpipe as he gave his head a quick shake. The neck snapped. They were getting dead rabbit. Yes... dead was better.

He returned to the den site and relieved @Tonravik of her duties. She was welcome to linger and observe if she so desired. He didn't mind either way. He was more curious as to what the puppies would do with a fresh rabbit now that they were a little older. He barked around the fur within his mouth and tried to summon them forth.

bringing the date to the present!

His siblings were at rest after a game of scuffling and chasing, which he had opted out of as he instead inspected insects around the den; currently, he was all bit hidden in a tangle of brush. Ever alert to movement (less he miss out on something), the fox's attention was quickly stolen from a grasshopper when he spotted the red hues of his father's coat coming toward them. He did not miss that his father did not come empty-pawed, his eyes drawn immediately to the rabbit in his jaws.

The she-bear rose to her paws and retreated for some time alone, and Iqniq woofed to them. The third born did not hesitate. He bounded forth from his hideaway in the alders, tail wagging and posture notably lifted with excitement. "Tak!" He greeted brightly, whether by choice or because his tongue had not learned the full word was anyone's guess. He  drew close enough to bump his nose to the rabbit, the rhythm of his tail wag increasing ten fold, then plopped down on his fuzzy red rump and gazed expectantly at his father as his head canted to one side.

"It is belonging to me?" He inquired.

The parents switched their shifts as Iqniq beckoned the children forth. His woofs were muffled behind the rabbit in his jaws, but he was loathe to put it down before he saw who decided to come to dinner so to speak.. If he was swarmed by all four of them he thought it better to keep the rabbit mostly out of reach until he could lay a few ground rules. Soon he'd be unable to use his height against them and he would take advantage of it for as long as he could.

Fortunately, only Ping ventured forward. The rest lazed or distracted themselves with other things so Iqniq had no problem setting the rabbit on the ground. Once there, he put a paw atop the tawny creature to reiterate his claim upon the corpse. Ping greeted him and sat down on the ground with question. Iqniq grinned. "It belongs to everyone," he said instead. "Today, we're sharing." It was a tricky to learn concept as they were all selfish creatures at heart, especially when it came to food, but it was a valuable lesson all the same. Time go give it a go.

The boys were starting to eat solid food. Thus far, it'd all been pieces and chunks they'd delivered to their little mouths. Sorting through the fur to get to the good bits below was a new thing, but he didn't doubt they'd have much difficulty with it. "Would you like to eat first?" he offered. Ping had showed up first. He could have first dibs. As far as their puppy pecking order went, Iqniq ran with it on a first come, first serve basis. It worked thus far.

Iqniq lifted his paw from the rabbit corpse and sat down to give Ping full access.

His eyes flicked to his father's paw as it moved over the rabbit. Whether it was obvious or not, the fox was quite attentive to subtle gestures and really, all the details of his world. This awareness was still developing, and would only become more prevalent as his mind and senses became sharper with growth.

Iqniq explained that the rabbit was not for him, but rather to be shared with everyone. Despite some of the possessiveness he had displayed in other scenarios, in this moment he was quite okay with the idea and nodded his acceptance. He was even more willing when his father offered him the first bite. "Yeah!" he chirped, tail wagging and body wriggling. He did not immediately dive for the rabbit, waiting until he saw that paw lift, which said to him that he was permitted now. He cast his father a warm, grateful glance, and then moved in.

He went first for the tail, as the fluffiness of it had drawn his attention, but it did not take more than a few chomps for him to realize that it was perhaps a great toy, but not so much for eating. The ears enticed him next, and while these offered a rewarding metallic taste to the tongue, there was still not much to keep his interest. Finally, he moved to the belly, his nose pulling him toward that warm area. He started plucking at the fur and skin until he had worried open a small hole, which gradually expanded as he tore tiny bits of flesh free. As he chewed, his eyes would flick to his father, to see that he was still allowed to continue.

Iqniq grinned as he sat back and released the rabbit from beneath his heavy paw. Ping was excited, eager, and Iqniq was much the same way with his own curiosity. He didn't remember his first meal. He couldn't recall if dining on animals was instinct or something that had been taught. Nevertheless, he'd aid however he was needed, if he was needed. Ping was a sharp one. Chances were good he'd figure it out on his own.

Fox-boy went first for the tail and discovered very quickly that was not the right choice. Iqniq shook his head, confirming that that wasn't quite the right spot for eating. Ping tried again. This time with the ears. A curious choice, but he supposed it was just another place on the rabbit's body that was enticing. Again, Iqniq shook his head. A third attempt and Ping found the soft underbelly. Success! He found his way inside the body and began to steal a few bites.

Iqniq nodded and wagged his tail a bit as Ping looked towards him. Yup. That was right. He gave a small woof of encouragement and bid the child to keep at it. He'd help only if the boy encountered more difficulties or if he began to over eat. Something had to be left over to share with his brothers.

His father encouraged him, and his tail drummed the ground, excited that he was doing something correctly. He chewed off another sliver of rabbit flesh, and found he was satisfied in a way that he had not been before, when he hate the pieces his parents provided. There was something about opening the rabbit himself and taking meat directly from its body that spoke the boy, and his body wriggled with his delight as he continued to pull strips from it, until some of the creature's entrails started to seep out. He probed them with his nose and then drew back, tilting his head as he looked at them curiously, and also a bit suspicously.

"What is this... squish-stuff?" He asked as he extended a paw to poke an intestine. Its texture, smell and appearance quite unlike the meat he was accustomed to.

He appeared to be eating quite happily. Iqniq couldn't be sure if this was his first flesh and fur meal or not. In their rotations and shifts, he trusted Tonravik and Aariak to instruct the pups appropriately. He could not be certain of their individual interactions, but he knew plenty of his own and was quite pleased to see Ping taking to the rabbit so quickly.

The wolf-pup nibbled a bit more and eventually came to the tangle of intestines. They were longer, slimier, and definitely different than the more muscular portions of meat they'd been sharing with them previously. No wonder the boy was confused. "Intestines," he offered and realized Ping likely had no idea what he meant by that. Iqniq moved to sit beside him. This would require a little more explaining.

He lowered his teeth the rabbit and peeled back a little more of the fur. He kept his nips calculated and precise as he worked the skin away from muscle and bone to better display the anatomy of the rabbit inside. "The rabbit eats here," he said, indicating the mouth. "The food travels down the throat, into the stomach, and then weaves through the intestines before coming out in pellets here." A brief lesson, but hopefully that covered it all. Iqniq gave Ping a little nudge. "That's how you poop too." Everybody poops.

"Intestines..." he repeated, dropping his gaze from his father back to the spilling entrails. He reached forward to give it another prod with his white toes, as Iqniq went on to explain what they were. He had his son's attention as the third born followed his gestures and did his best to comprehend what he was being told. It was a strange concept, but he accepted it with a soft hum of contemplation. His father nudged him, making another comment, and it was then that realization struck and the fox wrinkled his nose. "So poop is being in here?" There was no hiding the look of disgust that became his expression as he looked up at the fiery alpha.

"I eated enough," he said shortly after, taking a step back and seating himself. His brothers could have a turn at the rabbit now, and they could eat the tube of poop, but he was not interested.

Ping seemed somewhat interested in learning how the body worked... until he put everything together and realized the lower intestines and butt hole were where the poop came out. Welp. That hadn't gone over well. His ears drooped. He'd said to much and now Ping didn't want to eat at all. With his luck, he'd likely turned the pup off on any kind of animal... which would likely only last until the next time he got hungry and realized he didn't have another option. No way in hell was Iqniq going to let his son go vegetarian. That was for the things they ate. Not them.

Was poop in there? Yes. Was that what he said? "No. Poop is in that part," He redirected, pointing towards the lower bowels. "The rest is perfectly fine." Of course, Ping had already decided that he was done, to which Iqniq was not going to have that either. "No. You eat the liver first. Then you can be done." If Ping didn't know what that was, Iqniq pointed it out, isolating it from the rest of the rabbit. "It's your mother's favorite. I bet you'll like it too."

His lips were pursed as he stared at the entrails. There was nothing appealing about their appearance, their explanation, their scent, nothing; and yet, their sight and their smell caused drool to accumulate in his mouth. It started to pour out over his lip, but he was quick to swallow what he could and flick his tongue out to gather the rest before he made a complete mess on his face. He did not understand, but it was instinct that caused this reaction, that implored him to eat even though his character disagreed.

His father commanded that he eat the liver, anticipating the question that immediately formed on the fox's face and pointing it out for him. This slick, dark thing did not appeal to him either, and he was not comforted in knowing that his mother favored it. He lowered his nose to it, and immediately retracted his head and stuck his tongue out in a overstated bleh! expression. But, the fox was not keen to disobey, at least not yet, and so with a deep breath he reached for the liver.

He bit into a tapered corner, severing it from the rest of the organ. He barely closed his mouth as he held this liver nugget on his tongue; indeed his teeth did not even touch. His ears were laid upon his skull, his eyes widened, and the corners of his mouth were pulled down to complete a look of total repugnance. Slowly, his muzzle started to tip backwards and his head leaned back, as if in doing so he could escape the atrocity on his tongue.

And this is how he stayed, frozen like Kris' dog when she tries to feed him raw liver.

OMG. I'm laughing. I want to see a picture of your dog in that pose!

It was some kind of miracle, but the child ate. Iqniq had been certain he'd almost caused his son to consider an alternative diet of some kind simply because he'd over explained the anatomy of living things. Mentally, he rolled his eyes at himself. He should have known his dainty princess of a son would not have taken so kindly to the less than prissy news. To be fair... he'd wanted a daughter and in Ping he nearly had one.

A heavy sigh escaped him as he reminded himself to be patient. Ping would eat and then his siblings could sample the leftover remains later. It was the liver he chose for the fox and the expression on his face was one Iqniq might have shared himself. The liver wasn't his favorite by any stretch of the imagination so Tonravik was welcome to it always. However, trying new things was important and the introduction of such things could never be too soon. Pingasut would be eating the liver.

Iqniq's expression was stern and unwavering despite the boy's protests. Just this one last part and he could be done. That was it. Ping took it in his mouth and thought himself shrewd. As if there was a way to eat without having to sample too much of the flavor. "Swallow..." Iqniq prompted, his voice firm in this matter. There was no getting out of this. Better to get it over with so he could run off and play.

For real LOL. You'd swear I had just fed him the most terrible thing in the world. I tried to wait him out once, and yeah no. He sat like that for... so... long... I gave up. LOL. Also Haha @ your first paragraph, you are perfectly understanding my vision for Ping! ;) I probably could have had a lot of fun if I had left him a female, but I was not into that back then haha. Princess-son is freaking great though! Love him.

He did not move. He did not even blink. His father prompted him to swallow and his dead stare rolled to focus on the king's face. He understood he could not escape this, but he hesitated none the less in case Iqniq chose to take pity on his taste buds and excuse him from this trial of yuck. But no, he was resolved to seeing his son eat that liver, and so slowly, the third born lowered his muzzle. He closed his eyes as he steeled himself, and then swallowed. He immediately shuddered, shook his head and shrunk back with a muttered buuuuh-uh-uh-uhh, turning his face to look past his shoulder.

Within a moment, he looked back to his father, and his fluffy fox tail wagged. His ears were perked forward, and he smiled. "I good now?" he asked. He had done the thing. Surely he was a good boy now. A good boy that was allowed to go lick things until he found something that took that liver-flavor out of his mouth.

Fade here? Or archive with your next post?

Ping wasn't getting out of this. Iqniq made that very clear and eventually the boy resigned to swallowing the liver with a bit of added dramatics. An exasperated sigh escaped him. That'd been a touch more difficult than it needed to be, but at least Ping had eaten all of his dinner. One son down. Three more to go. This would take all night.

A question fell out of Ping's mouth. "Yes... You're free. Go play now." He waved his paw as though to usher his son off while he contemplated his methods of parenting.

this one! :D

His father dismissed them. The fox wriggled on the spot, and then darted forward. Rearing on his hind paws, he daintily flicked his tongue on his father's nose, and then with a giggle scampered off to find something else to put in his mouth. The first thing he found was a frond from some fern, and this he chewed on for sometime before finding a spot to curl up for a nap.