Silvertip Mountain let sleeping dogs die.

sawwy ): bye friends <3 @Zaria @Odette @Adeline @Stoic

Solemn was almost 3 months old. His sweet puppy-blue eyes had begun to shift into a dull green, which would soon turn even further into a golden yellow. His paws had gotten wider, and they thudded loudly against the ground as he waddled around. Solemn had not yet spoken, but his siblings babbling became more coherent as the days went on. His ears had perked by now, but the right one still flopped lazily to the side when he was relaxed. He didn't really look it, but he was growing up.

While the child grew, his living conditions worsened. By no fault of his mother Solemn had begun to give up food for his siblings. There was not much going around to begin with, but the young boy was matured enough to understand this. Adeline and Stoic were too carefree and competeitive to notice-- they fought and argued over the scraps that came into the den while Odie ate her share silently. Once unsupervised-- which was quite often-- Solemn refused to touch it. He'd nose it to baby Odie and move to his corner of the den, refusing to eat or socialize. His stomach begun to sink in, bulging in weird places as malnutrition set in. The boy stayed inside to avoid heat, but was rarely without his soft pink tongue sticking out in a heavy pant. He was constantly exhausted and too sick to move. His puppy mind never wondered if anyone noticed-- he was too young to understand the problem. He only wanted Odie to be okay, and although he was starving he made no fuss about it-- so no one made a fuss over him.

Solemn was almost 3 months old when he collapsed into a small patch of grass. It was pathetic, barely able to stretch itself from the dirt and reach towards the sun. But the babe had noticed it, and he waddled from the den to see if the green had really come back. He'd collapsed into the grass as soon as his widened feet touched down, his green eyes rolling back as dust rippled up around him. His tongue rolled from his maw, although it was already out from his excessive panting. He'd fallen without ever breathing a single word of opinion or thought-- but perhaps that made it less of a loss. The brown pup laid limp in the small patch of grass as the dust settled around him, the sun beating down on the poor boy. 

Solemn was almost 3 months old when he died, and perhaps it was for the best.

Odette had been sleeping when it happened.  It had been a rough day today.  She had spoken with Krypton, all the commotion with Niita, Phocion and her Mother.  Now this.  Although Odette was unaware of this for the moment.  Yet soon she was destined to discover her brother's death.  Yet another death that would come back to haunt her.

Odette awoke a little while after her brother's death.  She had awoken with the sudden craving to go outside for some fresh air, it was then that she saw him... her favorite brother, Solemn, laying limp in a patch of grass.  Everything seemed to go in slow motion from there.  Odette screamed her brothers name at the top of her lungs and raced towards him, quickly, all though it seemed to take forever.  Then she was there at Solemn's side.  She screamed and screamed her brother's name over and over again.  Wishing and willing him to get up again, as she cried out her brother's name with screams of pain, grief and horror.

Stoic had never truly known death. Sure, his father had disappeared, leaving Mother inchoherently upset and the boy drew the conclusion that his practically nonexistent father had just simply vanished from view. He could not miss what he did not know. But Death would make him feel the pain, what he had not mourned for his father. But the mere sight of his twin upon the brackened ground made his feet fail beneath him, his body swaying momentarily before staggering to the ground. A sob racked through his broken frame, but then, nothing. He could not feel.

The numbness took in, lingering slowy throught his body, reaching the corners that had previously been warm with the heat from the bodice of his siblings. Haze covered his vision, he did not will to see the boned body of his brother dead upon the ground they had walked since birth. He did not will to feel the already chill that radiated of his dead brother's once tender body. One heavy foot infront of the other, clawing it's way to the lifeless corpse of his twin, he did not hear the cries screeching to the heavens in utter dismay. Where was God when the world fell apart? 

The boy lay, head resting upon his brother's cold one. The chill of death set in among his bones, but he did not move to the warmth of the sun. There was no sun, but a mere facade of lies made for them to think the world was okay. How had he not even noticed his own Brother was starving? How did anyone not notice? There had to be a finger to blame, if not himself. Slowly but hatefully, an ache began to form in his heart. He would find whoever caused the death of his twin, reasonably or not. But for now he lay upon the stone cold ground, unmoving, unfeeling,

willing himself to die.

Zaria head the scream from her daughter when she was not too far off. When Zaria was away from the den it was often to scavenge some food for her young. The mother had done everything in her power to keep all four alive, even starved herself so every meal would go to her young. Zaria came rushing through the bushes, seeing Stoic and Odette by Solemn. Zaria rushed forward and nosed over his body. Zaria bared her teeth in frustration. Damn Pup.

She had failed. Again. She looked at her two others with a hardness in her eyes. Zaria often pressed down her sad feelings. Not wanting to be weak. Zaria realized that now was not the time to be selfless, she tried this selfless thing and clearly it didn't work out. Zaria looked at Stoic and Odette. "Eat him," she spoke to her two youngsters. "Do you want to end up dead like him? I don't want that, so eat. Now. I don't want any protests," she spoke to her young ones. Speaking of. Where was Adeline??

Zaria O.o (xD)

At first when her Mother came over Odie was about to burst all of her feelings to her, but she couldn't after that demand... her Mother wanted her to eat Solemn.  The brother that had given her food that she should have never taken.  It was all her fault, she could not eat him.  Odette was no cannibal.

So she did something that Odie thought she would never do.  The smallest of all the pups moved to stand between Solemn and her Mother, her blue gaze that was nearing green began to turn surprisingly ghostly, her lip curled to just the slightest and she rumbled out the growl she had once given to Stoic.

"Never."  Odette whispered sadly.  Of course this was very out of her character to disobey an order, especially from her Mother, so this took a lot from her to not backdown.  Yet this was Solemn they were talking about.  Whether or not Solemn should be cannibalized.  Solemn had sacrificed for her, so now she would try to do the same.  It was all her fault in her eyes, she couldn't let Solemn be cannibalized now or that too would haunt her forever.  A shadow always there.

The scream that reached his ears was something he never thought he'd hear. The worst possibilities ran through his head as his paws hit the ground running. He wasn't far, and it took him little time to get there. 

There was both sureness and confusion in the scene before him. Solemn was dead, that was clear enough. What had killed him? And why was Odette responding stubbornly to her mother? He had not heard the order given to the pups. Stoic had his had laying on Solemn's, obviously grieving. 

He walked over slowly, coming to stand to the sides of Zaria and Odette. What's going on? he asked softly, his gaze shifting between the two females.

Zaria looked up when steady came to the premises. The female looked up and then back to the dead body of her son. "Solemn died," she spoke, though she sounded rather harsh instead of sad. The woman dislike that she had failed. It was not her thing to fail. She was good at everything. Clearly that was not the case, or maybe Solemn had just been a weak one.

"Odette should eat him. At least now he is dead he could help his siblings survive," Zaria stated, the mother was just being practical with this famine. She was not very inclined to let this meat lie around to rot away. They could all use some extra food, and Solemn had provided that.

Odette couldn't believe that this all was actually happening, playing out.  The pup felt relieved when her Uncle Steayd came into view.  He would never agree with her Mother!  Right?  He just had to be on her side.  It also really hurt to hear her Mother state that her brother was dead in a harsh tone instead of a sad one... did she even care?  It didn't really seem like she did to Odie.

A sob worked it's way up Odette and she crieed out again for a few seconds, then gulped and took a deep breath in attempts to calm herself just to say a few more words.  She looked up at her Mother - although not in the eyes, not even in this situation could Odette use that way of disrespect - and then uttered a few words in a greaving sad, yet rather harsh, edgy tone.  "You don evan car."  She whispered, then took a few uneasy steps closer to Solemn, as if to protect the body.

Stoic looked to his mother, betrayed eyes meeting hers. Who was this female standing before him? It was surely not his Mother. Mother loved them. Mother did not eat them. Yet, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew what this was. They needed to survive. This was his mother, and mother did what was best. But that was not enough to convince him to eat the frozen remains of his twin, he just could not. It was his brother.. he could never harm his brother. Not even in death.

"No,"

He looked to them with sorrow filled, determined eyes. They would have to eat him too if they wanted to eat his little brother. He looked to his sister, sharing a knowing look that said he would fight over his brothers body, if need be. He came to realise neither his Mother or the male that was not his father cared truly about them if they wanted to eat his brother. And he could not let that happen.

Steady's eyes took in the lifeless form of Solemn as Zaria stated none-too-sadly that he had passed, before shifting to Odette and Stoic. This was a grave time for them all. This famine was taking what it wanted with no care as to who died. The strong would survive on the meat of those who did not.

However much known that lesson was to the adults, Odette and Stoic may have been too young to understand. He looked to Zaria. Maybe this isn't a lesson they learn today, he said softly. He didn't want to go against her because he understood what she was trying to do, but the pups looked rather set on their decision, and it was pointless to exert much-needed energy on this argument. Zaria herself refused to eat, though Steady didn't verbalize that fact.

Zaria let out a frustrated growl to her young. She was starving for them and they pulled up their nose for a good piece of meat. "I do care, Odette," she let out, baring her teeth a bit. "I don't want you to die like him. Food is not around right now, and I am doing everything here to keep you all fed," she let out. Zaria was rather frustrated with what was happening. She wanted her perfect life back. Since Fitz died all went to shit.

She grabbed shook her head and looked up from her pups at Steady. "Perhaps. But life clearly isn't a fairytale. They should know anyone can die sooner or later." Zaria was mostly talking about herself, because she herself noticed that she wasn't having her usual endless energy. Frankly she was too tired to even be as vain as she was before. She wanted to grab Solemn and eat him herself, but she decided that upsetting her kids was not her goal in life. "Whatever," she huffed, letting her kids grief. They had their father's blood. Too kind. The emaciated mother retreated to her den, cussing about the famine.

Zaria OUT! <3

Odette was so glad that her Uncle Steady agreed with her and her remaining Brother too, although she would have changed a little bit of his wording, because he said that this wasn't a lesson that they learned today.  This was a lesson that they would never learn.  Odie would make sure of that.  Another sob escaped Odette and then a couple more.  Once agin Odie turned into a sobbing mess.

Odette was then startled though at her Mother's response to her.  She shrunk back a bit when her Mother bared her teeth at her, with a single nervous whine, but she still hadn't fully backed down yet.  Then after a few more mean words from her Mother, Odette watched her Mother retreat back into the den.  As soon as her Mother disappeared into the den, Odette glanced up at her Uncle, still sobbing.  "C-c-caun... we... bawee... im?"  She whinned quietly, hoping her Uncle would say yes.  Then Odette turned to her Brother.  "Wull... y-you... h-halp Soic?"  Odette then asked her brother, deep sorrow in her eyes.

I hope it's okay that I go ahead and put an ending on this

He stood by quietly after his comment as Zaria explained why she had told them to eat Solemn. After she walked off, Steady looked to the two pups, his gaze settling on Odette when she asked her questions. Sure, he said, and moved to pick up Solemn. He let Odette and Stoic choose the burial spot, and let them decide whether or not they wanted to help dig the hole. When it was deep enough, he gingerly placed the deceased pup in there, and covered him up.

With a heavy sigh, he sat back on his haunches next to the fresh grave. Your Mom is just trying to keep you alive the best she can, he said softly. I know you might be shocked about what she told you to do, but I hope you don't hold it against her. You'll understand one day, he explained. Standing, he picked a spot in the clearing to lay down and rest a while.