Sleeping Dragon listen how your heart beats inside me

Maybe 1-2 puppies? Set a couple days forward. @Freyja @Thyri @Hvitserk @Eske

It is raining one evening as Thuringwethil gets to the den, a light drizzle that has coated, but not yet penetrated, her fur. With a lot having happened at the borders in the last few days, she is eager to finally give Gyda a chance for an update. Spending time with the child has become her life, and Thuringwethil at night—she vaguely wondered if she could lactate, would she provide more for them? The thought doesn't last as she begins her approach, dismissing her guard for the night, and when she is left alone she makes herself comfortable.

The wind picks up, giving her a little bit of a chill, and the rain begins to harden, threatening a downpour. Thuringwethil lifts her head and notes the mouth of the den and the rain met easily, and as she friends, she picks herself up and works her way into the small birthing den. The space is little and Gyda is asleep, and only stirs long enough to determine there is no threat, and Thuringwethil lowers herself opposite the woman to keep the wind and rain from adding an unnecessary chill. The woman quietly watches the sleeping bodies, protected now from the elements.

Rey wriggled in her sleep. That was one of her favourite, if not absolute favourite, things to do. Sometimes she was placed hither and thither, but wherever she went, and whatever she was doing, there would be wriggling. The same was true of tonight when she awoke at the feel of cold and unfriendly wet on her delicate skin. She had been buried deep in the crook of her mother's foreleg, but had wriggled her way out. She squeaked, but then the rain stopped suddenly and she paused with blind curiosity.

Eske was not chilled — not particularly. She had nestled herself up blindly between her mother and one of her siblings, burying her body against the warmth that Gyda's side offered, snuggling into the fur of her mother as if it were a blanket, soaking up the shield-maiden's heat. Yet something stirred the young grounder awake, though this state was not currently all that exciting. A few days old but she was still blind and deaf as she would be for some time yet. Though she'd become more conscious of the strange and unknown world around her, more...sentient than she'd been shortly after her birth. Her world was no longer confined to just her: there were others and things that she had no name for.

She army crawled a bit away from Gyda, a large yawn splitting her barely discernible muzzle (for she resembled a potato in all honesty), flashing toothless gums. Eske didn't get very far, admittedly before she ran out of energy and let out a loud wail (turns out she found her lungs quickly) wordlessly demanding that someone direct her to a source of warmth before she froze to death in the only way that a newborn knew how to communicate.

There is little disturbance among them as she settles, but eventually one begins to wiggle near the front of the line. The light colored puppy moves between a sibling and her mother's elbow without making a sound. Illuminated by what little light is left in the day, she's uncertain which puppy is which, but for now they are the same.

What Thuringwethil doesn't notice is the escape of Eske away from the conga line of puppies until her wailing. Her ears droop against her head and she nudges at the puppy. Instead of pushing her back between her siblings, Thuringwethil draws her closer and tucks her neatly into her dark fur with a few quiet-intending licks across her face.

Rey felt much of what was around her — a bit of this, a bit of that, a bit of purposeful sister. Her tiny nose twitched like a rabbit's, and when she felt movement nearby, in the direction that the rain had stopped, she proceeded to wriggle and squiggle in that direction. Things were happening over there. Though the moment she prized herself away from her mother's fur altogether, she felt tremendously cold. Her proposed adventure suddenly felt a lot less attractive.

Something nudged her and this silenced her wails for the moment. A gurgle replaced the banshee noise that escaped from her tiny body — a softened coo that could be taken to be affection. Or what semblance of affection the grounder could currently feel. At the very least the nudge had provided a warmth only furthered as Eske felt her body slide against the cold and unforgiving earthen floor of the birthing den towards the thing that had touched her. A startled noise that had the beginnings of another complaint began as she drew in a deep breath, her flanks rising as she drew in the necessary amount of air only to let it push out of her in a soft whoosh as Thuringwethil administered a few licks to her face after tucking Eske against her. The warmth surrounded Eske and she smacked her tongue against her toothless gums for a few seconds as she tried to (uselessly) subconsciously mimic the action by Heda. She wiggled and squirmed though for now her cries had subsided and she became preoccupied with blindly exploring Thuringwethil's fur in the only way she could by feeling, offering the Commander a few unintentional headbutts in the process. As Eske could not hear, see nor feel her siblings they were forgotten as was Gyda in the presence of Heda who currently served her as a space heater and a curiosity. 

One makes themselves comfortable within her plush fur, nosing and head butting around something new. She’d been around them, briefly, but this is certainly the closest she’d been since they’d been born. Days old now, they held onto their strength. Gyda lives within each of them, as well as Seageda—they were nothing short of Drageda blood now. The first of many, she hopes, even if they hadn’t quite been ready. Thuringwethil would make them ready.

Another one ventures away from the warmth of her mother and siblings, before hesitating once she’s out of touch. Thuringwethil’s long snout nudges her, before she gingerly puts her teeth on her scruff to pull her closer and sets her down next to Eske. With a smile on her features, warmed by their presence against her, offers a few soothing licks of Freyja’s own comfort.

The fur here was damp, which she didn't like, but before she could protest she could feel that it was soft and comforting, like mother's. It had a different smell, but not too different — and Rey didn't object to new things anyway. She let herself be tucked away gently and licked, and did a happy snuggle against the new adult. Grooming was marvellous. But then she felt one of her littermates against her, and this got her moving again. Rey nuzzled pointlessly against Eske, insistent that it was wriggle time once again.

To Eske, stripped of the senses that would develop in the future soon to come, Thuringwethil felt no different than Gyda did. In fact, for all the newborn grounder knew they were one in the same. Effectively, until her eyes opened and she could see they would remain one in the same: an efficient space heater until she was hungry that was. It was perhaps only then that she might realize that there is any sort of difference but as her little stomach was full she was not to make the distinction nor test the theory. The licks had ceased and for the moment that suited Eske just fine as her space heater was subjected to her blind exploration ...until another blob was pressed against her and Eske's exploration was halted. Ugh, it's you, her head rolled and the small infant let out a baby warble before she sucked in air and let out a war cry as Freyja nuzzled against her and scooted around to cease the other girl's insistence to cuddle. Because cuddling was gross and a grounder princess didn't cuddle, thank you very much. She aimed a kick at her sister though whether the (extremely weak) brunt of her attack would land upon Freyja or Thuringwethil was left up to fate.

I know puppies can be hard so this thread can go on for however long you guys like. <3

Freyja doesn’t object to being nudged around and eventually finds comfortable, even next to her sister, and her late eyes watch them. The other puppy’s reaction is difficult to gauge because the attempted kick looks barely more than a weak twitch of her legs and instead gets tangled within her own fur. She smiles and noses between them, gently licking back over each of their backs to help soothe them. Her time around puppies had been limited back in Seageda—she’d greet new parents, bring them gifts and help them prosper—and often didn’t get time around them until they were old enough to begin their training. Seregryn had been an exception, having been involved since they’d found the new Fos Goufa.

Happy to fade soon if you fancy! :)

Weeee! The attack was glorious fun, and, given that these were two newborns flopping weakly against each other, the battle was minimal. But a battle it was, and terribly dramatic. Freyja squiggled against her sister's movements, and would've giggled uproariously had she had the capacity. Instead she was simply a happy little baby, though she fell uncharacteristically still as a great tongue moved gently over her back. It was grooming time. This made her suddenly snoozy.

i'm also fading with it to a close! <3 we can say this is the last post from me and eske. :p

 

Eske's fight was a valiant one — a brave one but her energy level was beginning to wain and though she struggled not to let the soothing swipes of tongue lull and pacify her towards slumber she felt the fight slowly siphon from her small body. Her head became heavy — too heavy to bear — and he lowered to the ground and her tiny paws. A small noise left her lips moments before a wide yawn split her jaws and having lost her battle she fell asleep against Thuringwethil and Freyja, content.