Redhawk Caldera I'm a little angel

Siblings, or mom and pop! Or maybe auntie and uncle or cousin time?

Lagan rolled over and over and over and didn't stop. He was 5 days old now and one the move. He couldn't stand, and he found crawling hard. Being born during the famine had made him and his siblings born weaker than most. His legs were still feeble and it was hard to use them. Instead he rolled. Discovering that he could roll efficiently was a big accomplishment to Lagan. He couldn't stop rolling. In fact he was showing off his first skill so much, that he rolled away from mommy and sibbies into the unknown. He froze, realizing that they were not there. He was cold, no snuggling creatures nearby, he was all alone in the middle of the den. He raised his head as if to look around, but his little eyes weren't open yet.

And so he cried. He wailed as loud as he possibly could, waiting for @Finley or @Elwood or big bro @Eljay to save him from himself. Even his siblings would be alright, as long as someone was there to comfort him. He was such a needy child.

"What are you doing all the way over here, squirt?" Elwood wondered aloud from the opposite side of the den, where he had been reposed and keeping a watchful eye on his brood. Little Tiarnach had rolled away from Finley's side, and while he had at first appeared to be proud of his accomplished, his tiny little face now bore an expression of consternation as he wailed for help.

The Beta reached out with a forepaw, but instead of nudging Tiarnach back towards his siblings, he pulled the boy towards him. "Want to hang out with Dad for a while?" he asked; he was fully aware that the pup couldn't hear him yet, but was already in the habit of conversing with all of his children as if they could respond.

Lagan heard a faint sound, he was too young to recognize voices, but it was comforting to hear all the same. He stopped yelling when he heard it, fully expecting it to mean that he was getting help. Why would anyone speak if it didn't have to do with him? He waited patiently and was ecstatic to feel a paw pulling him close to a body. The thing that grabbed him was warm a fuzzy. It must be mommy, but where were his sisters? He dug into Elwood's chest fur, searching for a nipple to suck on. Where were they? This wasn't mommy! He recoiled a bit, but tumbled back down into his dad's fur. 

The little silver pup struggled to turn around, then scooted into the nook between Elwood's chest and leg. He strained his head back as if to look at his dad's face, then squeaked loudly.

The pup busied himself, kneading at Elwood's fur. With a chuckle, the father realized what Tiarnach was doing. As of yet unable to quickly distinguish between his parents, he was searching for a nipple so that he could eat. "Sorry, pal, out of luck here," he said, even as Tiarnach re-positioned himself between his forelegs, apparently having realized that this adult was not the one that fed him.

When the boy tilted his head back and emitted a loud peep, Elwood canted his head to the side. "You don't say," he quipped, then tapped Tiarnach between the ears with the tip of his snout.

This not mom kept talking to him, and was very gentle. Tiarnach decided he liked not mom, he was very friendly and warm. He provided for Lagan, unlike the potatoes that only took some of his mommy's milk from him and kicked him. Elwood tapped Lagan's forehead, and the little Blackthorn shook his head in confusion. After the initial impact and befuddlement, Lagan found the boop very funny, and he made a small stifled giggle. He rolled over onto his stomach, and showed Elwood his forehead, urging his dad to tap his head again. Lagan was having a great time with papa!

Although he was still very young, Tiarnach was already learning about cause and effect. Elwood watched as he reacted to the gentle touch, laughing and then rolling over so that he could blindly offer his crown for another boop. "You like that?" Elwood mused, again nudging his son's downy head gently with his nose.

This time, he snuffled into Tiarnach's soft grey fur, his warm breath washing over the boy's ears and face.

Tiarnach waited patiently for pops to bop him again, and when he did, the pup squealed, reaching for his paws with his mouth to bite them out of excitement. He liked his dad a whole lot, he seemed to understand exactly what Lagan wanted. Whereas his siblings would've just a smacked him in the face or smothered him. He scooted forwards again, bumping into Elwood's paw and smashing his nose into it. He backed up, realizing that was not the kind of head tap that was funny. It was not what he wanted. He was very confused, swiveling his ting silver head side to side. He then rolled over again, fully expecting his father to understand. Another tap! But not a smash like what had just occurred.

Elwood leaned away from Tiarnach, angling his snout so that he could watch the boy's reaction to the feeling of his father's breath ruffling his fur. He seemed to be asking for more, his little mouth working, and then scooted forward and backward indecisively on the ground. Although his eyes weren't open, Tiarnach's face was still exceptionally expressive, and Elwood peered at him as he tried to understand what he wanted.

The pup rolled over, limbs flailing. "You want another boop on your snoot?" Elwood asked, unwittingly hitting the nail right on the head. He smiled, then obliged, nudging him gently again with his nose.

Lagan's not mom made a lot of air happen on his face, and Lagan liked that too. It made him feel airborne, as if he was everywhere at once. Lagan decided that not mommy was his favorite, even milk wasn't as cool as this. The Blackthorn's father tapped him again, and little Tiarnach was thrilled. He squealed with delight, flailing his legs around again with excitement. How did Elwood know exactly what he wanted? It was like magic! They didn't know it yet, but this was the beginning of the father son relationship to last forever. Booping was a very important factor, the first factor to win Lagan's favor of his father. His first few personality traits were starting, but only buds of them. The rest were soon to come.

Suddenly feeling rather tired, and even forehead tap couldn't make him less tired, Lagan laid his little head down on his papa's paws, tiny mouth opening for a long yawn. It was time to sleep, hopefully his papa would sleep with him.

He's so cute! I'll archive this! :)

Elwood was rewarded with a squeak from Tiarnach. The boy waved his limbs in the air and Elwood grinned. Before he could start another series of chain reactions, Tiarnach plunked his head down on Elwood's paws. He suspected that the pup was tired, and realized he was right when Tiarnach yawned, the expression almost too big for the youngster's face.

"Time for a nap," he crooned quietly and lowered his own chin to rest on the ground alongside his son. Soon enough, the watchful father was lured into a light sleep, although the slightest noise from his mate or any of his children would wake him.