Redhawk Caldera flickering flame

That day Eljay was guarding the puppies again, laying outside of the den and taking the occasional peek inside. He loved spending time with his baby siblings, once he'd found out mommy was alright after birth. They were so much fun, and they helped him forget the bloody things he had seen at Lake Rodney, in part. @Elwood and @Finley were probably around somewhere; mommy likely in the den, and if Eljay remembered correctly daddy'd gone out to hunt or patrol. Maybe he would be back soon, though?

And of course @Lucy, @Lagan and Liffey were adorable bundles of joy inside of the den. They seemed to be getting livelier by the day, and Eljay secretly hoped they'd come out to play with him soon — he loved to bundle them up at his chest, wrapping them closer to him, boop them on the tummy or nose with his nose, and play endlessly with them. But he also wouldn't be opposed to talking to daddy, as it felt like they had barely spoken in the commotion of the pregnancy and birthing of late; so long as it was't about Peter.

Life was coming around for the young girl. It had been over a month since her birth and already she had found ways to cause trouble for both her parents and her siblings. Curiosity at such a young age was a given, but little Lucy had wanted the world. Her legs no longer wobbled when she would attempt to walk or run, and they had taken something of a comical appearance – growing larger than her body. The sight that she had gained had cleared substantially to the point that she could make out figures for what they were. She knew her family and she loved them very much… but not as much as she loved her older brother.
 
From inside the den, the inky child could see his figure and she crouched low into a playful attack position. Her baby blue eyes were alight with mischief and she did her very best to slink forward without be seen or heard. Eljay’s tail was the prize! Creeping closer and closer, the youngest Blackthorn wiggled her rump in hopes of giving herself a little more of a push and she leaped into the air, aiming to land on the thick tail of her older sibling. From her little muzzle came a war cry, “bah!”

lucy is so goshdarn cute!

The non-suspecting older brother was laying down outside of the den, keeping out a watchful eye. Occasionally he'd look back, but it just so happened that he looked back just before his sister started her sneak attack — in hindsight, he'd wonder if she had planned it that way or if it was just coincidence — so he didn't notice her approach.

The moment something suddenly touched his tail Eljay jumped to his feet with a yelp, surprised by the sudden touch to his tail. He looked around to see Lucy dangling from his tail and quickly let himself flop on the ground again, hoping to let Lucy gently land again. "Oh no, you got me!" he called out as he fell to the ground.

She loves him so muuuch!

 

The attack had been a success! As the little soot-ball latched herself to her brother’s tail, she felt him swiftly take off from the earth and she began to go with him. Her sky-blue gaze was widened with shock as she found herself elevated from the ground. When the apple green gaze of her brother came around to meet her, she darted her own vision toward him, still latched tightly to his tail. When Eljay cried out and then proceeded to flop back down to the dirt, she went with him and landed unsteadily on her comically large paws. With a staggering stumble to the left and a sway to the right, little Lucy managed to sort herself out and then faced her eldest brother with the widest of grins and a madly flagging tail. His large frame was back on the earth once more, and so she dropped her torso to the ground with her tail wagging so wildly that her entire rump seemed to travel with it.
 
“Jay!” she barked happily, picking her upper half up and prancing toward him with a playful glint in her eyes. There was no questioning the joy that she felt in her heart when he was there. Her front paws were lifted and dropped in a haphazard manner, but she managed to migrate toward his upper half and leaned over to look at his face once more. “Jay?” the little girl then inquired with a curious tilt of her head. Almost as if to ask him if he was alright after having suffered such an incredible attack. Of course, the inky child’s vocabulary was limited to a few words and sounds that she knew would elicit responses from those around her. This one – Jay – was the best.

Lucy is such a cutiepie <3

Eljay was glad that Lucy was alright after she'd travelled along on his tail as he scarejumped into the air. As he fell to the ground and Lucy let go, then called out his name, his heart jumped a little, a happy smile on his face. It was hard for him to keep playing the act of being defeated, because Lucy was such an adorable cutie. He managed for a little bit, but then he heard Lucy's questioning tone as she called out his name.

Eljay quickly scrambled around while still laying on the ground, and started to smother Lucy's face in licks while a playful growl bubbled in his throat.

Fearful that she had actually harmed her oldest brother with her vicious attack, the little inky child executed a soft whine to Eljay. Her baby blue eyes roamed over his figure with a questioning expression as she inched closer to his form. Lucy was beginning to find it difficult to breathe at the premise that something might have happened to her favorite sibling and babysitter. Once she had found herself no more than a few inches from his face, she extended her nose to prod him lovingly.
 
Suddenly the slate boy came to life and moved in to shower her with kisses and playful growls. Excitement filled her tiny limbs as she leapt into the air and squeaked in surprise. Once she knew that her Jay was safe and that he had not suffered any damage in her attack, the dark puppy felt a bubbling inside of her stomach that manifested itself in the form of gleeful childish giggles. Her paws were pressed against the form of her sibling as she wiggled to escape his tongue.  

ahh lucy is so adorable <3

Once it was established that the game was enjoyable for his baby sister, Eljay growled playfully and called out: "I'm gonna get youuu!" He paused occasionally to make sure that Lucy wasn't getting too overwhelmed and to get her a chance to either bow out or launch a counter attack.

Eventually Eljay fell to the ground in a heap of giggles after some playing about and said — "You are such a cutiepie, Lu!" while he looked at his sister with the loving eyes of a big bro.

i enjoy my threads with you so very much!

The tiny girl was a shadow; her inky figure was abnormal in comparison to her immediate family. They had worn the cloaks of slate and silver with only a sparse flowering of soot. Lucy was the darkest one of the group, and though she was not aware of it yet – it made her different. After having her eyesight clear up considerably, the boisterous young child had already started to note the fact that Liffey and Lagan were identical to each other… even down to the mysterious marking on their foreheads. While she had not been able to gaze at her full figure, the girl could see the darkness of her paws and how that same ink seemed to flow to the rest of her body. Lucy was a shadow, but Eljay was the light.
 
Leaping upward with a delighted squeal, the soot child felt her paws beat against the earth with a small amount of force that she had assumed was far greater than anything anyone had seen before. Her eyes were wide as she watched Jay fall to the ground with a huff, and she trotted clumsily over toward him with a flagging tassel. Her wide blue gaze was expectant of him to rise again and fight for his honor! But the more she watched the love in his apple green gaze, the quicker her pulse began to slow. His words were not fully understood, but she knew that they came from a place of adoration.
 
With a little bounce to her step, Lucy situated her dark body near to his figure and slumped to the earth with a quiet sigh. Resting her head between her paws and stretching out her rear legs, the shadow gazed up at her older brother with happy eyes. Her little ears were drawn forward to a point and she waited patiently to see what surprise he would have in store for her.

Eventually Lucy slumped to the ground, joining her brother on the floor as she lay down like an outstretched carpet. Eljay rolled over on the ground so that he could lean against her, tummy to her side and a paw wrapped around Lucy like a blanket that made sure he'd know if she were to leave at any point.

He leaned his nose against Lucy's cheek and closed his eyes, letting out a content hum while he simply enjoyed the time spent together with his baby sibling.

The valiant battle that she had fought with Jay had been tiring. Though she was filled with energy, it was quickly depleted with acts of war, and as she watched the figure of her oldest brother, her eyes began to grow heavy with the need for a nap. He had outstretched a paw to rest carefully over her tiny figure, and she made no move to shrug it away. There was comfort there, and Lucy felt the warmth seep from his body and into her own.
 
Once his nose met her cheek, she nuzzled tenderly into the underside of his chin. Her pink tongue stretched out to offer tiny kisses to the hairs on his face. When she noted the closure of his eyes, she let out a quiet huff and wiggled so that she might be able to press herself closer to his body. Once she had found a comfortable position, the littlest Blackthorn tucked herself as closely as she could to Jay and closed her eyes. They would have more adventures once they had regained their strength.

These days were some of the best, spent with his baby sister just playing around and eventually drifting off to sleep side by side. He smiled as she nuzzled closer to him and it wasn't long before he fell asleep, like his sister. His dreams were pleasant, dreams of more play and fun with his siblings, which would soon become reality when he would awaken once more.