Moonspear cosmos, free beat

set in the den, so beeeebs @Korei Julia @Alya @Lyra @Hydra (+anyone cautious enough to not invoke her wrath)

In time, exhaustion had set in so she slept through all she was able. Stirring pups brought her awareness back around when necessary, but in their simplicity granted by being so very young, she was able to keep things mild enough to let her have her rest until she earnestly felt like participating in the realm of the living. Which, that took a while, and she found herself adrift in the haze of a strange new routine that revolved around the puppies in the meantime.

She had Charon bring her meals, so outings were painfully quick -- to the creek then back again, usually when she was just too thirsty to ignore it any longer and in desperate need of stretching her legs. She just didn't like being away from them for long so it was not easy. They fussed when she did, anyway, and they were still too fragile while she was still learning exactly how to do this herself. It was a new venture but at least she was good at learning on her feet.

Now was no different as she quickly ducked out of the afternoon sun past the threshold of the den, with her chin still wet from the cool creekwater she'd hastily gulped. As soon as she reached them, she nosed and licked the pups, fully prepared for soothing whoever had noticed her brief absence first. She had already learned that for little bits lacking most of their senses, they were surprisingly aware sometimes, even when she tried to sneak away from them when they were sleeping..

EE

This new world was a strange mixture of comfort and chaos, not like the womb at all. Scents and sensations hit her every time she was not sleeping among the warm bundle she and her sisters made and, despite being deaf and blind, she was nearly overwhelmed by them all. Everything was so strange and foreign — Lyra didn't know how to feel about it. Not that she had much of an opinion anyway. She was a simple being for now. Whenever her needs were met, she was content. When they weren't however, she fussed.

As she did now when their main source of warmth very abruptly disappeared. The girl was jostled awake and was gently rolled away from their mother and into one of her siblings. A tiny frown appeared on her face, shortly followed by soft grunts and whimpers of annoyance as she began to kick her stubby limbs against the sister she had rolled into. Almost as soon as she had left, the larger being returned, though, but the damage had been done. Lyra was awake and not happy about it, continuing to softly cry and huff even as their mother sought to lick and comfort them.

She looked over them all for signs of major distress, issuing her soft touches to each until for the moment, she settled on one of the darkest ones to focus upon. They were not easy to tell apart, despite her already looking for distinctions between them, but they didn't give her very much to work with yet. Their traits were all still very similiar with their little bodies driven by their basal instincts. However, she was painfully eager to see what may become of them. Soon enough, she reminded herself. Soon.

Now, for the one she had picked out from all the rest who kicked out at the others, she gently nudged her apart from the other three to effectively single her out. Usually she was doing what she could to keep them together, so really, she did not know how this one may take this new development. After a few more investigative sniffs, plus a firmer lick over the pup's shoulders, Ame then moved her foreleg around the babe. She used the motion to pull her closer to her chest while for now, the rest of the litter remained tucked close to her side.

She tried to be gentle with each of them, but there were times when this was hard to judge for her. Her inexperience meant she did not know what she could and could not do just yet. Not entirely. Even by her nature, her affection was shown in rough ways (and soon enough these girls would come to understand that) but she did not want to overwhelm their little selves with anything of the sort yet. It was far too soon. They were too little and, presumably, fragile yet. Because of this, she was cautious, and that truthfully made her anxious about them sometimes -- they were so new and strange still that she didn't know what to think of them just yet either. All she knew was that every fiber of her shrieked at her to protect them, and nurture them so they may grow strong.

The babies had arrived, and while Floki was dying to meet them, he had forced himself to keep his distance. He knew that the first days of the pups' life would be critical as they fed and rested and grew, and naturally both Charon and Amekaze would be territorial -- even moreso than usual. So he waited, busying himself with keeping up with the duties the new parents were not able to maintain; manning the borders and filling the caches, primarily.

But finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he found himself creeping towards the densite. Although he was second-in-command, he slung his body low to the ground, expressing his deference even from a ways away. He could smell and sense the presence of Amekaze, and with his sharp hearing he picked up the soft grunts and squeals of the puppies. A few yards from the den he paused, tail brushing gingerly against his hind legs as he chuffed, wordlessly requesting permission for a visit -- even if he wasn't yet allowed to get too close, he wanted to at least catch a glimpse of his nieces.

She continued to hum and whine as her mother's tongue swept over her body, finding no relief in Amekaze's attempts to soothe her. She paused in her frustrated wiggling for a moment as the licks suddenly stopped, before she squeaked in surprise as she was unexpectedly pulled away from her siblings by a large force. It drew her towards another pocket of warmth, one that smelt distinctly less like food but was still familiar all the same. She buried her pug nose into the fur there, oblivious to the fact it was her mother's chest.

Soft whines continued to emit from her throat, caused from both confusion and having been so abruptly awoken. Another — who she would come to know as her uncle — lingered outside but the girl did not notice, the only world that existed for her right now was that which occupied the inside of the den. A world currently in utter chaos to the child. Lyra yelped and whimpered, giving no indication of what was actually bothering her, all the while pressing her face deep into the fur of her mother's chest.

She was learning as she went with these puppies, and it was an instinct fueled pressure that gave her some kind of guidance. Even so, sometimes that did not always seem to be enough. There was a lot of trial and error here. With enough time, the dark alpha wanted to hone this into something better -- but it was not always easy, nor clear to her considering her sheer and absolute inexperience when it came to the dealings of tiny newborns. The puppy at her chest's complaints continued despite tactic one's attempts, yet before her mind searched for what two should be, her attentions diverted outward with a snap. Reflexively a low, quiet snarl followed quick on the heels of this, one that warned for carefulness. The whimpers of the one puppy was already testament to how fragile the balance of peace was here in the confines of the den

She then took a moment to cool it, and so long as the silver beta continued to mind her, she'd permit him being here so long as it could stay quick. Outside of Charon, he was their most immediate of family. Reason told her he deserved one of the next introductions that she could give out so soon, at least until more of the pack got to see (and be seen by) them. "Just a glimpse," she cautioned towards the den's mouth, then nibbled softly on the fine hair of the babe tucked at her chest to remind her that all was fine, that everything was alright. "Only one is awake for now."

Amekaze's initial warning caused Floki to take a step back -- he knew that she held no ill will towards him, but that her mothering instincts had taken over in the last few days. Most visitors would be unwelcome, and he wouldn't be offended if she sent him away. But a few seconds later, she offered him the opportunity to meet one of his nieces and he took it eagerly, lowering himself to his belly and creeping towards the entrance of the den.

His toes rested just outside of the threshold and he peered inside, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness in front of him as he took in the figure of Amekaze with one of her children tucked protectively against her chest. The baby was squirming and emitting soft sounds of distress; while Amekaze didn't seem overly worried, Floki's ears splayed with uncertainty. "Which one is this?" he asked in a stage whisper, feeling the need to keep his voice down even though the puppies couldn't really hear him anyway.

For a moment, it seemed the girl was about to quieten down, her whimpers growing softer and softer as she rested her head against the larger being's chest. That was until it vibrated gently. An odd, soundless rumble that reverberated to Lyra who had pressed herself so close her mother that she had felt it through her thick fur. It had been the instinctive warning snarl of Amekaze upon Floki's appearance but the pup, rightly, had no idea what was happening.

She resumed her wails, pushing her forelegs against where she had been lying just moments before. She paused as something touched and preened her fur but then tiny features crumpled into a strained frown. With her mouth opening and closing like a fish, she cried at the one who held her as unopened eyes turned unknowingly up at her mother.

She watched him carefully, ears splayed but angled just a bit back. The cries of the pup matched with paws pushing her back didn't help it any. Shh she willed the small girl, smoothing her dark fur with gentle licks as she tried to nudge her into some way which could be comfortable. It was still not easy for her to tell what they needed.

When Floki asked which one, she peered down at the sightless puppy. There was a one in three chance she'd get it right. She didn't think this was the one who seemed perhaps a bit more forceful than the rest based on behavior alone, and as she didn't think she was the one bit the chubbier tail -- which she worried for when they outgrew these simplistic features, but hopefully by then, it could be replaced by far greater distinctions.. So, that left her best guess. "Lyra," she purled quietly, the word coming as a gentle sigh onto the pup's forehead as she pressed down onto it with her snout. A small constellation, yet one of a bright summer star.. she still was not used to their names, they felt so foreign yet. It would take time. "The three dark ones.. are very difficult to tell apart," she mentioned next with a quick gesture towards the two who slept next to their paler sister. He'd not be able to see much of them right now, and she did not intend to awaken them for the occasion, but he would get to learn for himself in the days and weeks to follow.

He would never have guessed that Amekaze and Charon struggled to tell the triplets apart. Floki, of course, had a hard time; at first glance, all three looked exactly the same. It was only upon further inspection that one would be able to tell the slightest differences between the three girls. So he was surprised when Amekaze admitted that even she had difficulty identifying each one, although she seemed pretty confident that the crying baby between her forelegs was Lyra.

"Lyra," he repeated softly, his gaze straying to the other puppies nestled nearby. "Hydra, Alya, and Korei Julia," he recited from memory. He glanced at Lyra's lookalikes, unsure exactly which was which, but it was easy to see which of the pups took after their father -- Korei Julia's coat was the stark opposite of her sisters'. He smirked gently and commented, "I bet Charon didn't expect to have four girls, did he?"

She was rocked and cradled as her mother tried to settle the distressed puppy. Lyra herself did not even know why she was so upset, just that she was and nothing could ever, ever make her happy again. Ever. Her breaths came out in quick, tiny huffs as she fussed wordlessly, legs working as she struggled against some invisible monster.

However, her movements stilled as Amekaze gently breathed her name onto her forehead, calmed by the rush of warm air. She froze with legs mid-kick in the air, wondering at the sensation. The smell that engulfed her was familiar and equally as warm. Finally, the girl let out a soft sigh, her breathing slowing, and stubby limbs not as desperate in their flailing now.

She was still learning about them herself. Sometimes it seemed so simple. They were.. only pieces of her, in many ways, yet she often wondered if it was just the concept of puppy that disarmed her somewhat. It was strange to watch them and attend to them accordingly, all while sorting out their predicaments in this world. So far, she hoped she was doing them well enough.. for her first ever attempt at this and all.

Ame sighed softly, pleased that little Lyra seemed to slowly ease herself down -- after having seemingly considered it a bit. She still found the whelps difficult to read. "I bet not," she snickered "I know I did not," she shook her head, although watched Lyra's stubby legs wiggle about. Eventually she reached the lick one of those paws, lingering with her nose kept close to the little dark wolf.

Four girls was very unexpected. The male that didn't survive had perhaps been fated from the start, and she was happy to find herself already distanced from the memory of him. Maybe it would have only been a matter of time before the four daughters snuffed him out anyway. Ame didn't know, but what she did know was that these four remained vigorous, and however big of a surprise a whole litter of daughters was, she did find herself satisfied here and now. Charon had seemed to take to them, too. "He may not know what he is in for when they get older," Ame chuffed. There was little genuine worry in her heart, though, for she'd raise them all to be fierce -- not damsels in distress if she could help it. Time would have to tell.

Floki's smirk only grew as Amekaze agreed and mused on what the future would bring to the new parents and their four girls. They were already demanding -- as had been evidenced by Lyra's fussing, though now she had quieted -- and Floki imagined that would become more prominent as they grew. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, though; he also knew that Charon and Amekaze were both strong and independent wolves, and would raise their daughters as such. It would be interesting to see each of them grow into their own versions of the Alphas.

"Well, I'm always happy to help," he offered, watching as Lyra's movements slowed. He wondered if she was falling asleep; it was hard to tell when the pups were so small and their eyes hadn't even opened yet. He shifted then, preparing to depart and leave the mother with her children; he surely didn't want to press his luck and visit for too long.

Last post from me!

Indeed, Lyra had tired from the events of the day, what little amount of energy she had already been used up from all her flailing around. Enveloped in the warmth of her mother and pressed against the softness of her fur, the puppy forgot all about what she was complaining about — if anything — and let her head droop. The foreign scent of the stranger lingered, however she didn't mind at all, turning to tuck herself deeper into Amekaze's chest. Her breathing became even and, as quickly as she had awoken, the pup fell asleep, only the occasional paw twitch to indicate that she still lived.

"I appreciate it," she replied softly, and while she could not speak for him exactly, she guessed that Charon would feel the same even more in the weeks to follow because of his reliable presence. Floki was bound to be important to these girls because of it, and Ame had little doubt they'd warm up to him quickly once they could really engage the world around them more.

When she realized Lyra's breathing taking up the slowed rhythm of sleep, she decided to give Floki her farewells as gently as possible and rest her own head a bit while she could have the relative peace and quiet. Thankful for the company, she still knew he had other places to busy himself.