Hushed Willows You were trying to wear me down, down

Confirmed that basically anyone could visit the cubs, so AW!

The first day of sight had been both marvelous and troublesome, for the blurriness of it afflicted Prialux with a headache before long. She was too curious for her own good, searching out every inch of the den with what fuzzy vision she had, and it took its toll on her. The second day with sight was better, though, with a notable improvement in clarity. It helped that Prialux had already explored everything she cared to, and was no longer inspecting her surroundings with fervor.

She inspected her toes instead. Her paw was still tiny and dainty, splayed out on the dark floor in front of her, and her nose wriggled mere inches from her ankle as she squinted at her toes. She could hardly see the crevices between them, the shadow and light of her fur melded together so well in her blurry vision. She could see the dark nubs at the end where her sharp nails protruded, and she tentatively reached her snout forward to lap at it, only to recoil at the ticklish sensation that crawled up her arm.

Spur didn't know the mother of the Keep's new litter, nor did she particularly care to meet her or her pups. In her mind, all pups were obnoxious and smelly. She wanted nothing at all to do with them. It didn't help that she withdrew further into herself with each passing day. She cared little for mingling with her pack mates outside of her mother and brother. She had even stopped coming by The Crook altogether, choosing instead to sleep in the hollow tree or out in the open, depending on the weather.

She happened upon the den totally by a stroke of (bad) luck. Larkspur froze when the pups' smell infiltrated her nose, body stiffening. She meant to turn and flee, yet movement in the den's mouth caught her eye. Toes digging into the earth, Spur stared down at the shadowy shape stirring on the ground just inside the doorway. She watched dispassionately as the pup licked its own foot, then recoiled. Despite herself, the Pi smirked faintly.

Despite the shudder that snaked down Prialux's tiny back from the sensation in her toes, she almost reached out to do it again. Her tongue was halfway out, the tip wetting the downy hairs of her ankle, when she was interrupted. She could neither see nor hear Larkspur at any sort of distance, but her nose picked up on scents as keenly and distinctly as if it were an eye itself. It was instinct and the knowledge that came with it was instinct, as well: this one was new. Prialux had never encountered this scent.

Immediately her nose began to work furiously at the air, sifting through the familiar and unfamiliar with clumsy mental fingers. At this stage of her life, both were equally exciting and she was easily distracted by the smells she knew, but Larkspur was more interesting and she found it and locked onto it eventually. Her huge blue eyes turned near-blind in the direction of the larger wolf beyond the den. She mewled and gurgled as if to summon Larkspur forth whilst sniffing furiously and craning her head on its still wobbly neck.

Another wolf, especially another she-wolf, might have found the noises the tiny tot made irresistibly endearing. But Larkspur just found them bothersome. The faint smirk disappeared, her expression shifting back to a blank slate. She took a step back as the little figure crept toward her, neck wobbling and nose wriggling. Spur looked left and right as if hoping someone might appear to rescue her. She then looked back to the pup, her own reaction not dissimilar to the one the pup had had to the taste of her own leg.

"Where is your mother?" she murmured, staying well out of reach.

When no attention was forthcoming, a disgruntled Prialux loosed an indignant squawk. She rocked herself forward, lifting herself and lurching unsteadily to her paws. While she wasn't comfortable walking yet, Prialux was proving to be proficient at standing in place. She swayed lightly, giving the impression that she was unsteady although she was very good at counterbalancing already, and turned her wide eyes upon Larkspur once more.

She could almost make out where the other wolf was, a soft golden glow against a darker background, but all the features were indistinguishable. The scent painted a clearer picture, but information beyond that was difficult to grasp. Prialux made a soft noise akin to a squeak and leaned forward on her toes as far as her shaky sense of balance would permit, attempting to reach Larkspur with either nose or mouth to investigate further. She had no idea the wolf she was trying to reach out to wanted nothing to do with her, else her attempts might have ended there.

When the puppy barked at her, Spur's ears flew back and her expression truly soured. Babies were so noisy, it jangled her nerves. She didn't know how a den mother could stand it, especially with an entire litter. Larkspur literally felt her stomach clench at the mere thought. She hoped she never had to experience it.

She watched warily as the little girl found her feet and leaned in her general direction, all while squinting oddly at her. Spur's hackles prickled softly as she continued to gaze uneasily down at the infant. "Don't come near me," she warned, eyes flicking warily around the area again. Was she responsible for this pup, since the mother wasn't around? Would she get in trouble for leaving? For staying?

Withdrawing several more yards, Larkspur kept a reluctant eye on the babe. As much as she hated noise and even social interaction at this point, it eventually occurred to her to let out a quick, low howl for the pup's mother (@Amara).

Had little Prialux's ears opened yet, the undercurrent of hostility in Larkspur's tone would have stopped her dead in her tracks, even without an understanding of the words. Unfortunately for both of them, the mottled cub was unable to pick up on it and proceeded to lean forward until she completely unbalanced herself and toppled forward.

The noise she made as her face hit the ground was something between an oomph and a yelp, and the impact made stars erupt in her blurry vision. She lay there a moment, face in the dirt and body a crumpled heap, only to begin a keening chorus that rapidly grew in intensity to outright shrieks. The impact was more shocking than painful, but that was enough to make the newborn's voice scream out an intolerable wail.

Spur felt a shudder wrack her entire body as the infant began to cry, then wail and shriek. She couldn't stand it. It put her teeth on edge and awoke feelings of frantic repulsion in her breast. Although still slightly torn, she figured she had done her due diligence by attempting to summon the den mother. Aware of how this would look to Amara—as if someone had abused her daughter, then fled the scene—Larkspur nonetheless hoofed it. She just couldn't bear those cries and ran until they faded into the distance behind her.

Eventually, Amara or some other adult found their way to the den and tended to the fallen Prialux, who had nothing but a fading scent to remember her companion by, and no means with which to understand that she'd been abandoned. By the time she fell asleep, it was all forgotten.