Moonspear look to the universe

Fresh from the chase of a lucky find just a stone's throw from her den's doorstep, she swung her pathway back around towards home as soon as the rabbit hung slack in her jaws. The sun was setting already -- too swiftly, it seemed for her tastes, and the prickle in her fur told her the autumn's chill would be coming with the night, especially should it stay cloudless. She glanced up only once to ensure that indeed, the sky remained vast and spotless, although churning with the colored array of sunset.

After a few more long strides up, she eased into the general vicinity of her endpoint but not yet to sight of the den itself. In her pause, she listened, flickering her ears carefully as she skimmed her sights around. It seemed quiet, undisturbed, yet she would not be so quick to fall into complacency. She lowered her head slowly to set the rabbit down, then as she rose up once more, she summoned the little ones to her with a soft aroouu note; it never became a fully-formed howl since there was no need to demand them, but neither was it exactly a bark. Should they not be preoccupied with anyone else (plausible, considering the fresh scents around), she only wanted to enjoy these last fleeting moments of daylight with them -- and then greet the night when it came.

Now quiet once more, she listened again with new anticipation and the rabbit cooling at her feet.

@ anyone + puppers especially @Lyra @Alya @Korei Julia @Hydra

Alya had been scolding a fat, black stinkbug for the unholy perfume it'd been emitting. ("No! Quiet! Bad!") It was not the most interesting of pursuits, but when there was no one else around, it was the best the little princess could do. so she bossed the bug in her bossiest impression of the Crown Princess, believing really and truly that she was Hydra, or that she could be, maybe.

Who could know?

But when Mama's voice came sweet and inviting over the cooling breeze, Hydra dropped all pretenses in favor of a far large, far more pleasant-smelling creature.

"Mamakaze!" cried Hydra as she darted toward the sound. Her legs were still very short, but they carried her faithfully across the well-remembered den-site. And it was not so hard to spy her mother through the trees. She looked as she always did; and older version of the Cerberus and every bit the queen she was. Hydra admired her greatly, and aimed to be just like her one day, and mate with a wolf as strong and handsome as The Great White. As her father.

For this reason, Hydra had ceased tumbling into the woman's legs and attacking with all her might. Instead, she approached the way a good little princess ought to, and peppered Mamakaze's paws and ankles with adoring but neat and mostly-dry licks.

It didn't take long for her to receive something. Her ears flicked forward, and with it she brought a fond rumble. One of the dark trio appeared, she couldn't yet discern which one and neither did she try to for the moment. They still mirrored each other remarkably well in growth and appearances. It was only key points of their temperaments that seemed to set them apart. Instead, she still marveled at the mystery of them, how much they had grown already, and how absolutely, frustratingly precious they each were to her. Even if they could all be little menaces to her peace sometimes.

"Little star," she greeted in a hushed voice, reaching next to press a lick onto the girl's forehead who smelled so distinctly of her sisters and father too -- all of which she hoped were behaving themselves, whatever they were up to. Ame wondered of them only fleetingly, and were it not for the smell of the rabbit interrupting her, she would have let herself be distracted by the affection sprinkled on her legs that suited her quite well, as suggested by another pleased growl.

She let her tail stay waving in a slow, happy beat. "It is still fresh," she spoke on with a small gesture towards her kill: the best treasure she'd managed to bring back for today, anyway. "Want some?" by then, she'd swung her snout back towards the rabbit with a deepening glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

Quietly she stalked through the undergrowth, her slim form easily brushing past the tangle of leaves and branches. The unsuspecting creature was a few steps ahead but Lyra was patient. Just like Alya, she too was engaged with a small bug that had the gall to grace her presence. However, she did not terrorise it like her sister, instead unknowingly priming her hunting skills; this was really all just a game to her.

It was the soft call of her mother and the scent of food that broke her intense gaze and she quickly glanced up in the direction it came from. The rustle of leaves startled her prey and the girl gave a huff of annoyance — though her failed hunt was quickly forgotten as she was drawn to the metallic scent of fresh meat.

She came up behind her mother with quiet steps and a cheeky smile. The slain prey lay near them, and Amekaze seemed to be offering it to the other pup who appeared. Dropping low, Lyra began to stalk forward slowly, her eyes trained on Alya in case her sister gave away her position.

Alya had never tried to eat a whole rabbit before, but she took to it as she took to all things - violently, and with a passion. The blood tasted different when not mixed with the digestive fluids of her mother or father, and though she missed that taste at once, she appreciated the fresh-blood taste as well. Fur, too, was new to her. If her meals had any of it, it was damp and easy to ignore. Here, though, it tickled her nose as she tucked in and made her sneeze against the warm carcass.

Lifting her head to further inquire about how this sort of eating was done, Alya caught sight of herself behind her mother as well. Her head tilted to the side as she took in the sneak that was written all over her face, but she diverted her attention back to her mother quickly enough. If she wanted to sneak, then she should be allowed to sneak.

"Too fuzzy!" said Alya, haughty in her rejection of the meal. "Want belly food! Ack ack!"

The young girl mimed the way her parents vomited yummy treats for her so that she would not be misunderstood; milk also came from bellies, but Lyra didn't want that. Milk was for babies, and she was a princess.

It would seem she'd not have her offer taken quite so literal, and curved a smirk onto her features. "Too fuzzy? I do not think so," she chuffed with a soft laugh, humored that the fur was the problem here. But, then again, she could be the same way about feathers on her meals, and wondered when their taste buds may change in full. It was still a sort of in-between with her learning what timing was right too. She'd not wanted to wean them too early, but was it difficult for her not to when she'd gotten tired of all involved with that quickly. She tried to take their cues on the matter, as well as nudge it along to suit her own preferences. Again, a delicate balance. "You just rip past the furs," she replied, although she knew well what the girl wanted instead. "Like this," she offered, before planting a paw on the rabbit to hold it down while she snipped a piece of flesh between her teeth then pulled up, effectively removing fur and skin at once -- perhaps a gruesome display for anyone short of predatory, but necessary. Repeating it, with new vigor, she swallowed what she tore off now.

She only flicked an ear at what she thought would be a new presence, being used to it happening when around the whelps (which was almost always anyway). For now, she maintained her nonchalance with a slow flick of her tail.

Her approach was slow and calculated, eyes unblinkingly trained upon her target after she was sure her sibling wouldn't give away her position. It swung lazily back and forth as their mother explained how to devour the rabbit. Her ears flicked at the instructions but she paid little mind to it, focused instead on her stalk, completely unaware that Amekaze had an idea that she was actually present.

Finally closing the distance between her and her prey — the soft, twitching tail of Amekaze — Lyra lowered herself to the ground before suddenly pouncing! "BOO!" she cried, launching herself at her mother's hindquarters and aiming to catch her tail between sharp puppy teeth.

Blue eyes brightened as Mamakaze peeled away the rabbit's thick furs. The pup leaned forward and watched eagerly as the lesson went on. Her awareness of Lyra waned, and when Mamakaze had finished her show-and-tell, Alya decided to try it for herself. First, she grabbed a scrap of skin and fur and lifted as her mother had done. When nothing happened, she tugged as hard as she was able. Though the skin did not separate from flesh, she did succeed in pulling the rabbit a ways.

Giving up on skinning the rabbit, for the time being, Alya turned her attentions toward the flesh that'd already been revealed. It was pale and red-tinged, and the little princess gave it a few dainty, testing licks before grinning up at her mother in appreciation.

"It's yummy!" she pronounced before digging into the meal. It took a lot more chewing for Alya than it had for Amekaze, but the girl was able to gain some sustenance from the rabbit.

She watched with a growing satisfaction and curiosity alike as the cub gave it a shot. She wanted to take her cues from them, and as long as the girl seemed capable of handling the meat (chewing it properly, most of all, which she did with a bit of work), Amekaze was glad.

Soon enough, another appeared with a start. While quick, impressively so, Amekaze swung her tail up out of reach but to not leave the pup empty-handed, she spun on her own heels to turn towards her and lick her cheek fondly. "Sneaky. I like it," she praised quietly, always content to see them seem content and happy with their moments. Gesturing towards the rabbit then, she asked "Want some too? It is good," and necessary fuel for more lurking about.

Regardless of the response, she'd soon join in for a few more bites of her own. If there was enough to warrant it left over, she'd show them about caching, but for now, she was thankful for the peace on the mountainside to let her have times like these.

probably my last bc i have been such a slowpoke ;o<3