Redhawk Caldera C'mon, let's move it!

Making assumptions weeoo!

Four went in, three came out. To Titmouse it was like nothing had even happened; he knew that there was something missing when the cave was excavated from the snow, but to be painfully honest, he couldn't always tell his siblings apart at this stage. Oriole was gone — and he'd remain ignorant of that fact for a while. Maybe forever.

When he came out, it was swinging from someone's teeth. The boy was plump despite the stay in the cave. When he was let down, he was off again - but not far. He saw something shiny on the ground and plucked it up with his mouth like a bird grabbing a seed, and then plopped down on his tummy and began to chew.

There were no words to explain Elwood's relief. Those days he had spent separated from his family had been miserable, and he was happy to settle into a normal routine again. Presently, he had just dropped Titmouse in the powder, having decided that a little fresh air would do the pups some good. Orca waddled out behind them, but she was a little more tentative about venturing out into the cold air.

"Wait!" Elwood called as Titmouse suddenly beelined for an unidentified object. The puppy hoarded his prize and began to chew on it, but after losing both Stoat and Oriole to the game of life, Elwood wasn't about to let this one choke to death. "Whatcha got, buddy?" he asked, craning his neck to try to get a look at the item; he knew that it would be next to impossible to pry it from Titmouse's jaws.

The stone was big and broad, perfect for skipping (if he had thumbs and could, y'know, throw shit). Titmouse didn't seem to notice how cold it was, having been partly buried in snow. His tiny teeth barely damaged the surface but he wouldn't stop gnawing. He chomped and chewed with one side of his mouth and then the other, working at the exposed end of the rock even while Elwood approached him.

Tit seemed to be fixated, and only stopped when he missed the rock a little bit and bit his own tongue; he yelped and gagged on the stone, and withdrew for a second with a decidedly startled, offended expression. His little eyebrows raised and his ears sort-of shivered upright. After a second he was back at the rock, not realizing that a red outline had begun to scatter around him on the snow. The warmth spreading through his mouth was strange tasting but pleasant, and the dumb boy didn't want to stop.

The brief sound of gagging drew alarm from Elwood, and he was this close to taking the object -- which he now identified as a stone -- away from Titmouse. But he hesitated, choosing just to watch -- at least, until he noticed the specks of blood that dripped from the pup's mouth and stained the snow red.

"Wait a sec," Elwood said, lowering himself to his belly in front of Titmouse. He reached out with a paw to press the rock into the snow, hoping to stop Tit's chewing at least momentarily so he could examine his injury. There wasn't a lot of blood yet, but there was enough to cause concern. "Did you bite your tongue?" he asked, using his other forepaw to poke cautiously at the pup's mouth. He was obviously not a medic or caregiver, and Eljay and Raven would probably cringe at his tactics.

He suckled idly on the sore thing in his mouth, and then when Elwood approached him to inspect his face, Titmouse decided that it was a great new game. He tried to dodge the paw, ducking and weaving with limited skill, and then stuck out his tongue and blew a very wet raspberry at the adult. This hurt, of course. Titmouse then opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out like a moron, as if to show the wound to Elwood, and babbled as if he were at the dentist, Awwww!

Naturally, Titmouse didn't make it easy for his inexperienced medic to take a look at his injury. He skillfully dodged Elwood's paw time after time, until he finally stuck his tongue out and vibrated it against his lips. Elwood sat back to roll his eyes, assuming that the boy was obviously just fine, until Titmouse began to wail again. Blowing that raspberry had hurt.

"That, my boy," Elwood said, trying to keep from laughing, "is what I like to call a natural consequence." He leaned close to peer at the pup's proffered tongue, squinting down at it. There was a small puncture wound, but nothing that would cause permanent damage. "I think you'll be okay, tough guy," Elwood concluded. He gave Titmouse a pat on the head, though his expression remained wary; he didn't know if the boy would be satisfied with his brief examination, or if he would continue to be upset.

Whatever Elwood said meant little to the boy, but the pat on the head earned a pleasant rumble from his chest. He set his tongue behind his little puppy teeth and closed his mouth, murring the happy note while Elwood gave him attention. When it ended, one might suspect Titmouse would lose his shit and cause havoc to get that attention back — except this time, it ended because Titmouse's attention was pulled away by something moving in his periphery. When he turned and saw Towhee stumbling about, he belched an exuberant, Teehee! and bound after her — doctor's visit concluded.

Seems like a good place to wrap up -- you can post again if you want or just archive, unless you want to continue! :)

Titmouse's next actions only confirmed Elwood's suspicions that the boy was, in fact, just fine. When his sister suddenly appeared from the depths of the cavern, Titmouse's attention was quickly captured by her. He gave a screech and tumbled after her, leaving Elwood to chuckle and shake his head.

He kept a watchful eye on the puppies, but didn't actively interfere in their play. He found it interesting to observe the dynamics between them as they established their own miniature hierarchy.