Redhawk Caldera the bank robbed the people so the people robbed the bank

Although the one-on-one time with Towhee was necessary to help develop lines of communication with the deaf pup, Raven didn't want the others to feel left our or less loved. So she took turns singling out the others too, often leading them on short adventures away from the cave. The pups seemed to enjoy the freedom and openness of the outdoors. Raven assumed they'd take it quite well when they were moved to the rendezvous site in another two or three weeks.

It was getting later in the afternoon by the time Raven sought some alone time with @Orca. (She had already taken @Titmouse out on an adventure earlier and planned to take @Phox for a walk this evening.) It would be suppertime—a mix of milk and pre-chewed meat—soon but there was a bit of time to kill beforehand and the Gamma felt oddly energetic at the moment. She hoped the little two-toned pup was in the mood for some tag or wrestling to help work up an appetite.

Knowing it was probably a matter of days before the pups were too heavy for her to carry, Raven took advantage by nipping the girl by the scruff and toting her out of the cavern. She plopped her down on the cool grass just outside and then dashed a few feet away, everything about her body language inviting a playful chase.

*slowpokes around*

Orca squealed when she was picked up, but it was a sound of delight rather than protest. She wriggled her legs busily as she dangled in the air, eyes darting left and right as she took in the frosty landscape zooming past her. She was dropped down into the grass and landed deftly on her feet, though she wasted no time in throwing herself onto her side.

She began to squirm and writhe, legs flailing and spine twisting as she rolled in the greenery. A series of snorts and grunts bubbled from her nose, and then she paused long enough to laugh at her own noisiness, before grinning up at Raven. "Whassabap?" she asked, tilting her head as though she had made a real query.

Rather than give chase, Orca seemed preoccupied with rolling around in the grass instead. Raven snorted in amusement, straightening up a little as she watched her younger sister delighting in the great outdoors. The Gamma put her plans for play aside for the moment and took a seat close by to watch and enjoy Orca's delighted writhing. When the pup finally seemed to remember her, the she-wolf arched her head a little to smile down at the upside-down tot.

"What's what, Orca?" she replied, pleased that the puppies were beginning to really babble and enunciate words. "Are you enjoying your roll in the grass? Can you say that word? Grass? Or how about Rave?"

Her sister spoke to her, and Orca's oversized ears cupped towards her. She listened attentively to the words that flowed from Raven's mouth, and while she didn't understand everything that was said, she made her own inferences based on familiar phrases and intonations.

She did recognize Raven's invitation for her to imitate her speech, so Orca quickly and obediently obliged. "Gas!" she cried, then added, "Wave!" She accentuated her exclamations by flopping back into the aforementioned grass and continuing to squirm, giggling all the while.

"Good job!" Raven praised effusively, pleased as punch by the pups' language development. It was such a treat, watching them develop from small, blind beans into walking, talking wolves. There was a part of her that was a little sad about how fast it all seemed to be happening, though mostly it was just an awesome experience.

Chortling down at the wiggly girl, the Gamma asked, "Would you like to practice some more names? Can you say Uncle El and Aunt Flea?"

*pulls a switcharoo*

Unaware that her older sister wanted one-on-one time with the other pups too, Towhee grew bored and straggled toward the cave's mouth. When she spotted Raven and Orca just outside, she squealed under her breath and bounded to join them. She whisked right past the Gamma and made to tackle-pounce Orca. She loved playing with her brothers (especially Phox) but there was something particularly delightful about wrestling with Orca. The boys were stronger and rougher, whereas Towhee felt like she actually had a chance of (playfully!) making her sister grovel in the dirt.

When Raven spoke to her again, prompting her once more to repeat what was being said, Orca stilled. Her big ears twisted again and when she understood Raven's request, she nodded eagerly. "Luncle Lellwood! Aunt Fee!" she said proudly.

Almost as soon as the words passed her lips, there came an unexpected attack. Towhee pounced onto her sister, who gave a squeal of surprise, but readily and gamely engaged in the wrestling match. Her paws flailed as she tried to counter the pounce, though Towhee clearly had the upper hand for now.

"Good jo—" Raven made to say to Orca, though a little black blur distracted her and she could only grimace fondly as Towhee smashed her sister's concentration to pieces. Aware that she was very unlikely to recapture her fancy with play on the table, the Gamma retreated a few steps and sat, patient despite the small sigh that escaped her.

Meanwhile, Towhee did her best to push the other female to the ground. There was no ill intent, she just badly wanted the other pup to submit to her. Her tail stood up stiffly above her as she pressed all of her (not very significant) weight on top of Orca, literally attempting to win by sheer force of gravity.

The girls wrestled just as fiercely as their brothers, their little bodies working hard. Orca tried her best to escape Towhee's grasp, but no matter how she twisted and turned, she couldn't seem to get away. She gave a grunt of frustration but rather than give up, she kept wriggling, eventually managing to get her hind paws pressed up against Towhee's belly.

She gave a thrust, but wasn't strong enough to shove her sister out of the way. That didn't stop her from trying, though! While Towhee would clearly win this battle, it would take quite a while for Orca to admit defeat.

Towhee smirked a little when Orca proved unable to dislodge her. She kept pressing her sister into the dirt, doing her best to ignore the other girl's jerking and kicking. It was pretty unpleasant, taking hits to the chest and stomach, but it wasn't until Orca's toes incidentally tickled her tummy that Towhee actually reacted. Her entire body bowed inward and she lurched sideways with a screeching giggle (of sorts), her shoulder hitting the ground as she rolled off Orca and to the side.

Orca gave a delighted squeal as she finally managed to push Towhee off of her. She scrambled to her paws and moved to grin down at her sister, though she made no move to return the favor and try to pin her to the ground. Already, Orca tended to be more submissive than her siblings; but that didn't mean that she didn't enjoy the play-fighting all the same.

With her tail whipping back and forth, Orca smiled cheesily up at Raven, then toddled towards her bigger sibling.

Hope it's OK to conclude this! :)

Towhee peered up at Orca, expecting her sibling to posture or pin her. Orca did neither, just smiled for a moment before wandering over toward Raven. Licking her lips, Towhee rolled to support her weight on a crooked elbow, then pushed herself onto all fours and gave her body a good, healthy shake.

"Let's go back inside and get some dinner," Raven said, nudging both pups' bottoms as she took to her own feet. "We'll go on a walk in the morning," she promised Orca, who had been robbed of her one-on-one time by Towhee the thief. The caregiver regarded both girls with a fond smile as she ushered them back into the cave.