Phantom Hollow There's a grain of truth in every fairy tale.

A thread with mama, maybe?

Day five since he'd been forced from the womb, and Venamis had already changed rapidly. He'd grown considerably, fattened by drinking more than his fill of mother's milk whenever the opportunity presented itself. The young Melonii drank to ease the ache of hunger that often unsettled him, drank when he felt vulnerable or afraid, drank when he needed lulled to sleep. Most often, he drank purely because he could. With three ravenous littermates, there was much competition and he wanted to survive.

@Nocturnal, likely still delicate from the delivery of her brood, was probably tired of having her delicate undersides tugged and shredded by greedy maws and needle-sharp nails. Venamis was unknowingly guilty of gripping and paddling at teats for fear of a sibling shoving him aside, so desperate he was to keep them for himself.

Luckily for the speckled Consort, it was not the time for her spiderlings to battle over food, and Venamis' jaws parted wide in a mighty yawn as he flopped to the side like a beached whale at his mother's shoulder.

Motherhood was tiring, she had to agree. Waking up 5 times a night from a kick or a tug from one of her little spiderlings wasn't exactly getting her in a good mood - but then she saw their little faces and she couldn't help but smile. They'd done it, they'd brought a new generation of Meloniis into the world and their little babies would grow up and have families of their own. Perhaps, when their pack was big enough, they could claim Blackfeather Woods back for the legacy of the Meloniis.

She nosed over her babies, tired and full. They'd already received their names and they couldn't be more perfect. She saw their little markings come in but one was much lighter than the others. The little one looked out of place had it not been for the fact Nyx's father was the same silvery colour. Even Venamis seemed to have a little white on him. Her tongue brushed his little hairs on his forehead and she snuggled closer to her family.

In their little hollow, there was movement. It didn't startle him - the parents and siblings were always shifting around - but he did breathe a groan of annoyance. Whenever Venamis was right on the verge of drifting off into a fat and contented slumber, someone saw fit to disturb him.

A nose poked at his ribs, and he squirmed beneath the touch. It was delivered by one of the adult providers, more specifically the one who supplied him with nourishment, though he was hardly in the mood for her fussing. With a soft mewl of defiance, Venamis pulled himself clumsily onto his belly before he tried to scoot away out of his mother's reach.

She chuckled softly, chest vibrating with her purr-like sounds. Where do you think you are going, little man? She asked, knowing they wouldn't understand her until they were much older. She plopped her own snoot close to the small, pudgy form of Venamis and blew her warm breath over his body. A bit fussy, are we? Yes, she already loved them.

His bid for freedom was useless, of course. His mother moved to intercept him, lowering her muzzle before him and huffing a warm breath across his crown. Venamis flared his nostrils and scrunched his little face up, brows furrowing above unopened eyes in his offence. He parted his jaws and cried out, unknowingly interrupting the adult's amused question with a loud yowl. All he wished for was a quiet place to rest, how dare she (or anyone!) choose to get in his way.

Alright, alright, fussy Venny. She chuckled, knowing not to take her son's mood to heart. She had heard from other mothers they were simply hard to please at this age. The only one that kept quiet, eerily so, was Lumiya - but who knew, maybe that would change as well. For now she gave the child a kiss and a shove towards her belly where his siblings rested, but if he decided to go to the other end of the den she wouldn't blame him.

He grumbled out loud as his mother relented, though not without a rough shove in some unknown direction. Venamis was forced among the other three Melonii pups, who writhed and squirmed with his reintroduction, though all four were soon to settle once again.

The dark infant cooed softly to himself, finally quiet and content between his siblings' warm bodies - and willed himself into slumber.