Wheeling Gull Isle Sailors live so restlessly

There was more time spent suckling away at His Teat than anything else—even in his sleep, Xiaoqing oftentimes remained latched. As the days went by and the children grew, the boy’s gluttonous habits were beginning to show in the form of distended sides and rolls. As all children so frequently were, he was oblivious; the changes were noticed only when he moved himself, which was not often, and then quickly forgotten shortly thereafter. If life could remain this way always, he would be satisfied until the end. But life was always changing, evolving with the encouragement of developments.

Still was the moon reigning over the sky when the child awoke, a hiccup startling him—enough that his eyes slowly began to open, a sliver’s worth of gained sight increasing each time he blinked until his eyes were as wide as the moon itself. Everything seemed dark, still, the traces of moonlight seeping into the den being the only light to greet him—and he hardly noticed the change, sight blurry and unreliable. But even as young as he was, Xiao understood something was amiss. And that newly discovered disturbance led to him whining and whimpering, growing louder with each breath, ignorant of those that may be sleeping around him.

As Xiaoqing whined, Huā awoke, naturally in tune with the calls of her children. What had stirred him so? As her own eyes fluttered open, she began to coo and hush, hoping to calm her only son. She leaned towards him, and as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, she noticed the round blue of his own. In the days prior he nor Luli had opened theirs as soon as their sisters, and so she was taken aback yet relieved, only emitted a little gasp of dual joy and shock. Why he cried still, though, she did not know- but she recalled the other day, the way Nüwu had cried until Nimueh had come along to assist. Was it as simple as that this time around? Simply a matter of comfort? There was no way to know without trying, and so she continued to hush and murmur sweet nothings to Little Blue, delicately swiping her forehead with his tongue lovingly, hoping to bring him some peace with the warmth of a parent.

Single post from me. :)

In the day following a development that Luli and Xiaoqing seemingly missed out on, the latter joined the party. The tiniest of Huā's baby seadragons, malnourished and underdeveloped as she was, would need to wait a while longer.

Last to enter the world and now last to see, she was doomed to fall far behind her siblings. It was alright, though: too little to know of this great new sense she was missing out on, Luli was content to go about her daily activities. She suckled when the opportunity presented itself and she slumbered for long hours, which was a pattern that had repeated itself since birth. Tucked away among her littermates, the dappled infant snoozed quietly while her brother explored his newfound eyesight. 

She had lived, which was a blessing. Now she simply had some catching up to do.

Cries brought comfort and comfort brought interest; did the more he cry correlate directly with the amount of attention received? Such was a thought to muse over another day, far into the future, when proper thought patterns no longer escaped him. For now, the boy’s whimpers slowly turned into soft coos and garbled blabbering. Unsteady, his excitement caused him to tumble over—and he took it a step further yet, rolling over onto his back.

Baby blues widened in awe, a new shadow disrupting this gift of his. Large and dark yet… soft, gentle—was this the Milk Giver? Slowly, the little sailor’s paws flung up and he batted at the shadow playfully, any ounce of sleep that clung to him previously now having flown straight out the window.

Coos and babbles, she adored the sounds- warming her heart immediately with their adorable nature. Better than crying, certainly! Huāzhen did not know what a dangerous lesson she might be teaching about the correlation between crying and attention, only knew that giving the boy what he wanted now made things a lot simpler at present. 

Little blue tumbled, rolling onto his back and eliciting a tiny giggle from his mother. Silly boy. Pale paws reached up to her from below, batting at the air and occasionally brushing the edge of her muzzle. She leaned closer, making the reach easier- and loving the feeling of interacting with her blue-eyed son. Xiaoqing... She murmured lovingly, content to be his playtoy until he wore himself back to sleepiness.

But gently did his paws brush against and passed her muzzle, hardly able to reach at first. Only when she lowered her head did he find it far easier to touch her—and as much as he could, he wondered if this was how things were meant to be. A cry bringing him attention, that attention becoming a connection… if only he were capable of thinking of these things in depth. Later in life, perhaps these same questions might find him but, for now, there was but a single focus: play.

Warm breath fanned over him, causing a shiver to shake his small frame—another new experience, the warmth that came from his mother and siblings combined usually willing such motions away. Pausing in his batting, he gazed up at her curiously: did she cause that? Huffing, the child used his hindlimbs to kick out, trying to repeat whatever it was that just happened to him.

As her breath left her, her son shivered slightly. So small, so precious- and positively worrying the over-paranoid mother. A shiver? Was he sick? Or was it simply a reaction to the new feelings around him? Huā couldn't be sure, was no medic, and had no way to assess him. But she remained close, loving the feeling of togetherness. His paws sunk away, and he stared at her- and seaglass gaze stared right back, warm little smile decorating her face. She didn't realize his hindlimbs might come next though, and his feet collided with the base of her chin, forcing a small unf of surprise more than anything. Then a cheeky grin grew on her face- you little rascal- and she leaned in to nuzzle at his belly, hoping to tickle some giggles out of him.

Contact was made, which surprised him as much as it did her; his little body jolted upwards slightly and his eyes widened, confusion scrawled across his face in big, bold letters. But soon the expression was wiped away by a grin as she nuzzled his abdomen, whilst his body twisted and rolled with glee. Soft wuffs and quiet laughter flowed past his lips, a truly jolly boy.

wrapping! : ) we can have something new sometime soon since the kiddos r getting big

 

The boy's eyes widened, but then came that infantile grin as he wiggled, clearly affected by her tickle attack. Xiaoqing let out small breaths of laughter, and Huā had to subdue her own amusement at the baby, wishing to join in the laughter too. She would entertain him for a while longer until he grew tired, and eventually she might put him to rest beside her, glad to have such a seemingly happy and carefree little son.