Wheeling Gull Isle The saltwater room.

When at last Luli's tiny body permitted the development of a new sense, she did not take any notice. It happened through the night when a growl of hunger in her belly forced her to wake, and only one of her denim blue eyes had cracked open. Enveloped in warm darkness, the dappled infant drank her fill of mother's milk and slumbered once more.

Hours later, when fresh daylight flooded the mouth of Huā's whelping burrow, the desire to feed roused the seadragon once again. This time, the seal of both stormy eyes had broken, and Luli blinked awkwardly as she shifted to rummage with her snout among her mother's belly furs in search of a teat.

宝宝， Huā murmured with eyes still closed as she felt one of her children searching for food once again. Her eyes cracked open upon the koi Luli- the one whom she worried about the most, whose eyes had been shut for even days longer than her sisters. But not anymore. Huā sucked in a breath of surprise as a smile cracked her maw, at the sight of those bright blue eyes her worries were somewhat relieved. As her daughter searched, she leaned in to place a few awkward laps at her forehead, joyful that she had finally joined the other three in the world of vision.

When the smoothing of her mother's tongue came to the girl's rosy brow, she mewled softly. Distracted at once from her nosing among feathered undersides, Luli lifted her oversized head to point her muzzle upward, new eyes searching for where that random kiss had come from.

She was a little surprised to see something. A dark face, blurred and unrecognisable, yet familiar in some way. Luli was not afraid of this new sight and was quick to associate the colours with comfort and safety. Cooing softly, the dappled infant blinked and moved around, eager to reach out for a closer look.

The noise that Luli made was so adorable that Huā fought to keep an awwww from slipping out of her. Luli seemed to pause from searching for food, instead looking up to Huā for a moment before releasing another little noise. The siren wondered what took place inside a baby's head. Did she have any feelings about seeing her mother for the first time? She supposed these were the things she would never know, but she was still content with the quietly curious company. As the rosy girl wiggled slightly, Huā leaned towards her again, slowly this time- intending to meet her tiny muzzle with her own, initiating a friendly nose-boop.

Movement, again, and soon a giant black snout was aimed directly at her tiny face. All previous recognition melted away and Luli's delayed thoughts were of how she should move away, how this huge creature staring right at her was going to gobble her up, and how trying to better utilise her newfound vision was a dumb idea.

Too little and underdeveloped to make any sort of getaway nevermind a speedy one, the tiniest seadragon did the next best thing: she closed her eyes to block it all out. They couldn't see her if she couldn't see them, right?

She settled once again, however, as the touch of an adult muzzle to her own came delicately. Nostrils flared, she inhaled deep the warm aroma of her mother and fear of the incoming nose became a distant memory. Luli cooed in delight at the hooded she-wolf and shifted her head to rest her chin atop the bridge of Huā's snout to reach for a better look at her vivid, seaglass eyes.

ur literally the best at playing puppies rebel

The little seadragon's eyes were tightly shut as Huā leaned toward her, though the mother was not intuitive enough to recognize it as a sign of fear. Soon though, an inhale came from the girl, who began to coo. Huā was delighted- did she smell that good? The rosy girl's teeny tiny muzzle came to rest on Huā's own, and so she was rock-still, not wanting to disturb whatever her daughter was doing. Wide blue gaze met her own of seaglass, and she wondered whether Luli's gaze would one day reflect her own. She blinked slowly, maintaining the eye contact- for it was a wonderful feeling, to meet the eyes, and see the soul beyond them.

To little Luli, the scent of mother meant so much more than a simple aroma that she favoured above all others. She was her whole world: a provider of milk and warmth, a comfort whenever she was fearful, a guardian when her bigger siblings upset her delicate balance. She was her parent, her safety net, her everything.

So to meet her vivid cyan eyes for the first time, there was more than familiarity reflected back in her baby blues. Luli looked at her mother with infinite love and adoration for all that this single wolfess meant to her, and she too held the stare for as long as she felt able. With a happy little mewl, the dappled seadragon wriggled contently and mouthed affectionately at Huā's raven muzzle, exploring her nose and whiskers curiously with her lips.

For a long time they made eye contact, and though Huā's love for her children was not determined by this or that- was infinite, forever- but she could've sworn her heart swelled in those minutes, and her love for Luli somehow tripled. I made this. It was a miracle that Huā could bring about such a lovely little creature, disadvantaged in size and development but still working to grow, drinking milk and opening her eyes and becoming a beautiful little girl. She sighed a sigh of contentment. 

Soon the girl broke the stare, and the mother welcomed it, as she remained close which was good enough. A little mewl, and then her lips were against Huā- her muzzle invaded by the little girl seeking to explore. The mother wondered whether any taste of fish remained on her muzzle- whether Luli might taste the salt of the sea and develop a craving. She hoped her children might be skilled fishers like she, perhaps in due time- and for now she was quiet, unmoving as the girl explored. No desire to disturb her quest. 

if you want, we can wrap this up whenever and have a new thread soon :D

Fading here!

When Luli could no longer support the strange angle of her neck, she felt the strain. Blinking, she abandoned her exploration of her mother's face and turned her face away with a soft little mewl.

It was all so new and so exciting, that it was swiftly too much for the tiniest seadragon. Luli, despite her curiosity and the absence of any real desire to sleep, struggled to keep slumber from sweeping her away. She snuggled close to her dam and fell dozed, content to be warm and happy between her loving arms.