Bearclaw Valley No, child, you cannot have grenades or assault rifles in the classroom

Aventus was growing into a peculiar little pup. When he was in the presence of his mother or his sister, he seemed perfectly ordinary, if unusually quiet. He was curious about new things, responsive to stimuli, and a touch rebellious. A typical toddler exploring his boundaries and learning. In Merrick's presence, he was practically a worshipper on his knees, eager to please and compliant to a fault, as though he feared his father would whoop his ass if he was anything but.

As for strangers, owing to the fact that his soul remembered the trauma of being outside the den even though he did not, Aventus had yet to meet a single one. Indeed, today was the first day the pup had even poked his face outdoors. There was something a little ominous feeling about the world outside, even though it was a sunny and beautiful day. The perfect day for a rebellious cub to try to sneak out.

And yet he remained crouched in the threshold, peering around with bright blue eyes, as if waiting for something terrible to happen.

astara had seen aventus' form gravitate towards the den's entrance; she watched in silence, as was customary for her. in the days that had followed her bearcub's chaotic introduction to this world, even she had noticed her son was far more quiet than his sibling.

perhaps he came by that proclivity honestly; astara had never spoken a word in her life. perhaps, he might grow to be something very similar -- or perhaps not. if he shared the same pelt color as his dam, could he not share other things?

astara's rumination on aventus' psyche was cut short as she saw him come close to that hidden line. for now, the blackbird did not intercept -- she was content to let him explore his surroundings, so long as he remained safe. maybe she was unorthodox, or maybe just an extremely inexperienced mother -- all the same, she felt compelled to act only if he traipsed past that invisible border.

Nothing terrible happened.

A tittering bird in a tree caused his tiny ears to flick forward. That sound, muffled by the cotton of newly opened ears, was nevertheless as loud as a gunshot compared to the complete silence he was accustomed to. His little shoulders came up in a defensive hunch as he cast around for the source of the sound, but he didn't know to look up, and never found it. There was a static crackle to the world outside, the susurrus of foliage and water and all things nature, and he could not identify that either.

And still nothing terrible happened. After several lengthy minutes of hovering on the threshold with no ill consequences, Aventus became a little bold and began toddling forward, wholly unaware of the keen eye his mother had trained on his backside, and wholly unaware that the world out there wasn't yet ready for him.

the blackbird watched as her boy drank in his surroundings, flinching at once from the sirensong of birds above. how accustomed she had become to the chorus of daily life -- it must be strange for aventus.

she shifted and placed her head upon her paws, watching as her boy went from timid to temerity; what she would not give for that youthful confidence -- before she learned the world was full of sharp edges and thorns!

she indulged his curiosity a moment longer. it was not her nature to coddle or to helicopter, but instinct whispered then he was not to leave the den. a low growl sounded from her throat, meant to draw his attention back homeward and keep him from his wayward path.

The whole world was there in front of Aventus, full of pitfalls and dangers and disappointments, but all the boy knew was that Nothing Bad Was Happening, and that made the outside world wondrous and beautiful in the eyes of a hesitant child.

Astara's growl came just in time; Aventus was about to bolt out the door into the field beyond with his little heart emboldened by the lack of punishment. But just before his hinds could tighten and launch him out, she rumbled her disapproval and just like he always did when Merrick glared down at him, Aventus flattened himself.

But unlike his interactions with Merrick, Aventus wasn't terrified and awestruck in his dam's presence, so he was able to slowly turn his head to look back over his shoulder at her black hole gaze glimmering in the darkness. And because he wasn't terrified of Astara, and because he was quite a different child in her presence—in spite of his shy nature—he was able to engage in a bit of childish, insolent mischief.

Peering cat-like back at her and giving his tail a little shake, as if to say don't worry mama, I'm listening, he began sliding his left forepaw ever so slowly forward. If he was slow enough, she would never notice until he was up and gone!

it was only a matter of time before the boldness natural to both of his parents came to aventus. astara, having counted her blessings the days had been fraught with so little strife, watched bemused as her son first flattened himself, and then slowly regarded her.

she did not miss the careful meditation that seemed to cross aventus' visage; was he to test her, to see what the world was like without his mama as shield?

half wondering if merrick was lurking in the bushes, astara met the cheeky glint of her son's gaze, ears perked ahead and muscles in wait for his bolt. should he run, she would be right behind him -- but she would let him have his little game for now, only if it would help foster his confidence, and help him grow.

Aventus' ploy was working. The boy scrutinized his mother carefully and saw no indication that she knew he was still moving. Good, good. He failed to spot all the little signs that she was, in fact, watching him just as closely as he was her, and so he continued creeping his paw forward, then anchored it in the dirt.

That was all it took for him to feel like he'd won. Without warning, the inky child flung himself into a haphazard gallop, hoping to capitalize on his mother's surprise without ever realizing that she was ready for this. He thought he'd be long gone before she recovered from her shock at how clever he was.

astara noted the temerity in which aventus suddenly wriggled forward. many times, she had felt the boy might be a bit too timid -- a bit too wary -- many times, she had wondered if he would suffer the same afflictions as she.

in that retrospect, she was a better mother than she realized -- for she strove very hard to to stifle none of her son's budding needs. if this little crusade would help him actualize the confidence come by his natural pedigree, astara just might humor it.

for a time.

aventus was off like a blur; astara's ears flew forward in dramatic pantomime, and she lurched after him. she did not catch up to the boy right away, rather, she sought to control the length of her stride as if to be desperately left in the reeds by aventus' inspired bolt. eventually, she would catch up to him -- but for now she lurked after at an easy coast, curious to see what aventus would do with his newfound discovery of the outerworld.

He'd never run so fast in his life. The whelping den wasn't all that spacious, leaving little room for Aventus and Avicus to stretch their legs in this fashion. He felt like he was positively flying. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't stifle the quiet giggles that spilled over his lips as he barrelled across the lawn at a listing, drunken pace. His legs got away with him a few times and he stumbled frequently, but Astara was still way behind him. He was winning in spite of his clumsiness.

That is, until the ground beneath his paws turned into a decline and he gathered more speed than he knew what to do with. His hindquarters felt like they were catching up with his shoulders, and before he knew it, Aventus was out of control. He tripped over his own feet and crumped into the grass, smashing his nose so hard that it made his head spin.

could she laugh, she might have doneso alongside her child's cherubic giggles.

for the briefest, most transcendent piece of time, it was just the two of them running through sunny glade, laughing --

and then his feet got away from him, and his topheavy body overturned. astara winced as he streaked like an upended comet, her stride lengthening in concern as he tumbled roughly to a careening halt.

it looked painful; she inspected his detritus studded fur carefully, and sniffed roughly along his neck and spine. suddenly, it didn't seem like playtime anymore - and even though puppies were naturally clumsy, astara was overcome with mother-hen worry. she attempted a lick across the boy's skull, wondering if he would cry or carry on.

Round and round went the world, making Aventus so dizzy that he could only slouch in the grass. Nothing like knocking your brains around a little. By the time the vertigo passed, Astara was looming over his prone form and laving a soothing tongue over the dome of his head. He lifted muzzle into the breeze and felt the telltale cooling of liquid on his nose and snout, followed by a gentle pattering of blood on the ground between his paws.

He beheld these beads of crimson with shocked eyes and his bottom lip wobbled, but he held back the tears that gathered on his eyelids. Even at this tender age, Aventus felt that crying was weak—he was too young to understand it, but something in him believed that his sister wouldn't cry and neither could he. He would upset his mother if he did.

He picked himself up off the dirt, but although his willpower was strong enough to swallow down his natural desire to cry, he couldn't muster enough of it to keep going. He turned and began to slink back to the den, deftly licking his own blood from his lips.

Wrap?

yes!! would love a new one, i'll fade <3

astara marveled at the toughness of her boy as he first overcame his dizziness, and then trudged on. aventus surprised her by his resolve -- he was not so young to be entirely helpless, but he was young enough where his scrapes with pain and the world were minimal.

and yet, he stood up almost immediately after being knocked down, demonstrating a dogged determination that pleased his dam. she aimed a playful snap at his tail as he slunk away, resolving to subtly give him extra attention tonight -- for today might have been the first day he shed his own blood, and went on in spite of it.