Neverwinter Forest wine-dark and wanting

according to my puppy guide they can hear & walk & go just outside the den for a little while practically the same time? er, at least that's how i took it. so idk here's a weird 2 for 1. open for anyone! tags for reference!

asmoses pats the ground with his front paws, nearly bursting with excitement at the prospect of going outside. his vision was slowly improving and the opening of his ears — the sounds he and @Liliana speak are awful, he realizes — and steps upon wobbly legs had been quick to follow. he babbles puppy nonsense to @Miriam, proud of himself, like he's forming words. he cannot yet master words, cannot bid his tongue to form the coherent sounds that his amma does. still, asmoses tries to do better than just ...scream.

he trips over his own paws as he gallops awkwardly to the mouth of the den, squinting against the soft morning sun that he sees thru the break of green canopy. he recedes back, uncertain for a second, weakened noise twitching as he tries to take in all the scents he can. it immediately overwhelms him and he presses against the safety of the den with a soft whimper of uncertainty.

everything, from the swaying grasses, to the whisper of the leaves on the trees, to the singing of the songbirds was ...a lot more than he expected. though, admittedly, expectations hadn't been high to begin with.

asmoses's reluctance was mirrored within herself, though liliana was less willing to retreat. their mother was nearby; her strong scent gave implicit permission for the twins to do as they pleased, (within reason). tripping comically over uncoordinated paws, the cherub trotted to her brother's side to pushing him back into the open.

regardless of whether her attempts were successful, liliana decided she would investigate for herself. she walked to a small collection of stones, lining the vibrant green of a low-lying fern, and pawed each one with an infant's curiousity.

something flew by the mouth of the den whistling a soft tune, startling asmoses and with a shocked squeak he recoils back into the safety of the shadows; a warmth spreading amidst the ground with the sharp tang that he realizes is his own urine. would he have been older he would've been embarrassed that he peed himself but too young to really know or at least categorize it as something he should be ashamed of; he takes an unsteady, uncertain breath even as liliana marches on, clearly more brave than he.

sssiii — he baby babbles to her, calling out to her in a boyish, wavering voice. be careful! he tries to warn her but doesn't know how to communicate it beyond babbling and creeping out of the den. in the full rays of the sun, which is pleasant and warm against his back, he hurries to liliana's side, careening towards her side.

liliana could smell the urine, knew that it came from asmoses, but didn't understand what had caused the accident. everything seemed normal; up until recently, miriam had been helping them to pass waste, a standard activity in the whelping den. thus, the wetting occupied her mind for only a brief moment before he focus shifted elsewhere.

asmoses held close, his sudden touch bringing a sweet giggle from his sister's mouth. she pushed herself closer to him, too, so that the pair appeared almost as one. liliana tapped on a nearby stone, murmuring some invitation for her twin to do the same.

asmoses feels warmth — joy, making itself known by the eager sway of his tail — spread within his chest as liliana makes a soft giggle and doesn't pull away from him. he is comforted by her boldness, soaking up her presence and steeling his shoulders; emboldened. he watches as she prods at a dull grey lump... and invites him to do the same. baby blue gaze studies it before he pokes it with his nose realizing instantly and regrettably that it was not soft. stumped, he babbles, waazzzzet? though attention quickly snapped by the flutter of a colorful butterfly.

asmoses's question didn't make sense, but liliana didn't mind. she followed his line of vision to the freely fluttering butterfly, a small smile growing on her face. oh, mm.., she said to her brother, wondering how he might react.

unwilling to let him wander too far away, liliana decided to remain close. he was her source of courage as much as she was his, which meant that she had no other options! she looked to asmoses for permission, then slowly started walking toward the tiny spectacle.