Moonspear teacher's pet

Takes place in the den. :)

Her fever had broken sometime overnight, and she was currently nestled up against somebody, her immune system stronger than it had been when she'd first caught... whatever it was. Likely only a cold, but it had made her more fussy the past few days. This morning, she'd been able to sleep properly for the first time, and now that afternoon had arrived, she awoke to find the strange sensation of light coming into her eyes.

They weren't fully open (that would happen tomorrow), but what was once nothing was now something. When she swiveled her head one way, she saw brightness, and when she swiveled it the other way, the brightness went away. Making out shapes in any coherent would still be a week or so off, but for now her brain processed what it could as she experimented turning her head from side to side.

Rest had been difficult to come by, something that Sialuk's feverish state had made nearly nonexistent in these most recent of times. Not only did she seem uncomfortable throughout it all, reasonably enough, he was easily anxious about it too.. so spent plenty of time helping to check her over to make sure she wasn't getting any warmer, or trying to help cool her off. But, eventually, this seemed to reach a breaking point and finally the pup appeared to get some real rest--and for that, he was hugely thankful, though still on guard about it anyway. They were still so small, and as very much a first-timer at this, he didn't know enough of what they could endure.

Jarilo was nearby, sort of half-dozing in and out of something almost like sleep himself arced around the pale girl.. hopefully allowing Kukutux and Saviguk some earnest reprieve for now before he would eventually regroup and head back down the mountain. When Sia began to stir, he slowly picked up his own head and blinked at her. He patted the den floor with a few tired tail wags, hoping he could keep this under control for the both of them as she wobbled her head this way then that.

The feeling of movement in the air led Sialuk to point her head toward her father. She couldn't make him out visually, but she was instinctually drawn to his scent, which wafted toward her. On young, unsteady feet, she began to make her way toward him. She fell no fewer than six times, but she showed no signs of giving up. Sia eventually made her way to him, and when a tuft of her father's hair went into her nostrils, she half-snorted, half-sneezed.

As he eased back into being fully awake and a lot more aware of everything, he watched little Sia come for him. Though so tiny, and definitely not the steadiest approach he'd ever seen (all sprinkled with a few puppy falls--which thankfully she didn't have far to go on her little stubby legs), he couldn't help but pat the den floor with his tail and not get in her way.

He marveled quietly, then after her sneeze-snort, he swiped a tongue over her head and looked her over to make sure none of her tumbles had been bad enough.. and hoping that disturbance was shooed off with that said. You seem like you're feeling better, and I'm glad.. he murmured low though he knew she wouldn't understand, and set his head down closer to her while still watching carefully--since he was still so new to the world of pups this small; watching them grow and change already, how things influenced them, and how their horizons would expand exponentially one day.. it was all such a strange learning experience for him, too.

Where once there was darkness, now there was light. Saviguk's eyes had just begun to open, offering a peek at the baby blues behind his dark lids. Met with a blinding flash of brightness, he swung his head away promptly, back towards the familiar comfort of the shadows of the den. Only he hadn't thought to scrunch his eyes shut, and so the light remained.

The sting didn't subside, no matter which way he turned his head or tried to shuffle away from the unknown source of brightness. Brow furrowing in displeasure, he let out a frustrated little cry. Blindly, he bumped into his sister, where he felt the partial sneeze of her body heave against him. Head pressed close, he was fascinated by the silvery-white of her fur. It was like the light...but somehow different. Lips parting, he took an experimental mouthful.

His muzzle moved, and Sialuk was captivated by it and the glimpses of small pointy white teeth within. Saviguk was then close by, which she noted by his bumping into her and not by seeing him before he'd done so. Then there was a sensation of wetness as he licked her fur. The tiniest of tiny growls collected in the back of her throat, confusing her as much as anybody else.

Pale Sia had maintained most of his focus, at least until Savi shuffled a bit and offered a noise of what sounded a lot like a complaint. Jarilo's ears fell, though worry slowly rose. Deescalating puppy problems was not something he had very many fixes for, honestly. Usually he was best at just rearranging or licking at them until the problem ceased to bother them--much past that, the last, usual best matter was offering Kukutux them to for food and a mother's touch--but he really did want to leave her out of it for as long as he could help it. Maybe he could keep it under control.

Sialuk answered her brother's mouthing with a tiny growl, and his ears flicked back up at that--never having heard a growl so small. Oh look out, Savi, he teased, reaching then to gently lick the boy's head, and then on his shoulders. Seemed like they were both experimenting with new senses, or just getting a better grip on themselves--he really couldn't say for sure, but he liked to think they were doing alright for tiny little wolves! As he pulled away, Jarilo re-positioned slightly, making a better crescent around the two with himself.

He froze, his mouth still wrapped gingerly around a clump of Sialuk's pale fur. This...wasn't right. She wasn't mom, nor did the texture of her fur feel anything remotely like food. Undeterred by her tiny little growl, he was polite enough to remove his grip, realizing his mistake.

But he kept close, newly opened eyes trying to trace the lines of her body while Jarilo tended to him momentarily. His face scrunched momentarily, as if trying to say hey can't you see I'm busy here? He had sensed his sisters battle with her fever, but hadn't pestered her while she recovered. Now that she had, he insisted on looking her over, prodding her oh so gently as if to be absolutely sure she was a-okay. She was already without a toe. Nothing else had better happen!

Whatever the vibrations were, they'd had the desired effect. Saviguk released his grip, and Sialuk was pleased with herself. So pleased, in fact, that she wiggled her tiny tail back and forth. But Savi was soon at it again, poking and prodding her and being a typical annoying brother. Instead of growling this time, Sia took a few tiny steps back to create distance between them, bumping into her father in the process and landing on her butt. Now sitting upright, she blinked at the dark figure that was Saviguk, wondering what might happen next.

Well, there were no more growls so that was probably a good thing since Saviguk had let go but did seem bugged (judging by that scrunch face, though with puppies... hard to tell..) by the attentions, so Jarilo let him be a bit. Sialuk, then, made distance between them, which drew the new father's attention her way most of all as he studied the scene quietly. She didn't seem to want much to do with her brother's poking about, though, hard to say for sure from his perspective. How intentional was some of their wiggling? He had no idea.

But, in this, he did not intervene entirely yet because he was curious how it would continue to pan out between them and their simple exchanges. He only gave the pale daughter a soft lick on her head to see if she'd be as peeved by him as she was by her brother, or if she'd wrinkle her face like Savi did. Compare, contrast, and so on. Maybe soon, he should consider ushering them back to their mother for a meal and nap.

While Sialuk pulled away to place some space between herself and her nosy brother, Saviguk at last, seemed to get the message. Or it was more likely so in that he was satisfied with his little inspection and that Sia was feeling better. His interest diverted, he focused on Jarilo, his father. Rather than try and move away, back to the familiar comfort of his mom, he shuffled closer, hiking himself up over one of his mountainous fore-legs. Eager to discover more of this strange being, who he somehow felt connected to.

When her father brushed his tongue on the top of her head, she did not mind it near as much as she had her brother's touch. The sensation was all together different, and there was something ever-so calming about it. Saviguk did not approach her again, and for that, the small silver speck was thankful. She watched as her brother toppled over their father's foreleg, and a small giggle bubbled up through her throat. Her mood brightened considerably, and she followed suit, scurrying toward the leg and ending up side-by-side with her other, darker half.

To him, still so new at pups, everything they did was worth a careful observation where he wasn't sure if it was more awe or confusion at them--and everything they did. He stayed very still, forelimbs-wise especially, as Saviguk hoisted himself over his legs, and Sialuk made a move to match it. He grinned at them as he watched, and did not want to be a shifting mountainside for them for them to practice on, after all.. but together, side by side, they were awfully precious. He had to marvel, once more of course, savoring the moment.

You'll have even bigger hills to climb one day soon, he said with a hushed voice, and breathed a gust of warm breath over their shoulders as he angled his neck to reach and to poke them gently--Sialuk first, then Saviguk, memorizing their scents, sharing his own with them in all regards. Jarilo didn't feel like he could have enough. So best to get all the practice you can, little ones.. he said fondly through their fine furs. Here, they were safe to tumble and learn with him to watch over them. After all, it was their blood to scale the heights (while at the same time, he knew they carried the heritage of the frozen seas from their mother as well--would that effect them one day?), he was sure they would be fine when the time came.

But for now, he was pretty sure their mom would appreciate him wearing them out a bit, so he pressed his forelegs together for more to climb over. He encouraged this with a few nudges, though left it ultimately up to them where they wandered to on him.. he'd let it be, happy for their attention and willingness to check him out, even if he surely wasn't as important to them as their mother was just yet--but he'd be there to make sure they learned too.. once they were a little older, and not nursing, of course. That gave Kukutux an advantage that he was not about to try to compete with, understandably enough (and he'd never grown out of being a momma's boy himself).

Wrapping up old threads, so this is the last from me. <3

Slumped over her father's foreleg, combined with the warmth from Saviguk, it wasn't long before Sialuk's newly-opened eyes began to flutter shut more than they were open. When her father nudged her, Sialuk protested with a grunt, refusing to move any further for now. Perhaps when she was roused with milk she would be more motivated to continue her conquest of the two legs. Soon enough, her breathing slowed and she made soft sounds in her sleep as she dreamt.

The black wolf was there again, but this time there was something off. There was a feeling of deep unrest within him. She looked down to see the head of some other wolf and a small red babe nearby. The red one was precious, she knew. The now headless wolf had threatened her well-being, and the red one had to be saved. It was the only way.

cool, i will wrap! <3

Slowly, it seemed things were winding down and maybe the pups had reached the end of their energies for now. Sialuk already appeared pretty content with her spot on his leg, so he was careful to let her be. He took a moment to situate Saviguk afterward, trying to keep them close, but not so overly close to disturb anyone with any rogue wiggling--if there might be any. Jarilo watched for a while, and eventually, simply let them be.

Even if it left him pretty stuck, pinned to the ulaq-floor by little blots of wolf on and around his front legs, he couldn't complain any. With stillness coming around, he kept up his silent watch from there until their mother came to collect them for an inevitable mealtime.