Now that her pups had opened their eyes, and their hearing was getting better, Erika would let them wander about more in the den. Occasionally they would get a glimpse of the outdoors, but she would lean over and drag them back if they ever tried to escape. They were not ready yet.
One of the females from the pack, Kipling, was interested in being a Caretaker like Ferdie was. The mother hadn't seen her in action yet, and she didn't even know her, really, so when she had finally quieted her twins, she wriggled out of the den to tip her head back and send out a low call for the aspiring Caretaker.
She had been anticipating the call, eventually. Being shot down by Ferdie at her first attempt to step in and help with the children hadn’t deterred her from wanting to assist, but if left her with the lingering question of when? So it was with surprise Kipling jerked her head upright at the abrupt call, hesitating before pulling herself up. It wasn’t Ferdie doing the summons, and never having heard Erika’s howl before she wondered at who it was as she began to trek down slope. The she-wolf realized then, she was heading in the direction of the whelping den and with new enthusiasm she quickened her pace.
She came down smoothly, circling around to greet the dark Kappa with the soft wag of her tail, and a small hopeful smile curled upon her face. She didn’t outright assume, what she wished she’d had been called for, but the question hung with the widening of her bright eyes.
Scents had become distinct, her mother, her brother, and a familiar, yet strange one that often accompanied an unending warble of unknown words and sounds. Harsh compared to the lilting tones of her matron. Since her eyes had opened she was always watching her mother, making sure she was well within sight at almost all times. Of course at this moment the child had been sleeping, so when the call from her mother echoed nearby she awoke to see her a short distance away and quickly made as much noise and effort as she could to close that gap.
This one was a mothers child, indeed.
The gray female came promptly, her tail wagging in greeting. At the arrival of another wolf, her pups squealed questionally. Serena had been sleeping at the time, but when Erika got up and moved the small brown bundle rose and squeaked, following her. Her darker son followed her, squealing louder than his sister as always. Ever since birth he had been like that, trying to outdo the younger, smaller sibling.
Her pups snuggled close to her, the mother spoke to the potential caretaker. "Bonjour, Kipling." She greeted the gray wolf. "I was wondering, since it iz common for mothers to ask for 'elp from other females to raise ze pups, if you would be up for it? Ferdie iz very 'elpful, but I do not wish to keep 'im away from 'is duties..." It was out of respect for him anyway. Taking care of a pack and taking care of pups was tiring, even if he didn't show it. But it took a pack to raise a pup, and she wanted to involve more people, despite Ferdie's wishes. Though he did claim her pups, she was the one who labored with them for hours.
[color=#FF60E]"Would you be up for it?"[/color] She had a strong feeling that she would say yes. While she waited for Kipling to respond, Alphonse squeaked playfully and pounced on his younger sister without grace, a daily occurrence now that the pups were up and about.
The dark Fantôme squealed loudly as he clumsily pounced -or tried to-on his sister, the lumpy small brown body. Innocent blue gaze looking up at his mother and the weird stranger that he didn't think he had met before. He squealed louder again, trying to batter his paws against both his sister's tiny brown body and his mother's large black body. The result of that was him falling flat on his pudgy face as he tried hitting both of them.
Whimpering slightly, he rolled onto his back, his paws waving wildly up at the air and a moment later all that had happened a moment before was forgotten. A big lumpy smile appeared on his dark face as his paws twirled around the air like windmills. Finally, getting tired of this game, he struggled to go to his sister again. Paws outstretched as he tried to get to the tiny brown body quickly.
Whoah!
She exclaimed taken back for a moment at the dark boy’s antics—they were far from potatoes now, they seemed to have grown overnight and where getting not only bigger but more mobile by the day. Kipling didn’t doubt in a week or two they’d been a pawful for both parents alone, but then again, that was some of the logic behind wolves living in packs. She was delighted to know that Erika shared her viewpoints on such a matter, because really all she had wanted was to help in the best way she knew how.
I’ve never had any of my own. Just little brothers and sisters, but I’d love to help. Anytime, you just tell me and I’m here—kinda like now.
And at that she chuckled slightly, though she was honest with her words. This is what she wanted to do, and Erika’s pregnant arrival might have been unexpected but it was not unwelcome. Especially now that she could see the pups tumbling about, What’re their names?
She exclaimed with new excitement, peering down at the bundles of joy, and crouching low so that she was now on their level instead of their mother’s.