Duskfire Glacier baby doll, you need some rock & roll

puppy thread :)

Maera hadn't yet grasped the concept of the Glacier being their new home, the idea of it had been trying to slide into her mind but she hadn't been able to bring herself to accept there would be no more Bazi coming to play, no Galileo to wrestle and no mud baths by the creek's edge. She liked the new den though, it was comfy and even if there were a lot of strangers around constantly she felt glad to see Danica's face among the crowd.

After the whole pack had joined in a glorious choir to celebrate the Glacier's conquest, the fire kissed girl hadn't touched the subject of home. She had wondered the reason of their sudden vacation but had never even made an effort to ask --at least not Mom or Dad. They seemed far to busy to be bothered, instead she recurred to the sleeping form of her pillow-brother Larus as a therapist. She often whispered and mumbled in his ear, murmuring senseless nothings that seemed to soothe the anxiety the move had brought on her.

It was not as if she was being consumed alive by the jittery butterflies that floated in her stomach, she was just nervous to be around a new set of faces in an un-mapped enviroment; even if she had not beeon out much back at the creek she had gotten familiarized with the little garden surrounding their home. What she missed the most were probably the flowers that popped out of the ground here and there, with no real order or reason. They were pleasing to the eye though not to the stomach --she had learned that after chomping on a dandelion..

In the north, where they home laid craddled by mountains there was not a flower to be seen. Or at least not yet. Maera had walked out the door that afternoon with the quest of finding at least one. She slipped past the den's exit, keeping her ears pinned and her tail erect, and despite having clown-sized feet she still tried to tip toe away without being seen.
That was a mission she had to do alone.

Whatever mission Maera was attempting, Njal was hardly going to let the little girl get through with it without his backup. Initially when he spotted her little self trying to leave the den, he had wanted to intervene. To sweep in while the other kids were occupied with their mother and save the day by sweeping up the little girl. But when he got closer, Njal noticed a strange determination within her. A fire that was truly an aspect of her mother.

So when Maera finally was clear of the den, Njal shadowed her. He didn't have to move very fast to keep up with her, or to keep hidden. It helped that the entire pack land now smelled heavily like himself and Tuwawi. If any danger lurked in this strange new land, the silver father would be there to thwart it.

The girl's concentration was so intense she didn't notice the giant gray boulder following her around. She had her little meatball of a nose stuck close to the ground, sniffing around like she had seen some other adults do --though in reality she wasn't even sure of what she was doing. As she began to leave the den behind her she began to feel more secure; maybe because part of her really felt the presence of her father shadowing her steps or just because the idea of going on her first solo adventure was exciting.

Her oversized feet held more grace now, through she was doing a lousy job trying not to leave anything behind. More than once her delicate pawpads left an imprint on the soil as she walked by. Thank god she was not a secret agent, or she'd be doomed.

After a good ten minutes of walking, sniffing here and there and stopping for an impromptu potty break, the flame drapped girl became tired. Not a single flower had popped by to say hello. Maera gave a little sigh and allowed her weight (and gravity) to push her onto her rump. "Whe' are you?" she barked into the air, hoping her question would summon the flowers and plants she was so desperately looking for.

It was interesting for the father to watch the girl. He wondered what was going through her mind as she waddled around; what sort of smells caught her attention, and what exactly she was following. He followed after her at a steady pace, but tried to give her some leeway - providing a wide berth so that she wouldn't realize there was someone nearby. Njal's mind thought of all the things that could go wrong with this scenario, but he dismissed most of the suggestions as soon as they rose up. The cats that inhabited the land were of utmost concern, but for the time being the Alpha only knew of the one - the large male which Tuwawi had described. He was confident that he could keep Maera safe from the feline's clutches, should he show up.

And so the two adventured together. Maera in the lead, apparently oblivious to her father's gradual advance. She did stop eventually, and Njal became curious as to why. He looked around and scented the air, but there was hardly anything of interest - nothing new, to him at least, and nothing dangerous. When Maera spoke her query, Njal wondered if perhaps he had been noticed; and instantly the father felt pride in his bright daughter, the sleuth.

Where is who, Maera? Njal responded, his deep voice rolling through the air towards her like a boulder; he took a few steps and positioned himself closer to her, showing himself without delay, and shrank down to her level after a moment. Who are you looking for?

Not aware of the presence of her giant bodyguard, Maera allowed her head to droop in defeat, all while letting the deepest sigh of her existance to slip from her lips. She had hoped finding a flower would be easier, that it would simply pop in front of her feet while she went by. The lazy pup hadn't considered the possibility of failure when she had begun her journey. She had hoped she would come home triumphant with said flower clutched in her mouth as a present for either mommy of Jokull.(not understanding thatif she pulled the tiny plant of the ground it would end its life)

Another pitiful moan erupted from her lips as she realized that finding a flower wasn't as easy. It was then that she noticed her father looming over her like a knight in a shiny armor. Her face lit up as he lowered himself to meet her, her tail suddenly thumping against the ground happily. She didn't have the moral (or energy because she is a lazy butt) to stand but she did raise her paw in an attempt to bat his nose with her paw.

"For the flowah!" she barked energetically as if it were obvious what she was up to. "Do you know where she is Daddy?" she asked, assigning the delicate flowers a femenine pronoun. Pretty things were meant to be girls right?
Exept for Daddy, Valtyr and Larus, they were the only pretty boys

Njal could see something troubling the girl, but he didn't know what to do at first. She spotted him and turned happily to greet him, with a paw passing by his nose. The man playfully attempted to grab at her little toes as they drifted close to his face, opening his mouth and softly attempting to grasp at the flailing limb; but this came to an end swiftly, as Maera answered with quite a peculiar statement.

Flower? She? Maera couldn't be looking for a friend, they hadn't been settled long enough for her to meet anyone new, not really. Njal couldn't recall anyone with that name - but as a look of energized determination popped on to her face, he stopped questioning things. Can I help you look? He asked, prior to nudging the top of her little head fondly. It would be good for her to get to know their new home, plus... The activity would probably tucker her out. Out of all the children, it seemed as if Maera was always filled with energy; even after so many days of walking!

Maera's ears tilted back as she saw the confusion reflected on her father's eyes; had she pronounced it wrong? Maera had some troubles with her r's but she didn't think it was so bad that his father couldn't even undertstand. She opened her mouth to make a second attempt, her little tongue brushing over the roof of her mouth as she tried to roll the r. "Flau-werrrr" she barked again, giving a little growl-like sound at the end to emphasize the sound of the consonant.

Finally, Daddy seemed to decipher what she was trying to say, and with nothing more than a smile and a quick uhum she spun around to motion with her snout which way they should continue. In opposition to what Njal thought, Maera wasn't the most energetic of the bunch, she was a lazy bag of chuby-ness as far as she was concerned. The thing was she always had a little extra fuel stored in case an adventure like this presented itself.

After taking a couple of steps ahead, she craned her neck again to sniff over the ground. Nothing, she thought with her brow furrowed. Maybe Daddy had had some luck? The mini-copy of Tuwawi turned around her eyes sinking expectantly on her father's face."Whe' did it go?" she asked, wanting to get an explanation for the lack of flowers on their garden.

Maera set off with the full intention of tracking down "flower", and Njal happily followed behind her despite being ignorant of the true reason for her search. He barely had to move in order to keep up. While the girl sniffed at the ground and led the way, the father kept his own head ducked down in imitation of her tracking; his ears turned at every slight sound around them though, in case danger lurked nearby. It didn't take long for Maera to become disheartened in her hunt, and she turned upon him with a simple question falling from her lips: Whe' did it go?

Oh. It suddenly occurred to Njal that maybe... Perhaps... Maera was looking for something familiar from the creekside. His ears shot back against his head briefly as he considered this, but his expression remained neutral - and then he tried to smile, to alleviate the girl's worries. We are in a new place now. He explained as carefully as he could, Those flowers are far away. But we can find new ones now. Njal truly had not considered his children's views on the move, prior to the actual event. He didn't think they'd be attached to any particular aspect of the creek since they were so young. Apparently he had been wrong.

i feel she's using the flowers as a metaphor for the friends she left behind :'c

Her little round eyes blinked attentively at her father's words, he was a grown-up and the coolest man alive -- or at least in her world-- so whatever he said had to be true. She rested her eyes on his face, and pricked her ears towards him, so that no word was missed. He began by telling her that the Creek was not the same as this place.

She didn't make a sound, still holding to the idea that they were just on vacation and some day would return. A new place. She liked the sound of that though, even if she knew little of the Creek she considered it home. This new place however had its own enchantment though she was not yet able to see it --not until she wiped the idea of the Creek entirely from her mind. "Why a new place?" she blurted out, not really thinking that the 'why' was more complex than she could handle right now.

Nevermind that.
Daddy continued by stating that even if the flowers she seeked were far away, the promise of new flowers was here too. Her tail wriggled as he mentioned again the word 'new'. That word, she had decided, was one that she liked. She forgot about the flowers (along with the wolves) that were left behind, at least momentarily -- and focused her attention on finding and conquering these new and extraordinary flowers her Daddy spoke of.

"And whe' a they?" she asked with her her eyes glimmering with hope. She really wished that despite being different, these flowers would be just as beautiful and comforting as the ones at the Creek.

Why a new place? The child squeaked without missing a beat, and for a moment Njal didn't know what to say to her. He simply sat there, trying to concoct something that would be easy to understand for Meara's little ears; but he was at a loss. Stunned that she would even ask why. Had Tuwawi been within earshot he would've quickly deferred to her - she was always better with the kids, presumably because Njal was always off doing border patrols and such things at the creek. Although they had bonded somewhat during Tuwawi's initial visit of the glacier lands... Ah, but this is getting off-topic.

Maera's sprightly voice popped up again, breaking Njal from his thoughts.
And whe' a they? Where are what? Oh. Right. Those flowers.

We have to find them. Njal responded, and looked around flamboyantly; turning one way, then another, and then dipping his head to sniff at the dirt. There was nothing of interest there, but maybe it would help Maera catch on. Its a game! Find the flowers, and we can bring some to mommy. She'd like to see them too. It was a good thing he could think quickly.

Though no response was given, the little flame kissed child continued to stare at her father, her hazel eyes fixed on his sharp and masculine facial features. He was indeed the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and though her repertoire of male friends or aqcuantainces was pretty limited she could not help but feel prided by her father's handsome looks.

With love bubbling inside ot her, the girl took a couple of steps forward and allowed herself to lean against his stong legs. Though Maera didn't usually express her love in forms of cuddles or kissed she enjoyed the little moment when her cheek pressed against his leg. Then she quickly pulled away, her tail still wriggling but her ears laying flat on her skull. Soon after their quick embrace, Njal resumed his explanation about the different flowers.

As soon as he suggested they turned the expedition into a game, the child's ears swiveled again and her eyes opened as wide as a platter. "And to Jo?" she piped, while raising her forepaws and smashing her feet against the ground again.

Then copying her father's pose, she began sniffing around, covering little pieces of ground before taking off running as if the scavenger hunt was also a race. Little did she know that no flower that she found today would be as beautiful as the ones she had left behind. Those flowers were the prettiest ones, and the ones that had planted a seed inside her heart.

OK so I've been super slow and I'm really sorry. We could fade here? They could be searching for hours.

He couldn't see anything of value so far, and eventually rested his gaze upon Maera, who was listening to him rather intently. When she piped up with her additional name - Jo, no doubt her nickname for her sister - Njal gave a nod and his smile grew. And for Jo too. But before his agreement was heard, the girl was up and running. Her scurrying little paws quickly outpaced her from Njal's position, and he was forced to start lurching onward to keep up. Seeing the glee within his youngest daughter was a wonderful sight to behold; it put some of his fears and worries to rest. Just to think of Maera - and her siblings - growing up here, of knowing this land as home, of flourishing like the flowers she would soon find... It was heartwarming, to say the least.

alrighty, thanks for playing along daddy

With huge leaps and quick feet, Maera soared through the ground, her nose prodding at every little rock or blade of grass. She would not rest until her task was completed; yes she might be the laziest of the quartet but she was also a nominee for the most stubborn. When the child set her mind on something there was almost nothing one could do to stop her.

As the girl bounded away looking for the flowers, an strange thought of not finding any flowed into her mind. No. Daddy had said they'll be others, new ones, she tried to think while looking over her shoulder, her eyes searching for Njal's grey figure behind her. She wanted to speed up the search but she didn't want to stray to far from Daddy. Maera was braver than Larus, but she was not fearless like Jokull --she was somewhere in between, hence why she was the middle child.

"C'mon"she urged with an anxious wiggle of her tail. A smug smile plastered on her face at all times.