Noctisardor Bypass some days i cannot distinguish desire & extinction

praimfaya has not returned.

worripa notices her absence in the extension of other bodies that would, eventually, become family. their little dynamic duo of two suddenly became four. he is reserved at first; quiet. missing his mother with a fierce ache in his chest that makes him shy away. he feeds shyly, when he cannot stand his hunger any more.

he stirs awake and lingers in the far corner of the den; gnawing absently on a piece of hide.

witch had first been intrigued by the new bodies at her side, eager for more playmates— but as the days went on, found herself annoyed with them more often than not. but now she had mostly accepted that they would not be leaving any time soon, and no amount of ignoring their presence would make it so that it was just herself and druid again. @Skaigona had attached herself to @Druid, and seemed to have a jealous vendetta against witch, but the pale child brushed her attempts to bully away with little effort.

but worripa was quieter, seeming to understand that he was a guest here, and now that witch had grown used to them, breaking his aloofness was her new mission.

she belly-crawled over to him, trying to appear as nonthreatening as she possibly could. as he gnawed on his hide, witch stopped and laid her head on her paws some paces away. her tail thumped dully on the ground, eyes watching him, silently attempting to entice him into play.

it takes worripa a long moment — content to pretend that the others were not there — to notice that one of sequoia's girls had broken off from the trio and was approaching him on a belly-crawl. facing the corner of the birthing den wall and not all interested in the lights and shadows that danced along the earthen wall, pays no mind.

until the soft thump of her tail on the ground draws his reluctant attention.

he almost harrumphs like a grumpy old man but knowing that would be more rude than he was feeling brave enough to be, worripa peers over his shoulder at her.

witch, he thinks her name is.

despite her invitation, he feels no desire to play. they are too new and without his mother he does not feel the bravery he might've felt otherwise. trying to discover who he was without her was a journey ...one that would be filled with numerous tantrums and stormy days where he was fine being left to his own devices.

whaddya want? he asks rolling half lazily over to his other side so he was facing her. instinctually, he wasn't keen on having his back to her despite that she was displaying that she wasn't a threat.