Redtail Rise basshunter

ancelin blinked into a new sentience that morning. the sunlight that touched the opening of the den stung his eyes. he inhaled and shut them, parting his lids more slowly a second later. this time his fresh and hazy baby blues did not feel as if they were going to be burnt out of his skull with a laser of rough sunlight.
"pa'aahh," he said softly on the end of a yawn, raising his chubby hinds and toddling slowly toward the sunbeam that beckoned.

That sunbeam was already occupied by someone else: Atreus.

When he sensed someone infringing on his warm and cozy space, his lip lifted and a rumble began in his chest. He raised his little head and opened his eyes, which momentarily stunned him into silence.

But then the growling resumed, louder, as Atreus seethed at this unfamiliar sensation. He even let out his very first bark, challenging everything he laid eyes on, including the fuzzy apparation that smelled like his litter mate.

Because Ancelin was the only thing moving in the den at present, Atreus naturally focused on him. Their blurry eyes met and he issued a second bark, yelling at his brother for the crime of looking at him.

Arielle had fallen asleep with both boys tucked against her, bellies full as they drifted to sleep themselves. Her energy had not returned once the children were born. Instead of growing life sapping everything from her, now it was the dark, churning turmoil in her heart. She cared for her sons, of course, giving them everything and anything they needed. She loved them more than she could have imagined. Losing her daughter had made her want to keep them close and protected for as long as possible. 

She woke to the sound of tiny, angry puppy barks. The absence of the two warm, little bodies made her sit up instantly. Both boys were near the den entrance, in a beam of sunlight. Atreus was angry with Ancelin for some reason, though he always seemed discontent about something. 

Arielle got to her feet and moved over to the pups. She plopped herself down right next to them, careful not to block the light. She reached over and licked Atreus' angry little face. What has upset you? she murmured softly before reaching over to nuzzle Ancelin. She knew her words would not be understood, but she hoped the soothing tone would be.

brother atreus was always furious.
today was no exception. but also today ancelin was not about to be gatekept from what he wanted. he was an observant and quiet boy. but he was also cunning in his own right.
when atreus barked the second time, ancelin rammed forward like a bull-calf, only their poor mother's jaw was now the obstacle he struck hard with his head and bounced off.
he lay stunned. he growled for the first time, a long and angered sound.

His head wobbled when Arielle stirred, moving to defuse the tension between the brothers. When her tongue touched his face, he bared his gums in displeasure. When that didn’t stop the ministration, he bit the offending appendage with all his might.

Her attention soon turned to Ancelin, leaving the angered Atreus to let out a huff and turn his own attention back to the light. With a snort, he began scooting toward its source, his tiny little tail thrusting upward as he sought to claim the sun as his territory.

Arielle was in over her head already. She had no idea how to deal with bad tempered children. Atreus growled and bared his non-existent teeth at her affection. Then he bit her tongue. Thankfully, he was tiny and not very strong, so it didn't hurt, but it did leave her feeling uneasy. What was she supposed to do? She chose to just pull her tongue back and then let him continue to shuffle towards the light.

Ancelin was usually quiet and careful, so she was surprised to feel his body slam into her muzzle as she reached over to nuzzle him. When he fell back from the force, he released an angry little growl. Arielle had never heard that sound from him before. She would reach over to try and nuzzle him again if he allowed it, and then if he wanted to go to the light too, she would let him. Their eyes had just opened, and she knew they were curious.

mama kissed him. he felt better. atreus was stalking off on his fat limbs. ancelin did not care for another conflict. he inched his way after his brother, stopping when the patch of forbidden yellow light touched his paw.

he stared bobblingly at atreus, or where he thought the blur of the other boy was. he turned around to look at arielle, but almost overbalanced. so he turned back and after a moment, defiantly put his paw into the sun that had been forbidden him.

His brother immediately challenged his claim. With jerky, ungainly movements, Atreus turned to face Ancelin, squinting at him as he bared his gums. He let out a little yawp of indignation—or perhaps warning—before charging.

Bumbling and buzzing like a bee, he tried to headbutt Ancelin, though there wasn’t much force behind it. When that proved fairly ineffective, he stiffened his tiny tail again and did what came to him instinctually as a male canine marking his territory: he pissed himself.

Arielle scooted closer to Ancelin when he seemed hesitant to walk into the sun. She would attempt to nudge him gently to let him know that it was okay if he wanted to go farther. She would be nearby to make sure nothing happened to either of them, even if Atreus acted as though he didn't need help. 

She watched with concern as Atreus came barreling toward his brother, and she wondered how something so tiny could be so angry all the time; surely this was part of her punishment. She felt guilt swell in her chest and then shame along with it. Her decisions were affecting her sons in ways she couldn't have even imagined. 

Arielle moved to intervene but it turned out to be unnecessary; there wasn't much force behind Atreus' attack, and he ended up not really doing anything to Ancelin. And he had his normal anger over it. She suddenly scented urine and immediately went over to clean her angry son. He could protest if he wanted, but she was larger and would weigh him down with her paw until she was happy with how he looked.

more piss!
ancelin was disgusted. he yawped and bayed, trying to pull as far from atreus as he could. 
MOM SAID I COULD was in the next shout he lobbed in atreus' direction; while his sibling was being cleansed, ancelin trundled defiantly back into the sunlight and splooted there, reaching all legs to all the beams for maximum dominance.

“Protest” was probably an understatement, though it was all rather ineffectual when his tiny body was pinned to the earth by the weight of his mother’s paw. Atreus’s grousing gave way to a scowl that wrinkled his face like a raisin.

Despite himself, the tongue bath felt good enough to lull the boy into a doze. Atreus remained utterly oblivious to his brother’s impertinence. He would reclaim his little patch of sunshine later, when he roused. For now, he grumbled, vexed even in his sleep.