Dragoncrest Cliffs Wait a minute

Aminthe was sleeping soundly between both her mothers. She liked to sleep and could be found asleep quite often. She tired easily, and often only woke to eat. 

As with most mornings, hunger woke her. But this was the first time her eyes actually opened. She moved her tiny head around, taking in the strange colors and shapes. She was suddenly very curious about the world around her, though she wouldn't be able to do much about it just yet. 

Her stomach rumbled it's anger at still being empty, but the seastar ignored it. She was much too captivated by the blurry forms of Erzulie and Rosalyn. Even her brother's smaller, blurry form intrigued her. Whoever might wake would find the tiny girl staring at them.

Rosalyn was restless tonight and unsure of why. The den was peaceful but something had woken her, some dream, and now she could not find sleep again. She stared at the darkened stone of the interior and listened to the pups as they slept, reveling in the quiet peace.

It was broken by Aminthe, who seemed to be stirring. Rosalyn twisted to look and see what had disturbed her, but was surprised to find herself caught in the pup's newly opened stare. She took in a breath, then let it out in a nearly silent, gentle laugh and smiled. Pups always had the most beautiful eyes.

Stroking her gently with her muzzle, she breathed out the words quietly, not wanting to wake any others who were sleeping tonight. Welcome, little one. Hello.

oops!

quennell unfortunately also woke. his eyes too would find it in them to suddenly open up, baby blues taking in a sudden burst of new information. not that he could really understand that burst of information. while his sister stared at the ruddy shape of one of their mother's, he awkwardly stared at the mouth of the den.

nobody said he was the brightest of babies.

There was comfort and warmth in her mother's touch and the words she didn't understand. She lifted her tiny nose to touch Rosalyn's much larger muzzle. Her scent held the same feelings of safety. Though it was alarming to suddenly be able to see, she knew nothing would happen to her here, snuggled between her mothers and next to her brother.

Speaking of Quennell, he shifted beside her. Aminthe tried to turn to him, but her balance was not great yet. The seastar ended up falling over on to her brother with a soft squeak. Then she squirmed frantically on her side to try and right herself.

Rosalyn smiled silently as Aminthe's nose touched hers and let her explore for a moment, assuming she was taking in the sight of her for the first time. She didn't notice that Quennel had woken until Aminthe fell over her brother.

She chuckled silently, with a single breath, as she watched. Aminthe's distress didn't hit her ears with panic or harm, just surprise. So she kept a close watch, but didn't intervene, wanting to see how they sorted the situation out.

quennell was...well, as stated before, perhaps not the brightest of babes. when something suddenly toppled onto him, he did not immediately recognize it was his sister. so he stirred beneath her for those few seconds with a panic on his puppy heart.

a squeal, before he silenced once more.

still uncomfortable, blinking wildly as he looked to the face of rosalyn and awkwardly making his way towards her.

Her brother's squirming below her caused her to plop over on her side with a soft squeak of her own. She lay there a few moments, stunned and unsure. But she quickly recovered and rolled over on her round belly.

Quennell was already making his way to their mother, so Aminthe quickly pushed herself up and clumsily moved back to where she was. 

That was a lot of activity for her, and she ate quite a bit to begin with, so by the time she reached Rosalyn, she was starving. The tiny girl pushed her face against her mom's belly and began to search for what she knew would supply her next meal. They were harder to find here for some reason.

They sorted it out, albeit with some panic. There was a difference between the sounds of surprise and the sounds that required attention, though, and Rosalyn knew that tone well by now. She did not interfere until they were both making their way near.

She scooped up Quennel first and placed him between her forepaws, tickling the soft fur of his side and belly with her muzzle and a breath. I finally get to see your pretty eyes. Both of them. She was so used to having more than two to keep track, but she was a bit relieved. Four was always harder.

And you... She turned to Aminthe, who was trying unsuccessfully to search for food. Last year Rosalyn had felt a slight pang each time this happened, mourning the fact that she could not share this the way they usually did. This year she just smiled. She'd move her back to Erzulie in a bit, but she wanted to give her wife a little more time to sleep.

Searching the darkened interior, her gaze landed on a small stick. Rosalyn picked it up and held it near Aminthe, wondering if the pup would, with her new sight, understand the concept.

quennell found great comfort in the scooping of rosalyn, babbling his happiness with his newfound placement. squeaking with giggles as she tickled the delicate baby furs, newborn blues squinted as he stared at her face.

a face he would never forget, surely.

while his mother attempted to entertain his sister with a stick, quennell would take to happily mouthing at a forelimb attached to his mother.

Her search for food was failing. This mom's stomach was not like her other mom. She was confused but thankfully easily distracted. 

Rosalyn placed a long, thin object near her, and Aminthe turned to look at it. She stared for a moment, and then scooted over and put her mouth on the new toy. The texture was interesting, and she mouthed it more to learn more about it. She was successfully distracted.

They were a bit young, but Rosalyn still held the stick for only a brief moment. Then she laid it down so that it extended into Quennel's reach as well. Then they could both explore it and share (or compete with) the toy. She didn't move her leg, though. She was used to being a chew toy at this point and hardly minded.

Soon their teeth would be stronger and it would hurt more. At that point they'd need to worry about teaching them the difference between play and real bites, though most of their children had been quick to pick up the lesson over the years.

was this a...new leg?

quennell did not understand the big grand gift that had been set into his new sights. only that his sister already had a grasp on it. which meant he was late to the party.

which was so not cool.

so he'd grab the nearest part of it and begin to tug.

When Aminthe felt the toy start to move, she let out a tiny growl. She wasn't going to let her brother steal her new plaything. 

She would put her entire body on it, refusing to release it from her teeth. She looked to Quennell and growled again as if to say mine.

last for me! Feel free to close up however y'all feel is best <3

They began to tug over it and Rosalyn watched affectionately, waiting to see which would end up victorious. When the time came she'd nab it to give them a bit more of a challenge, stealing the stick back and taking turns playing tug of war for as long as the game could hold their interest.

They were quick learners! They'd be grown before she knew it. The thought was bittersweet.