Moonspear and here we go, life’s waiting to begin

Early morning showers gave way to clear skies, the midday sun lending a warmth to the air and a dewy glister to the wetted world. Meerkat stood in the door of the ulaq and drew in one of those deep breaths that felt like it scooped out the bottom of her lungs, then let it out in a whoosh. She smiled, then turned to see if @Orca II and @Seal were awake.

The girls were just shy of four weeks old and Meerkat was more than ready to share them with the village more fully. She stepped back inside to nudge at them before striding out the door into the April sunshine. She walked about ten paces before turning to face the gap beneath the tree where her family lived, hoping to see two little faces peeking out at her.

Just a cameo for Njord

Njord awaited the girls outside the den among the dew and fresh air. The jingle of their ulaq’s song-maker complimented the whisper of Spring’s gentle breeze. It was a calm and peaceful day – perfect for the girls’ first look at the outside world.

The father lay on his belly in the clearing and kept watch for visitors, his red tail merrily thumping the ground.

At four weeks old baby Seal was as round as a potato and growing steadily. Despite her spherical figure, her equally chunky legs found their footing. Each day she crawled more and more and motored around every inch of the den floor with sister Orca.

Eventually, that crawl became a waddle. One fat paw was placed in front of the other as she innocently followed Meerkat like a wee duckling.

However, when Seal reached the precipice of the den’s entry everything changed. The light was different and there were so many unusual smells! The sun beamed down upon them. Seal put on the brakes and shrunk back, even as Meerkat kept going.

Little cries of distress warbled from Seal as she turned to Orca for comfort. Then, she peeked outside once more – her many whiskers gathering bits of dust. Conflicted, she cried a little louder (after all, her parents had always come running before!). Oh sister, what do we do?

Orca was rather uninterested in the new, appreciating the safety of old. She grumbled to see mother go, but usually she came back quickly enough. And, yes, there she was. Orca stretched out her small body, looking up at her with happy eyes, until then their mother nosed her, then Seal, and stepped out again.

That... was new. Orca was all too prepared to strike, but realized that without a union it wouldn't do much good. But that was forgotten when she saw the concern on Seal's face, and heard it. Orca stombled (actually, she drunkenly stumbled) toward the entrance and hollered: MOTHER! (...also actually, she really just wailed for attention).

But like Seal, she wilted back from the sun with a discontented ah!, before she peaked her head out again. Now she said nothing, her eyes having fallen upon their father. Distracted, Orca cried no more, but looked to Seal before cooing and looking out toward mom. It wasn't so distressing, when you saw two things you liked out there.

Orca was not quite ready to dive past this threshold and into those waters yet, though. And certainly not without Seal, who needed her protection here.

Her whisky eyes shifted to appreciate the sight of Njord reposing a few yards away, though Meerkat swiftly returned her attention to the mouth of the den. Seal’s pale face appeared first, only to shrink back into the shadows like a turtle withdrawing into its shell.

Meerkat smiled patiently when both girls’ faces reappeared at the entrance of the ulaq, the spring air filling with the sounds of their cries. Of course she wanted to swoop in and comfort them, though more than anything, Meerkat wanted her daughters to understand there was nothing to be frightened of out here.

To prove her point, she glanced at her husband again, then flounced over to him. She nipped the air beside his cheek, then sprang away and dipped into a playful bow. Her rump wriggled as she winked at Njord, then promptly spun to face the ulaq. She thumped her paws and waved her tail, inviting Orca and Seal outside to play.

Orca’s calming noises soothed Seal’s upset. The baby wolf collected herself and she leaned into her sister for comfort. So many new things outside the den fought for the child’s attention: a leaf blowing in the wind, the song-maker overhead, or the color of a purple crocus flower... Her head bobbed curiously as she watched it all and whimpered only a few small whines as she took it all in.

Then, her mother’s bouncing figure almost made Seal forget her worries! And Da was out there, too! Meerkat’s playful bow was contagious and it made Seal feel frisky. She gummed at Orca’s ear, wanting to play but still a bit unsure how to cross this rubicon.

Then, mustering up all her courage, she took one step outside and growled a tiny ‘rrrrooroooo!’

It was Seal's battlecry that inspired Orca to motion.

And then she was sprinting into the fray, loosing a loud ROOOoo! in response as she charged toward ma and da. Her tail was still, and her charge was mostly to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. She thought Seal was with her every step of the way, but whether or not that was true she'd find out once at her destination.

Orca was not the picture of grace. She fell over herself more than once, but eventually she dove under Da and looked around for Seal to be sure she made it.

It worked! The girls came tumbling from beneath the tree in a cacophony of caterwauls. Meerkat huffed a laugh as Orca charged toward her father like a tiny bull, tripping over her own feet on the way. Seal, meanwhile, held her ground closer to the mouth of the ulaq.

Meerkat scooted over to her paler daughter, nipping friskily at the velveteen fur lining Seal’s cheeks. She dipped forward into a bow again, rump waving. She thumped her paws in invitation, then further coaxed Seal into engaging with a volley of playful barks.

Last from me!

Orca’s echoing whoop gave Seal the confidence to take a few steps forward! Yet, she wasn’t nearly as fast or dexterous as her sister. Running - how did she do that? The cadence was difficult for someone as rolly polly as Seal to grasp and she stumbled with an excited giggle. Then, partially incapacitated by laughing, she tripped again.

Never fear, Mom was quick to the rescue! Meerkat continued the momentum of ‘play’ and, despite falling multiple times, Seal mimicked her. She bounced into a tiny play bow before running away (can’t get caught!) and joining Orca at their Da’s side (safe!).