Wheeling Gull Isle i’ve got the magic in me

The pups were four weeks old and much more mobile now. Caracal had worried that he would be more exhausted than ever, trying to wrangle them, but they were less outright needy with each passing day. And maybe he was finally adjusting to life as the Wheelers, party of six, because he was still t i r e d but he was finally starting to enjoy himself too.

It was a fine, breezy afternoon right at the cusp of summertime. Caracal nosed @Simeon, @Malakai, @Judah and @Dinah toward the den’s entrance in the hopes they would play there. He flopped down in a sandy sunbeam just outside, eyes squinting against the June glare.

Ama, Papa, and Mal, Simmy and Dinny. His universe. That did not extend out from their little cavern, nor did he want it to.

He trails after Papa on little stump legs but skidders to a halt as he settles himself outside. He blinks, wide-eyed and fearful. A paw bats in the air with a frustrated whine, as if to say ‘come back’! Judah had never before been pushed outside his comfort zone, and he wasn’t going to start now. After a moment of unsuccessful coaxing he floors it back into the den to burrow cowardly into his siblings.

Not going.

Simeon, on the other hand, ran towards the light.

He skittered over paws still too big for himself, taking a couple spills along the way, but no way would he be the last out the front door! Pa waited outside for them and if he wasn’t the first to slap his feet down to play — !

Simeon tumbled again with a puff of dust, and sneezed with a shake of his head and a giggle. It was then his brothers fluffy little self rammed into him. Rather than topple him over in his attempt to squeeze out before the others, he gave his brother a little lick on the head.

Baddaboo Juju, he babbled down at his younger brother with a silly grin, encouraging him to come along with him. It’d be way funnier to play outside than in this stuffy den, after all! Still, he’d wait for Judah first, even if he itched to keep running.

Dinah grew more and more into herself as the days passed; large, bumbling paws much too big for her pudgy little body aside. 
She is her father's shadow, in looks and in action, following his footsteps with high-pitched whines and an unsteady gait. The denmouth is bathed in the warmth of early summer sun, and for the first time, she pushes past him to exit on her own. 
The sandy ground is warm, very warm and soft, and she is instantly drawn to a fern that sways in the seasalt breeze. She is determined to pluck it from the ground, and with it, she brings roots and soil, nearly toppling over sideways under the weight of the seemingly glorious plant. 
Head held high, she waddles back to her brothers with a proud, toothy grin, and shoves the fern between them before dropping it at their feet. Look!

Caracal smiled at his children’s antics, Dinah’s in particular. Aside from leaning over to make sure the fern wasn’t toxic or something, he let her at it. His eyebrows rose when she actually managed to yank the entire thing out of the ground. Was his daughter a beef cake? As she toddled past him back toward the den to show her brothers, he nosed at her side, feeling for muscles beneath the rolls of puppy pudge.

Don’t you guys want to play show and tell too? he coaxed after Dinah took her find to her litter mates and commanded them to, “Look!” There’s so much stuff out here, Caracal added, looking around himself, trying to see the world through the eyes of a young puppy. It’s gonna blow your minds. Come on, come outside and hang with your papa!

Would it be alright to have a casual posting order? I’ll just post another round once everybody else has had a chance to post? :)

all good with me!

He piles his paws atop his head and squeezes shut his eyes against Simmy’s persuasion and Dinny’s discovery, a low whine leaking out of a tightly sealed jaw.

Don’t like it. Like den. Can’t make me.

Why are they so eager to leave? And what if they couldn’t get back? His whine shifts into a blubbery howl, maybe if he’s persistent and loud enough everyone will come back and they can cuddle instead.

Malakai stares out to the brightness at the opening of the den, watching his father go and equally watching as he gestures for them to follow. The son does not hesitate to follow suit, beckoned by the will of the light. The darkness was unbecoming of Malakai- he needed to shine! 

While Judah ran to hide and Simeon scrambled all over himself trying to quickly get out, Malakai moved all in good time. He might have rolled his eyes had he known how to yet.

 

Standing outside the den opening, he turns back to his two brothers, noting the obvious reluctance in Judah, Simeon attempting to sooth and then muscles over here stomping back in with a big green thing in her mouth that had Kai reeling his head up and muzzle out and away from wharever that was.

 

Grumbling, Kai shoves at his siblings in order to make room for himself to stand directly in front of Judah. Come. A soft, yet firm demand to his twin brother. B' me. He moves to then stand side-by-side him. They could go together. 

Oookay, so Juju didn’t wanna be persuaded. In fact, he downright cowered between them — him, and Dinah, who’d brought  a big ole plant Simmy couldn’t help but side glance with glimmering interest as she placed the frond between them.

Ooo! he said, and would have been keen to touch the soft looking leaf if he hadn’t been patting his little brother’s back, still trying to encourage him up, look Juju!

But Judah only wailed a great blubbering cry. Aah, maybe he should try a different tactic —

But he hadn’t a moment to even think of one when a rough shove shouldered him away. Simmy hadn’t been ready for the push. He lost his balance and staggered aside, paw over paw until he hit the ground with puff of dust.

He shook his head, ears flipping and flopping, and then glared up at Kai. His brother filled the space where Simeon had been trying to help. Who did he think he was? Couldn’t he see he’d been trying to help? What right did he have to muscle him away like that?

Simeon had half a mind to pick himself up and shove Malakai back, but he thought of Judah and Dinah and papa’s eyes upon them. So, with a huff, he scowled outside to Caracal and flopped himself down at papa’s paws with an ugly look on his face.

And Dinah had been so proud, so eager for everyone to see her discovery! She'd gently hovered closer to each of her brothers and allowed them all to inspect it if they desired, as if it had been a prized jewel.
But something about her plant friend had upset Judah greatly, and feeling responsible, Dinah drops it immediately. Sorr-- she'd moved to come to his aid when she suddenly felt the shove of a shoulder and her face hit the soft floor of the denmouth. 
Kai had shoved her. Shoved her!
And now he had the audacity to bother Judah! Didn't he see that he was upset? If he wanted to leave the den with them, he would've! 
And with all the ferocity a four-week-old child can have, her lip peels back in a growl as the tears well in her glassy eyes. Defiantly, she climbs atop Judah, pushing him to the ground as if she were shielding him from a predator. And loudly, she shouts, No! he doesn't wanna! 
Pleadingly, her gaze is cast toward Simmy, Daddy, Mama — anyone who could help.

His brow furrowed when instead of four puppies happily gamboling outside to play with him, a fight of some sort erupted in the den. Simeon prowled toward him but looked like he’d just sucked on a lemon. He could hear an ongoing scuffle inside, Dinah growling before shrilly chiding one of her brothers.

Hey, hey, be cool, everybody, Caracal said loudly, climbing onto all fours and ducking his head into the den. What’s going on in here? he asked, hovering in the mouth as his eyes cut from one child to the next.

Dinah was sitting on top of Judah like a broody hen. Was this some sort of wrestling move? Man, she really was a beef cake. Malakai looked like an unhappy referee, though Caracal quickly decided not to make any assumptions. They were young and not particularly articulate yet, but he would wait for an explanation of some kind.

His brother’s words are soft and encouraging and Jude nuzzles his giant head into Simeon’s tiny neck, scrambling to get beneath him to hide.

But before this body had sight and legs to hold it steady, it had Malakai.

There was never a time before Malakai. They came into this world together and Judah knew one half of him belonged to that voice. There was no choice but to heed a command made. There simply was no other option. So he crawls forward on trembling limbs and with tearfully frightened eyes to carry himself to Mal’s side.

Because he is no more than his twin’s echo.

But he’s beached with Dinny’s defiance and splats out onto the ground as she climbs atop him and his siblings begin pestering one another. Papa attempts to keep the peace.

Judah wails.

Simeon huffed. Dinah growled and shouted. Malakai looked to them with a look of annoyance and disinterest. It's not like they were new to being shoved by their brother, who had been mastering the act since they were but days old, wriggling around for mother's milk. 

Now that Judah was freed from their siblings coos and pats, Judah would be offered the stern voice of strength to smother his fears and face the world, with his twin to guide him! Malakai smiles, tail waving as he now disregards his other two siblings completely in turn for Judah. 

B' me. He repeats, urging him forward. Then all hell breaks loose as Dinah climbs atop Judah, shoving him to the ground, causing new wails to echo off the den walls. Father is there in an instant, demanding to know what was happening. Ju no want dem! He barks out to their dad. Want me!

This was outrageous. Kai had the absolute audacity to place the blame on her? Implying that Judah did not want her presence? Her safety? 
A toiling rage is lit beneath the surface of the little red girl. She wiped his tears! She brought him gifts! She was his only sister! 
But she is silent, at first; or at least she is calm against the whirlwind of screeches and wails that now surrounded her. Her expression wilts into one of contempt. Plainly, solemnly, she turns to face her Daddy with a trembling lip and says, Kai push me. and proceeds to remove herself from Judah. 
Dinah was not a fighter. Even if she was, she would not win this one. 

Dinah might not have been a fighter, but Simeon was.

He had watched the whole thing from papa's side. Turning, with his scowl, he had looked upon the scene from beyond the den. Dinah, stepping up from the ground where Kai had shoved her. Malakai, smiling as he gave his demands. Judah, as he trembles forward. Dinah again, as she shoves herself right on top of Juju and stares with sea-turned eyes right into Simeon's own.

And he knows.

Dinah might not have been a fighter, but Simeon was.

And this one he would win.

He flies forward as fast as his earth-spun paws will take him. Heartbeat racing, even as Dinah gives up. Even as papa tries to calm them down. Simeon charges with no words but a yell. His eyes are blurred by hot tears and he aims to barrel into Kai, knock him off balance, and this time, shove him to the ground.

Whatever it takes.

He won't be pushed around by his brother anymore.

Dinah said that Malakai had pushed her. Although her brother didn’t refute this, he seemed to have done so in defense of Judah. The latter was too busy wailing to explain his interpretation of the situation. Before Caracal could think of soothing him or attempting to untangle the miscommunication between the other two, Simeon saw fit to barrel into the den with a war cry.

UH, M’EXCUSE ME?! the pups’ father shouted, genuinely taken aback by his children’s behavior. Quickly lowering his voice, he added more calmly, Y’all need to use your words, as he gently thrust a foreleg against Simeon’s chest to try to hold him back from his attack. This is not God-approved behavior. Your mama and I raised y’all to be better than this…

Hopefully his kids understood the weight in his gaze as he looked from one to the other, silently encouraging them to behave. In their defense, they were still quite young, though that meant they were impressionable too. It was time to instill an important lesson.

Guys, we don’t hit, shove, yell or any of that heathen junk. Not only is that super uncool, it’s not how God wants you to behave. He wants you to treat everyone else like you want to be treated. You guys all need to take care of and look out for each other. If you want to help Judah, you need to ask him what he needs, not start pushing each other around.

Would they understand? Heck, would they even hear him? Caracal hoped to get through to his children, though he partly expected all hell to break loose, in which case he’d have no choice but to call in his wife for reinforcement.

There came a point when Judah had forgotten why he was crying, but he certainly wasn’t going to stop now. Especially since it got him exactly what he wanted: his family inside. He was oblivious to the tension in the air, and after a few minutes the tears grow quieter. He didn’t understand what there was to be upset about now! Papa and Dinny and Simmy and Mal were here with Judah!

In an instant their sister was tattle-taling, jutting out her lower lip and with tears in her eyes. Simeon, angered that his sister was upset, went charging into Malakai's direction with a war cry, only to be halted the very moment their father thrust a foreleg into him and blocking his path. Their father had seen Dinah mashing Judah into the ground and his screams from it. Had seen Simeon ready to rip Kai a new one because Dinah was upset. Fortunately for Kai, this did not paint them in good lighting. After all, Judah was only wailing louder now because of their antics. We're they so blind that they did not see they were wrong? 

But when father addressed them, he did not take sides. Kai's dark ears fell back at the mentioning of God and the disapproval he would have with them. It is only at the mentioning of God's name, did Malakai falter. His head falls, backing up so that he is pressed along the side of his twin- the only sibling of his which seemed to understand him. He took in all his fathers words and the notion of what God would want them to act like. Kai wondered what it was God would do, when faced off with someone who went against his wishes. Would he still smile upon him or would he do something to correct the injustice? 

Malakai's eyes shift to his brother and sister, offering a hard look before softening as they turn up to his father. Yes da. Was all he said.

Of all of her siblings, Malakai was the one she knew the least about. The one who she spent the least amount of time with. In some ways, he frightened her; he was quick to go from thunderous to disturbingly quiet, turn a blind eye to those who were not Judah.
He was possessive over him in a way that made her seethe. They were all his siblings, his littermates; why did he have more right to him than anyone else just because they looked similar? And when he looks at her and Simeon upon Daddy's scolding, he is cold; if there is love in his gaze, she does not feel it.
Daddy speaks of God, of what He would want to see in His earthchildren. Treat others how they want to be treated. She thinks to herself — in defense of Simeon — that Kai had done just that; do not shove if you do not want to be shoved back!
But she says none of this, and instead she presses a paw to Simeon's shoulder, assuring that he hadn't been hurt in his attempt at revenge. She then turns to Judah, the softness returning to her gaze. Ju, he's stopped wailing so harshly, now, but she is still gentle, crouching beside him. She takes Daddy's advice. wha'do you need?

hope it’s ok to skip sim since he’s on NPC? but please let me know otherwise!

Too quiet falls their den. With all eyes upon him he shuffles his smokey paws uncomfortably on the ground. Everyone is upset and tears still wet his own cheeks. He is very confused, and will not know what to say to appease them. So he will only say what he feels when Dinah asks what he needs. He looks around the cavern at the faces of his family.

“Aww ob you.”

He was a little surprised when rather than break into bedlam, the den went quiet. Nobody said anything for a moment and Judah’s crying subsided. Caracal looked at each of his children in turn and took a deep breath, relaxing.

You guys are really good at the fifth commandment, he said a little wryly, managing a smile. Ju, we’re all here for you, okay? We’ll just hang in the den for now. We can go out later, Caracal said, his tone brooking no argument as he settled down among his obedient children with a small, tired smile.

That’s a wrap for me! :)