Welcome to Gideon's baby journal threads! Here's how they work: I'll try to post one thread per day for Gideon as I get to know him and work on my activity, and the thread will stay open for that day only. Any one character is welcome to join and it will become a normal 1v1 thread with no deadlines, or it will be archived as a read only thread the next day if no one hops in!
Day 1: Gideon eats like a pig.
Gideon was a cluster feeder. Several times in the first day of his life, for several hours each time, he required frequent feedings. He voraciously devoured milk during these times, was satisfied for a brief interval, only to whine for more within thirty minutes. How he had any room left in his belly to fit even one more drop was a mystery only Gideon understood, and he wasn't telling.
He had just finished yet another of these frequent feeds, smacking his gums and hiccuping as he shuffled away from Heda's belly, twin tails whipping happily behind him.
Day 1: Gideon eats like a pig.
Gideon was a cluster feeder. Several times in the first day of his life, for several hours each time, he required frequent feedings. He voraciously devoured milk during these times, was satisfied for a brief interval, only to whine for more within thirty minutes. How he had any room left in his belly to fit even one more drop was a mystery only Gideon understood, and he wasn't telling.
He had just finished yet another of these frequent feeds, smacking his gums and hiccuping as he shuffled away from Heda's belly, twin tails whipping happily behind him.
Den Mother*
listening
1,196 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Birdcatcher
Master Missionary
Offline
March 27, 2024, 04:06 PM
why did he have two tails?
she couldn't figure it out, and was growing more self-conscious by the day. this, thankfully, did not extend to her boy, who glutted himself often at her breast and was often unsatisfied.
for now, though, baby gideon seemed content; heda extended her hindleg across his path a ways and fell into a hyper-aware nap, ears twitching as she desperately tried to catch a bit of shut-eye.
but in the next moment, heda found herself watching him again, a small, worried frown skimming her gaze.
she couldn't figure it out, and was growing more self-conscious by the day. this, thankfully, did not extend to her boy, who glutted himself often at her breast and was often unsatisfied.
for now, though, baby gideon seemed content; heda extended her hindleg across his path a ways and fell into a hyper-aware nap, ears twitching as she desperately tried to catch a bit of shut-eye.
but in the next moment, heda found herself watching him again, a small, worried frown skimming her gaze.
March 27, 2024, 04:12 PM
why did he have two tails?
ava wondered the same thing, nursing away the residual film of a headache. both puppies had been born relatively healthy besides. for this, ava considered she should be grateful.
still...
mama drifted off into sleep, but if one asked ava, she would say she suspected mama would wake at a pin drop. regulating her breathing, ava marveled at the boy and his brother as they ate, and ate, and astonishingly -- ate some more.
gideon's small hiccup filled the den. ava wondered what else about him was weird.
ava wondered the same thing, nursing away the residual film of a headache. both puppies had been born relatively healthy besides. for this, ava considered she should be grateful.
still...
mama drifted off into sleep, but if one asked ava, she would say she suspected mama would wake at a pin drop. regulating her breathing, ava marveled at the boy and his brother as they ate, and ate, and astonishingly -- ate some more.
gideon's small hiccup filled the den. ava wondered what else about him was weird.
March 27, 2024, 05:54 PM
They would never know about his single enlared kidney or the hole in his heart that would patch itself as he grew, or that he had four functioning ureters, but they might notice the extra teeth that would grow in behind his primary set when they erupted from his gums...
Just kidding, Gideon wasn't that messed up. Just a normal old puppy with two tails.
And quite possibly four functioning ureters.
Unaware that he was being observed by two pairs of watchful eyes, with his pugged nose unable to discern individual scents and his eyes and ears tightly sealed, Gideon began what would soon become a post-feeding ritual: he squirmed in place, grunting boorishly and paddling his nearly useless legs against the ground. Once he had formed a very tiny, very shallow divot in the earth with his mighty efforts, he flattened himself into it like a little puppy pancake, uttered a content squeak, and grew very still.
Not sleeping, merely awaiting his next feeding, snug and cozy in his little makeshift bed.
Just kidding, Gideon wasn't that messed up. Just a normal old puppy with two tails.
And quite possibly four functioning ureters.
Unaware that he was being observed by two pairs of watchful eyes, with his pugged nose unable to discern individual scents and his eyes and ears tightly sealed, Gideon began what would soon become a post-feeding ritual: he squirmed in place, grunting boorishly and paddling his nearly useless legs against the ground. Once he had formed a very tiny, very shallow divot in the earth with his mighty efforts, he flattened himself into it like a little puppy pancake, uttered a content squeak, and grew very still.
Not sleeping, merely awaiting his next feeding, snug and cozy in his little makeshift bed.
Den Mother*
listening
1,196 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Birdcatcher
Master Missionary
Offline
March 27, 2024, 06:01 PM
the sleepy eyes refocused on ava. for a while she watched as her daughter observed the content child, who filled the space with his burbling and puppy sounds.
a smile tugged at her weary mouth; she blinked and watched gideon sink himself into the earth, curious despite her deep exhaustion.
all would be well, and soon the mother did indeed slip into sleep, though she waited to listen until her son wanted another of his round the clock meals.
god would tend him.
a smile tugged at her weary mouth; she blinked and watched gideon sink himself into the earth, curious despite her deep exhaustion.
all would be well, and soon the mother did indeed slip into sleep, though she waited to listen until her son wanted another of his round the clock meals.
god would tend him.
March 27, 2024, 06:31 PM
while the four-pronged freak wormed his way into a dirt-blanket on the ground, ava stared. she did not see heda had woken, and now watched the pair.
ava wanted to reach for the pancake and flip it over - to lay gideon flat on his scaly shell, and reveal how many squirming legs he had folded under his rounded plastron.
she did not -- though the urge remained as his quiet gurgles filled the den. ignoring the muted thrum in her head, ava fell to her usual contemplative silence.
once, she had seen her reflection in the stillwaters and had been badly startled by the ugly brand of red on her face. it marked her as other, and communicated to the world there was a part of her assembled wrong. an ugly deformation that could never be rinsed from her dark pelt.
and now, she had a baby brother -- and like her, his deformations were there for the entire world to see.
ava wanted to reach for the pancake and flip it over - to lay gideon flat on his scaly shell, and reveal how many squirming legs he had folded under his rounded plastron.
she did not -- though the urge remained as his quiet gurgles filled the den. ignoring the muted thrum in her head, ava fell to her usual contemplative silence.
once, she had seen her reflection in the stillwaters and had been badly startled by the ugly brand of red on her face. it marked her as other, and communicated to the world there was a part of her assembled wrong. an ugly deformation that could never be rinsed from her dark pelt.
and now, she had a baby brother -- and like her, his deformations were there for the entire world to see.
April 06, 2024, 11:08 PM
There was stillness and peace around Gideon.
He lay like that for some time, motionless under his adoptive sister's scrutiny and as unaware of the thoughts swirling above him as he was of the fact that he was different. It would be moons before Gideon realized there was anything about him that set him apart from the rest of Rivenwood. With any luck, it would be many more before Gideon realized the whole world was ruthless and bloodthirsty where differences like his were concerned.
For now, he was one of many, the same as the other puppies in the den: a pudgy little boy with an insatiable appetite, which was already rearing its ugly little head again. He wasn't still much longer; Gideon began to squirm when his tummy rumbled, and then he was on the move again, wiggling his way out of his little dent in the earth and seeking a spot to nurse once more.
He lay like that for some time, motionless under his adoptive sister's scrutiny and as unaware of the thoughts swirling above him as he was of the fact that he was different. It would be moons before Gideon realized there was anything about him that set him apart from the rest of Rivenwood. With any luck, it would be many more before Gideon realized the whole world was ruthless and bloodthirsty where differences like his were concerned.
For now, he was one of many, the same as the other puppies in the den: a pudgy little boy with an insatiable appetite, which was already rearing its ugly little head again. He wasn't still much longer; Gideon began to squirm when his tummy rumbled, and then he was on the move again, wiggling his way out of his little dent in the earth and seeking a spot to nurse once more.
Den Mother*
listening
1,196 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Birdcatcher
Master Missionary
Offline
April 10, 2024, 05:37 PM
gently she guided the happy little boy to his mealtime, shifting so he could take his choice of the snackbar options. pensively she cast her eyes to ava, wondering what her daughter was thinking.
a smile now, an arm opened, should her elder girl wish to get closer to the both of them, if she could stand the mass of wriggling infants.
heda did not speak; she sang, a clear hymn from her daughter's own time as an infant, one of many she had sung over the cradle of her arms while caracal stood near and protective, both of them exhausted but glowing with the determination of having one another, and having god.
a smile now, an arm opened, should her elder girl wish to get closer to the both of them, if she could stand the mass of wriggling infants.
heda did not speak; she sang, a clear hymn from her daughter's own time as an infant, one of many she had sung over the cradle of her arms while caracal stood near and protective, both of them exhausted but glowing with the determination of having one another, and having god.
April 15, 2024, 07:08 PM
<3 last from me
gideon was not down for long. he started to stir, and ava watched him as he paddled blindly for his mama. heda guided him towards her flank, motioning that ava was welcome to come closer -- but she did not.
song filled the den. with a pang, ava recognized its familiarity. she stayed for one refrain, but then left the den as her headache began to creep in and threatened to blot out her senses.
April 17, 2024, 01:07 PM
Me as well! <3
Gideon latched on and pulled greedily, little paws grasping and ungrasping at Heda's belly fur. The sound of her voice filled the den and although Gideon could not hear it, he could feel it strumming from her abdomen into his muzzle. His whiskers quivered along with the vibrations.
Having decided he was finally done with this round of cluster feedings, Gideon fell asleep while still on the boob, drooping and dribbling milk down his chin.
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