Redhawk Caldera and i feel all of it, too, you know

Private for @Wildfire, but momma, daddy, and siblings are also welcome, of course!

It was moving well on to evening, and Magpie still hadn't returned to her den— it was so far, and with her sore body, she was too slow to go back and forth. Her sister had given birth to four ugly blobs! The yearling had no experience with newborns or puppies, but she heard they grew like weeds— perhaps a second visit would mean the infants could talk or do some other actual interesting things. She hadn't been impressed so far.

She was also aware that she was growing jealous, watching Finley and her boy-toy making repeated visits to the den, when Magpie had gotten dirty looks from Peregrine just for the one. Finley was just a pack wolf that would probably leave someday to make puppies of her own— but Magpie shared blood, with Fox and with the squirming turds. Unless she were forced out by unreasonable in-laws, the yearling planned to stay. She deserved to be a more important figure in the lives of her nieces and nephews than the two Betas, though she knew better than to ever say that out loud.

The fire of competition burning in her heart, the yearling limped back to her sister's den, after she had been sure they had ample time alone with their newborns. This time, she came without a gift of meat— instead, perhaps, offering her sister and brother-in-law the chance to doze. Whining softly from outside and receiving a gentle invitation from the fiery mother, Magpie settled halfway into the den, resting her head against her paws to gaze at the wriggling balls of fur.

She ignored the growl from Peregrine, by now used to his displeasure with her and no longer feeling fazed by it— and perhaps, now that she was doing all she could to make amends, it was simple instinct and a greeting he would offer any visitor.

Finley had gone again and Fox had nursed the vociferous Wildfire back into a stuporous sleep. This nap didn't last much longer than the prior two, as her mother shifted and accidentally put weight on the pup's black tail. She startled awake with a hoarse, indignant cry, only for a soothing, apologetic tongue to run down her back. Wildfire huffed.

Suddenly, she was being lifted and carried. She squirmed, though it was over as soon as it had started and she was being tucked back against her mother once more. What she didn't know was that Fox had moved away from her grumbling mate at the den's rear and situated herself and Wildfire (the only one currently awake) nearer to the door, where two lime green eyes peered curiously inside.

Oblivious to the aunt hovering over her, Wildfire reached up her pale paws and began rubbing sleepily at her face. A great yawn overtook her, splitting apart her tiny jaws and revealing her shiny pink gums. She then went limp, oozing to the floor beside her mother like a puddle of tomato soup. It had been such a busy first day.

Magpie's tail thumped happily outside of the den as Fox wordlessly brought one of the wriggling forms closer, leaving the others in the back of the den with Peregrine. She still didn't quite know what to do with a freshly born pup, considering they hadn't grown much at all since she first saw them— it seemed like having a conversation with any of her nieces and nephews wouldn't be happening any time soon. Still, she watched in quiet fascination as the little one rubbed her eyes sleepily, giving an exaggerated yawn that seemed to out do any Magpie had seen before.

When the puppy went suddenly limp, the yearling exhaled sharply— unaware of the shock that rush of air might be for the pup— feeling an inexplicable concern. It hadn't just died, did it? She lifted her head with a whine, looking to Fox for reassurance, before repeating the sound and washing her tongue over the newborn. It tasted awful, but Magpie hardly cared. She wasn't about to let one of them die while she visited, lest she get blamed for it.

A strange noise burst out of her in reaction to Magpie's licks. It sounded a lot like her earlier attempt at a growl, though it was lower in pitch. Was she purring? Wildfire herself didn't know. She just wanted to express her approval of the comforting sensation and encourage it to continue. Her black, ratlike tail flip-flopped on the ground beyond her outspread hind legs.

When she was satisfied that her back was done, the little red pup grunted and rolled onto her side, then went limp again. She made high-pitched whimpering noises during any pauses, letting Magpie know that she did not want it to stop anytime soon and that if it did, she would probably pitch a pint-sized hissy fit.

Magpie continued grooming the child until she felt satisfied that it was okay, then stopped— a terrible mistake, made obvious by the sudden shriek that erupted from the tiny creature. Startled, the yearling moved back slightly, but when the sound didn't stop, she resumed. Fox seemed both exhausted and unconcerned, signaling that it was okay for her to take care of it. Not that she particularly wanted to.

Growing bored with this, the yearling paused, only to gently nudge the puppy's belly with a paw. Would it like that? She was careful not to press too hard— fearful of damaging such delicate life.

#TBT :D

The grooming resumed and Wildfire relaxed, teetering on the edge of sleep. When Magpie grew bored and drew away, she didn't complain this time. She would float off to dreamland with nary a peep... except that her aunt decided that prodding her soft little underbelly was a good idea. It didn't hurt or anything, though the pressure caused Wildfire to stir and jerk.

A thin whine turned into a low groan as Wildfire rewarded her Aunt Magpie with an impossibly long, squeaky fart and then a burst of meconium, which not only looked but smelled incredibly strange.

Magpie's expression changed from one of concern at the puppy's tiny groaning, to one of amusement at the noisy fart, and finally one of horror as a sticky, tar-like substance erupted from the tiny creature. It didn't look or smell like any fecal matter the yearling had come across before (either by her own production, or that of other creatures). If it had been bloody, she might have erroneously believed she had popped and killed the newborn, a thought that made her shudder.

"What the hell?" she muttered, shifting slightly backwards, eyes never leaving the pup (or her mess). Fox laughed, then dutifully cleaned up the mess, and Magpie tried to keep from gagging. "You're disgusting," she told her sister, who shrugged before returning to her other children: Instinct.

Bringing her face closer to the little red newborn— a risky move, she knew— she cooed, "You're kind of disgusting, too," Her tone was sweet despite the words, and she could already feel some sort of protective love flare into existence. Just wait until this one was older, and Magpie could tell her all about the embarrassing poops she made as a newborn.

Slight PP—let me know if you mind. :)

There was a sense of relief after Wildfire released her bowels. She sighed, lips smacking together. She was ready to try sleeping again, as long as no one interrupted her with more pokes and prods. She settled down, though she wasn't still for more than three seconds before she felt warm breath washing over her again. It wasn't annoying, exactly, but it effectively kept her awake.

Wildfire squawked and thrust out a single foreleg: her right. She narrowly avoided punching Magpie in the nose. Once in the air, she spread her toes like a flower right in front of her aunt's eyes. The newborn then slowly reeled in her outstretched leg, luring Magpie's face closer to her own, albeit unconsciously. When they were practically nose to nose, the babe smiled sleepily, which highlighted the fat rolls around her neck. She then stuck out her tongue, its tip resting on Magpie's charcoal nose.

Last post from me. :B I'll start us a new one as soon as Mags is back in the caldera.

Magpie swept her head to the side to dodge the tiny punch, watching with a measure of impress as the tiny toes flexed. As the tiny leg returned to the pup's side, the yearling's head followed, before resting upon the den's floor— she grinned back at the newborn, feeling a sense of... pride? Or inflated ego? as the babe stuck her tongue out to rest upon her nose. Magpie's own tongue darted out to caress the side of the newborn's face, before her nose nestled against her niece.

She would doze there for a brief moment, relaxed and happy— despite the fact that Peregrine was liable to moodily shove past her at any moment. At some point, she would leave, whether by Fox's request, Peregrine's, or of her own accord. This happiness would carry her through the weeks to come as she settled into life on the caldera, glad that the leading pair had accepted her enough to allow this bond so early.

Sounds good!

Thus content, Wildfire drifted off to sleep at long last. It wasn't destined to be a long nap—although Wildfire would prove to be a champion sleeper, despite her loudness during waking hours—and there was no physical change that took place to indicate the shift from waking to sleeping states. But for now, the little red cub remained almost perfectly still, her right foreleg twitching in a tiny wave every so often as she dreamed—of what, nobody could guess or describe, least of all Wildfire herself.