Redhawk Caldera this world is yours to take

@Raven @Nightjar @Wildfire Puppies wanna come outside and play? I can't remember who has opened their eyes... so being vague.

All three of the Firebirds were doing well, as far as Fox could tell, and their eyes were beginning to open. Nightjar had been the first, if she recalled correctly, and the others would follow suit shortly if they hadn't already. Because of this recent development, Fox wanted to introduce them to the area just outside the den. There, they would be heavily guarded by Fox, Peregrine, and/or one of the many other caretakers the Alpha pair knew and trusted.

The weather this afternoon was bright and sunny, and although it wasn't quite spring temperatures, Fox was getting cabin fever... and she could only imagine that the three little squirts were feeling similar. She'd already begun to notice that they would gravitate toward the mouth of the den on especially bright days, and she would have to scoot them back if they got too far.

Carefully, Fox shepherded the trio to the grassy area just outside the den, allowing them to explore the area immediately around their home. If one started to wander off too far, Fox would be right there to guide him or her back.

Her Aunt Finley would forever hold a special place in Wildfire's heart, for her godmother's shining face had been the noisy tot's first ever sight. Since that wondrous moment hours before, she had gotten to know several other faces, including those belonging to the entities she had come to recognize through touch and smell. There were a thousand other things to see beside faces too. Wildfire couldn't get enough of her new sense.

In fact, she had been so distracted that she had barely uttered a sound since her eyes had opened. She just bumbled about the den on her belly—her legs wouldn't be able to solidly hold her weight for another week yet—gazing at everything in wonder. Everything had been rather fuzzy at first, yet already her surroundings were becoming sharper and more distinct. The world was rapidly acquiring depth and detail.

And now it seemed it would expand in yet another way. Wildfire squeaked and squirmed a bit when plucked up from the den floor, then blinked as Fox carried her just beyond the den's mouth. Her eyes squinted against the bright light. She cooed, her little black tail whipping back and forth as the Alpha female placed her on the cold grass.

Her head wobbled on her little neck as Wildfire lifted it and took her first look at the wilderness beyond the dim whelping den. She licked her lips and peered inquisitively at her mother, loosing a loud mewl. The pup then rolled onto her back to face the bright blue sky, unaware that her eyes did not match it, like her brother's and sister's did. Hers were already the same molten gold as the March sun that filled her world with such light.

The Redleaf-DiSarinno pups had entered their window of socialization, and suddenly were 1000% more active as a result. Nightjar spent almost all his time racing around the den at a leisurely walk, practicing his standing and his posture until he was very nearly stable all the time. He was lucky that he could also see, and was quickly learning how to tell when he was about to walk into something, primarily due to trial and error. The world was still very blurry, though, or at least it would appear that way to an adult wolf. To him, it was very much the norm.

Fox must've recognized her litter's developmental checkpoint, too, for only moments after Nightjar finished his morning suckle, she ushered her pups out into the open. The dark den fell away to bright, blurry shades of grey and white and blue. As Nightjar was brought into the sunlight, he squeezed his eyes shut and squawked his disapproval.

He was set down on the grass, which he set to exploring immediately with his nose and lips. He buried his face in it, not even realizing that he'd slowly opened his eyes again, and waved his tail jovially as he introduced himself to perhaps the most abundant plant in the entire world.

Houkie, feel free to hop in with Raven if you'd like at any time. :)

One by one, they toddled out, exploring the world around them with their noses, mouths, and newly opened eyes. Nightjar was, by far, the most stable and developed of the three. Fox wondered if his size had something to do with it. Wildfire and Raven weren't far enough behind developmentally to be a concern, and Fox watched with amusement as they began to get acquainted with the grass and the rest of nature's miracles. Wildfire had immediately rolled onto her back, exposing her soft belly to the sky above, while Nightjar buried his face in the fresh spring grass that grew just outside their den. Raven was nearby as well, of course, and Fox observed her for a moment before letting her gaze fall back on Wildfire.

With no purpose in mind, she nudged the yellow-eyed girl, hoping to prop her up on her feet. The little Firebird needed to practice her walking skills, just like everybody else, and Fox wasn't about to let any of her children slack on their intended lesson for the day. As time wore on, Fox would prove to push her children hard to learn the skills they needed to survive. They would need it in this harsh and cruel world, as her oldest son had already proven. Only the best of the best survived in the wild.

A shadow fell over her and Wildfire made a little rawr! sound in response. Her mother's face floated into view. Even as Fox nudged her elder daughter, Wildfire flipped onto her belly and blinked at her dam. Her tail waved tentatively. When Fox's nose pushed up under her tummy, gently coaxing her to stand, the puppy made a strange squealing noise but did her best to oblige her mother. Her little black tail picked up speed, as all the nudging tickled.

At length, Wildfire was standing upright on all fours. Hers was a bowlegged stance and she wobbled without even taking a step. She looked down at the ground, now an inch or two away, then ducked her head upside down to look backward between her own legs. Naturally, she lost her balance in the process and tumbled forward, landing on her own neck and rolling back onto the grass with a surprise squeak, a grunt and then, finally, an amused titter.

For a long time, the boy remained face-down in the grass, enjoying the new scents and sensations flooding his brain. Down there he could smell the grass itself, the sugars coursing through its plant-y veins, the dirt underfoot and all the bacteria that lived in it, the water hidden below the surface, and a thousand other things. It was like all the stimul in the world had concentrated themselves and resided here in the ground. It took him several minutes just to process and file away each scent.

When he did raise his head, it was to see Wildfire somersaulting. Triggered by her playful behaviour and giggles, Nightjar slowly found his feet and began toddling toward her. He was unable to run yet—that skill would come later and would take much longer to master—but he could walk fairly steadily. Eventually, he was standing practically on top of her.

As instinct dictated, he let his chest fall to the ground, leaving his rump sticking up in the air, and yapped encouragingly for her to try to catch him as he very slowly turned and began bumbling away. It would surely be the lamest game of tag ever, but it served a dual purpose; it would get Wildfire moving, perhaps. Instinct said this was a very good, educational game. His mind, as always, didn't say much of anything, except that it was fun even without her chasing him.

Wildfire managed to get on her own four feet, though she quickly resorted to acrobatics rather than walking. Fox sighed, then nudged her again, hoping to get her to actually start moving this time rather than do gymnastics. Maybe she was destined to be the athletic type... although her mother sincerely doubted it with those coordination skills. No sooner had Fox nudged her older daughter did Nightjar come tumbling toward "Dhole" as Fox had taken to nicknaming her bright red offspring.

Nightjar raised his tiny rump, tail waving in the air as he tried to elicit play from Dhole. Perhaps this chain of actions would get the little red girl up and practicing her motor skills, something Fox was very keen on getting out of all the pups today. Speaking of, Fox moved her gaze to the darkest of the three, who seemed to be the odd one out this time around. Not wanting her youngest to feel left out, Fox took a step in her direction and nibbled on the girl's ear.

Now Nightjar's mug floated over her and Wildfire flipped over onto her belly, remaining spread eagle but lifting her head to look at him. Her golden eyes watched as her brother slowly lowered his front half to the ground, his little rump swaying in the air. She watched his tail, mesmerized for a moment, then twitched at his loud yip. Nightjar turned and made a break for it, bobbing and weaving like a drunkard. But that's what kids were: tiny drunk adults.

With a yap of her own, Wildfire slowly pushed herself onto all fours. She wobbled something awful. Thoughtlessly, she began to pursue her litter mate, though she didn't get more than two and a half steps before her right foreleg gave way and she went tumbling ass over teakettle. She grunted in surprise and frustration, though the moment she finally fell still, she laughed and began the whole process over again.

This time, she managed to stay upright and even gain some momentum. However, instead of dashing after Nightjar and capturing his tail, as she wanted to do, she suddenly stumbled sideways, veering directly toward Fox and Raven and accidentally bowling straight into her younger sister.

Nightjar's slow flee was far from impressive, though he did manage to keep his feet for about three seconds longer than Wildfire. As she careened wildly to the side, Nightjar stopped, teetered drunkenly, and fell over onto his right hip. It smarted, but they were resilient little kids; even a little pain couldn't stop them, much as the adults would soon come to hope that something would.

His eyes panned slowly across the scene, which was made mainly of pastel smudges with very little definition. His gaze locked onto the two reddish smears that he associated with Fox and Wildfire, and though he didn't notice the smaller black smear that was Raven, he shakily stood and hobbled toward them all the same. By the time he reached them, it was Raven that he made a beeline for, and when he reached her, he awarded her with a sloppy kiss all the way up her left cheek.

He panted smilingly and glanced between the blurry Raven and Wildfire while his tail whipped invitingly back and forth with no real rhythm whatsoever.

Last post for me, but feel free to PP Fox in the background if you want to go for a few more rounds. :)

Fox chuckled at the antics of her children. They really were like tiny drunk adults. Dhole continued to mack on her siblings, as did Nightjar, although Raven seemed to be the quietest of the three. Still, she seemed normal otherwise, so Fox did not think to worry too much over her behavior. Nightjar was proving to be the most robust of the three, and Fox wondered if it was because he was a boy, rather than a girl. Then again, Dhole did give him a run for his money most days. Maybe they were better-matched than she'd suspected.

After a good chunk of time, she began the slow and arduous process of herding them toward the den mouth. Fox had a pretty good feeling they'd be completely pooped after all that outdoorsy exercise, and they would most certainly be hungry. Once they finally settled down, Fox would likely take an afternoon nap as well.

It took a minute or two for Wildfire and Raven to recover from the impact. They untangled their mess of tiny limbs and the former attempted to stand again. By the time she stood upright on four wobbly, bowing legs and looked upward, Nightjar was standing right next to her. The sight startled a short squall from her. His tail was wagging, so hers did the same, its black length twitching to and fro rather than sweeping in a smooth motion. That would come later.

Standing, walking and running were all rather exhausting exercises for Wildfire's puny muscles, so she called it quits for the day and plopped on her bottom, then rolled onto her side again. She enjoyed rubbing her cheek on the cool, crisp grass. She did this for a while, fielding the occasional sniff or bat from her meandering siblings, and then Fox eventually urged her pups back in the direction of the den's mouth.

It took quite a bit of coaxing for the girl to find her feet. She shuffled after her dam, stumbling often, but made it inside in one piece. Although ravenous at this point, she sank down on the den floor like a starfish. Only when her mother airlifted her and placed her beside a teat did Wildfire begin eating ravenously, all while slipping gradually into a milk coma.

Even as his siblings proceeded to find their own activities—Wildfire by slumping down in the grass and Raven by trying to eat her own tail—Nightjar just stood there, exactly where he'd stopped, panting and smiling all the while. He was captivated by the sight of Fox, in truth, but since she was little more than a reddish smudge in his vision, he could've been looking at her ass for all her knew, so the source of his fixation wasn't entirely clear. Still, he stared in that direction until the smudge moved. His trance broke and he blinked, feeling dry eyes for the very first time.

Fox was herding them back to the den. His steps were painfully slow as he allowed himself to be shepherded, although he did make a few brazen turns here and there that required Fox's quick intervention. Soon enough he was back in the comfortable darkness of the den, and soon after that, he was in a feeding frenzy that only ended when he fell asleep with milk still dribbling from his lips.