Redhawk Caldera Hurry up, we're dreaming

For @Wildfire but siblings are welcome to join! :D

Rumor had it that the firebirds' eyes had opened. Naturally, Elwood had gleaned this from Finley, who had screamed excitedly about it after witnessing Wildfire's first experimental blinks. Ironically enough, he had nearly lost his hearing due to his girlfriend's incessant shrieking. He shared her excitement, but not quite at her decibel level.

So, a few days later, he ventured to the Alphas' den. He announced his presence with a chuff, and when he was welcomed by Peregrine, he adopted what had become his "visiting the puppies" stance -- he lowered himself to his belly just inside the threshold, his yellow eyes roving over the bundles of fur. It hadn't been that long since he had last seen them, but they already seemed to have grown quite a bit. He made a mental note to visit more frequently.

"Anybody awake?" he said, though he knew that none of the cubs could hear him. The pile of bodies started to move, and he watched attentively, wondering which pup would tumble toward him first...

Over the past few days, the pups' growth and development had achieved hyper speed. Not only could Wildfire see now, she could also register sounds (only very faintly); stand on her own four feet (although walking was an entirely different ballgame); and even eat pre-chewed meat. Peregrine actually made his first of many deposits just in time for breakfast this morning and Wildfire woke from a dead sleep and was feeding her face within seconds, slurping the meat slurry noisily in between Nightjar and Raven.

It took the little redhead a while to notice the shadow that fell across them and the wolf that had been lurking in the doorway a good ten minutes now. Eventually, she squinted upward and waved her tail at a wolf she mistook for her Aunt Finley. Plowing right through the regurgitated goop, she army crawled toward Elwood, unleashing a wild shriek. The noise, though muffled, startled her and she froze, then squirmed the rest of the way toward the Beta's foot. That's when she realized it wasn't Finley. The scent was vaguely familiar, though.

Very unsteadily, the soiled Wildfire pushed herself into a seated position, then stood on wobbly legs. She blinked up at Elwood, head canting, and yipped at him. Once again, the sound made her freeze, her head cocking even further as if she was trying to listen for it. It didn't come again, naturally, though it was only a matter of time before Wildfire realized she was making those godawful noises.

The pups were not quick to notice Elwood's presence, which was to be expected since they couldn't hear and their vision was probably not too sharp yet. In the meantime, he made small talk with Peregrine (so that he wasn't just creepily lying in the doorway, watching the firebirds). Eventually, one of the three dislodged herself from her siblings -- Elwood identified her as Wildfire, both by her reddish coat and the ear-piercing squeal that she emitted when she saw him.

He watched with an amused smile as she bumbled towards him; he was impressed by her speed, although her movements were still a bit clumsy. She looked up at him with brilliant golden eyes and made a sound almost as though she was asking a question. In his mind, he imagined she was saying, "Who are you?" After all, this was the first time she had ever seen him.

"I'm Uncle Elwood," he rumbled in response, reaching out a paw as if he expected her to give him a handshake.

Post #50! :o

His rumble was too low for her to hear, though when Elwood's mouth moved, she smiled up at him. Her black little whip of a tail swayed to and fro, the motion much smoother than its previous jerky movements. Everything about Wildfire (and the other pups) was streamlining as she took on the features of a miniature wolf versus a chubby little meatball.

When Elwood reached out a paw, Wildfire experienced a flashback to the day when her eyes had first opened and Finley had shoved her foot in the pup's face, blinding her. Instinctively, she leaned away from the proffered forelimb, though when the Beta male didn't seem determined to press it against her face, she stretched forward, nose wriggling. She sniffed at his toes, wary expression transforming back into a smile.

That's when Wildfire decided now would be a good moment to say her first real "word." "Abba!" she declared, her voice just high enough to cause her little ears to twitch faintly.

And it was an adorable one!

He watched as she leaned away from his paw, his curiosity piqued by her reaction. He wondered what previous interaction had shaped her response, unaware that it was Finley that had placed a paw on Wildfire's head. But she didn't evade him for long, and soon was sniffing at his toes as a smile bloomed on her little face.

"You should be familiar with those," he said -- he wasn't the only wolf whose feet Wildfire had attempted to suckle. When she opened her mouth, he prepared himself for one of her classic shrieks -- but instead, what came out of her mouth was something that almost resembled a word.

Elwood's brows shot up and he grinned, stealing a glance at Peregrine and Fox in the background. He then nodded his head, meeting Wildfire's gaze. "That's right, abba," he encouraged, though he didn't know what she was really trying to say. Maybe she just had an affinity for the catchy tunes of a Swedish pop group.

:D

I went to write this and suddenly started choking on a strawberry leaf I didn't realize I'd ingested...

Most of the time, the adults tended to lean back, flatten their ears and grimace when Wildfire opened her mouth. She noticed that Elwood didn't do it this time. He appeared downright delighted, rather. There had been something decidedly different about this articulation in particular too, she'd noticed. Her tongue had rolled against her teeth and her lips had pressed against one another. Wildfire hadn't given it conscious thought at the time, though she endeavored to repeat it now.

"Ahh! Bah!" Not that she knew it—it sounded very distant and garbled to her underdeveloped eardrums—it came out slightly different this time, more enunciated. Unaware of this mild inconsistency, Wildfire blinked her golden eyes and looked expectantly at her Uncle Elwood, hoping for another happy reaction.

*heimlichs*

The puppy was pleased by the approval she received from her uncle, so she made a second attempt. This time, the syllables were more clearly defined, and though she still wasn't saying an actual word, it was easy to tell that she was talking. Again, he nodded, his ears pressing forward eagerly.

"Good! How about this? Bah-bah," he said, pursing his lips together in an exaggerated manner. Her little mouth would grow stronger with more practice, and these lip-closure activities would be essential to helping her be understood when she really started to babble. Even though she still couldn't hear him, he hoped that she would attempt to mimic the motion of his face with her own. If she was able to do that, there would be a lot more fun to be had here -- silly faces would ensue.

He seemed just as pleased, perhaps even more so than before. Wildfire glowed. She liked making others smile. It made her insides feel warm and fuzzy and her tail stir. It stilled again when she concentrated on her uncle's face, watching as he made exaggerated movements with his mouth. Without even thinking about it, she mimicked him, her own lips popping together nearly silently.

"Bababababa," she muttered under her breath, craning forward to better see Elwood's face (things were still a bit blurry at times). From this close, she could sort of detect the thrum of his own voice, which caused her lips to fall still and twitch at the corners. She could also see the whiskers on his grizzly chin, which made her grin broaden for whatever reason.

Without warning, she jumped up and bumped the tip of her snout against his, their lips smacking together in a friendly smooch. When her haunches dropped back to the ground, she giggled rather wildly. The flaps of her ears bounced at the noise and, at long last, she became to make that tenuous connection between her own exhalations and these new auditory perceptions.

Elwood chuckled with delight as Wildfire mimicked him -- and then some! She released a string of verbalizations, her little lips puckering each time she uttered the beginning consonant sound. Already, she was proving herself to be a smart little girl. His eyes crossed as he looked at her, watching as she leaned in close to examine his mouth.

Then, without warning, she bounced upward and bumped right against his snout. The impact wasn't strong enough to cause any pain to either wolf, but the sudden movement startled Elwood. He recovered quickly with a laugh, reaching up with a paw to rub his muzzle -- had he just been her first kiss? As he refocused his gaze on Wildfire, he noticed the subtle twitching of her ears and extended a forepaw, touching one tiny floppy lobe gently.

"Do you hear me?" he said loudly, wondering if her ears were beginning to open.

When Elwood reached toward her head again, Wildfire didn't duck away this time. Her ear flicked when he touched it. She blinked, then tilted her head toward him, appreciating the friendly scratch. She then went rigid when he loudly addressed her, her reaction answering his question even though Wildfire couldn't really hear him well and certainly didn't understand his words.

"Abba!" she crowed again, bouncing in place. She then pulled herself forward, bottom dragging, to mush herself again her uncle. She not so secretly hoped he would resume with massaging her ear—better yet, both ears this time. Wildfire made this known by rubbing her crown against his chest and legs like a kitten and even letting loose a little mewl.

It was amazing to watch her reactions to his words and touches. It appeared that she could hear him, at least to some degree; before long, her little ears would be standing erect and she would be able to listen and understand language, as well as speak it herself. He smiled, watching as she bounced in place and then scooted herself closer to him, nonverbally asking for him to scratch her head.

Her gestures were apparent enough for him to interpret, so he craned his neck and began to preen the top of her head gently with his teeth and lips. He scratched behind her ear, massaging the downy fur there and waiting for any signs from her that would mean she wanted him to continue or stop.

A noise of contentment leaked out of Wildfire like air hissing from a tire. She closed her eyes, enjoying the massage that doubled as a grooming session. In fact, she enjoyed herself so much that she went limp and oozed to the den floor, forcing Elwood to bend down to continue.

"How the hell...?" Peregrine quipped from where he sat, a Nightjar balanced on his foot. "Finley got to see her eyes first, then you got her first 'word.' And she's as demure as a kitten around both of you. What gives?" He shot the Beta a playfully angry look, though he didn't feel as put out as he looked. He appreciated the quiet, as well as the bond forming between his child and her godparents.

"Looks like she's out," he observed after a moment, tipping his swarthy snout toward the little red pup now snoring with her cheek smashed against her uncle's gray paw.

Elwood was just as shocked as Wildfire's father when, after a few moments of kneading her scalp, she sank to the floor and fell asleep. He didn't pause in his preening, if only because he was afraid she would wake up and start screeching, but lifted his gaze to meet Peregrine's as the surprised Alpha male spoke.

It seemed that he and his friend-girl had a knack with the pups, or at least with Wildfire. Elwood felt warmth in his heart, a new sensation that he hadn't experienced before -- he hadn't had younger siblings (at least, not when he left the pack; surely his parents had produced another litter by now) and therefore had not spent any amount of time with puppies. Although the idea of having children with Finley still seemed to be a distant and far off dream, maybe it wasn't so unreachable...

Eventually, he straightened, looking pensively down at Wildfire to see if she would remain asleep.

This'll be my last post. :) <3

When Wildfire continued to snore softly, Peregrine said, "As colicky as she can be when she's awake, she's a champion sleeper. Want me to move her?" He canted his head at Elwood, eyes shifting to drink in the sight of his little girl collapsed at his friend's paws. It really was endearing. "Actually, you should stay right there while I go get Finley to show her how cute you look. That should get the mommy juices flowing," he teased, exiting the den.

He popped his head back in three seconds later and said, "I'm actually just gonna take a piss. I'll be right back," and winked at the Beta male before disappearing, leaving the snoozing Wildfire still draped across her Uncle Elwood's paws like a warm, fuzzy, clingy sock.

<3

It was soon evident that Wildfire was down for the count. Elwood was surprised at how quickly she had fallen asleep, but maybe that was a trait of such a young puppy. He looked up at Peregrine and flashed the father a lopsided grin as his daughter snoozed peacefully on her uncle's foot. A chuckle was stifled when Peregrine said that he wanted to show Finley the unexpected scene.

Peregrine was only gone for a few moments -- long enough to relieve himself, as he said -- and when he came back he and Elwood talked quietly, their voices scarcely above a whisper, for a few minutes. Once Elwood was able to slide Wildfire delicately off his paw -- without waking her, miraculously! -- he excused himself, leaving the little family to have some (well-deserved) quiet time as he went to find Finley and gush about how adorable their niece was.