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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2023 3:30:17 GMT
She hadn't even been in this world for a whole moon cycle. In the words of canna, Ridna's eye had not even blinked once since Mufara'kah and her siblings were born in the Ah'mir greenhouse. Mufara'kah was still brand new. Her eyes and ears had only recently opened, but the little black fuzzball, still barely shaped like an actual dog, was already trying to explore her surroundings. She was just beginning to pull herself up on pudgy legs that were still too unsteady to chase after the giant form of her Great Dane mother, Akoda.
Most of the time she barely made it to the edge of the nest before growing tired or scared. Most of the time Mufara quickly toddled back to her brothers and sisters for a warm cuddle while they waited for their mother to come back. Today was a little different. Today, Mufara had stumbled out of the nest and into a whole new world. The ground here was cold and hard and grey, nothing like the warm stuff lining Mother's nest. Mufara stuck her fat little nose to the ground and gave it a good sniff. There were so many different smells! Before she knew it, the little black pup was toddling off on unsteady legs, drinking in all the new smells on the concrete floor. If she'd looked up, she might have noticed a great looming glass roof over her head, or plants growing everywhere, or even other dogs milling about, avoiding the constant drizzle of rain outside of their greenhouse shelter.
But no, she was too wrapped up in this new grey floor to notice any of it...or even the fact that the fascinating slab of concrete was about to end with a little drop-off into a really cold, wet patch of mud. Mufara's round body rolled right out of the greenhouse and into the outside, where she landed with a splat, chin first, in a puddle. The tiny pup lay still for a moment, blinking her beady little eyes. What had happened? Why was everything so cold? What happened to the grey flat ground? And what was tapping on her head?
Mufara raised her head to look around, then gazed blearily up at a grey sky with her mouth hanging open in a huge 'O' of surprise. She blinked hard as rain fell into her eyes. She knew a few words yet, words that let her mother know what she wanted or needed. She had no word for this wet stuff - Not the stuff falling into her face, and certainly not for the stuff that she was sitting in right now.
She was too young to really feel afraid. And so she sat and watched and let the wet stuff roll off of her downy black coat.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2023 1:25:49 GMT
The small, golden hued puppy let out a cry of indignance as he felt the shifting beneath him. The collective mass of warmth, fur, squeaks, and whines was always in a constant state of movement between members of the conglomerate shifted into more comfortable positions, nosed each other, or simply breathed. Tan lids that hid the pale blue eyes opened the tiniest pinch. With the wrinkled, baby skin around his muzzle and his squinty expression, the baby had the look of a disgruntled old man worn plainly upon his face.
Wiggling his paws free of the small horde that lay piled in their nest, he flailed his limbs in the only way he knew how, urging himself forward though unbeknownst to himself kicking and pawing at his littermates indiscriminately.
His vision was a blur. The world was made up of fuzzy shapes and colors. Everything appeared abstract to his underdeveloped mind. Nothing made sense while, simultaneously, everything made sense. There was nothing to think about. His world and experience were but a small speck of the lands. There was nothing more to it than mama and the horde for which he competed with. Being such a small size compared to the more bulky demeanor of his siblings, every meal was a fight. Luckily, it was not in the small pup's nature to give up so easily. There was a spark inside of him, a fire that burned with the will to survive. He would push, shove, and squeeze his way between his siblings for his share of mother's milk.
Upon his wriggling and scooting a new sensation was felt beneath him. Nothing. He had felt this feeling before, though he had had the security of mama's mouth on the nape of his neck or his back. She was not here this time. A yip escaped his mouth as he fell the short distance to the hardened floor beneath. Though only an inch or two down, the fall felt immense to the unaware mutt.
A sound pattering off of the floor and walls caught Aye'humu's attention. His instinct called to investigate. Scuttling forwards, his body kept low to the ground, he was brought to an immediate, unexpected halt. A squeak escaped his muzzle as his eyes adjusted only enough to recognize the dark, fuzzy shape that he had just bumped into. The brief moment of contact with the familiar warmth reminded the ren of what he was missing having ventured from the nest. Slowly, he began to attempt to climb atop his sibling to reform a piece of the horde. At the sharp, cold feeling of something dropping upon him, he immediately tumbled away, squeaking his displeasure.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2023 23:39:49 GMT
It wasn't long before another joined Mufara - One of those wiggling bodies that she usually wrestled with for milk. She turned clumsily to look in the other's direction, all at once distracted from her discovery. Just as he tried to crawl into her, she did the same, shambling through the muck to press herself against her brother. An instinctual act. Stay warm.
The other body pulled away though and began to cry out, leaving Mufara blinking in confusion. What was wrong? Well. It was a a little cold. Maybe he had the right idea. She lifted her nose to the sky and gave a few half-hearted whimpers before giving up when the rain splattered down onto her chubby little face once again. Well. This just wouldn't do. And with that, Mufara was once again on the move, fuzzy consciousness telling her that she could go and find comfort. Mother always left the nest. She would find Mother. Or, something along those lines in a garbled, broken fashion inside her barely developed mind.
With her stubby little tail stuck straight up like a flag, surely beckoning for Brother to follow, she set off again, striking bravely out once more into this wet new world. Except now she was shivering all over and the rain didn't seem like so much fun anymore. Mufara toddled along at a snail's pace, one fat paw moving in front of the other, steadily making her way further into Ah'mir's very wet, very muddy base - Until she wasn't. All at once she stopped, frustrated, and sat down to belt a sudden, angry squeal that even dogs over in Why'o territory probably heard. A pup so young would have quick mood swings when things didn't go her way...and Mufara'kah was no exception.
She was cold. She was mad. She was getting kind of hungry. And in all the fifteen steps she'd taken, Mother's paws hadn't appeared. What gives?
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2023 6:02:25 GMT
The rain was a near-constant accompaniment to the typical sounds of the forest. The overbearing clouds were almost a more familiar sight than the sun at this point, and even on days that it didn’t rain the mud seemed to linger. Damien had been keeping a careful eye on the river and its swells, and frankly it wasn’t looking good. Though the greenhouse was blessedly out of reach of the river, the same couldn’t be said for their prey, and if things continue as they were the Ah’mir would be stepping onto the political scene sooner than he would have preferred.
That was a problem for a different day, though. Today was fairly relaxed, with dogs tending to their jobs as they should. Greyo himself had just returned from an informal hunting trip of his own, an old pheasant hanging limply from his jaws; the elderly bird had been too frail and too water-logged to take to the skies before he had set upon it. Dropping the catch nonchalantly at Akoda’s den entrance, he paused to see that the great dane was nowhere in sight. And, if he were counting correctly, the nest was missing two of its usual occupants.
His first thoughts were, naturally, treachery. But what dog would dare to steal away two babes from right beneath their clan’s noses? His dark thoughts were immediately dispelled as a high-pitched squeal seemed to echo through the greenhouse walls, the brute’s ears perking as he cocked his head to the side.
He hadn’t interacted with the pups overmuch since their ceremonies at their birth, and knew very little about them aside from their names. But that didn’t mean that he would outright ignore signs of their distress, especially in their mother’s absence. With a narrowing of his eyes, he prowled through the halls until he tracked down the source of the mewling: Mufara’kah and Aye’humu, muddied and wet and much too far from where they should be.
He hadn’t realized they were already at an age to get underfoot. Stepping forward, he easily towered over them, using his own body to shield the tiny canna from the rain even as he lowered his head to inspect them for any ailments. ”Little ren,” He addressed them both, knowing full well that their comprehension likely wasn’t all there yet, ”Are you trying to catch your death out here? You’re much too small to tumble in the rain.” Their little bodies weren’t even the size of his head.
Nosing them back towards the shelter of the greenhouse, he huffed out a small sigh. He sincerely doubted they were meant to be this cold – their shivering was a dead giveaway. ”Canna are quite foolish at your age, aren’t they?” He mused.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2023 4:20:41 GMT
Mufara's cries did not fall on deaf ears...but her saving grace did not come in the form of Akoda's legs. Instead, a much darker pair of limbs (ones that she would realize someday looked remarkably like her own) appeared. With them, the pelting rain also stopped tormenting her. The only thing that she needed now was...yep, perfect! The tiny pup shambled closer to the legs and curled up against them, ready to settle down and steal their warmth. Maybe the legs would even give her some warm milk. She pressed her stubby muzzle into Greyo's paw and began to snuffle about.
Her plan was short-lived. The big dog had other ideas. She couldn't understand much of what was being said up there - Just some stuff in a deep, kind of comforting voice. Or at least it would be if their muzzle hadn't come down to shove her around! With a squeak of protest, she was back on her feet. Aaand then on her back. Tubby legs flailed wildly in the air as she attempted to roll herself back over. What were they thinking? So much for warm milk legs!
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2023 16:44:31 GMT
Blue eyes squinted through the pup's partially open lids as he again attempted to re-orient himself. The small patter of his sisters paws echoed in his ears, outdone only by the roaring echoes of the rain splattering the ground around them. Blinking away the large droplets, he noted the black stub of a tail wandering off in another direction. Always the follower, Aye'humu shifted between awkward, waddling steps and plopping onto the ground to crawl on his belly. Whimpers of indigence and abandonment sounded from his lips like a skipping record. Where was sister going? And where was mama? Clearly if she hadn't shown up at all during the two minute long venture she must be lost forever. Aye's lower lip quivered at the thought as he reared to let out another whine.
His cry was cut short and let out in an abrupt squeak as he came to an immediate, unforeseen halt. Losing his balance, he toppled to the side having slammed into his sister's rear end. Obviously, she must have come to the same conclusion as himself. And now his sister was letting out a shrill cry. If Aye'humu had had the muscle dexterity to display more complex emotions he surely would have rolled his eyes at her antics.
As suddenly as the rain had seemed to start, it stopped. A shadow loomed over the siblings, drenching them now in darkness. Long legs gave the distinct impression of a canna the pup knew. Mama? No. Her legs weren't so dark and her voice was not so deep. The young pup's sister had ventured to explore the towering trunks, but Aye'humu felt a different inclination. Leaning up to catch a glimpse of their oppressor, he let out a high pitched snarl and yip, accentuating his fearlessness by climbing to his feet momentarily before the force of his puppyish bark knocked him back to the ground. Sneezing a few times - though unsure if it was from the cold or his aggression - he attempted to ram into one of the monster's legs, using his own head as a battering ram.
He would never know if this blow would have felled the creature that towered over them for he was immediately knocked off of his feet. A squeak and a cry escaped his golden muzzle as he toppled over at the unexpected retaliation. It was war then! The fiend was attacking him and he would need to defend himself, if only he could stay on his feet.
As the pup was gently nudged back towards the nest he could not focus on the warm, inviting pile of siblings. For right now he was under immediate attack by this large intruder.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2023 6:20:07 GMT
Heavy, white paws fell upon the floors of the greenhouse as the large shadowspeaker sauntered through the open rooms of the clan base. Had he still had full length ears they would have been folded back in annoyance as the squealing cries of upset puppies assaulted his brain and every waking moment. The pups, it seemed, had been abandoned. Without even having been given the orders, the elder Ah'mir owi had taken it upon himself to provide all he could to keep the pups quiet and content. It was a mystery where their mother had disappeared to, and one that had affected him greatly - if not the whole clan. He had wondered silently to himself if he should just let the pups wither away or if Damien would have them outright disposed of. At this point they seemed more a nuisance than anything else.
The tiny cries were typical since the puppies birth twenty days prior. What really caught Gru'e's attention was the deep voice of the chief sounding from the nursery. Had he not been so nearby, Gru'e may not have heard the top canna at all. But the leader's voice brought him to a pause. His duties could wait, this situation was in need of a solution.
Turning a full half circle, he started back the way he had just come, though detouring through the room Akoda had decided to settle in with her pata.
Upon approach, Gru'e Canna'a slowed his pace and lowered his head in a respectful manner as his eyes fell on the chief of the Ah'mir clan. "Li'Greyo'miera," he greeted plainly, lowering his gaze from his superior in a sign of respect towards Damien's rank. Lifting his head his gaze drifted between the nest of puppies and the two renegades who currently had found themselves underneath the chief's - their father's - legs. Gru'e found himself clacking his tongue in thought and a show of disappointment that was not entirely authentic. "They are suffering," he started, being sure to choose his words wisely so as to not offend the li'canna. "Ever since Akoda disappeared my owi have been running themselves ragged keeping them healthy through herbs and regurgitated meals. I'm afraid something has to be done."
His statements were fraught with a chill that was reflected in his coat color. His expression remained emotionless as he watched for Damien's reaction to his blanket statement on the problem. He would not make any suggestion. Not yet. He was still entirely unsure on the chief's feelings towards his brood as it appeared to Gru'e that the contract between the clan's leader and Akoda had been broken.
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