He'll make a good guard patrolling the borders one day, Apple thought as she retrieved the youngest Dusk tripod, Vati would be proud. Even she couldn't complain about defending the den, one's siblings, but for fucks sake kid -- the first thing she'd have to teach him was picking his battles better! The leg he'd been biting was bigger than he was, for fucks sake. She blinked sternly down at him, relief softening her features, and shook her head a little.
The sight of the blood along his pure, snowy face made her stomach turn, and she reached down to pass her tongue over the offending droplets. The taste didn't help her stomach, but she felt better when her son wasn't speckled in someone elses blood.

She just tried to paw him closer to her for warmth.

The stranger asked her about a tree, and Apple's ears were suddenly hot.

I wasn't aware it mattered, she sighed in a defeated sort of way, but flicked an ear. She'd never had to dig a den before; most places had convenient shelters of some sort, sufficient enough for grown wolves to sleep in and be free of the weather. When instincts bade her dig for the babies, well, she'd just... dug.

The stranger looked at her, asking if 'this one' was born that way. Apple nodded, casual, lifting a shoulder and casting her gaze down to Pomegranate. She was used to others gawking.

Yeah, my brother and Father were born missing a limb too, healthy otherwise. He'll be just fi- her gaze swept to glance down, then, realizing Sparrow wasn't looking at her or Pompom at all. They were looking at Persimmon, who had joined them, rushing forward excitedly.

His bent little tail was swaying right under her nose as he stared at the newcomer, unphased entirely.

Oh.

A beat passed.

No. No he wasn't.

She blinked.

Wasn't like that when I left, but he... doesn't seem to give two shits, does he?

Experimentally, she reached a paw forward to gently touch the curve now in the appendage. Her son glanced to her, tongue hanging from his jaws, and then back to Sparrow, beaming all the while.

The stranger was brown and cream and black and PINK! More pink than he was! Persi grinned up at them, crooked little tail waving, only catching a few of the words passed quickly between adults. Digging a tree, at first --you could dig up a tree?!- but then their attention was on him. The newcomer, first, asking if he'd... always been... something. Oh!

Pink, he agreed, but that was... really the only similarity they shared. But he was happy that someone else noticed! Apple mentioned PomPom and Uncle Apricot's missing leg, and while he didn't see how that was relevant, he nodded at this, too. He'd never met Apple's dad --or his own, huh-- but heard stories about Opi Cerb from time to time. Persi grinned, and, feeling a touch against his tail, looked back to see his Mutter drawing the side of her paw down it, looking at him with that pinched face she got when he tried to leave unattended or something else dangerous.

He just grinned up at her, too, waiting, but when she said nothing the boy whipped his head back 'round to look at Sparrow some more.

Pink. Yeah, Persi, pink. Apple grimaced further as her son pointed out the extensive scarring on the stranger like it was just another patch of fur, but as unbothered as she was about the tail, Sparrow seemed to barely notice. In fact, she went with it.
Then apologized.

Forget about it, I think they got their own revenge, she quirked a smile.

Apple just shrugged otherwise. Persi was clearly fit as a fiddle! It did interest her to hear that this little canine knew someone else who had the condition. She'd heard of it, sure, but she didn't really know what to do about it. It didn't make her feel better to know the little shit was just going to end up reckless, and yeah, she could see it. If he didn't feel pain, what told him when to back off?

I've heard some about it, but I've never met anyone with it, she admitted aloud, but again, shrugged. Not curable, in any case. Guess he'll have to learn to be careful.

Yeah. Fat chance of that.

'Do you uh, have a pack? Healers to help with that?' Apple offered a rueful smile. I'm the Queen of the budding Dusk Oasis here, and a healer myself, but that sounds fancy when its just me, my brother the King, and these little shits. It's hard to get things up and running when I'm stuck close to this forsaken pit.

One of the others -- that... could be a good thing, she thought, or a bad thing. Some of the kids were quieter, and some seemed to take the quiet personally. Cashew, for instance, might be good at keeping him out of trouble. Lychee.... would probably spur him on. Hit or miss, wasn't it?

They didn't seem all that impressed, either. Apple couldn't blame them, grimacing right back and nodding. Yes, just them.
She ... didn't expect a blatant offer of assistance. The golden Queen stared, blinking; 'least I can do after crashing your house.' Yeah, the pit of despair was really so important.

They came from a kingdom too far north to survive in, given the cold and their scars, and even before that, she was a princess.
Spoke... vaguely of another world, but Apple assumed she meant in a more... metaphorical way. Not... actually. Literally. Either way, neither names of the kingdoms were recognized -- didn't matter much though, did it? The Dusks were hardly royals themselves.

Sparrow, warden of Avon.

Apple Dusk, Queen of the Dusk Oasis, she returned more formally, a smile creeping over her features, That's mighty kind of you, Sparrow. Really, the den and kids are fine, don't worry about it. She didn't need someone held here over a debt they didn't really owe! Persimmon was just standing there, staring, happy little boob that he was. She had to find a new den, anyway!

Sparrow... offered to babysit. Apparently, she'd done some of that back at Avon -- though she noted the dip in number. Should she be... worried? Was this strangers track record not the best?? Sure, they said they were down here escaping the cold, but maybe one of those wily kids hadn't been watched great.
Gotta be better than she was bothering, at any rate.
Sparrow had time.
Apple needed time.

That's... insanely kind, Apple blinked, wide-eyed, but smiling, It'd sure give me and Apricot a chance to get things started properly around here, and the kingdom would be open to you as long as you wanted to be here.