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.