4/22/2025, 5:00 PM
A pause, then, the smoke-clad boy took a clumsy step forward, then another. His progress was miniscule, on account of his short and stubby legs, but the effort was there alongside a hint of caution. Solulfur wasn't sure if the caution was normal; she actually knew quite little about puppies. Still, the boy didn't seem frail of spirit, going as far as to ask who she was. Sol parted her jaws, well-practiced with the tedium of introducing her lengthy name, when another pup's head materialized from the darkness of the den.
He lifted his hackles and huffed out a no. Solulfur was giddy with delight - such protectiveness, such boldness! Exactly the same instincts that drove her to leap to her brother's defense against Nico. It pleased her to see two of the pups in the sunlight - standing tall, seemingly healthy, and already willing to venture forth and leap to one another's defense against an unknown that far outmatched them.
Then, Golde appeared. She soothed the children and explained away what Solulfur had not gotten the chance to. Sol offered the young mother a wave of her tail, skimming her gaze across the woman's frame. She remembered how thin and bony the she-wolf had been when they'd huddled beside that elk not so long ago, and Sol knew how bearing pups could put a strain on the body. She didn't think Golde looked especially worse for wear, but the Sun-wolf made a note to ensure that what she brought to the family next would be nutrient-rich organs and broken bones to gnaw the marrow from.
With Golde here, she decided that she didn't quite need to remain ready to leap into movement quite so much. Sol settled back onto her haunches, curling her tail neatly around her paws.
You may call me Sól.She offered, magnanimously. Sol knew her name's lilting hills and deep valleys could be difficult for some adults to pronounce, without being born to one of her mother-tongues. She did not traditionally appreciate nicknames, but would allow it so the pups didn't find a fresh new way to butcher her full name.
Golde concern was subtle, but Solulfur flitted her gaze up until it could land on the woman's own gilded irises.
Everything is fine.She reassured.
Monty here had left the den, and I didn't know if you had realized. I wasn't doing anything else, so I thought we could go on a walk together.She glanced at Monty - the darker one, and she was entirely guessing which was which - with a slight tilt to her head, as if to ask if he'd like to do so after all.
I can keep an eye on them, if you would like a break.Solulfur's tone was carefully neutral, not pressuring - although she very much hoped Golde would take her up on the offer. There were, after all, only two of them. Solulfur hadn't paid close enough attention to the mingled scents around the den to determine how many Golde had bore - the litters she'd been witness to at home had never been bigger than four.
