Post by Therdde on May 20, 2009 23:35:11 GMT -5
Characters:
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
Ashen - Male Juvenile Cougar
Abel - Male Wolf Pup
Helaku - Male Wolf
Wind-Blown Lowlands
The pups were born nearly two weeks ago in the secure, if cramped, temporary den she dug deep into the ground. The entrance of the den is hidden from view on most sides by one of the few tall trees in the area, leaving the den cool and shaded even during the hottest of the spring hours. Now, with the quiet sounds of mewling and stumbling that normally come from the den completely silenced, Skelaghe leaves the den, taking the rare opportunity to stretch out and enjoy the cool evening air. Surely, it will not be long before one of them wakes up, and the one that wakes up will likely be hungry when he or she wakes, but until that time, Skelaghe is happy to move around a little. Once she has finished stretching and stood upright, she looks around for any of her companions. She has not allowed anyone into the den for more than a couple minutes yet, but she knows there is always someone nearby.
Although his leg is starting to heal, Ashen has to struggle to move properly. It moves stiffly, and locks up on occasion. Regardless, it hasn't stopped the cub from his much-needed play. The young cougar is charging clumsily through the grass. It looks as though he's chasing something; odd, given his inability to see. In reality, he's simply lunging blindly after any insect or stalk of grass that happens to brush his nose. Possibly not the safest of games, but it keeps him occupied while there's nothing else to do. Faintly, he catches the scent of Skel, and at that, Ashen slows, ears perking and listening for a voice, should there be one.
One of the pups, Abel, is awake when Skelaghe exits the den. Perhaps a light sleeper, perhaps he was just nudged too hard. Either way, the pup yawns and lifts his head. Looking around the room, he clumsily rises to his paws and slowly exits the den, closing his sensitive eyes to the outside light. Abel whines as he slowly reopens his eyes and sees Skelaghe. He's still not totally able to see, and as a result he bumps into the leg of his mom. He does nothing else but stand next to her, though. He knows very well who he just walked into. Mom!
Helaku had been out on his own a lot since the last talk he and Skel had. Things between them were still quite tense since he told her about his contacts and goals. This is why he preferred to be alone on his own missions. Criticism was useless; words--show me action was the way he grew accustomed to. He would have continued to go on that way if it were not for the fact the pups were born. The search for Malak and Revan would have to wait for now. Had it been his first time, he would have most likely continued. But, not again. He slipped between a couple of trees after his daily routine to keep his presence and scent to a minimum. He saw the den within sight, but he didn't come closer just yet.
Skelaghe hasn't noticed Helaku's approached. She has, however, noticed Ashen's playing. She smiles and opens her mouth to speak to him, but before she can get a word out, there is a whining from behind her and then a bump to her leg. Well, that really didn't last long. She turns her head around and easily spots, and recognizes, her son. After spotting him, she reaches back with a paw to draw him forward. Even as she is reaching back, she calls forward, "Ashen! Come here a moment." Ashen did want to meet the pups, right? Surely he must have been curious in the past couple weeks, knowing that the pups had been born but not being allowed to 'see' them.
For a second, Ashen almost resembles a rabbit. His head turns this way and that, as he judges exactly which direction the call came from. Then he shift and bounds toward the wolf, his tail curled upward in the feline manner of an affectionate greeting. "Yes?" He wonders, while not even halfway there yet. "What is it?" As the cub nears her, several unfamiliar scents drift off Skel. His brows knit inquisitively, but as far as he's aware, only she is here. Anybody else is pretty much invisible to him.
Abel manages to reopen his eyes as they adjust as Skel calls out. He looks up at mom, wondering if it was him who she was talking to. Guessing it wasn't, the pup takes several steps forward, nose pointed in the air. He hears someone call back, but fails to see the source of the rebuttle. Abel looks back at Skel, expecting some kind of explanation.
Helaku wrinkled his nose and silently slipped into the shade and under a low-lying branch of the tree. There, he remained to simply watch. He mated with Skel more for her than himself, so she would have pups of her own. While it did prolong his own line, it really was hers. He was a creature that led a dangerous life, and he didn't want them to follow that way of living, assassinations, torture, murder used as scare tactics, attack and killing humans...no. That was not going to be their life.
Once her son is in front of her, Skel settles into a sitting position with Abel between her forelegs. When she is sitting, she lowers her head to lick at the top of his a couple times. As though she hasn't spent enough time in the past couple weeks grooming them. After the licking, she looks up again to see Ashen. In a very pleasant tone, she says, "One of my pups is here with me, Ashen. His name is Abel." /That/ name, the pup should recognize. Skelaghe has spent a lot of time talking to her pups and calling them by name in the past couple weeks, even before their ears were open. Still, Helaku remains unnoticed, as Skel has her attention devoted to the younger animals.
"Here? Now?" That must be the scent he noticed. Ashen limps nearer, following the odd smell until his nose is mere inches from the young pup. "Ah... Abel." He utters quietly, making sure to say it right before addressing the other youth properly. "Hello Abel." He says to the pup's shoulder. He puts on a polite, if lopsided smile. "My name is Ashen."
Abel certainly does seem to respond to his own name being said. He looks up at his mom, appreciating the grooming. Yawning once more, he looks back at the ground and closes his maw. As Ashen comes closer and closer, Abel hesitantly retreats back into Skelaghe's chest. That *thing* looks nothing like mom, or his sisters. He doesn't even try to catch the scent of the cougar, whining as he speaks directly to him.
Helaku rested his maw on his forepaws, still silent and watching--rather glad Skel hadn't managed to notice him. They should have more time with their mother; Ashen needed more time with someone gentle and caring like Skel as opposed to himself. Fourty-One's guidance had rubbed off on him much--a leader and strong figure should be a larger-than-life presence, interacting when needed and remaining aloof when not. The old wolf who taught him was right in that, but in that it would be adapted to situations. This would have to be adapted. It was a good thing Abel was getting used to a cougar scent. Ashen hadn't even an idea of what a wolf was before running into Skel, or so was the impression.
Skelaghe smiles brightly as Ashen introduces himself, even when her son backs up. She presses against the boy, letting him know that he is safe, that she will protect him, but she doesn't tell Ashen to back off, doesn't overreact about Ashen inadvertently scaring Abel like she did when Helaku scared Ashen. "It's okay, Ashen. He's just a little frightened. He'll get used to you." Hopefully, anyway. Looking a little more closely at the young cougar, she asks, "Have you had plenty to eat recently?" With Ashen's presence, Skelaghe doesn't speak too much directly to her son, because her son is less likely to understand what is being said than the cougar is.
Ashen doesn't see Abel backing off, but he can hear the whine. His smile drops, and the cub backs away himself, but for a different reason than the pup. What did he do wrong? When Skel speaks, the cub's head tilts back. "But why is he frightened? Is it something I did?" Ashen looks in Abel's general direction again, trying to think of something to say. But before that happens, Skel asks him a question. "Yes." He nods. Although his body is starting to lean out a bit, letting his relatively large bone structure show just a bit. He's not skinny, but the cub has been having trouble eating enough to keep up with his physical growth.
Even with full contact of Skelaghe, Abel doesn't feel comfortable with Ashen in front of him. The pup whines, poking his nose out slightly to sniff the puma. Though he doesn't understand most his mother's words, he listens the best that he can. Her voice does soothe him and calms his fear. Cautiously, Abel takes a step forward, examining Ashen.
Helaku's ears flicked forward, naturally at Abel's whine, but Skel is with him. It was only natural that he be cautious stepping into the unknown. He was comfortable with the situation as it was, nothing to worry about. He closed his eyes, and merely listened. He would make himself present eventually, but he wanted the pups to be able to walk, see, hear, fluently before he appeared to them.
Yes, it is something Ashen did, kind of, but... "It isn't your fault." As usual, Skelaghe's voice is calm and pleasant. "You're a lot bigger than he is, and he doesn't know you yet." Skelaghe looks down to her son as Abel works up the courage to walk forward a step. How long will it be before Ashen, and the rest of them, have all four pups swarming all over them? Not long, Skelaghe knows.
Perhaps it's a good thing Ashen can't see; he doesn't react in any way when Abel steps forward again. He doesn't even realized the pup has moved at all. "Am I that much bigger?" He remembers how he was the largest of his brothers, even though he was neither the oldest nor the strongest. How small /is/ Abel? Ashen wishes he could see. "And how come he hasn't said anything yet? Did I scare him that much?"
Abel takes another step closer, and examines the puma very closely, touching him several times with his nose. It's only brief, he then retreats back to the safety of his mother, looking up at her, as if to get approval of what he just did from her. Abel does seem to be rather shy, but it is only because of his youth and inexperience.
Helaku opened his eyes narrowly, watching since there was so much in the way of questioning and silence. It reminded him of the day his own mother took him out of the den to meet the pack. Back then, he was surely innocent, cute, fuzzy, and most-assuredly boring...except when he plucked a whisker from their alpha on accident upon his very first conquest. Hopefully that wouldn't happen to Skel.
Skelaghe chuckles silently. At times, it is easy to forget how young Ashen probably is, because of his size. Now, however, is not one of those time. "He can't speak yet. He was only born a little bit ago." Having verified that Ashen is not, at least, starving, Skelaghe turns her gaze back to her son, smiling at him as he looks up at him. Though she is looking at her pup, her speech is directed toward the cougar. "Just give it a little time, Ashen. Before long, you will have four of the most enthusiastic playmates you could ever ask for." Is Skelaghe concerned for the safety of her children? Not really. Besides the fact that Ashen has some disabilities that her children do not, she trusts that Ashen would never intentionally harm any of them.
Ashen flinches, almost jumping back when a tiny nose pokes at him. He flattens against the ground, chin pressing into the grass, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible. He wants to be Abel's friend, even if the pup is still afraid of him right now. "But why does that mean he can't talk? Is there any way to help him?" He wonders, already forgetting how much trouble he'd had with learning. It all feels like so long ago now. "Wait... four?" He looks surprised, then excited. "He has three brothers? Can I meet them yet?"
Helaku smiled to himself. It was best if they never knew he was near. He slowly moved back into the darker shadows and slipped between the trees to go off and find something for her to eat. Fish most likely. Witnessing things from the background was his way, anyway. A nice big dinner would suit Skel nicely, and perhaps some for Ashen too.
There is no part of Ashen's enthusiasm that Skelaghe doesn't love, that she doesn't hope her children will emulate. She lowers her head to rub against her son gently, working to constantly reassure him that she is here. It is only after doing so that she answers, doing as well as she can to satisfy his rapid-fire questions. "The only thing we can do to help him, and his siblings, learn to talk is to talk to them often. The rest is just a matter of time." As far as the genders of Abel's siblings... "He doesn't have any brothers. He does have three sisters, though." Three beautiful little girls. "They're sleeping now-" Or are if the silence in the den behind her is any indication. "-but I'm sure you'll meet them all soon." Helaku moves as stealthfully as he ever has, and surely enough, Skelaghe doesn't realize her mate was ever here. Maybe if her back wasn't to the male, or if Ashen could see... And yes, probably better that she doesn't know. If she did, she might be upset by how he only lurked in the background and never even attempted to interact with his son.
"Oh. That's not hard, then." Ashen looks in Abel's direction, while remaining on the ground. "You should learn your name first." He tells the pup. "That way, you can tell it to people even when your ma isn't around." It doesn't occur to him that Abel might also have trouble understanding what he says. The term 'sister' sounds distantly familiar, but it's not a word he's used to using, considering the single gender that made up the living of his siblings. "They're all girls?" He tilts his head, asking the obvious. "Okay. I don't want to wake them, then. But I can't wait to see them." Ashen says excitedly, missing the inaccuracy of the term 'see'. "I hope they're not all gonna be scared of me..."
The pup responds positively to the cougar talking to him at his level and Skelaghe's rub; Abel stops his whining and pays more attention to the cougar than his mother, begining to associate the fondness for his mother, to someone else who speaks to him. He again steps forward and sniffs Ashen. Rather fickle today, Abel is.
"Yes, they're all girls." As Abel again moves forward to sniff the cougar, she says, with a smile, "I think he likes you already." There is no doubt in her that all of her pups will grow accustomed to the 'strange' playmate quickly. "When they wake up, I'll bring them out here to meet you, okay?" It's about time for them to start leaving the den anyway, at least for short periods of time.
Ashen's ears swivel toward Abel, but otherwise he doesn't move too much more than that. Even if the pup is getting used to him, the cub doesn't want to scare him again. "Abel." He says softly, then repeats it a few times. Eventually, he hopes, the boy will learn to say his own name. "I like him, too." Ashen says to Skel, even though they barely know each other yet. "Okay. And I'll help them learn to talk, too!" It can't be that difficult, surely.
With his name being called out at a relaxed and calm volume, Abel becomes excited and either nods his head or stomps his paws at ever iteration of his name. Breaking away from his initial fear of the unfamiliar guest, the pup manages to detatch himself from mom and come closer to Ashen, pawing at him and otherwise being friendly.
Despite her bright smile, Skelaghe watches closely, recognizing the potential for trouble here. When her pups are a little older, it will be easier, but they won't understand that Ashen is blind just now. If there is any sign that things are getting too dangerous, she will swoop in, but until then, she is more than willing to let Abel introduce himself to Ashen in the only way the pup can.
Ashen chirps playfully. As the pup starts to paw, the cub rolls onto his back, belly exposed submissively. He doesn't think Abel can hurt him too badly, although those little claws are surprisingly pointy. Not compared to a cougar's, but even so... Still, Ashen is tolerant, and even paws back at the pup. Albeit *very* lightly.
Pups Abel's age tire out quickly. Skelaghe lets the playing go on for a while, but when she sees Abel's head dip, she takes that time to pick up the young pup by his scruff, off of the rolled-over cub, and draw him back. Taking only a single step back, she sets Abel down for a moment so she can explain to the blind cougar. "I think it's time for Abel to take a nap now, Ashen. It'll be a while yet before any of them can play for long times."
Ashen rolls onto his side, puzzled at first when Abel is suddenly not there. But his confusion is soon lifted when Skel explains, and he nods in understanding. "Okay. Guess you'd better take him to den so he can sleep, then." The cub gets up stiffly. "I think I'm a little tired, too." After all, he'd been running around all day. Ashen swallows a yawn, then paces a bit, seeking out the softest patch of grass to curl up in.
It is likely that Skelaghe would have a very hard time believing how Ashen sustained his injuries. How could anyone be upset with this young cougar? As Ashen willingly gives up his playmate, Skelaghe says to him, "Have pleasant dreams, Ashen." After speaking, she again picks up her pup to carry him back to the den, where his sisters are still sleeping.
Ashen winds himself around into a little ball. He doesn't have to worry so much about staying warm at nights anymore, but it helps him feel a little more secure, if nothing else. "Okay, Skel. You, too." He lowers his head into his paws. After a second, though, it pokes back up. "And Abel, an' his sisters." And /then/ he settles down to sleep.
Skelaghe - Female Wolf
Ashen - Male Juvenile Cougar
Abel - Male Wolf Pup
Helaku - Male Wolf
Wind-Blown Lowlands
The pups were born nearly two weeks ago in the secure, if cramped, temporary den she dug deep into the ground. The entrance of the den is hidden from view on most sides by one of the few tall trees in the area, leaving the den cool and shaded even during the hottest of the spring hours. Now, with the quiet sounds of mewling and stumbling that normally come from the den completely silenced, Skelaghe leaves the den, taking the rare opportunity to stretch out and enjoy the cool evening air. Surely, it will not be long before one of them wakes up, and the one that wakes up will likely be hungry when he or she wakes, but until that time, Skelaghe is happy to move around a little. Once she has finished stretching and stood upright, she looks around for any of her companions. She has not allowed anyone into the den for more than a couple minutes yet, but she knows there is always someone nearby.
Although his leg is starting to heal, Ashen has to struggle to move properly. It moves stiffly, and locks up on occasion. Regardless, it hasn't stopped the cub from his much-needed play. The young cougar is charging clumsily through the grass. It looks as though he's chasing something; odd, given his inability to see. In reality, he's simply lunging blindly after any insect or stalk of grass that happens to brush his nose. Possibly not the safest of games, but it keeps him occupied while there's nothing else to do. Faintly, he catches the scent of Skel, and at that, Ashen slows, ears perking and listening for a voice, should there be one.
One of the pups, Abel, is awake when Skelaghe exits the den. Perhaps a light sleeper, perhaps he was just nudged too hard. Either way, the pup yawns and lifts his head. Looking around the room, he clumsily rises to his paws and slowly exits the den, closing his sensitive eyes to the outside light. Abel whines as he slowly reopens his eyes and sees Skelaghe. He's still not totally able to see, and as a result he bumps into the leg of his mom. He does nothing else but stand next to her, though. He knows very well who he just walked into. Mom!
Helaku had been out on his own a lot since the last talk he and Skel had. Things between them were still quite tense since he told her about his contacts and goals. This is why he preferred to be alone on his own missions. Criticism was useless; words--show me action was the way he grew accustomed to. He would have continued to go on that way if it were not for the fact the pups were born. The search for Malak and Revan would have to wait for now. Had it been his first time, he would have most likely continued. But, not again. He slipped between a couple of trees after his daily routine to keep his presence and scent to a minimum. He saw the den within sight, but he didn't come closer just yet.
Skelaghe hasn't noticed Helaku's approached. She has, however, noticed Ashen's playing. She smiles and opens her mouth to speak to him, but before she can get a word out, there is a whining from behind her and then a bump to her leg. Well, that really didn't last long. She turns her head around and easily spots, and recognizes, her son. After spotting him, she reaches back with a paw to draw him forward. Even as she is reaching back, she calls forward, "Ashen! Come here a moment." Ashen did want to meet the pups, right? Surely he must have been curious in the past couple weeks, knowing that the pups had been born but not being allowed to 'see' them.
For a second, Ashen almost resembles a rabbit. His head turns this way and that, as he judges exactly which direction the call came from. Then he shift and bounds toward the wolf, his tail curled upward in the feline manner of an affectionate greeting. "Yes?" He wonders, while not even halfway there yet. "What is it?" As the cub nears her, several unfamiliar scents drift off Skel. His brows knit inquisitively, but as far as he's aware, only she is here. Anybody else is pretty much invisible to him.
Abel manages to reopen his eyes as they adjust as Skel calls out. He looks up at mom, wondering if it was him who she was talking to. Guessing it wasn't, the pup takes several steps forward, nose pointed in the air. He hears someone call back, but fails to see the source of the rebuttle. Abel looks back at Skel, expecting some kind of explanation.
Helaku wrinkled his nose and silently slipped into the shade and under a low-lying branch of the tree. There, he remained to simply watch. He mated with Skel more for her than himself, so she would have pups of her own. While it did prolong his own line, it really was hers. He was a creature that led a dangerous life, and he didn't want them to follow that way of living, assassinations, torture, murder used as scare tactics, attack and killing humans...no. That was not going to be their life.
Once her son is in front of her, Skel settles into a sitting position with Abel between her forelegs. When she is sitting, she lowers her head to lick at the top of his a couple times. As though she hasn't spent enough time in the past couple weeks grooming them. After the licking, she looks up again to see Ashen. In a very pleasant tone, she says, "One of my pups is here with me, Ashen. His name is Abel." /That/ name, the pup should recognize. Skelaghe has spent a lot of time talking to her pups and calling them by name in the past couple weeks, even before their ears were open. Still, Helaku remains unnoticed, as Skel has her attention devoted to the younger animals.
"Here? Now?" That must be the scent he noticed. Ashen limps nearer, following the odd smell until his nose is mere inches from the young pup. "Ah... Abel." He utters quietly, making sure to say it right before addressing the other youth properly. "Hello Abel." He says to the pup's shoulder. He puts on a polite, if lopsided smile. "My name is Ashen."
Abel certainly does seem to respond to his own name being said. He looks up at his mom, appreciating the grooming. Yawning once more, he looks back at the ground and closes his maw. As Ashen comes closer and closer, Abel hesitantly retreats back into Skelaghe's chest. That *thing* looks nothing like mom, or his sisters. He doesn't even try to catch the scent of the cougar, whining as he speaks directly to him.
Helaku rested his maw on his forepaws, still silent and watching--rather glad Skel hadn't managed to notice him. They should have more time with their mother; Ashen needed more time with someone gentle and caring like Skel as opposed to himself. Fourty-One's guidance had rubbed off on him much--a leader and strong figure should be a larger-than-life presence, interacting when needed and remaining aloof when not. The old wolf who taught him was right in that, but in that it would be adapted to situations. This would have to be adapted. It was a good thing Abel was getting used to a cougar scent. Ashen hadn't even an idea of what a wolf was before running into Skel, or so was the impression.
Skelaghe smiles brightly as Ashen introduces himself, even when her son backs up. She presses against the boy, letting him know that he is safe, that she will protect him, but she doesn't tell Ashen to back off, doesn't overreact about Ashen inadvertently scaring Abel like she did when Helaku scared Ashen. "It's okay, Ashen. He's just a little frightened. He'll get used to you." Hopefully, anyway. Looking a little more closely at the young cougar, she asks, "Have you had plenty to eat recently?" With Ashen's presence, Skelaghe doesn't speak too much directly to her son, because her son is less likely to understand what is being said than the cougar is.
Ashen doesn't see Abel backing off, but he can hear the whine. His smile drops, and the cub backs away himself, but for a different reason than the pup. What did he do wrong? When Skel speaks, the cub's head tilts back. "But why is he frightened? Is it something I did?" Ashen looks in Abel's general direction again, trying to think of something to say. But before that happens, Skel asks him a question. "Yes." He nods. Although his body is starting to lean out a bit, letting his relatively large bone structure show just a bit. He's not skinny, but the cub has been having trouble eating enough to keep up with his physical growth.
Even with full contact of Skelaghe, Abel doesn't feel comfortable with Ashen in front of him. The pup whines, poking his nose out slightly to sniff the puma. Though he doesn't understand most his mother's words, he listens the best that he can. Her voice does soothe him and calms his fear. Cautiously, Abel takes a step forward, examining Ashen.
Helaku's ears flicked forward, naturally at Abel's whine, but Skel is with him. It was only natural that he be cautious stepping into the unknown. He was comfortable with the situation as it was, nothing to worry about. He closed his eyes, and merely listened. He would make himself present eventually, but he wanted the pups to be able to walk, see, hear, fluently before he appeared to them.
Yes, it is something Ashen did, kind of, but... "It isn't your fault." As usual, Skelaghe's voice is calm and pleasant. "You're a lot bigger than he is, and he doesn't know you yet." Skelaghe looks down to her son as Abel works up the courage to walk forward a step. How long will it be before Ashen, and the rest of them, have all four pups swarming all over them? Not long, Skelaghe knows.
Perhaps it's a good thing Ashen can't see; he doesn't react in any way when Abel steps forward again. He doesn't even realized the pup has moved at all. "Am I that much bigger?" He remembers how he was the largest of his brothers, even though he was neither the oldest nor the strongest. How small /is/ Abel? Ashen wishes he could see. "And how come he hasn't said anything yet? Did I scare him that much?"
Abel takes another step closer, and examines the puma very closely, touching him several times with his nose. It's only brief, he then retreats back to the safety of his mother, looking up at her, as if to get approval of what he just did from her. Abel does seem to be rather shy, but it is only because of his youth and inexperience.
Helaku opened his eyes narrowly, watching since there was so much in the way of questioning and silence. It reminded him of the day his own mother took him out of the den to meet the pack. Back then, he was surely innocent, cute, fuzzy, and most-assuredly boring...except when he plucked a whisker from their alpha on accident upon his very first conquest. Hopefully that wouldn't happen to Skel.
Skelaghe chuckles silently. At times, it is easy to forget how young Ashen probably is, because of his size. Now, however, is not one of those time. "He can't speak yet. He was only born a little bit ago." Having verified that Ashen is not, at least, starving, Skelaghe turns her gaze back to her son, smiling at him as he looks up at him. Though she is looking at her pup, her speech is directed toward the cougar. "Just give it a little time, Ashen. Before long, you will have four of the most enthusiastic playmates you could ever ask for." Is Skelaghe concerned for the safety of her children? Not really. Besides the fact that Ashen has some disabilities that her children do not, she trusts that Ashen would never intentionally harm any of them.
Ashen flinches, almost jumping back when a tiny nose pokes at him. He flattens against the ground, chin pressing into the grass, trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible. He wants to be Abel's friend, even if the pup is still afraid of him right now. "But why does that mean he can't talk? Is there any way to help him?" He wonders, already forgetting how much trouble he'd had with learning. It all feels like so long ago now. "Wait... four?" He looks surprised, then excited. "He has three brothers? Can I meet them yet?"
Helaku smiled to himself. It was best if they never knew he was near. He slowly moved back into the darker shadows and slipped between the trees to go off and find something for her to eat. Fish most likely. Witnessing things from the background was his way, anyway. A nice big dinner would suit Skel nicely, and perhaps some for Ashen too.
There is no part of Ashen's enthusiasm that Skelaghe doesn't love, that she doesn't hope her children will emulate. She lowers her head to rub against her son gently, working to constantly reassure him that she is here. It is only after doing so that she answers, doing as well as she can to satisfy his rapid-fire questions. "The only thing we can do to help him, and his siblings, learn to talk is to talk to them often. The rest is just a matter of time." As far as the genders of Abel's siblings... "He doesn't have any brothers. He does have three sisters, though." Three beautiful little girls. "They're sleeping now-" Or are if the silence in the den behind her is any indication. "-but I'm sure you'll meet them all soon." Helaku moves as stealthfully as he ever has, and surely enough, Skelaghe doesn't realize her mate was ever here. Maybe if her back wasn't to the male, or if Ashen could see... And yes, probably better that she doesn't know. If she did, she might be upset by how he only lurked in the background and never even attempted to interact with his son.
"Oh. That's not hard, then." Ashen looks in Abel's direction, while remaining on the ground. "You should learn your name first." He tells the pup. "That way, you can tell it to people even when your ma isn't around." It doesn't occur to him that Abel might also have trouble understanding what he says. The term 'sister' sounds distantly familiar, but it's not a word he's used to using, considering the single gender that made up the living of his siblings. "They're all girls?" He tilts his head, asking the obvious. "Okay. I don't want to wake them, then. But I can't wait to see them." Ashen says excitedly, missing the inaccuracy of the term 'see'. "I hope they're not all gonna be scared of me..."
The pup responds positively to the cougar talking to him at his level and Skelaghe's rub; Abel stops his whining and pays more attention to the cougar than his mother, begining to associate the fondness for his mother, to someone else who speaks to him. He again steps forward and sniffs Ashen. Rather fickle today, Abel is.
"Yes, they're all girls." As Abel again moves forward to sniff the cougar, she says, with a smile, "I think he likes you already." There is no doubt in her that all of her pups will grow accustomed to the 'strange' playmate quickly. "When they wake up, I'll bring them out here to meet you, okay?" It's about time for them to start leaving the den anyway, at least for short periods of time.
Ashen's ears swivel toward Abel, but otherwise he doesn't move too much more than that. Even if the pup is getting used to him, the cub doesn't want to scare him again. "Abel." He says softly, then repeats it a few times. Eventually, he hopes, the boy will learn to say his own name. "I like him, too." Ashen says to Skel, even though they barely know each other yet. "Okay. And I'll help them learn to talk, too!" It can't be that difficult, surely.
With his name being called out at a relaxed and calm volume, Abel becomes excited and either nods his head or stomps his paws at ever iteration of his name. Breaking away from his initial fear of the unfamiliar guest, the pup manages to detatch himself from mom and come closer to Ashen, pawing at him and otherwise being friendly.
Despite her bright smile, Skelaghe watches closely, recognizing the potential for trouble here. When her pups are a little older, it will be easier, but they won't understand that Ashen is blind just now. If there is any sign that things are getting too dangerous, she will swoop in, but until then, she is more than willing to let Abel introduce himself to Ashen in the only way the pup can.
Ashen chirps playfully. As the pup starts to paw, the cub rolls onto his back, belly exposed submissively. He doesn't think Abel can hurt him too badly, although those little claws are surprisingly pointy. Not compared to a cougar's, but even so... Still, Ashen is tolerant, and even paws back at the pup. Albeit *very* lightly.
Pups Abel's age tire out quickly. Skelaghe lets the playing go on for a while, but when she sees Abel's head dip, she takes that time to pick up the young pup by his scruff, off of the rolled-over cub, and draw him back. Taking only a single step back, she sets Abel down for a moment so she can explain to the blind cougar. "I think it's time for Abel to take a nap now, Ashen. It'll be a while yet before any of them can play for long times."
Ashen rolls onto his side, puzzled at first when Abel is suddenly not there. But his confusion is soon lifted when Skel explains, and he nods in understanding. "Okay. Guess you'd better take him to den so he can sleep, then." The cub gets up stiffly. "I think I'm a little tired, too." After all, he'd been running around all day. Ashen swallows a yawn, then paces a bit, seeking out the softest patch of grass to curl up in.
It is likely that Skelaghe would have a very hard time believing how Ashen sustained his injuries. How could anyone be upset with this young cougar? As Ashen willingly gives up his playmate, Skelaghe says to him, "Have pleasant dreams, Ashen." After speaking, she again picks up her pup to carry him back to the den, where his sisters are still sleeping.
Ashen winds himself around into a little ball. He doesn't have to worry so much about staying warm at nights anymore, but it helps him feel a little more secure, if nothing else. "Okay, Skel. You, too." He lowers his head into his paws. After a second, though, it pokes back up. "And Abel, an' his sisters." And /then/ he settles down to sleep.