DotW RP: A Family Outing

Polaris was terrified she would awaken to find it had all been a dream. Her life had changed so suddenly, that she could scarcely recognize it. All at once Fable had returned to her and their pups had been born. She had grown accustomed to the empty space in her den. Now, Fable was asleep at her side and four little puppies tucked into the long fur at her belly. She gazed fondly at them as they slept. Two princes and two princess. Four beings that had suddenly become her world. Softly, she brushed the tops of their tiny heads with a warm tongue. She loved being a Mother, though it was never something she prepared for. She loved experiencing life through the eyes of her children, brand new, where infinite possibilities awaited them.

She felt Fable stir beside her and Polaris leaned into him, nuzzling into the soft fur at his chest.  “Good morning, love,” she whispered gently, so as not to stir the pups. It was a surreal feeling, having him back. She never wanted this quiet moment between them to end. But she knew soon their children who rise and their attention would once again be divided between them. “What if we took the pups to the beach today? Think they’re old enough?”



Fable's life had gone from a constant, waking nightmare to become the softest, most beautiful paradise he could imagine. Valda had made sure he was completely and utterly alone, and now he was surrounded by family. His family.

He could feel Polaris beginning to stir, he lifted his head in time to see her lavishing affection on their children, and it made his heart flutter.

He smiled softly as she leaned into his chest, he whispered as he bent his head down to nuzzle her cheek, "Good morning, my star."

At her question, his ears twitched thoughtfully and his dark crimson eyes fell back upon the slumbering pups. They were so perfect, beautiful, and terrifyingly fragile. He let a breath escape him as he considered it.

"We need to try it eventually, are you up for it?"




Yael had been fast asleep in a ball at her father’s side when soft whispers had roused her. She lifted her head and released a massive yawn. Morning light was just beginning to fall into the mouth of their cozy den, which meant it was time to get up! She blinked and gathered her bearings for a brief moment before untangling her limbs and raising to her paws. Her ears perked at a new word she overheard her mother say.

Propping herself against her father’s belly, Yael’s lips parted in an eager grin. Mamma had warned her to keep quiet while her brothers and sister were still sleeping, but how could she when she was so excited?

“Papa! What’s a ‘beach’ ?” She asked a bit too loudly, tilting her head curiously to one side and gazing up at her dad. Papa was smart. He knew everything!



Lincoln, despite his young age, wasn’t very fond of waking up early. He liked sleep. It was one of his favorite pastimes, snuggled contentedly between his littermates and parents. But, when having an energetic sister like Yael, the little pup found he rarely slept in without interruption.

This time, however, Link heard his sister utter a word he’d never heard before, and so he lifted his head and blinked drowsily up at his beloved mother.

“Yeah, Mama, what’s a… um,” he frowned, seeming to have forgotten the word. It was new to him after all. “What’s Yael talking about?” He simply had to know the reason for his sister’s excitement.



Last to wake - but this was nothing new. In her short life so far, Asteria had proven that she could sleep through anything. Noise, movements, earthquakes… the latter hadn’t been tested but it was likely that she would have continued to snore right through it.

Even now, as the hushed whispers of her parents gave way to the more eager, excited voices of her siblings, Asteria remained in her dreamland. Splayed upside down with her jaw slightly ajar, her tiny forepaws occasionally twitched in the air as she snoozed. As each sibling woke and questioned their parents, Asteria seemed to frown. Quiet murmurs and huffs slipped from her mouth as she awkwardly rolled over, apparently in objection to the noises, a back paw pushing into a siblings side.

Whatever it was that had everyone roused, Asteria remained firmly asleep, her only input another deep snore.




Yael pushed past Saga as she moved to get to Fable, and this motion made Saga's head fall from where it had been resting on Polaris' belly. He awoke with a jolt when his head thudded softly against the den floor that had been carefully nested for their arrival. After the initial shock, the grogginess returned, he licked sleepily and wiped his eyes with one paw.

A beach? That sounded new and potentially dangerous.

He looked up blearily to gauge his parent's expressions to see whether a "beach" was a good or bad place. As he did so, he noticed that Asteria was the only one left asleep, her eyes stubbornly slammed shut.

Like any good brother would do, he began to jostle the pup by pushing on her repeatedly with his forepaws.

"Aster. ASTER."



Before she could answer Fable, they were interrupted by a boisterous little head shooting up between them. She flinched as their daughter’s animated voice filled the cavern. How was she capable of making so much noise for such a small thing?

“Hush Yael!” She urged her daughter, but it was too late. Already the sound had roused her sons. Lincoln’s little head bobbed sleepily as he awakened, but Saga, equally as rambunctious as his sister, began to squirm excitedly. “Well Link,” She began to explain quietly, “It’s a- Saga! Don’t wake your sister!” She chastised and gripped her son by the scruff to plant him firmly between her paws. She sighed and gazed down at little Asteria with all four tiny paws in the air.

She turned to meet Fable’s gaze, face weary, but full of laughter. “Looks like we have no choice but to take them, now.”



Fable returned Polaris' weary gaze, bemused and incredulous at how quickly the tumult had started.

His sigh was laced with a tired chuckle, "I suppose so- this bodes well for the rest of the day, doesn't it?"

The dark wolf looked down at his daughter who was peering up at him with blazing curiosity. Her avid desire for adventure and her way of soaking everything up with a bright fervor, while exhausting at this hour, was something he loved about Yael. About all the pups, really. Everything was new, exciting, and out there just waiting to be discovered. It was a beautiful way to live... if a little terrifying for a protective father to deal with.

"Oh, I think you'll like the beach," He smiled and thought for a moment, doing his best to summarize, "It's unlike any place you've seen! It's bright, there are no trees, the ground will tickle your toes, and there's more water than you can imagine."




“Wow!”

She gazed up at her father with admiration beaming in her face. Each word made her more and more excited to go to the “beach”!  Yael loved many natural things- the wind, the grass, and the trees, but she loved water most of all. Now Mama and Papa were going take them to see more water than she could even imagine?! For Yael, it was certainly a dream. Her dark-tipped tailed swayed furiously behind her with excitement she could scarcely stifle. She began to frolic in playful circles around the other pups.

“Race ya!” She exclaimed excitedly to her siblings, and sprinted for the mouth of their den. “Last one there’s a lying fox!”




His ears drooped in disappointment when his mother’s words were interrupted by Saga’s antics. To Link, Polaris was the greatest teacher he knew, and he would have loved to hear her explanation. But, Fable’s description reached the pup’s rather large ears, and he immediately began to grin. “There’s water there?” his growing excitement causing his voice to rise in pitch as he echoed his father’s words, “The ground will tickle our toes?” This place sounded incredible! He had to see it! Right now!

Though he reached quickly for his sister’s tail, he wasn’t able to stop Yael before she was bouncing away from them.

“Yael, wait! We don’t even know where it is!” But he could hardly contain his own excitement, and he soon stumbled after her on his oversized paws, his short tail thumping against his flanks. “I’m no lying fox!”




The first call of her name fell on deaf ears, but as Saga pressed his soft paws into her and bellowed down her ear, Asteria finally opened one lazy eye - just in time to see her brother be hoisted into the sky by his ruff. Stretching her forelegs, the sleepy pup gave a wide and over dramatic yawn, before turning her inquisitive gaze up toward her parents.

Having missed half the conversation, the auburn she-wolf blinked for a moment as confusion glossed over her. No trees? Tickly paws? More water than you could imagine? She had no idea what her family and siblings were talking about.

“I can imagine a lot of water,” She announced pointedly, giving a matter of fact nod. It seemed like a challenge. How could there possibly be even more water than she could think of?!

Her small tail began to wag, and as Yael led the charge, she was quickly infected by the excitement. She clumsily - and still a little sleepily - got to her feet and set off in rapid pursuit of her siblings.

“Come on Saga!” She beckoned to her brother as she passed him.



Saga went limp in Polaris’ teeth, settling obediently in her paws, though he continued to stare intently in Asteria’s direction, as if waking her up was specifically his job. The rusty-coated sister stirred to life at last, and Saga quietly nodded with a sense of accomplishment. With that done, he looked up once again as he listened to the description of this "beach" place.

His tail wagged vaguely by osmosis as he watched his siblings get more and more excited, though he himself was still unconvinced about the whole thing. No trees meant no cover. And did he WANT his toes to be tickled?

He watched as Yael darted from the den, soon clambered after by Link and Asteria. He wasn't going to be a stinking fox, and he sure as anything wasn't going to be shown up by his siblings.

Not one for a loud protestation of challenge, he instead wriggled quietly from his mother's paws and began to run to catch up lead his brother and sisters had made.

He turned, looking back at his parents as he scrambled, "Papa, Mama, c'mon?"




“We’re up!” She called to her son. Extending her long legs, Polaris leaned into a stretch. Her body had changed and she was still soft from the pregnancy, but her strength was returning. Fable was recovering as well, looking a bit less thin at the turn of each week. Fellfang was on the mend.

Polaris smiled down at Saga who sat patiently at the mouth of their den. There was a gentleness to him that surpassed his young age, and she could see glimpses of their future leader in his eyes. “Thank you for waiting, little prince,” She gave her son a tender brush on the crown of his head and stepped out into the morning light. A time would come when Saga’s life would be dedicated to the rise of his Jarlship. But today, he was still a pup, and his only duty was to laugh and to play.

“We’d better catch up!” She exclaimed and bounded out into the meadow beside her son.

When the family was nearly at the shoreline, Polaris called for her children. “Pups, come close for a moment,” She beckoned and waited until she had all four pairs of excited eyes staring up at her before continuing, “Remember what Papa said about the beach? There’s more water than you can imagine, the currents could knock you right off your toes! So don’t go too deep. Paws only until you’re bigger,” She instructed, making eye contact with each one of them to make sure the message was sinking in. Living on an island, Fable and Polaris had made sure their children were accustomed to water, however they were not yet strong enough to stay afloat for very long, and the gentle waves could quickly turn perilous if one of them were to lose their footing. But the pair had raised savvy pups, and Polaris was certain they’d be alright so long as their parents’ cautions were heeded.




Fable was the last on his feet as Polaris' 'we're up' beckoned him upwards. His muscle tone was still on the mend, so he could feel a strain as he pulled himself to his paws, but he didn't let it show. He wanted the attention off of him- he wanted to be there to lavish Polaris with the luxury and support a new mother deserved, and wanted to always be a place of unwavering strength for the kids. With a groggy smile, he followed Polaris out of the den, nudging Saga's rump with his muzzle to urge him to follow suit.

It wasn't far to the beach, but it was the furthest the pups had ever been. As soon as the trees fell away around them to give way to warm, white sand, the family was buffeted by a soft, briny sea breeze. At night, this part of the beach would be set aglow by the ocean, the land bridge and Aefinlight Strond made up a distant coast, and the shallow water in between was sure awaken with it's mystical light this time of year as soon as the sun fell below the horizon. Right now- the sky was clear, and the shallows glistened, impossibly clear. Thin, bubbly sheets of foam frothed at the shore with every wave, and the air was filled with the deep rumble of ocean's movement.

Fable had been walking behind Polaris, stealing a moment to see his whole family soak in the scene. It made him almost teary, though he didn't know why. They were all so beautiful. He watched as Polaris deftly gathered the pups around her, carefully parsing out the rules to be followed that day. He caught up to stand at her side as she spoke.

He nodded in agreement, adding quickly before their attention spans were sure to break, "AND don't wander off too far, be sure that you can always see us."




Yael tried to sit patiently, but her parents’ words just added to her brimming anticipation. Her little tail shook her entire body with excitement as she nodded eagerly. “Yes, Mama, yes Papa!” She yipped in response. Not too deep, not too far, got it!

Her patience was rewarded when she turned and saw it- the majesty of the seaside unfolded all around her. It was more grand than she could have ever imagined it- the water churned infinitely before them, gently brushing the earth with diamond-capped waves. Birds beckoned to them from high over-head as they scanned the surface for fish. The air was different- heavier but fresher, with a salty-tang Yael could taste as she took a massive breath. There were so many details to this new, strange place, and Yael drank them all in. Even at her young age, she marked this moment with great importance, one she’d never forget.

Unable to wait any longer, Yael broke into a fevered sprint to the sea. Her tiny paws sank into the sand as she galloped, but she continued to trudge through with excited determination. When she finally made it, the jewel-blue waters greeted her. The ocean was icy-cold, but if she had noticed, it hadn’t bothered her. She liked the sensation of the waves licking her toes. Tickley, just like Papa said! She bounded and giggled and felt all at once like anything in the world was possible.

Turning to face her brother, she was struck with a mischievous idea. A playful grin slid up her maw as she barreled, soaking wet, towards Lincoln, “C’mon in, Link! Water’s great!”




His paws were nearly tingling with excitement—or perhaps that was simply the ground changing between his feet. Looking down, Lincoln noticed the solid earth he was familiar with was becoming softer and paler the further they went from their den. Carefully, he prodded at it with a forepaw and found that he could move it around! He decided this must be the tickly ground his father had mentioned earlier.

He sat obediently back on his haunches when Polaris paused, and he gazed up at her with round, interested eyes as she and Fable explained the rules involving this “beach” place.

“We’ll be careful!” He’d make sure of it. While he did his best to listen closely, Yael’s excitement was contagious and he bounded after her the instant she broke away from the group, grinning happily.

However, he skidded to a halt just before the shoreline, his smile fading and his neck-fur prickling uneasily. That was a lot of water. In fact, it almost seemed infinite to the little pup, stretching endlessly into the distance until his young eyes couldn’t make out the waves any longer. Yael had charged right into it, as per usual, but Lincoln hesitated. He watched it carefully, nearly deciding he thought the color was pretty before it suddenly came towards him! He leapt backwards with a soft yelp, barely avoiding the water’s touch. The soggy ground beneath him felt cold and sticky.

Then, before he knew it, he heard a familiar voice accompanied by the patter of wet pawsteps, and looked up just in time to see Yael’s grinning face before she crashed into him. “Gah! E-Ellie!” Link struggled to untangle himself from his sister, his sides now plastered with dark sand and water. He shook himself furiously, lip trembling. He wasn’t sure he liked this place yet. But, as soon as he caught a glimpse of Yael’s gleeful expression, his frown softened into a smile. If she was happy, then he didn’t mind that she’d gotten him wet.

“You look like a porcupine!” he teased gently, noting her spiked, wet pelt.



The auburn pup neglected to listen to the rules in their entirety: her attention, easily diverted as it was, had been quickly captured by the crashing of a distant wave. As her muzzle turned and her gaze drank in the first sight of the ocean, only the twitch of one ear suggested that she had even attempted to listen, at some point, to her patient parents.

Yael’s movement seemed to Asteria to be enough of a sign that they had been released to play, and so she darted after sister, tongue lolling from her open jaw. At first touch from the cool ocean water to her paw, Asteria seemed to ignite with energy. She slept a great deal, always more than her siblings, but it was likely because when she was awake she was always active.

While Yael made a beeline for Link, tentative at the water's edge, Asteria ran past them both and began to race in excited circles around them, leaping and splashing in the shallows like a creature possessed and completely deaf to any communication.



Saga listened dutifully as his parents layed out the rules to be followed- all of which seemed perfectly reasonable to him. As soon as the word was given, his three siblings broke formation and pelted towards the shore, Yael and Asteria being the most enthusiastic by far. He understood Link’s caution, and was likely to do the same. He was about to follow suit, just as the crisp shadow of a gull swept across the ground in front of him, sending him skittering backwards. What was THAT? Falling onto his run before turning, he clambered to his feet and backpedaled until he stood on his mother’s paws, nestled under her chest as he peered out from under her to discern what had startled him. His golden eyes scanned the beach, perplexed until they turned upward. Oh. A white gull flew overhead, feathers flashing in the sunlight, he determined that the monstrous shadow had belonged to them.

Emboldened by this knowledge he looked up and gave his parents a sheepish grin, then steeling himself to alight from his mother’s paws and slowly trot down towards the waves. The scene was overwhelming and utterly beautiful. The pup was dazzled by the light glinting off the scattered movements of the water, the smell of the sea filled his nose. He wiggled his toes in the sand. This wasn’t so bad.

His smile widened as he observed his siblings- that looked fun! He splashed the water with his paws, experimenting with the situation until he was comfortable, then the game was afoot. He ran along the beach a long ways before careening back and running back in the direction that he had come, but this time nearly chest deep in the surf. As he ran, a wide sheet of water sprayed up around him in a huge, wet, glittering trail. He giggled uncontrollably.

He collided with Asteria, who was also running like a crazed, wild thing. He fell over her, his splash trail continuing to follow him as he tumbled like a wet bowling ball towards Link and Yael.




The tailwinds rippled through Polaris’ pale fur as she watched her children frolic in the blue spray. Even at their young age, the differences between them were night and day. A maternal smile stole up her lips. She didn’t know how she could possibly love them more, but witnessing the world through their pure eyes, she felt her heart swell with new adoration. She cast a glance over her shoulder, locking eyes with a contented Fable. How many afternoons had they spent dancing in the waves together? Now they watched as their own pups played upon the same shore.

She crossed over to her son who hesitated at the water’s edge as it spread like glass along the sand at his paws. Lincoln’s wide, golden eyes traced the oscillating movement of the surf curiously. Link had always been the most cautious of the litter, even as a mere pup he had an old soul, with a vigilance that reminded Polaris of herself at his age. She lowered her body into a crouch so her head was beside his, greeting him with a soft nuzzle to his cheek.

“Want to play a game, Link?” She asked, hopeful that she could quell his suspicions by showing him the water was safe. “Let’s wait for a wave to get near to us, then we’ll leap over it!”




His fear of the strange water was momentarily forgotten when a familiar scent washed over him and he glanced upward to find Polaris standing beside him. He giggled when she nuzzled him, immediately returning the gesture with a wet, sandy kiss of his own. When she suggested a game, Lincoln’s ears perked with interest. He liked games, and he knew this one would be especially fun if Polaris had thought of it!

“O-Okay, Mama!” He blinked, watching the movement of the water for another moment before deciding he’d be willing to try it. Still, he remained very close to his mother. He always felt braver with her beside him.

He readied himself, eyes forward and tail raised, intently waiting for the water to make its appearance. Soon, it came toward them once more, and, following his mother’s words, he pushed with his pudgy legs and leapt into the air. When he landed, the water was cold and tasted of salt, but Link was grinning. He was beginning to understand his littermates’ fascination for this place. That was pretty fun!

Soon, he was skipping along the shoreline, giggling and weaving between his mother’s legs and leaping over the shallow waves as they slid onto the shore. Eventually he rejoined his siblings, feeling much more comfortable with the water and splashing about in their own little game. They’d no doubt need quite the bath to rid their fur of the sand and salt, but for now, they could play without worry—and Lincoln always did a little too much worrying.


Again, Fable took a moment to stand behind and simply take in the scene. Only weeks before, his life had been completely different; dark, lonely, and wracked with fear. Everything had changed so completely, profoundly fast. Four little lives he only just met had become his entire world, he had never been as in love with his mate than at that moment, and he was simply overcome by the beauty of it all.

He cleared his throat, his wistful smile widened and parted with a chuckle as he trotted down to the water’s edge to play with his family.