Welcome to Gaia! ::

The dark femme lounged at the mouth of cave and watched a pair of pups frolic on the grassy hillside. Not just any pups, either. Her pups. It was a novel concept, that Coyote should settle down long enough to raise a family. She was not a particularly maternal creature, and those that knew the truth of her would likely be horrified at the thought of her bringing up pups. She wondered what dear Hawk would think. Her sister would probably take it as a sign that Coyote was returning to the light or whatever nonsense she made up. The thought amused her.

If the truth were told, Coyote was not actually as horrible a mother as her enemies would assume. Her pups were well fed and protected, and she had a vested interest in making them grow up well and with kind feelings toward her. Of course, that was not to say that her methods were anything resembling "normal" or "gentle". In fact, her life lessons were rather cutthroat, but it only seemed fair. After all, the world was a cruel place. She frequently made sure of that. Better her pups be prepared than caught unawares and taken advantage of. Yes. Better they grow up strong.

The she-wolf watched the male approach and reveal his offering. The hare was not much, but at least it was fat. If she were a more generous beast, perhaps she would express some sort of gratitude to the male for providing these little gifts. A lone mother would often have to leave her pups unguarded to hunt, but when the father was present, chances of survival increased.

Regardless, it was not in her nature to be grateful for these things. In her mind, he was only doing the least that he owed. After all, the pups were his blood as well. She did not invite him closer, but that was not her way. Instead, she did not send him away, which was invitation enough.

The darker of the pups growled in reply - or rather, he made as close of an approximation as pups were capable. It sounded cute rather than fearsome, but it did not seem to trouble him overmuch. He was not quite as plump as his sister - perhaps in part because of the recent growth spurt that had left him larger than her, though he still clearly had much growing to do.

She chuckled at his one-sided antics, but otherwise paid him little mind. Instead, she sniffed at the hare and devoured half of it in a few bites. Then, she picked it up by its ears and tossed it at the pups to do with as they pleased.

The male pup shouldered his sister aside and pounced on the meal, aiming for the tender bits.

"They are growing well," Coyote said at last, clearly disagreeing with Suncatcher's assessment. "They will both get stronger. My son is just faster. I think he has more growing to do than his sister."

The boy-pup elicited a squeaky snarl and raced after his sister. His longer legs allowed him to catch up with her. With a leap and a bound, he tackled her, sending them in a tangle of gangly limbs and rabbit carcass down the rest of the hill.

Coyote slid mismatched eyes over to the male, her expression dubious. "Shall I pretend to believe in your vast pup-rearing knowledge?"