Kizuka blinked awake slowly, feeling quite warm and comfortable and not too eager to start the day. Or rather, the night. Looking up, she saw the purple sunset stretching into the mouth of her den and she smiled, sighing and looking around. It was interesting, sleeping in the same place every night. Even more so was the company she kept, which she had gone so long without. Looking down at the masses of fur around her she couldn’t help but smile. She was certain they had all been sleeping before she came into the den, and that she had laid down alone. Nuzzling the closest puppy, she picked the sleeping youngster up by the scruff of its fur, carrying it careful away from the others so she could give it a good clean. This one had bright fur, which she could not fathom where it had come from, but she was absolutely certain it was hers so she didn’t complain. Besides, the bright spot of fur was like a glimpse at the sun. Since her eyes could not abide the light of day, the light of her son was more than welcomed.
Settling down in another area of the den, so she didn’t rouse the others, she licked carefully at her son’s fur, shaking her head. It always seemed to be dirty. Maybe it was because she could see it so well, where her own fur was dark and masked everything. Whatever. It bothered her. Performing her motherly task dutifully, she wasn’t too good about being gentle just yet, so it was a bit of a rough experience for the puppy.
She was new to this. Practice made perfect.
Starshine awoke with a sleepy groan, his tired eyes slowly peeking open. "Nnn..." He grumbled, his back paws kicking a little in an attempt to shake whatever it was that was waking him off. A few moments later her realized that it was his mother. He stopped kicking, and yawned sleepily as he was set down to be cleaned.
"Moooooommm...." He whined in a high pitched voice, squirming a bit as she licked at him. "No baaath, I wanna go back to sleep!" His large ears flopped a little as he tried to squirm his way out of his mother's grasp.
“But you’re dirty,” Kizuka said, her voice at its usual slow, thoughtful pace. She was getting better at speaking out loud, though her vocabulary was still a bit limited and her sentences were often kept short and sweet, out of necessity rather than shyness or anxiety. She literally did not know how to speak very well, save what she had heard growing up in the shadows, so it was just one more thing she was practicing, “and it is… time to get up.”
She licked him as he squirmed, grinning as she had to use her paws to make him stay in place.
“I can see… every spot on you… stop making it worse,” she said lovingly, nuzzling him playfully in the tummy before finally releasing him and shaking her head. She still felt very young herself, and the idea of being a mother was awkward at best. She often treated the puppies like siblings more than children.
“Did you… sleep well?”
The pup finally gave into her wishes, and just laid there brooding as he was practicly scrubbed clean. He got used to it after a few moments though, and by the time she was done his tail was lightly thumping against her shoulder. A squeaky giggle bubbled from him when she tickled his tummy, making the thumpings louder and faster.
"I did!" He chirped, licking at her chin affectionately with big sloppy kisses. "Momma, will you go watch the stars come out with me?"
Kizuka, a bit battered, but happily so, from her son’s tail, looked outside the den. The purple in the sky was quickly diminishing, the sun hiding behind a far mountain peek now. There was no light bright enough to hurt her pale eyes now, so she nodded and smiled at her son. She grimaced a bit at his licks, having turned right into them. Looking at him with a blank expression, eyebrows high, she shook her head and indicated for him to lead the way.
“Of course,” she said, getting up and moving outside with him, trying not to step on him. It was difficult, keeping up with puppies. Her life had always been so slow, her pace her own considering she had never had anything to do. Puppies, she learned quickly, moved very quickly when they wanted to.
“The sky is clear…” she said, looking up, “it will be a pretty night.”
"Very pretty, Momma!" His tail was a blur with excitement, his ears perked errect. This would be great! He hopped out of the den over towards a large rock. It was here that he watched the stars pop into existance every 'morning'. He loved the stars, and enjoyed being there to greet them every night.
He sprawled out on the rock, letting it's coolness tickle his puggy tummy. He glanced over to his mother and smiled brightly, his attention torn between her and the sky.
Kizuka laughed at her son’s odd display, shaking her head. She was quiet and reserved, and never gave in to her impulses like the kids seem to do. They didn’t have any inhibitions, while she was full of them. Though, the more she stayed near them the more she felt their free spirited way of living rubbing off on her. She padded up next to him, nudging him with her nose and rolling him off the rock playfully.
“Are you hungry? The others are still resting… but I could show you… how to set a trap…” she smiled. It wasn’t really hunting, she knew, so she never called it that. She was not a good hunter, and that was a job best left for the members of the pack with that title. She was better with traps and strange little creations. She was hungry, so anything they trapped wouldn’t go to waste, and she wanted to see if he had any natural ability with her chosen skill.
Starshine was torn. He was a bit of a momma's boy, so he was usually the first to lounge on a chance to learn from her and spend time with her. But... the stars! Would they be offended if he left them and didn't say good morning? The pup looked back and forth between his mother and the sky, and in the end... Family was more important. He pushed himself off the ground and stood in front of her, tail wagging violently. He really was an energetic pup. "Sure!"
Kizuka smiled, “we can wait, my dearest,” she said quietly, seeing the way he looked up at the sky. She looked up and watched the stars for a long moment, having never really noticed the way they seemed to wake up once the sun was gone. She lived in the shadows, after all, and stars were light. She rarely looked up.
“Do you… do this a lot?” she asked, watching the stars as she spoke, “while I am… asleep… or out? I’ve never… seen you… but maybe I don’t watch enough…” she frowned. If she didn’t see a thing like stars every night, there was a very good chance she was missing moments with her puppies. Tilting her head, she looked back at him, curious and a bit apprehensive.
“Your tail… you’ll wag it off,” she said, smiling teasingly. She was glad he was so happy and full of energy. Though, it was exhausting just watching him.
He beamed when she agreed to wait, giggling as he crawled back onto his star-watching stone. "Thank you Momma!" He sat down, his tail constantly thumping and thumping. His nose was pointed to the sky, eyes darting around franticly as more and more stars popped awake. "I do it every night! Isn't it fun?" He smiled at the older dog for a moment, then turned his attention back to the sky.
"Helloooo! Good moooorninnnnnnng!" He howled up to the sky, apparently greeting the stars themselves.
Kizuka watched him, literally wondering where he had come from. She didn’t know his father that well, to her own chagrin, but she was glad to have met him if this had some how been his doing. Such a bright boy, in color and in personality. She felt her chest tighten as she thought about it, smiling affectionately despite not knowing what to do with his weird behavior and often finding herself complete flummoxed.
She looked up again, listening to his howl. Did she dare join in? She wasn’t much for howling or being loud. Shadows were often silent. Well, not often. Always. She blinked, considering it for a long moment, then tilted her head back and let out a very quiet howl of her own.
“Good moooorniiing…” she echoed her son, though hers was an admittedly weak imitation. She blushed, glad for her dark fur and nose, not looking down at him lest he see how embarrassed she was.
Starshine finished his howl with a huge grin, then blinked. His bright eyes looked over to his mother curiously as she greeted the sky with him. Then he smiled widely and warmly, happy that his mother not only approved... But was taking part in his hobbies.
His happiness and excitement made him almost burst, and... he almost did! He exploded onto his mother and clung to her, nuzzling his face into her soft dark fur.
"The stars don't love you as much as I do, Momma!"
Kizuka smiled, touched. She felt her chest tighten in an odd way and she looked at the floor, not knowing exactly what to do. Her tail was wagging listlessly behind her, ever so slightly, though it was more than it usually did. She watched him as he nuzzled her, shaking her head affectionately before lowering it and licking the top of his head.
“You’re a sweet one,” she said slowly, almost sounding relieved and definitely reflecting how thankful she was for it. She looked around, suddenly not wanting to go off and ruin this little moment. In fact, she was beginning to miss her other babies. She wanted to spend as much time with them as possibly, and if this one had such a unique way of waking up and starting his night, maybe she was missing out on other things.
“Come on… we’ll get your… siblings…” she had to search for the word, “and we’ll… play. All of us together.” She smiled, liking the sound of that idea very much, and she stood, heading back to the den.
END!
