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 Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 2:02 pm
Eusi hadn't had much alone time recently. Tai was being a sweetheart, of course, and she loved her mate greatly, but having this many pups had never been on her plan for life with a mate. The pups were overrunning the two adult wild dogs! It was madness! She probably should have known better than to have wished on that falling star for a large family...Eusi had never imagined the gods to take her so seriously and would certainly watched what she wished for from now on.
She was lucky enough to get some alone time with only a few pups tagging around, but this..today was a special day indeed. She was taking Waka, her mute daughter, out for a walk. And Kidege, who happily tagged along when Waka asked her nicely.
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 2:20 pm
  Kidege bounced along happily beside her sister, not quite walking. She never did take to walking, really. She liked to bounce, for some reason or another. Her preference was to be as light on her feet as possible, at all times. this tactic often tired her out a lot faster than it did the others, but at least she was always having fun. So she was a pretty fit puppy, all told, and was learning how to evenly use her energy for her preferred style of mobility.
"Are we going to have fun today, mommy?!" She asked, her voice high. She looked at Waka, grinning and wagging her tail excitedly." Laika was lounging by a watering hole, a bit farther from her home than she usually wandered, but not upset by it. She liked taking trips sometimes! She was in a good mood, having just met her 'uncles'' new mate, and excited for her ever expanding family. The pink ball of love couldn't imagine anything she wanted more than for members of her family to find love and happiness. If they were happy, after all, she was!
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 2:33 pm
Eusi smiled and nodded at Kidege. "That's right, we're going to have fun today. It's just me and you two pretty girls, no boys at all. What would you like to do first?" she asked. Most of the time, she found if given the choice, pups could be pretty creative with what they wanted to do together. And the mother needed the exercise, anyway. If she wanted to get all this pregnancy fat off...
Mind on herself for a moment, she almost missed a distantly-familiar smell, one she hadn't encountered in a while. Her ears flicked up and her head turned in the direction of her little sister.
"But first, my darlings, we are going to pay a visit to one of Mommy's old friends. Do you know Mommy has an adopted little sister?"
Waka gave her mother's tail a tug when she noticed her feet were moving faster than she wanted to in an effort to keep up. Kidege was bouncing along, like she always did, and that put the pressure on the little pup to go faster and faster than she normally did.
Mommy! she wanted to say, Slow down! You're going too fast! but she couldn't for fear of opening her mouth and losing her mother's tail. Then she would get lost!
But wait, they were slowing down. Mommy said she had a friend she wanted them to meet--an adopted little sister? Really?
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 2:45 pm
"A little sister?" Kidege parroted, bouncing on her front paws excitedly. She looked at Waka again. She had a sister! Lots of them! But they weren't adopted, were they? For that matter, what did adopted mean? These little details weren't too important to the fluffy puppy, though. She didn't mind meeting new people, and she knew a little sister, adopted or not, of her moms had to be good!
She blinked at her sibling. "You're going to pull mommy's tail off." She said, rather flatly.
Laika rolled onto her feet, sniffing the air. She knew that smell, no doubt in her mind. It was her sister! She hadn't seen Eusi in a long time! She wondered if the other still rolled down hills. Laika certainly liked to, but she knew she was getting too big for it now. Shaking her head, getting a bit distracted by a landslide of thoughts, she focused on the smell and followed it, nose in the air.
It didn't take her long to spot the little family. So that's what the other smells were! Little tiny Eusi's! If Eusi was her sister, that made these little puppies her nieces! They smelled and looked like the older female, after all, so clearly they had to be hers. Laika had learned that much about puppies, at least.
She was still a bit fuzzy on the details of where they came from, though. Maybe she would ask Mito later, now that she was thinking about it.
"Sister!!!"
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 3:27 pm
She wagged her tail a little harder to get Waka to let go of the limb. She loved her mute daughter, but sometimes she was just a bit too clingy. It was a blessing that she had her twin, Nyo, around her so very often to keep her occupied and understand what she wanted.
"Let go, sweetheart," she cooed, turning to nose Waka's mouth. "Let go. We have a visitor, don't you want to say hello?" Then she spotted the big pink wild dog over to the side and she grinned happily at Laika.
"Little sister! Wow, you sure have grown up," Eusi greeted, trotting forward and expecting her young to follow her.
Waka made a silent whine of panic in her throat when her mother shook her tail away. What if she got lost? She needed that connection with Mommy! She stuck her tongue out at her sister and galloped after Eusi, silently calling out for her to slow down but knowing she couldn't see Waka making the signs.
Waaaaait!
Waka didn't seem to even notice the other wild dog female until she was crouched under Mommy's legs and looking up at the newcomer. Woah! Where did she come from? Mommy was talking about a sister, and then this female comes up. Was this the sister?
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 1:02 pm
Kidege crouched a bit as the other wild dog approached, though she was calmed by the soft pink color of the stranger's coat. It was oddly soothing, and the wild dog seemed to have a fairly warm and welcoming air about her. Still, the puppy was nervous.
Chasing after Waka when the other ran to catch their mom's tail again, Kidege skidded to a stop in front of the other wild dog. Blinking. Suddenly she found herself uncomfortable, not knowing what to do or how to greet the stranger. She looked up at her mom for a cue, one ear perked forward while the other curled back in concern.
She moved closer to Waka, sitting on the other side of one of Eusi's legs and leaning against it.
Laika padded up to Eusi and nuzzled her affectionately, never shy about showing her love for every one, at all times. She wagged her tail, looking down at the puppies in wonder.
"Puppies!" She said excitedly, missing the greeting from Eusi completely as her excitement got the better of her, "I was talking to my friend about puppies and cubs and stuff! They smell like you! Are they yours? Hi you two! I'm Laika! Do you like to play?" She lowered her head, still as energetic as ever, plopping her chin onto the floor in front of the puppies, her butt high in the air.
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Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 8:37 pm
Eusi chuckled and nodded, peering down at her two daughters after returning Laika's greeting nuzzle. "Yes, they are mine. This is Kidege," she said, nodding to the red-brown pup, "and this is Waka. It's alright, loves," she added to her pups in a soft, cooing voice. "Laika is your auntie. She loves to play with pups and cubs and is a very nice lady."
She had to giggle, too, when Laika didn't even realize she was an adult and go to instant "pup" mode, her rump high in the air just like a little one would do. It seemed that she hadn't changed at all since the last time they had met. She smiled fondly at the memory. Laika had been her first family member other than her father, and their meeting had given her much joy to remember and hold onto during the long days.
Waka tilted her head the opposite way of her sister's, and scooted in closer to her family. Auntie? This wild dog? They didn't look anything alike. How could Mommy and Miss Laika be related? Well, she couldn't really say that. Some of her siblings and herself didn't look a thing alike, but they were siblings. That wasn't fair of her to say.
So with a smile on her face, she bounded forward and bumped noses with the friendly Laika, wagging her tail in greeting. She blinked a few times, and offered a tentative nod to the question of if she liked to play or not.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 10:04 pm
If mommy said she was an aunt, who was the light hearted pup to argue? The pink dog was certainly pretty and friendly and she looked fun! She looked like she wanted to play, and Kidege was almost always up for a game. Maybe they could see how high the other could jump!
Kidege would so jump higher. She had so much practice being light on her feet. She was confident!
Surprised, she didn't like being second to greet Laika, bouncing after Waka.
"We like to play, yes!" she barked, drawing the attention to her, "Waka doesn't talk!"
Laika smiled excitedly as the puppy bumped her nose, resisting the urge to jump on her. Small puppy. Big Laika. Didn't work out, and she knew it. She looked at Kidege, nodding, then looked up at Eusi.
"Can I play with your puppies?! You can play with us, too!" She said, wagging her butt rather than her tail. "We can teach them to roll down hills! Or play chase. Or anything!"
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 11:06 pm
"Actually, little sister, you came just in time to help me out. I'm sure the girls would love to have some time with you all to themselves, so I'll sit back and watch after a while. But first, we can show them how much fun it is to roll down a hill!"
That had been the exact thing that had brought Eusi and Laika together, that one fateful day: Eusi had been rolling down a hill and had smacked into the pink dog, then an adolescent wandering around. They had talked, Eusi had shown her how much fun it was to roll, and they had bonded like no other. The dark grey wild dog had always liked that memory.
She walked forward a few steps, leading the way to a decent looking hill nearby. "I think we'll teach them on this little one, before we go to a steeper hill. What do you think? Are there any really good ones around this area?" Eusi hadn't really been out this far before by herself, let alone with pups, so she wasn't entirely sure how the land was laid out.
Waka nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. This was to qualify that what Kidege had said was true, and she could not talk a single word, not even if she wanted to. But she copied her sister in bouncing excitedly at the new playmate possibility--although not as high as her sister. Jumping at that height scared the young wild dog, and while Kidege might find it fun, Waka did not.
She eagerly stumbled after her mother, helping to lead the way and also expecting Laika and Kidege to follow. If Mama was leading, Waka was following, no questions asked.
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Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 8:22 pm
Laika wagged her tail and barked excitedly. She wanted to hang out with the babies! She never played with puppies very much any more, now that she wasn't one any more. She would have to remember the size difference, but she could do that! It would be fun! So much!
"Okay! Little ones are better for learning, anyway. My dad rolled down a big hill and nearly made himself sick, he was so dizzy. And he's a BIG lion. I mean, really big. And squishy! But he got dizzy and couldn't stand up for a little while. So if the hill is bigger, they would spin more and get dizzier, and then they'd be like my dad! So... smaller is better!" She nodded, her logic perfectly sound.
She bounced off a little ways, before turning and running back. She still had boundless energy. "I saw a hill, a big one, over there. But this one first." She crouched down, ready to roll. She looked at the puppies, smiling brightly. Just like one of them.
"You guys do like we do, okay? And we'll have fun!"
Kidege looked at Waka, tilting her head. She blinked, realizing everyone else was moving except her and she bounded after them, prancing up to where they had stopped at the hill.
"Okay!" Kidege said, when Laika turned to her. She looked at her sister, nudging her encouraging with her nose. "Let's roll together! You'll be safe with me!"
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 7:18 am
Laika made her laugh. She had nearly forgotten just how pup-like her little sister was, but now she was sure she wouldn't forget. The pink wild dog should come meet the rest of Eusi's large family. Then she would just have the grandest time playing with them all, and the whole lot of them would be utterly exhausted by the end of the day. Laika would be the best babysitter.
"Oh, you made him roll down a hill? That couldn't have been good for him," Eusi chuckled, swishing her tail from side to side. She had laid down on the crest of the hill, getting into position and demonstrating for her daughters. Her head faced them as they trotted over to join her. Her side was facing the downward slop of the hill, the very one she was about to throw herself down.
"You start off like this, laying down. And then you just..tip yourself over and down the hill! It's easy," she promised.
At first Waka didn't know what to think. A wild dog had a lion as a father? How did that work? But being a pup, she wasn't knowledgeable in the ways of the world, so she didn't question it as much. Instead, she copied her mother and laid down next to her, or as close as she could. Then Kidege followed, and Waka scooted closer to her, too. That made more sense, that she and her sister could go together. Mommy was big and she had really big feet and a big tail.
They hurt sometimes when Mommy accidentally hit them. So she would stay with Kidege for now.
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 9:27 pm
Laika watched Eusi, remembering the first time they played on the hill, and then looked at the puppies. It was a tradition! A family tradition. That had to be the right word for it. After all, it was something that was being passed on to the younger generation, and, as far as Laika was concerned, it was kept within her family. Made sense!
"Okay, like this?" Kidege asked, copying her mom and Laika as best she could. She didn't like being all scrunched up and close to the ground, but if it was going to lead to something fun she couldn't complain. Not yet, anyway.
If she didn't get the fun, though, she was going to be whiney.
"Yes! Okay, I'll go first!" And with that she was off, rolling down the hill and howling a laugh as she went, her happy voice filling the air.
Kidege leapt to her feet, bouncing quite high, and watched Laika roll. Now THAT looked fun! She looked at Waka, then her mom, then back again.
"Okay! Let's go!" She barked, and she curled herself up and tried to push herself down, but just flopped over.
"I'm not doing it right! Mommy!!"
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 11:24 am
Eusi winced when Laika literally threw herself down the hill, but was kind of happy that Kidege hadn't immediately copied her aunt and done the same thing. At least, she had tried, but her rolling hadn't done so well.
"You have to push yourself more, like this. You don't just let go and think you're going to roll down, silly. It's called momentum. It's what makes you go faster." And she pushed herself down the hill a little ways and then stopped herself, grinning up at her daughters.
"Can you do that? Let's try again." And she trotted back up to the top of the hill, situated herself, and showed the rolling again.
Hm. Mo-men-tum? That was a funny word. But if that's what made you go fast down a hill, then Waka liked it.
She copied the other females in how to sit on the hill, and prepared to roll off. But Kidege had gone first, so Waka pushed herself to a stop to try and hold still while Mommy taught them again. She was listening. She was a good listener, after all.
Then she pushed herself down the hill, a little bit at a time, and then stopped herself, looking back to her mother, as if she wanted to say: Okay, now what?
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 2:15 pm
At the bottom of the hill, a very dizzy Laika barked up at her extended family, urging them to follow her down. She ran back up, about half way, then decided she should let them have a turn before she went for another and ran back down. Wagging her tail, she looked up at them expectantly and continued to bark, not saying anything of any real importance in her excitement.
Kidege looked skeptical. It hadn't looked that complicated when Aunty Laika did it. But then, she and mommy had to be masters of the game, and Kidege was only just learning. She nodded, wearing a goofily serious face, like this was a very important skill for her to grasp.
Crouching down again, she focused on this momentum thing. She looked at Waka, who was stopping and going down the hill. That didn't look right!
"Go all the way down!" she called, a bit bossy. As if to prove her point, she pushed herself and started, to her surprise and glee, rolling! It was much more fun than she had thought it would be, since it didn't involve jumping. She squealed and giggled all the way down, and stopped at Laika's feet. The two laughed together, both excited.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 2:22 pm
Eusi barked down to her sister. The excitement was catching! She would have to wait, though, for her pups to roll down first before she took her own turn. Just so she would know they reached the bottom safely and so she wouldn't run them over when she took her turn as well.
"Go on," she nudged both of them. Then Kidege went tumbling, and the wild dog's first instinct was to run after her daughter and 'save' her, but she did realize that it was alright. This was just a game, it wasn't anything dangerous that Eusi had to worry about.
Waka stuck her tongue out at her sister and glared at Kidege as the other pup gleefully tumbled down the slope. It didn't look that hard in the first place! It was just...a steep hill, with a good length of distance 'til the bottom. That's what was the matter.
The starry-blue pup took a few steps backward, peddling back to the starting point after getting a nudge from her mother. Then she slowly, hesitantly edged herself closer to the slope and pushed herself down.
And then she was rolling!
She opened her mouth in a silent laugh and bark of happiness, and closed her eyes to enjoy the ride. Waka ended up passing both Laika and Kidege, rolling a few more feet before coming to a stop. Closing her eyes sure had been a good idea: she was even dizzier now! She giggled soundlessly and tried to push herself up, but failed and fell back down.
Her mother laughed and, seeing that everyone was down there except for her, pushed herself on down the hill and came tumbling down much faster than either of her daughters. That was because she was so much bigger than they, and even Laika (her sister still seemed too small for her to even consider her being an adult now). Then she came to a stop a little ways next to Laika, giggling and laughing at herself.
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