Twilight brushed its silver fingers into the den, the light gliding across the sleeping pup's eyes and drawing a small mumble and twitch as she sought to curl closer on herself. A splotchy paw lifted and draped itself across the white muzzle, shading the scrunched up eyes from the disturbing glare that threatened to drag her from pleasant dreams. That was, until she remembered why she'd been sleeping near the entrance of the den.
She thought she shot to her paws at the moment of realization but, sadly, it seemed her restless and giddy playfulness the night before had taken it's toll out of this evening. She'd overslept, or slept in, or just generally hadn't been the first one up. And now it looked like daddy had gone somewhere without her!
Lika whimpered, sniffing at the spot in the den where he'd been sleeping before looking around. She didn't want to go out all by herself, she didn't know anybody though she was sure they were all quite nice. But...but she wanted her daddy! She wanted to go with him today... Oversized ears floping slightly as the drooped, the pup settled down in the cold spot on the ground where daddy had been last night, snuffling dejectedly and forgotten... until she heard something. Ooh, someone there?
Eagerly, she bounded to her paws, blue eyes bright with excitement as she looked around for the source. Was it daddy? Or a sister? Or maybe even a brother back from going away with mommy? Maybe it was mommy? Her tail wagging in anticipation, Lika, more often called Gigglepaws, padded towards the source of the tiny noise she thought she'd heard over here...
Before you even say it, Goldenpawed was not protecting her sister. Sitting on a small plateau of ground a few feet from the den, Golden was doing anything but looking out for Giggles. She was watching the sun's visit, playing with the worms that burrowed in the plateau, or waiting for something interesting to happen from one of the other packmates. But she was doing anything but looking out for her sister. Who she might add, had been lazily sleeping in the den well past their father's and sibling's leave. Rather boredly it seemed, Salihah lifted a paw rather exaggeratedly before pressing it firmly on the ground with a stomp. The darkly colored pup held it there for a good few seconds before finally lifting her paw and glancing at the indention it'd left on the ground. She hadn't had time to decide if she was satisfied with her work though, for the sounds of her sister moving around caught her ears and pulled her out of her boredly somber. Well that was relieving. She had begun to wonder if Lika wasn't dead or somethin'..
"Father left." Salihah spoke over her shoulder, head turning just the slightest bit to glance at the white blurr exiting the den. Though a small movement in her tail warned that Salihah might just be up to something. "He was rather disappointed in you for sleeping so long.." Lies and slander! "I tried to tell him you were just tired.. but he left anyway." Her shoulders jerked up a bit with a could-be stretch before she exaggerated the height of her plateau with a mighty jump, and soon walked to her sister. "Wanna go to the fields and chase rabbits?" Her tail wagged anticipating of the answer. She still hadn't caught one. But one of these day!
Oh, it was only Goldenpawed.
Lika felt her ears droop slightly at the knowledge that it wasn't daddy Blackbird, but...well, she liked Salihah too! Just... not as much as daddy. Her splotchy tail still gave a little wag as she made her way out of the sheltered not-so-darkness of the den towards her sister.
She looked up at the darker pup, head cocked slightly as she listened. She couldn't help but be disappointed though... until Goldenpawed told her daddy had been disappointed in her!
"D-d-daddy...s-s-said...he...he was..." Lika's bright blue eyes suddenly welled with tears. She hadn't meant to sleep so long! It had been so hard to fall asleep last night...and it had seemed such fun to stay up late and play under the stars. But now she'd overslept and daddy had been disappointed in her?
Sniffling, ears drooping with misery, Lika sat where she was, looking down at her paws splotched with daddy's colors. Daddy was...disappointed in her?
"N-no..." she mumbled when Salihah asked if she wanted to go chase rabbits. She didn't feel like playing anymore...
Salihah felt a distinct feeling of pleasure as those broken-hearted tears welled up in her sister's eyes. But the feeling was very brief, and was soon replaced with something that maybe might have resembled guilt. Maybe. The all too familiar of her good time crashing caused her eyes to roll and her head to c**k. Planting her rump firmly on the ground, Salihah simply waited for her sister's tears to pass, ears down with a slight repressed look on her face. Honestly, it was just a joke. She didn't have to bust into tears over it. No doubt their father would show up any minute to nurture his little Gigglepaws. It was like he had a sixth sense for that sort of thing...
Salihah's expression changed completly when Giggles denied her request, however. Her previously lowered ears perked attentively, almost appearing angry at the denial! But again.. that was brief. Salihah's better judgement kicked in. And her ears instead went back... "Come on you." She playfully kicked back and plopped on her sister, biting ahold of her ear gently and tugging thrice before planting her feet on the ground again. "You want to chase rabbits. You like to chase rabbits." Claws playfully dug into the ground in anticipation.. like she'd do to that rabbit when she finally caught her...
That little multi-colored hare scooting around the fields was like a tiny splinter between her toes! No matter how hard she tried she'd never been able to catch the thing! But she would! And some day soon, she hoped. And a little help from sister certainly wouldn't hurt her chances!
Lika had absolutely no way of knowing it was 'just a joke'. It wasn't the sort of thing she'd find funny at all. She was perhaps just a little bit too trusting. She'd believe anything a family member told her, especially if it were daddy who'd said it. And Salihah had merely been, or so she'd gullibly believed, passing on what daddy had said...
The tears welling up in her eyes threatened to overflow. Lika didn't want to play. She felt like going and laying down in the den and waiting for daddy to come home so she could tell him how sorry she was, and promise never to do it again. If he even wanted to talk to her that was.
She mostly ignored her sister's chewing and coaxing, just sniffling and whimpering and trying not to actually start crying. She didn't want to play anymore. She just wanted her daddy not to be angry or upset or disappointed in her...
