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 Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:34 pm
For the first time in her life, Rhea was about to give birth to four, kicking-like-hell kits. The pains had been coming all day, and now they were nearly all jumbled into one, long stream of gut-wrenching contractions. Brannx was outside the den, watching Trouble play around. It's not like the pup would notice if Brannx was gone for a minute, he was in his own little world most of the time, anyway.
"Brannx. Come in here now." Her voice was through gritted teeth, locked jaws. The male fox seemed to sense-thank God-the his vixen mate was in distress, and crawled into their dirt-den. Gladly, it was spacious. Big enough for a family of seven...until Trouble grew to his full potential. The male's fur was bristled, eyes narrowed.
Rhea was laying on her side, head raised. She knew it was time, he did too. So, they prepared. And soon, Rhea had four beautiful kits suckling at her side.
The first few weeks had been rough, or at least the two fox parents thought so. The kits were always yelping, or crying, or stumbling blindly around the den. Nearly drove their mother to insanity when Trouble thought it funny to parade the kits around on his back and in his teeth. To him, they were just new brothers and sisters. Not at all in danger of his jaws.
But it was all worth it, the day the kits eyes opened...
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:45 pm
Little Lookaz, the smallest of the litter, was the first to open her bright blue eyes. Much to her father's delight, he was the first thing she saw. Her big, lean father with his bright markings, much like her own. A small squeak came from her throat, as she had never before used her voice for anything but whimpering and calling to her mother. Today, was the day the Rhea had chosen to go hunting out in the woods, though she would onyl be gone for a second. Brannx was in their den now, curled up in the corner, tail thumping the ground in delight. As her ears opened, she could hear her father's voice calling to her excitedly.
"Lookaz...Kazzy. I'm your Poppa. I'm Brannx." He was smiling at her with a big, stupid grin on his face that only a father could have. He reached over to poke his huge nose into his tiny daughter's ear. Getting a squeak and a squirm in return. He chuckled, pulling her over inbetween his paws by his gentle jaws. This would be a pleasant suprise for Rhea when she got home. But for now, he licked his daughter happily, and watched the other kits. Their eyes and ears would be opening soon, also.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:04 pm
Inanna heard sounds, more clear than she had before, as though slowly her ability to hear opened. It didn't really frighten her, though she was curious to also see and find out what the sounds were, which echoed at times throughout the den. Her eyes did not seem to wish to open, perhaps she was still sleepy from a restless nap. Slowly her mouth parted, giving a little yawn as she stood up back onto her rump. Her eyes began to open, blinking a couple times before her blurred vision finally came into better focus and the shadows were gone. The first she saw, was another kit about her size, white with yellow markings. She saw too a larger fox, but the scent from them both was a familiar one and so she did not fear, as she half-waddled toward them. As she stumbled forward toward them, instead of a whimper she gave a giggle as the cave seemed to spin slightly for just a brief moment. In that moment she stilled, watching the father-daughter pair with a twinkle in her eyes, her tail wagged as she chirruped squeakily and pounced forward at them only to fall to her side and roll onto her back. Still she did not make a sound of pain or distress, but simply giggled.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 8:21 am
She set her head back down on her paws, her tiny tail waving in a ferocious wiggle to show the energy her otherwise prone state belied. For a moment she considered opening one eye, then decided to rely on her hearing and her sense of smell. Who needed eyes when you had that?
Demi gave a strange whining yip and rolled over onto her side, stretching her little limbs out and keeping her eyes firmly closed. Even if they could open, though that was still up in the air, she clearly wasn't interested.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 11:41 am
Kaz gave a delighted squeak as her sister fell over, and she found it hilarious. If her untaught tongue could only form words...She reached out a paw to her, gently batting at her shoulder and standing to pounce as well. It was starnge, to be standing and knowing where you were going. Her front paws crouched instinctually, and her butt hovered in the air, tail raised. Only, instead of powerfully springing like a true vixen, she fell over into her father's waiting foreleg. This erupted a chuckle from the fox.
--
Brannx watched as his second daughter opened her eyes, and waddled around towards them. So this was what they had been waiting for their kits to do in the first six weeks. It was well worth the wait. He reached over Lookaz to give Inanna a lick across the muzzle. They were just all so happy, and untroubled. It made Brannx's mind wander back to his memories of a kit, but they were quickly shot down. No, he wouldn't think of his kithood. Not the time to be sad.
His daughters made sure of that.
The last female, Demi, was making squeaking noises froma few feet away. Surely her ears had opened, but her eyes were still closed shut. A pang sounded through the fox's heart, as he awaited for her eyes to open. His eyes also glanced to his only son, still sleeping next to his side. Maybe the two were just late bloomers, as Brannx had been. Nothing was wrong with his kits. They were perfect.
--
Rhea was just approaching the den when she heard the delighted noises her mate was making. Hmm. Maybe the kits were doing their blind summersaults again? As she licked the rabbit's blood clean from her muzzle, her back crouched so she could enter the den properly.
"Brannx? Are they doing th..." Her thoughts ran blank as she saw her two daughters, eyes bright and open, stumbling around their father as he smiled down at them. He'd never looked happier in his life, and his eyes had a certain shimmer in them. Slowly, she inched over to him, picking her squeaking kit, Demi, into her jaws and settling her inbetween her paws as she lay down next to Brannx. So today was the day. They were opening her eyes! How long had she waited for this day to come? Six weeks? It seemed now that time had not mattered before this moment, she even forgot to worry about Trouble, who was out playing with a squirrel or something.
"Come on, dear. It's alright to see." She looked down at Demi, licking the young kit's ears and smiling. Her shoulder leaned into Brannx's, and she giggled a bit herself.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:04 pm
The sole male kit of the litter let out a small irritated noise as he slowly curled his tail closer around his body in a desperate attempt to drown out the noise created by his siblings and his parents. The damage had already been done however and as much as he tried he found himself unable to return to the land of dreams - the desire for subsistence to much for the small fox to overlook, as well as the sudden instinctual urge to attempt something he had been completely unwilling and unable to accomplish up until this point.
Today was the day that the pups were to leave the land of darkness - the land of the blind and unknowing. The day that they would first be able to see the images of the thing they had all come to grow familial with over the six or so weeks they had been alive.
So then why did he not give in to this desire? Surely he wanted to see the faces of his mother and father, of the siblings who he had curled up along side and fought in order to secure a place at his mothers teats. Perhaps the darkness was a kind of comfort in it's own right - a constant that this particular pup had grown accustomed too and was not yet willing to give up. Sure he could open his eyes now, but never again would he be able to hide from the harsh realities that sight would force upon him. Though how one so young would be able to realize such things was a mystery.
No... it was much more likely that he was simply to lazy to attempt the movement. After all, by opening his eyes he would be accepting the fact that he would not be able to return to slumber until the night fall and he was rather comfortable.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:27 pm
Brannx gave his mate a quick lick before turning to his only son. He had made an angry sound- one much like a growl, to his amusement - a few moments before, and was now curled up again into his side. Probablu still sleeping, Brannx presumed. Brannx gave his son a loving nudge, coaxing him to wake up and join his siblings in the world of sight.
"Son..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:42 pm
Inanna didn't know what her other sister was thinking, but she found it an intriguing world around her, drinking in everything through her chocolate colored irises even as Lookaz battered at her. Inanna's little tail swayed behind her as she gave a toothy grin, lifting herself up onto her forelimbs. Her head swerved around at the sound of a feminine voice and the scent which filtered through the air. A scent that she recognized as 'mother'.
She listened to the adults speak, before propelling herself toward mother, her eye catching sight of the mostly white tail. Drawn to it she stumbled toward her mothers back side. Her rump landed on the den's floor as she lifted a paw to swat at her mothers tail, giggling. She could not seem to cease from laughing, her gaze turning back toward Lookaz and then toward the brother and sister whom for whatever reason had not awoken and opened their eyes.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:02 pm
A small, dark brown paw reached out from the mass of fur to softly bat at his fathers prodding muzzle. Did the older male not realize that he wasn't yet ready to join the world of the seeing - if only for his own selfish reasons. Another small grumble escaped the half-sleeping kits mouth as he continued to blindly swing at the air until eventually the small paw came to land softly on his father nose, resting there for a moment before slowly falling back to the ground with a soft thumping noise.
He knew he couldn't keep them waiting forever. His siblings had probably all opened there eyes already - not that he cared much for what his siblings were doing. His parents were probably growing worried over whether or not this was going to pose a problem for their otherwise perfect litter.
From somewhere else in the den he could hear one of his siblings giggling at something. Surely this situation couldn't be considered comical in any means. In fact, for the adults present it may have grown to become a bit of an issue, though again, Rift really couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. This is what they get for waking him up before he was ready.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:31 am
Demi whined softly at her mother's washing and fidgeted, turning her head so her hearing wouldn't be affected by the rough swipes of her mother's tongue. Thankfully, it stopped quickly, and Demi cracked one eye open to stare blearily at her mother. She left just the one eye cracked, face scrunched in disapproval, then finished opening the eye to let it adjust while her other remained firmly squinted shut. Slowly, her bright eye, a lighter brown than her sister's, cleared and she got her first look at her mother's chin. Her eyelid fell slightly as the other eye peeked open.
Demi squinted at her mother for a long moment, trying to process these new images, and then slowly closed one eye again, peering up with the one that hadn't gotten as much time in the open. Finally, she caught sight of one sibling and, apparently satisfied that she had done what her parents wanted, closed her eyes up again and let her hearing take over as she settled against her mother's foreleg. Similarly to her brother struggling for his sleep, Demi was going to be difficult about using her eyes as readily as her sisters.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 1:12 pm
Rhea giggled at her kit's stubbornness. At least she could open her eyes, she had just inherited a bit of her mother's attitude. She decided to let her baby sleep, and pulled Demi into her chest, smiling. She was so...adorable wasn't even enough to describe her!
She gazed out at the rest of her litter with hazel eyes, smiling even brighter at her two daughters, Lookaz and Inanna, playing. And when the older kit came to swat at her tail, Rhea moved it to hover just out of reach, then lean over and push her nose into Inanna's belly, tickling it.
--
Brannx chuckled at his son, and comtinued to coax him awake until his mate nipped at his ear playfully. "Let him rest, he'll be up in a moment. He's just like you...lazy and childish." She teased, sliding her muzzle across his. Brannx rubbed his head onto hers in return.
"Yes, yes..." He gave up, defeated, and plucked Rift up by his scruff before gently plopping his between the two parents. Lookaz was absentmindedly looking between the two, nibbling at her own tail.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 1:46 pm
Inanna was to intent upon playing, getting into any mischief possible, even if she did not mean to cause problems. She was just a curious and rather energetic kit, who enjoyed nothing more than finding joy in anything she could and thus continuously giggling. Although she heard what her parents were saying about her siblings, she wasn't really comprehending anything to busy trying to capture her mothers tail. An appendage which was rather elusive, but before she could get up and jump after it, her mothers muzzle gave her tummy a nuzzle. The little teal and off-white kit squirmed with delighted giggles that erupted from her vocal cord.
When her mother ceased the motion she jumped up and off to the side, watching her parents as they gave each other a form of affection, her father bringing Rift over between the pair. Inanna was wondering if she should creep up on one of them and pounce, to see if that might startle either of them awake. However for the moment she was content to let them rest, but if they continued to slumber on for to long a time she might just have to reconsider. Instead she turned toward Lookaz, her tail swishing behind her as she slowly moved closer to her sibling sideways in a playful manner.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 5:04 pm
Demi was quite content to let her mother sweep her into a cuddle, but her ears continued to swivel, following the going-ons in the cave. Again she peeked one eye open ever so slightly to match Inanna to the noise she was making, then let out another soft grumble followed by a mewling little sigh. She pushed her chest off the floor and opened both eyes a sliver, peering over her mother's foreleg at her sisters. Their antics were hard to ignore, and apparently vision was the more helpful sense in this case.
However, that was as far as Demi went. She observed her siblings and made no move to partake in their business. Finally, she settled herself back down and closed her eyes again. That was enough of that.
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