The cold nipped at her paws throughout the night, disrupting what little slumber she obtained. Shivers had run up and down her spine as she lay in the outer pile amongst her siblings, her body flattened out so that they may gather more warmth from her. While she was covered in mud, she found herself having little thoughts about it. In the current moment, she was busy trying to be a barrier, attempting to separate her siblings from the dampness of the ground. She managed to do little, but Sorrel was determined nonetheless, and had continued to spread herself across the floor.

Suppressing the uncomfortably she experienced, her body shifted in response to her only brother's movements, placing her head upon his back. The rest of her pressed into Mouse's side, hoping to equally offer her warmth. When she had at last obtained a suitable position for a brief slumber, she noted a subtle shuffle followed by a louder one. Eyes locking upon the figure of her mother, Sorrel's heart plummeted when she espied her rising. A soft grunt escaped her throat in frustration, knowing what was to come. Moments later, light flooded the den, illuminating her features and blinding her in the process.

Squinting, Sorrel's frustration only grew, her ears flattening simultaneously to Talon's own before perking with interest when their mother called. Indeed, while she felt annoyance due to her lack of sleep, excitement swiftly overtook her fatigue. In the current moment, Sorrel would do anything to escape the water lapping at her feet.

She did not hesitate to lift herself from the pile, though made no further movements. She would wait for her siblings first before joining them, ensuring that they would be alright exiting. However, when she noted her mother remaining by the entrance, Sorrel took it as a sign that she would assist them. She was proven to be correct, and had watched as Raven was the first to emerge. Talon followed soon after, and she had offered him a small nudge with her head to boost him forward. Patiently, she watched as their mother assisted him, only then turning to her sister, Mouse.

"C'mon, Mouse. I'll wait for you." Among her sisters, it was Mouse whom Sorrel most doted on. It was not simply because of her size, either, but because she genuinely enjoyed her sister's presence. "You too, Onyx and Orchid." Gazing to her remaining sisters, Sorrel offered them a soft gaze as she awaited for them to advance.

Mouse
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

New Pack || Female || Almost Six Weeks || Pup
M: Her Family, Sparrow { dir. } Sorrel { dir. }

⸻⸻

The sloshing of mud was so loud. It was so aggravating. Why couldn't she just take a nice nap? It was so much warmer in there rather than outside.

As mud caked to her fur, chilling her to the bone, the small pup had moved closer to her siblings, digging her snout in between her siblings, huffing dramatically. As she pulled her paws in, she wrapped herself in a small oval-like ball, her snout hiding within her sisters' fur. So comfy, and so soft. It was pleasant, and warmer. Granted, she had an entire mouthful of fur in her mouth, sticking to her lips, which was quite gross considering they were basically living in mud.. wait.. was she eating mud!? With a quick jerk, Mouse pulled herself out from in between the puppies, shaking her head wildly. She stuck her tongue out in disgust, and complained, "Ew!! Mud tastes so gross, espcia... esposical.. especa.. oh whatever, it's still super gross." Shaking her head violently, it would have seemed that the poor pup shook to hard, and she found herself falling backwards into the mud beneath. For a moment, Mouse lied still, staring at the damp dirt ceiling above, and pouted. This really sucked! So nasty, and so dirty. Why couldn't it be warm, dry and nice. It was so better when it was warm.

Instead, here she was, lying in mud.

Mouse sneezed randomly, and stood up, glancing up towards her mother. "It's so gross out there Momma.. do we have to?" Mumbling with no effort, the small pup stood up, and shook her coat, again once too violently.

Winding up in the mud again, the small canine frowned. "This shucks."

However, before Mouse had any more time to dwell, she could see some of her siblings rising from their sleep, emerging from the pile, making their way towards Mother. The small pup's tail swayed back and forth softly as she glanced towards her siblings, seeing Sorrel standing there. "C'mon, Mouse. I'll wait for you."

With a cheerful smile, Mouse took a step forward, and without a moment's notice, she fell face forward into the mud below. Her hind end flew in the air, her back paws kicked back and forth as she attempted to get her rump on the ground. And, well, she did succeed. However, they fell in the wrong direction. As her rump fell to the side, her front end had lifted upwards, and she caught herself, but not without consequence. Wet dirt trickled down her fur, dripping off of her chin and snout, weaving in and out of her coat. Her ears pinned against her skull, and she dramatically frowned with a heavy huff.

A second. A moment. Five seconds.

It took only a moment or two of self pity to kick in and wander away before Mouse smiled, pulling herself up, waddling over towards her sister, Sorrel.

As if she wasn't just complaining about the cold outdoors, and out the setting was absolutely unbearable, the small canine's tail wagged back and forth. "Wanna' play Sorrel?" She questioned her sister, tilting her head to the side, her ears flopping to the side, her big puppy eyes doing their best to persuade her sister to say yes.

"Ew."

A wave of mud was sent in all directions as Sorrel lifted a singular paw, shaking it out. Her muzzle had curled in the process, her flews transforming into a disgusted frown. She felt.. what was that word again?

Soggy.

Yes, that was the word.

Soggy and dirty.

"How do I get this off, Momma?" She certainly couldn't lick it off. It tasted awful! Would it fall off? Maybe if she shook herself at once, she'd be free of the mud? Yes, that is what Sorrel would do. Inhaling sharply, she closed her eyes and shook out her fur, sending droplets of mud cascading around. So violently she shook, that she had nearly lost her balance, barely managing to catch her footing after stumbling. Barely.

Not disappointment but not satisfied, she stood there, moping at her current state, but oh, at least she didn't end up like Mouse! She had watched with enlarged eyes as her sister's smile vanished, her body tumbling right into the mud. It was not a simple fall, either. Oh, certainly not! Poor Mouse's rump hung in the air over her, her hind legs wiggling in the air before she ultimately caught herself, but by then it was too late. With each teeter, Sorrel had flinched, unable to watch. She shut her eyes, holding them tightly as Mouse squished around. When the sound of struggle had stopped and she opened her eyes, she was met with a pitiful sight. Mud dripped down her sister's snout, her fur no longer light like her own, but a deep brown.

She huffed in unison with Mouse before shaking her head, partially with pity, and partially with amusement. Had it been another day and had they not been so cold and wet, Sorrel would be hysterical with laughter. However, today was not the day. She could barely muster up a snort of entertainment given everybody's current state. How Mouse managed to put on a smile, Sorrel would never understand. Had it been she who toppled over, she would be miserable all day, and yet here her sister was, grinning.

"Do what I did," she commented softly, "shake yourself off." Her own tail swayed as her sister approached, her rump wiggling along with it. "It doesn't get everything off, but it helps.. At least I think it helped," rambling, Sorrel examined her legs, and while mud no longer dripped from her body, her fur was still caked with it.

Her tone quieted, her eyes narrowing with concentration. "I don't know how to get the rest off." Mumbling, she released a huff before raising her head, meeting the gaze of Mouse as she asked to play. Did Sorrel wish to play? Not in the given moment, but she couldn't refuse Mouse. She never refused Mouse. Besides, she was cold, and Momma always said that movement helped with the cold.

"Aw, I dunno, Mouse," she suddenly spoke, a certain glint in her eyes. Sorrel shrugged, her head angled in such a manner that it appeared as if she were about to turn away. "It's early. We don't wanna' draw any attention to ourselves." By then, Sorrel did turn, her back now facing her sister. "I'm tired and all," she continued, stepping away in a slow gait. The pup had taken all but another single step before her head suddenly turned, eyes locking onto Mouse.

Before any further words could be spoken, she twisted her body, gyrating and launching herself forward. She took a few steps before pouncing, her front legs outstretching towards her sister in an attempt to tackle her. When she clashed against her, Sorrel tumbled to the ground before rolling over onto her stomach, managing to clamp her small teeth gently against Mouse's ear. She tugged a singular time before releasing, now hopping from side-to-side in front of her sister.

"Did I get ya, Mousey? Did I get ya?" Mouth agape, her tongue flickered around, trying to get the taste of mud off of it as she continued to skip about. Like a grasshopper she flung around, her movement chaotic and clumsy to the point where Sorrel had nearly tripped over herself more than once. She had continued the odd movements before suddenly pausing.

Without another word, she launched herself at Mouse once more.

Juniper

Northern Mountain Pack | The Beta | Female | Six | Mentions: Her Packmates : Hail, Rose, & Hawk

The female was rather annoyed by the predicament they were in at the moment. They had been delayed by the rain, and now it was a chance that they would be delayed on their progress. However all wasn't bleak for them, they could gain on the stranger wolves quite easily - after all they were so close to entering the small territory. And they would be slowed down by their young, so that was an advantage for them. But she looked to her companions and gave a soft scowl, why she had been paired with such young and barely mature wolves was beyond her. Rose was only two, not even done growing, and she was rather meek, and sent on such a mission. At least Hawk was just about fully mature, and possibly Hail was a bit more mature that his age dictated and she appreciated that. She was pondering what move they would make next, as it appeared the rain would be making another appearance which was rather annoying. At least they had this cave that was relatively warm, but if they made a move to go out when it was so evident it would rain - they could possibly get caught up in more floodwaters and get lost in this foreign territory.

She noted the young female, Rose , looking out the cave entrance at the looming clouds. Them being a warning, as they leave heavy and darkened in the sky. Knowing of Rose's rather soft and compassionate nature she could infer what she was thinking about, and it rather displeased her. However her face didn't show her displeasure, rather a more neutral expression. She then chose her way to approach this, "You shouldn't be so concerned with the lives of strangers. This will get you hurt, being so openly compassionate and soft. How then will you advance in your own station? Don't you want to make the pack proud? After all, your loyalties lie with the Northern Mountain Pack, not these newcomers."

Her words were carefully crafted, and full of care and concern. She knew the strings to pull and she was going to use them to her advantage. She stepped closer to the smaller female with a rather hurt experession, "You wouldn't want your loyalty question, correct?" And there was a hard emphasis on her words as she gave a questioning gaze at her, searching for a reaction and even a hint of disloyalty, and she continued, " But I'm confident you wouldn't do such a thing." And she gave a confident and affirming shake of her head.

"You need to know, that though this seems rather cruel and unnecessary - it's quite needed. After all, two adults aren't necessarily a threat to us, but with their young? What wouldn't they do. Not to mention, they may have a small territory but as the pups grow - it means more mouths to feed and that small territory won't be enough for them then." She explained rather logically and calmly, " and what happens when they get to us? They would have a lot to fight for, because what parent wouldn't fight tooth and nail for their pups. And that's dangerous for us. So I would suggest you keep your mind right." It wasn't directly a threat, but more so an indirect warning.

And with that she walked away from the female, hoping that the message sunk in. Juniper wasn't exactly proud of herself for the manipulative words and tactic she had used, but it was one of the methods that worked and she knew it would get her point across. She was good with her words, so she would use it to her advantage. She looked at the forms of the slumbering males : Hail & Hawk. She gave a soft huff of disappointment at them not being up yet, but she couldn't necessarily blame them.

" Wake up, boys. " she called in a firm voice, and she gave each a nudge with her paws, "time to get moving."

She was now ready to give the orders, " We are on foreign territory, so I need all of you to be sharp and alert. We need to move fast and quickly, while it may be clear for now - more rain is a heavy possibility and we do not want to get caught in that. It's going to be hard considering the rain has either weakened or washed away scent trails, but there's always something there." Her words were firm and direct, and she gave a pause to let the words sink in, before she continued, " any strange wolf spotted or seen must be reported, after all we need intel : we know it's a mated pair with their young, but how many? How old are they? We need the facts, and also if the pair and the young are spotted, do not engage. After all they don't know we're here and I'd like to keep it that way. And not to mention, naturally they'll be highly protective of them, so be cautious and shrewd. So when you see them, inform me of the sighting and exactly what you saw."

She was confident in what she said and the plans, but she wasn't working alone. So she had to make sure that everyone was satisfied and understood. So she said, " Does everyone understand? And are there any questions, if not, we shouldn't day any further."

Hawk

Northern Mountain - Mentions: Juniper, Rose, Open

The male was still laying down on the cool cave floor. While it wasn't the most cozy situation, he was grateful they weren't stuck in the bad weather. At least the cave had offered the wolves some shelter. His nose was tucked beneath a paw and his dark eyes were still shut in his light sleep. The random twitching of his tail was the only sign that he was perhaps drifting in and out of sleep. The sound of his own packmates conversing is what finally made him return from his dreams and into the waking world.

The sound of Juniper was what caught his attention. Juniper was the beta and was in charge of their current mission. They were to neutralize a threat to their pack: a new family in the area. While a growing family may win the hearts of some, it did not inspire any pity or affection from Hawk. He did not care in the slightest, honestly. If there was any good soldier for the job, it was Hawk. Killing them off was probably for the best. More food and resources for him(and the pack, he supposed. But he was mostly concerned about himself). Besides, maybe killing off the pups was the most humane thing he could do for them before they were forced to live in this cruel world too long.

His amber colored ears swiveled gently as he picked up the words of his superior. Juniper seemed to be guilt tripping Rose into following the mission, bringing up the idea of loyalty. Psh, Hawk was only loyal to himself, no one else. But his interests usually overlapped with the pack anyway, so he didn't care much.

Wake up, boys.

Hawk opened his dark eyes, peering around for a moment before he rolled over prone, then onto his paws and rose. He allowed himself a luxurious stretch by arching his back and dipping his shoulders into a nice slope before he rose to his full height. The wolf lapped at his jowls, huffing as he then shook out his pelt. Ears perked, he turned to face Juniper, who was now prepping the team.

Does everyone understand? And are there any questions, if not, we shouldn't delay any further.

While Hawk was about to give a single curt nod, Rose had spoken up first, bringing up the mention of food. While Hawk didn't particularly care for the wolf, she did bring up a good point. His belly was aching for nourishment and it would certainly make their trek a bit more bearable if he had some food in him. Hawk glanced between Rose and Juniper, finally speaking. "She's got a point. Some prey would strengthen us for the challenge ahead." While he was aware they were on a time crunch, he was still quite interested in hunting something down. Nothing would get done if they died of starvation anyway.

Oleander

The New Pack | Alpha Male | Male | Five | Mentions: Sparrow, His Pups: Sorrel, Raven, Orchid, Mouse, Talon, Onyx

The young male had gotten up earlier that morning to do an assessment of the damage to the territory, and he was displeased to find a lot of flooding. His paws muddied and damp from trekking the edges and borders of their territory. The soft squishing sound of the soaked earth was rather annoying to his ears but he had to deal with it. And that's when he heard a rather curious sound, it was almost the sound of a strangled gurgling and he tilted his head at the sound. That was rather odd, and so he walked to the source to investigate, and he found a rather full hole of water, but he could tell it was some sort of underground nest. And so he placed his muzzle inside and his teeth clamped down on something, it was wet, but furry. And he struggled as he tried to pull out the source of the block, and with a hard yank - he went tumbling backwards with his paws up in the air. He groaned as he had hit the ground with a thud, but resting beside him was a rather sizable hare. And he scrambled to his paws, shaking off the excess water and what mud that he could.

This was good. His mate would be fed, and so would his pups with this hare - and he turned to see three leveret bodies that had been forced out by the water. And though he should've felt sympathy for the creatures he didn't, this unfortunate case meant that his own children would be fed. And he picked up one of the leveret in his jaws and placed it beside the grown female hare, and he then went and ate the two remaining leveret. It wasn't much of a meal but it would do to curve his appetite for now. He grabbed both pieces of prey in his jaws, and began carrying them back to the densite. He was wary to make sure to continue sniffing the air from time to time, after all he needed to see if he could scent more prey to eat or stranger wolves. However the water had been a hindrance and washed away scents and masked others , so he had to keep alert. But it wasn't that long until he arrived at the den, and he caught the sight of his mate and children outside.

He walked up to his partner, and love of his life, Sparrow, and he let her exit the den and placed the food before her. He then proceeded to give her a nose bump, and then a gentle grooming behind her ears where a little dirt and grass that had dared to cling to her beautiful pelt, " Hello, Birdie." He said in a rather gentle tone, " I hope this is enough to curb your appetite for now, my dear."
He looked in amusement at his rather muddy pups, and he gave a small chuckle before hearing them asking about playing, "No little ones, we're not playing just yet. We need to get away from this muddy and damp area. Don't need you all getting too cold and chilly. And I have found a rather dry area under a large tree." He looked to see Mouse and Sorrel playing and he said, "Mouse, Sorrel, please don't roughhouse just yet - you to need to conserve your energy so you can play a bit later. And plus, we don't need you two to get anymore mud on your coats."

The male himself had muddied paws and a pit of mud on his muzzle and on the back of his coat from his small excursion. And he didn't like it, and hoped he would find some time to groom himself. After talking to his children, he looked to his mate for approval of his words and if she had anything to add, say or request. After all she was his partner, and these were there children. So he wanted to make sure he was pleased with what he had said. After all , he wanted to keep his mate happy.