Roleplay - 14th February

Willows

Current season: Wet (Summer)

Ages of those under a year
Molly............11 months 20 days
Clover............. 11 months 13 days
Tuck............ 8 months 21 days
Megan........ 6 months 22 days
Olivia, Saja................ 3 month 4 days
Root Beer...... 2 month 1 days
Merry, Pippin .............. 2 month 1 days


Due dates:
Lumina and Lucky's Litter (Confirmed)........ due 14th March
Josephine and Lancaster's Litter (Unconfirmed)....... due 3rd March

Clover is sleeping beside Tuck... Her weight is looking better now.

Olivia slept happily with her father and sister. Her weight was back to normal and she was happy to be with her small family again. She was becoming a bit clingy, though... She refused to be too far from her father or sister, and was always with one of them. She wasn't doing this to be annoying... Just her experience away from them made her realize just how much they meant to her. And she never wanted to be away from them again.

Damien and Evyenne slept together, becoming closer and closer, guess it was safe to say they could be a couple.

Molly was growing a bit bigger now, she was only one more month away from being an official adult. She had taken interest in learning how to be a great babysitter. She even would ask some of the other females, mainly Josephine, to teach her. She was eager to learn.

Charlie was already up and about and began to perform his daily tasks to keep the group safe.

Linus, however since he was just a fat and lazy lump, yawned and continued to curl up and go back to sleep in the den.

Emerging from the burrow mouth, a rather now distinctly rounding Josephine graced herself onto the sandy surface. She didn’t mind being the first awake, seeing how everyone else responded first thing in the morning calmed her nerves especially since she had to be cautious around Lumina.
It was obvious from Lumina’s recent behaviour that she had cemented her position at the head of the group and from key observations she also could possibly be carrying Lucky’s pups.

Twitching and muttering her nervous chatter she groomed the fur on her chest at the thought of something terrible happening to her pups. No, even if Lumina didn’t like the situation she wasn’t cold hearted to kill innocent newborns, maybe she’d give her a chance to leave the group with her pups….but what about Lancaster?
Fidgeting to stop her thoughts running away with themselves she waddled back to the mouth of burrow and called down into the darkness hoping to hear replies from the pups.

At two months old now, the two pups from Buckeye’s last litter had thrived under the (mostly) watchful eye of Josephine and now were of an age that they could start to learn to forage for themselves.
Hearing Josephine, Merry calmly took his time and steadily made his way toward the daylight. He had come out of his shell over the recent weeks but he was still very quiet and reserved compared to his brother. Breaking the surface, he stretched to nuzzle his adopted carer and shuffled to get a good spot to warm himself next to her.


Secondly hurrying at a faster pace emerged Root Beer, his dark brown coat and dark eyes was a distinct contrast to Merry’s pale cream with a dark grey face. He had gained a sense of caution about the world growing up around sensible adults and before he joined his friend on the surface he stopped to look around. New strangers now made him slightly wary but he still loved to be social with the ones he loved and trusted. With no sign of danger he hurried into the warming sun and playfully knocked into Merry.


Tilting her head after Root Beer joined her and Merry, Josephine called yet again. It was always Pippin, if he was first out of the burrow he had disappeared by the time the third one came out and if he was last she could pretty much guarantee he was up to something down underground. Sighing to herself she questioned why wasn’t there one day when he emerged calmly in the middle. Today would be a day where she’d let Molly supervise Root Beer and Merry whilst she attempted to forage and keep harm out of Pippin’s way.


Below ground it was Kir Royale sound asleep who was this morning’s target for Pippin’s mischievous antics. Ever since their encounter a few weeks ago the aging pup had become quite attached to the older male even if he wouldn’t admit it. Pippin had already tried: climbing over him, jumping on and off him, crashing into him, pulling his ears, repeatedly nipping him but still Kir Royale hadn’t moved or fluttered an eye lid.
Panting, the young active pup refused to give up and leaned against a sleeping adult nearby until he got his breath back.

Leon came above ground and stood to sun himself.

Megan was still sleeping soundly below ground.

((OOC: Is it okay if we say Lumina and Lucky mated over the skip Stormy?))

Lumina emerges from the burrow, shaking her gold-orange fur. Josephine's pregnancy was a little more visible, and the dominant female knew she was carrying a littler. And perhaps, she was carrying one herself. She didn't know what could happen. Either one could end up killing the other's litter to ensure their own would survive... She shook her head, hoping it wouldn't have to come down to that.. She wouldn't kill newborns, not intentionally.

Saja slept with her father and sister.

Ashtail was already outside, sunning her scarred body.

Golden Sun, meanwhile, slept still.

ooc: perfectly fine with me.

Lucky had been settling into his new position in the Willows mob. He had come to know all the members, and felt much more at home then he had before. Lumina was now displaying obvious signs of pregnancy, but something worried him. Lucky had been a rover for several years- these pups might have a large amount of half siblings he was unaware of. Oh well, he was sticking around to raise these guys.

Lancaster has been up for approximately two hours, since the sun commenced its gradual ascent in the beautifully colored sky, incessantly fidgeting the digits on his forepaws nervously, worried his and Josephine's decision to conceive a litter could result in grave consequences. So far, Lumina hasn't been exhibiting hostile behavior towards his beloved lady, but the prospect she herself could be pregnant weighs profoundly on his mind. He recalls witnessing Lucky luring Lumina away to the periphery of the mob a few days ago, possibly to mate with her, which he suspects. If Lumina begins putting on weight in the mid-section, the risk that Josephine could be evicted, or worse, will certainly exist, and there's nothing Lancaster can do about it now that their illcit secret is no longer between them and his brother Tank, whom guessed she was pregnant a couple weeks ago. Josephine's weight gain in the mid-section is becoming pronounced, making everyone aware that she is confirmed to be carrying a litter of pups. All Lancaster can do is pray that Lumina is just as tolerant as Buckeye was. However, if the cemented matriarch does evict Josephine from the group, without a doubt Lancaster is accompanying her. He certainly won't permit another catastrophe to befall his growing biological family!

Tank is dozing contendedly, his rapidly growing daughters Olivia and Saja embraced in his arms. He doesn't mind that they've been considerably clingy over the past several days. Actually, he'd much prefer that they do keep a close proximity to him. They're all he has left as biological young, and he's determined to do whatever he can to maximize their chances of making it to adulthood.

Giving up on waiting for Pippin, Josephine nuzzled the other two pups that had surfaced and waddled slowly over to her beloved Lancaster and sat beside him. It was clear by the look on his face that he too was worried, these days it seemed he thought more about everything in detail then she did.
Churring affectionately she placed her head against him hoping it would ease his distress. With him beside her whatever happened they always had each other, they hadn't planned for the dominant change but Josephine hoped that her most reliable babysitting skills might be needed in the near future by Lumina and this might be her saving grace when faced with possible eviction.

Uninterested in his guardians behaviour, Merry flopped down on the warm sand at Josephine's feet and closed his eyes. He still liked his moments of peace away from his active brother and now against the warming sand this one felt delightful.

Bounding with curious energy, Root Beer didn't want to sit around now that he knew the area was safe instead he hopped around and found himself close to Ashtail. He didn't mind her scars at all, she had always been kind to him and that's what really mattered. Politely he chirped a good morning to the older female and rubbed his whole body against her.

Still below ground, Kir Royale yawned and surprisingly awoke to find a small pair of eyes, paws and a nose hanging over the top of head. Smirking at the resting pup, he closed his eyes again but was too slow. The little body had spotted his movements and now was joyously chirping and attempting to climb down his muzzle. Many by now would have got annoyed by young Pippin but Kir Royale didn't mind, being part of a group again was so much better than life out in the desert with his brother that he accepted every responsibility and duty that came with it. Even if it meant playing with persistent little pups.
Tilting his face so that Pippin didn't have far to clamber to, Kir Royale scooped him up in his forepaws as soon as the youngster had touched the ground and nuzzled him affectionately. He had indeed succeeded in waking him up and would now have to emerge from the burrow to start the day.

Tuck nuzzles Clover affectionately when he stirs. He's happy they're back in the Willows, where they belong. He doesn't want to emerge just yet, so he stays where he is in the soothing darkness of the burrow, Clover's warmth pressed up against them.

Chloe is sunning herself in the heart of all the other Willows. She should be engaging in morning activities with them, but for some reason she doesn't. She's scared about how permanent Lucky and Lumina's positions are becoming, with their dominant female pregnant. She likes them perfectly fine, but she's always clung to hope Buckeye and Keeko would return, just because they were gracious enough to grant her a home when she was alone and weak. She is, however, happy with the new leadership so doesn't say anything. They're doing ten times a better job then she ever could.

Lucky stands sentry on a twisted, dead tree while the others sun themselves. The morning sunlight gives everything a fiery glow. He's still just as on edge as he was when he first became dominant, but it's no longer to prove himself- instead it is to make sure nothing ill befalls Lumina or Josephine while they carry the Willows future. He doesn't care that Josephine is pregnant, in fact, he's happy. She's a loyal member of the Willows and he's not concerned with her endangering his future children's lives. He's happy, in fact, the Willows numbers will swell.

Lumina looks over at Josephine. She shared the same feelings as Lucky did, to be honest... Plus, this group was decently-sized, they could handle two litters, right? Plus, Molly was growing into a promising babysitter when she wasn't even a full fledged adult yet. Only one more month or so. Deciding to try and soothe Josephine's worry, she approached the other female. Her expression was blank at first, but it slowly soften as she began to groom Josephine gently. She may of had a hard time fully expressing her emotions time to time, but she did indeed have a heart. And having experienced loosing a litter herself before even becoming the new DF of the Willows, she wouldn't want to be responsible for another litter to be tragically lost.

Ashtail feels something rubbing against her leg and looks down to notice it was Root Beer. Smiling a bit, she nuzzles the little one. She hadn't really gotten attached to any other pup since Triscuit and Snicker tragically lost their lives to Ghost. But Root Beer was slowly becoming a close one she felt attached to.

Saja stirred a bit as she slept but didn't awaken, happily nuzzling against her father's warm fur as she continued to sleep.

Golden Sun began to awaken, yawning softly as he stood up, shaking the sand out of his gold-ish fur.

Charlie chirped a greeting to his other fellow mob members. He seemed chipper today, maybe only because it was a new day anyways.

Linus clumsily rose to his paws and waddled over to his brother. He yawned again, then collapsed like a sack potatoes beside him above ground.

Seeing Lumina approaching Josephine with an emotionless expression upon her visage, the muscles in Lancaster's extremities constrict and he boldly brandishes his incisor teeth at her for a brief moment, letting her know he won't tolerate any abrasive physical contact with his precious beloved. If she intends to evict Josephine from the group, then he's leaving too. To Lancaster's surprise, Lumina begins grooming Josephine cordially, sending a sense of relief through his system. Maybe the Willows' new matriarch will be as tolerant as Buckeye was after all, but he isn't utterly convinced yet. Once those maternal hormones kick in, even the most kind-hearted of females can turn ruthless, not hesitating to resort to committing attempted or complete infanticide in order to maximize their infants' chances of survival in this world of scarce resources.

Still in a deep state of sleep, Tank doesn't acknowledge his daughter Saja nestling into his fur. Every now and then his forepaws would twitch as he dreams of excavating a plethora of delectable morsels.

Clover smiles and nuzzles Tuck affectionately.  She rolls over on her back.  The female isn't quite ready to go above ground yet.  She wants to relax with her friend before foraging.  Clover has always been rather easygoing.  One might mistake it for laziness.

Tuck doesn't feel like emerging just yet either. Instead he rests his head on his paws and continues to dose. He's never going to leave Clover's side again.

Lucky watches as his new mate makes her way to Joesphine. He tenses, not sure what he would do if she attempted to drive her out. Lucky is a kind 'kat and it would hurt him to watch such a thing go down, but his business isn't in female politics. He knows he'd be helpless to intervene with anything if such things go down. When he sees Lumina begin to groom her he smiles a little- good. She wasn't that kind of dominant.

Panicking as she spotted Lumina the Willows dominant female coming towards her with an emotionless expression, Josephine roughly pushed Merry closer to Lancaster and protectively stood in front of him. If this was judgement day come quicker than she expected at least the pup wouldn't get caught up in the eviction fight. Gulping hard as Lancaster bared his incisors, she let out a nervous chatter and dropped to the sand submissively shaking with nerves. Closing her eyes and expecting the worse..nothing happened except she could feel a gentle nibbling on her shoulder.
Squinting one eye open, Josephine was very surprised to see Lumina sat to her left casually grooming and trying to create a social bond with her. It wasn't what she had expected at all, and even as she bolted up into a sitting position Lancaster even wore a similar shocked expression. Maybe she had been assuming the worst about the new matriarch, maybe she was like Buckeye after all and she hadn't given her the benefit of the doubt. Feeling ashamed and guilty, Josephine returned the grooming display to Lumina but with added gratitude and a sincere apology.

Feeling the sudden tension and concerned for being shoved away. Merry didn't understand what was happening and Lancaster's display of his teeth made him feel more nervous. As Lumina approached and Josephine dropped to the floor, Merry's mind was shattered with the past memory of being witness to Buckeye's eviction on one of his first days up on the surface. No!! he wouldn't let Lumina take Josephine away from him....Josephine had made a promise to always be there for him.
Upset and angry at a false innocent assumption, Merry barked and bolted towards his loving guardian as the two adults socially groomed each other. Climbing up onto Josephine's leg he clung tightly and shot a stern look towards Lumina. Sending one mother away made her a meanie, his second a big meanie...

Still happily with Ashtail, Root Beer chirped contently at the gentle nuzzle and rose tall on his small back legs to support himself taller against the older female. He liked being in her company, it make him feel like he had his own space rather than being confined alongside the other pups in Josephine's care. Also she was really interesting, sometimes he would imagine the heroic deeds that she had done to gain her scars. Regardless of her looks he admired her that would never change.

Emerging onto the surface, Pippin barked at the top of his little voice repeatedly greeting everybody and making himself heard. It was a glorious day and that in his books meant it would be a great day to find breakfast, even now that he had gained a permanent if not unwilling adult playmate maybe he'd get to have as much food as he wanted and wouldn't have to share with Merry and Root Beer. Unaware of what could have happened with Lumina and Josephine, he hopped around waiting for Kir Royale to surface.

Stretching out with a yawn as the sun blinded his eyes, Kir Royale lazily plodded onto the sand and flopped down to warm himself up. Soon they'd be heading out to forage and he'd do his best to stand sentry and keep an eye out for danger. The only thing that might distract him from his duty was the little grey, striped faced ball of fluff nipping at his toes.

Clover turns her head.  She can hear something going on outside... She tilts her head and chirps to Tuck curiously.

Lumina utterly ignores Lancaster's behavior, though judging by it, it gave her a clear message... He was the father of Josephine's litter, or perhaps he was just a close friend to Josephine. Who knows. But she wants to prove she's not a bad 'kat. She truly wasn't... She was just one who had lost everything in one day. Her mob, her home, her first mate, her first litter... All taken away from her harshly through the cruel power of Nature. But she's determined to make this work. Slowly, she was getting back what she had previously lost. She was excepting her own litter, Lucky was a great mate. She just needed to figure out how to show the rest of the mob she was trustworthy. She continues grooming Josephine.

Ashtail doesn't mind Root Beer's company, it felt nice to have a pup around her again. It wasn't the same as Triscuit and Snicker, but it was fine. He was cute anyhow. Besides, she sure Josephine doesn't mind. Despite how intimidating the greyish female looked with her scars, she wasn't so bad. Just a past battle or two.

Saja soon begins to awaken, letting a yawn escape from her tiny maw.

Golden Sun also emerges alongside Kir Royale, looking around curious.

Lucky slips down from his sentry perch to greet the members of the Willows as they emerge for the day. He's getting a little hungry, but Lumina is tending to important matters at the moment so he doesn't harass her to lead them out foraging.

Chloe watches the scene unfolding before her intently. For a moment she felt her lips pull back in a slight snarl as Lumina made her way to Josephine, yet when she groomed her instead of evicting her relief washed over the creamy female. Maybe Lumina was shaping up to be a lot like Buckeye after all, maybe just a little more strong willed.

Tuck returns the chirp and motions his head, beckoning that they should go above to check things out.

Lancaster watches Lumina out of his right peripheral vision suspiciously as he basks in the pleasant warmth of the sun. It's going to take time for him to completely trust and believe the new matriarch won't pose a threat to his beloved lady's position in the group and to the lives of their developing pups.

Below ground, Tank awakens simultaneously as Saja, yawning and stretching out his upper extremities, chirring with pleasure at the feel of his muscles loosening up. He remains on his stomach, his eyes half shut, still feeling a bit drowsy and not yet motivated to emerge.

Slowly, Clover makes her way above ground.  When she reaches the entrance, she sticks her head out and looks around, before moving up the slope.  Clover stands up and gazes at her surroundings, wonder what is going on.  She spots some members acting strange towards Lumina and tilts her head, not understanding.  She glances at Tuck.

Josephine graciously accepted the grooming from the dominant female. Maybe this was the foundations of a bond of trust between them, she would do all she could to protect Lumina’s pups and maybe in return Lumina would do the same and allow her pups to grow and live. Trust and compassion went a long way in the Willows and Josephine knew that Lancaster would also come around to believe Lumina’s positive intentions. It would just take time.
Chirping thankfully, Josephine dipped her head in respect to her matriarchal leader. She’d be honoured to be allowed to stay in the group and wouldn’t disappoint her with regards to her loyal group actions. Merry, Pippin and Root Beer were a proud example of her dedication to the raising of the next generation.

Still clinging tightly to Josephine, Merry pouted still concerned that Lumina was going to send Josephine away like his mother Buckeye.

Clambering around Ashtail, Root Beer hugged her tightly and watched the activities of the group from their position. Soon they’d be heading out into long, tall grassy world again and then they’d find breakfast.

Tilting his head mimicking Golden Sun’s curious expression, Pippin giggled and hurried around the two older males. Was it time to go NOW? Please, please, please....

Sighing, Kir Royale rolled his eyes and picked up Pippin as he stood to his feet alongside Golden Sun. Over his short amount of time that he had been in the Willow’s he had got to know the other male and found that they had several things in common. He respected older companion and knew that there would be many things that he could learn about family dedication and group loyalty from him and resident brothers Tank and Lancaster.

Lancaster is actually relieved to witness a potential bond is in development between Josephine and Lumina. Perhaps the newly appointed matriarch will prove to be a worthy matriarch after all. Only time will tell, however, but Lancaster is willing to give her a chance and decides to participate in the grooming session between the two females, paying his regards to the new matriarch. Hey, they should at least be grateful someone filled in the void, right?