small feathers,

Euphemia wandered lightly outside the den, always within a parents gaze. She had seen a flock of birds from the outside scurry away from the morning rustle of wolves, and within their leaving, feathers were left behind. She would eagerly step outside, a gathering of what was left and most in the mixture of grays and whites, nothing too large or too small.. Most were damaged as well, much to Euphemia's disappointment.. But nonetheless was staring to keep a small habit of gathering things that interested her. A little hoard, to say.

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It wasn't often that the large mastiff was seen wandering inside the borders, but today was slightly different. Well in reality, things had been different since his queen, @Olive had given birth. Though he was never given the order to, and would never specificially state that he was doing this, he had been adding an extra route around her den to make sure everything was safe here. Sure, he knew that @Tiberius was there to protect them and he knew the man could hold his own, but he also knew that he was the king of the pack and therefore, wasn't always around the den. 

As he walked silently though, he caught sight of movement outside of the den and quickly moved closer to investigate, making sure that a fox or badger hadn't gotten past and was going in hoping for a quick meal. What he found instead though, was a pup, wandering a bit too far from mother's side. For a moment, he thought about telling her to go back inside, but figured that, with his large stature and dense fur, he might scare the poor girl. So instead, he opted to sitting himself down a few feet away under a tree, watching diligently until she either went back inside, or mama came out to retrieve her.

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There wasn't many people in Duskguard for the meanwhile, Euphemia only knew that of her family, and Aries who checked in every so often. Although at the moment her time was spent elsewhere.. But there was knowledge there was others ; the young shakti just didn't expect one so massive, not grizzly like her papa but in terms of fur.. He couldn't be hidden in the distance. 

She was gathering feathers rather clumsy, sticking them in her fur when she could realizing as she tried to pick up one.. The rest in her maw would fall.  She would tuck it in her fur, but imperfected as some would break and she would look at them in a disappointment.. When raising her baby-blues, in the distance she saw someone — by every means they smelled like Aries, her parents.. Someone within the pack she didn't know!

Euphemia cocked her head to the left and right, staring at him in puzzlement. He looked.. Different.

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He knew that he wasn't really hiding, but he also could tell that the girl was very preoccupied so he really figured that she might not even see him at all. Though, it took some time as she was struggling with feathers, but her small bright eyes finally raised to see him. Instantly he tensed, expecting her to scream, run off and cry. However, that wasn't the case which startled him slightly. He had experienced grown wolves be afraid of him, so why was this child that was about the size of his maw looking at him with curiosity. 

After a few moments of staring at each other, he found finally speak up, his voice low and gruff, though he attempted to soften it as he talked to her. "You look like you have questions хүүхэд — child. Voice them." He would then stand up, very slowly moving closer to her, though keeping his tail low and wagging slightly, his movements gentle as if he was worried that a too quick movement would startle her.

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"Who are you?" Was Euphemia's first question, the small knowledge and scent that he was someone.. But was not family and brought deep, deep curiosity. Safety by what he carried and yet knew there should be caution, but the young shakti was too amazed to view what he was that was so unlike her sisters. Black and brown, colors that reminded her of @Archon but.. Wasn't.

He spoke words she barely knew, a language that was unknown — everything was a wonder as she just cocked her head side to side wanting every question she ever had, to be answered.

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He watched the child closely, still rather shocked that she hadn't run away yet. So, once he got within a few feet of her, he would lay himself down, lowering his head to rest his chin on the ground. She could come closer if she wanted but he didn't want to risk it. Hearing her question, he let out a deep chuckle, one that actually grew a small smile on his face. "I am Genghis, the sentry of these lands. And to answer your likely next question, no I am not a wolf. I am a type of dog called a Tibetan Mastiff." 

He could tell by her head flicking from side to side that she was filled to the brim with questions, ones that he was all willing to answer. "The word that I said eariler, 'хүүхэд', it means 'child' in Mongolian. It is the language of where I come from." He would wait for a moment to let the child take everything in, not wanting to send the poor girl's head into overdrive trying to comprehend everything.

Archivist skill~

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Euphemia, significantly more confident than her speckled sister, had roamed to the mouth of their cave. Dalmatia felt herself grow anxious when she stepped over the threshold and out of sight. She emitted a soft little whimper, blue eyes searching for the face of a parent to see if they shared her concern, but they did not seem to. Still, the spotted youngster didn't like that all of her siblings were not accounted for, and so she crept very slowly toward the hollow's opening.

The morning air felt fresh on her face, and the sunshine made her squint her eyes until they adjusted. She cooed for Euphemia in attempt to attract her attention, but her fear intensified when she shifted her head and saw the beast who lounged far too close for her liking. Dalmatia parted her jaws in a shriek, urgently alerting @Olive or @Tiberius to the monster about to devour their pup.


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Never far away, the mother hen was pecking about outside when the call of her frightened fledgling beckoned her forth. As she did whenever this happened (often), the woman dropped everything she was doing — every plant, every flower she had collected — and rushed forth in a flash of pale grey and silver. 

Of course, whenever the sweet @Dalmatia alerted the world for her parents, Olive's mind always went to the very worst of all possibilities. A snake had entered the den, or worse, a badger! Or perhaps they had breeched the confines of the rendezvous site and fallen down the steep cliffs, or stung by any amount of the bugs and insects found in grasses. However, this time (as it always was), Olive's threat was negated the very second she saw what the 'threat' was.

"Sunbeams,” the mother breathed as she entered the scene, striding right to the spotted cub who had raised the alarm. Euphemia was also present, but seemed to be more curious than frightened of the canine who inquired so gently about them. Walking closer, her gaze drifted past that of the burly Genghis, and she attempted an apologetic knit of her brows.

"This in Genghis,” the mother then explained to her little children, hooking a paw around Dalmatia and pulled her into a kiss. "He and Daddy make sure we are kept safe, and fed well." Her ivy-wrapped gaze looked towards the yellow-eyed twin, assessing if she needed any comforting or cosseting. Unsurprisingly, the young thing seemed calm. Olive wondered momentarily if she was permanently scarring her sheepish second-year old by allowing so many creatures of different species to have access to her, but this was the way of Duskguard.

The others seemed fine, so Olive would give the needy pup whatever she needed to become fine with it too. 

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"Like Daddy!" Euphemia chirped happily. She was smiling, quite comfortable with a man who claimed to be apart ; although didn't know, she deemed him safe, and somewhere maybe on the lines of family? She wasn't sure! Archon was family, but didn't look anything like them, so was that the same? He was cool though, the young shakti-sage though. She was beaming in curiosity, in-taking of what he claimed to be a dog, that still, utterly confused her. She was a wolf after all, and he was a dog.. But.. But didn't know what that entailed.

Even a language, "teach more!" she was like her mother in that sense, very curious of the world and adapting ; she liked how it sounded on his tongue and though would try to repeat it by her own, it was only garbled.. At least she was trying until Euphemia spun her head around to see her shrieking sister, "sissy, hush hush!" she would roam over and try to assure her sister with some ferocious licking, "he good! he dog!"

Mama too was assuring as she mentioned already what G.. Genga had said, as she nodded furiously at her sister.

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He was quite enjoying the conversation with the child, and as they asked to learn more, his tail started wagging slightly, something that he didn't typically do. However, before he could continue, another small one came up, clearly their sibling. As soon as they approached they started screaming, causing the man to pin his ears back against his head and back away slightly. He hated scaring children. 

It didn't take long for Olive to show up and, as she gave him an apologetic look, he did the same, not wanting to have scared the child. Glancing over at the first child, he would lay himself down, hoping to ease the fear in the other one as well. With his head he would beckon the children closer, or at least the one that wanted to learn more. 

He figured the best place to start was the word he said earlier, but he knew he would have to say it in a way that she would be able to understand it. "Let us try that word again. It is pronounced 'khuukhed'. Say 'coo-' '-ked' 'Khuukhed', хүүхэд." He would pause after each word, letting her try each of them on her own, repeating those that she may have issues with.

Archivist skill~

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Olive was quick to make herself known, and by the time she closed the distance between herself and the little ones, Dalmatia was already crying. The girl's stormy eyes glistened as she turned her face up to seek her mother's in search of comfort and reassurance. Not only did the Priestess pulled her in close and planted a kiss between her dark ears, but Euphemia too had padded over to try and ease the speckled youngster's worries.

She did feel a little better to learn the big stranger's name, and more so when she glanced over to see that he'd lowered his hulking frame to be more at her level. Dalmatia cocked a love toward her mother, listening for the word "safe", though she maintained some quiet hesitation.

Genghis invited them closer, sparking a tentative curiosity, and she assumed her littermate would go. Dalmatia, with her scruffy tail tucked firmly to her backside, would follow carefully at Euphemia's heels to better investigate.


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Her presence, and the cosseting of a sister, seemed to be exactly what the little spotted cub needed. She crept forward alongside her sister, with no small amount of confidence. The warmth that spread across her chest watching the wonder of her own puppies was likely palpable by all in the nursery.

Genghis, surprisingly soft and interested in such young children, instructed them in an impromptu language lesson. He explored an unknown word, in a gruff tone. "хүүхэд," Olive offered off-handedly, her skilled tongue making quick work of the sound despite not knowing what it meant. She sat down, laying her hips lazily off to the side. "The sound comes from the back of your throat," she offered, imagining it to be difficult to make sounds one had never made before. 

Might as well start now.

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Euphemia would stand in front of Dalmatia, looking over her shoulder and smiling at her sister ; a showing, that nothing was wrong, most likely. Even their mother assured so, and the man was attempting to teach them! She would attempt to mumble the words, but it caused her tongue to roll and she bit it. A light whine as she looked at Olive with a cry.

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The man relaxed a little as the two children came closer, seeming more willing to learn now. Even Olive was here to learn a bit more. He was quite surprised that his queen got the language quite quickly, making him chuckle softly. However, as the first child couldn't seem to get it, he would smile down at her, flicking his tail behind him. "Do not fret little one. My language is quite difficult to learn. Practice makes perfect for it. Did you know that the language, Mongolian, is quite new in the grand scheme of things, but came from another, older version of it?" He seemed to enjoy teaching the kids about his home and its history, though he wasn't sure how much either of them would really care. After all, Genghis had never really met a child that wanted to learn more about history.

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She was glad to hear Olive pursue the pups toward the beast she called Genghis for although she'd declared him "safe", Dalmatia held onto her quiet concerns. Her little tongue slipped nervously past her lips as she and Euphemia approached, her sister positioning herself protectively ahead of her, and she blinked up at her mother to assure herself that the priestess was within range should she need to swoop in and save them.

The giant fluffy canine spoke and her wide eyes sought his black-brown features, dark-tipped lobes sweeping forward at the deep baritone of his voice. That rumbling sound reminded her somewhat of her father's, but the way they spoke was different. He shared that his language was called "Mongolian" which was lost to little Dalmatia, and as she shifted to blink up toward all-knowing Olive in expectation of an explanation, she heard Euphemia give a little cry.

She reached out a speckled paw to her, a soft reassurance that she was there for her too.


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Learning a language was truly something, especially if it was your first time learning to speak in and of itself. Their little mouths and tongues were so unpracticed and futile, when compared with she of Genghis, who possible spoke hundreds of words a day. But here they were, fearlessly facing the unknown, and it made her exquisitely proud. It was so like her children, to face new things with a brave face, even if they were nervous underneath.

Still, Euphemia needed support. Before Olive could reach out, it was Dalmatia who came forth and offered her sister a comforting touch. The mother sat back, lifting a paw to her lips to stifle the very visceral awww she felt in the back of her throat. She glanced to Genghis, hoping to share such sweetness with him, since the sylph did not want to stifle the budding relationship between the sibling with her own needs.

Olive lifted her crown. "I know some languages too, though I'm not fluent in any of them," she commented to him, responding where her distracted daughters hadn't. "I just pick up the basics easily.” It was a little fun to learn the foundations of a language here and there, and she easily drew parallels between some languages and others. The grammar and structure was relative and related, but often the sounds were entirely different.

"Back when I traveled with my family, it was easy to learn.” However, before she could gain real proficiency, her life always changed in a way that she no longer had the opportunity. Olive wagged her tail, wondering if Euphemia and Dalmatia would have a more transient childhood more like hers, or a more stable one that afforded long-term language immersion, like Genghis.

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Through the light tear-stained eyes of the harm that was brought to her tongue, she stuck it out. Expecting some magical heal of her mother to bring it justice and make the pain fly away — but instead Euphemia turned to a surprise to the normally crybaby sister, to instead reach a paw out for comfort. Short in thoughts such minor pains were a forgetting, though so was the teachings that the man Ghenghis was trying to give. She was smiling and giggling at Dalmatia who for one of the few moments attempted to comfort her..

So the natural love of that was Euphemia tackling her sister in love kisses, pleasantly ignoring now the converse between the two adults.

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The man smiled warmly at them all, watching as the two kids quickly got distracted playing with each other. Not that he was mad about it, he was just happy that they were comfortable enough to do so in his presence. He hated when others were scared of him, unless of course he wanted them to be. 

Turning to look at Olive, he would cock his head to the side slightly, nodding at her words. "I never really traveled much before coming here, I never had a reason to. Even now I tend to stay in one place." Except for the one time Tiberius had told him to take a break, but even then he didn't go past the tundra, not wanting to stray too far from home still. 

"I would like to go exploring more one day, but for now my duty remains here." He would glance over at the children as he said that, recognizing that, as they grew, he would likely have more to do, keeping them all safe. But, he didn't mind. If anything, he enjoyed the challenge. 

Turning back to Olive, he would think for a moment before speaking up again. "Perhaps we can speak about our cultural experiences more later. I would enjoy learning more of your past experiences." There weren't many that he could do that with, so given the opportunity, he would certainly take it.

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Euphemia's woe was short-lived, thankfully, but Dalmatia did not forget so swiftly. She shifted her weight, moving carefully to reach out with her muzzle and "boop" her nose tenderly to the down-soft fur beneath a stormy eye that glistened with the threat of tears. It was a strange turn of events to be the one offering comfort to a littermate, considering how often they so delicately tended to her own emotional outbursts, but Dal was a willing counsellor.

Her sibling in turn smiled brightly, and the spotted child's little tail gave a happy and triumphant twitch. She giggled and Dalmatia's own expression brightened, though she hadn't expected her roughness. She was successfully tackled to the ground with a soft “Oof!” On realising that Euphemia was attempting to initiate a play session, Dalmatia welcomed the opportunity and reached to hook her forelimbs around her neck in an effort to drag her sister down to the ground with her.


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