(forward dated to 6/16)

The young girl would stir from her sleep with a soft huff, blinking sleepy eyes as the den came into focus, the world wasn't blurry anymore like it used to be, colors were brighter and shapes made more sense. Her gaze moved around the space, settling on her favorite face, her tail began to wag Mama! she beamed happily as she scrambled upright. She only made it about three steps before one foot tangled with another and sent her tumbling nose first into a her sister making her blink in surprise. Oops.. she muttered before giggling. The accident soon forgotten she clambered over the unfortunate victim and continued onward.

Mama! Mama! Scarlett barreled forward with all the grace of a rolling stone before crashing gently into her mothers side. Pressing close, her tail swishing furiously as she buried her face into familiar fur, content for nearly five whole seconds before something outside moved and drew her attention and her eyes widened at the bird.

Birdie! she spun around so quickly she nearly fell over again, tiny legs scrambling furiously as she chased after absolutely nothing, the bird having long since disappeared from sight.

Halfway there she became distracted by a leaf to which she pounced, rolled twice and eventually caught it, Got it! proudly she scooped it up and trotted back toward her mother with her prize dropping it in front of her For you she beamed at her own generosity, tail wagging wildly over her back.

—

There was a lot to take in, but thankfully, all the time in the world to parse it, the only thing that stumped the toddler was which to focus on first. Anastasia was interested in everything; the smells around the den that weren’t her mother’s or siblings’, the bugs that crawled into the den, the muted sounds she wanted to hear more clearly as her ears were opening.

She had been preoccupied with her denmates and mother, figuring out this whole “walking” situation by following them around and trying to catch a tail or a hock. (Scarlett did NOT like her tail being grabbed, she learned, which only made it funnier.) One time she followed her mother outside of the den and discovered that there was a lot… A LOT more to see beyond her birth place. Now that she knew, it was hard to keep her inside, as she often wandered to inspect the surrounding area… But not too far, she was far too attached to her mama to stray.

Currently, she was busy staring at a line of ants traveling along the ground, some of them carrying tiny cuts of leaves in their mandibles. She watched for a moment, before quickly locking onto something more interesting; her sister.

Carlet! she yapped, galloping over to the other pup as fast as her fat little toddler body could run. Stopping, though, was not a skill she’d perfected, so naturally she tumbled right into her, Oof! Carlet! Carlet come! Play!

(forward dated to 6/16)

Her head snapped over immediately, ears perking high as her gaze searched for the source of her name. Ana! the greeting came with bright excitement, followed by furious tail wagging. She barely had time to brace herself before her sister barreled at her, and there was a brief moment where it looked as though she might actually stop in time, until reality proved otherwise.

Oof! The collision sent Scarlett sprawling backward in a tangle of paws and fluff. For a second she simply blinked at the sky trying to process what had happened. And quickly a fit of puppy laughter burst from her as her tail thumped wildly against the ground. She scrambled upright, wobbling before managing to plant all four feet firmly beneath herself, her eyes shone with delight as she pressed her nose against her sister's cheek in greeting.

What play? she asked, curiosity overtaking excitement, her head tilting so far to one side it threatened her balance. Bug? Chase? Run? but without waiting for an answer her attention shifted to something moved near her sisters paw; a beetle crawling across the den unsuspecting, Scarlett gasped.

LOOK! carefully, and oh so gently she brought her nose down toward it to investigate.

—

Ana laughed alongside her, their tittering giggles complimenting the golden glow of spring’s light and the playful flitter of insects that buzzed all around. A picture of innocent, tender life, new and carefree. The pups showed their love languages early, whereas Scarlett was gentle and only bumped her nose into Anastasia’s cheek, the rowdy girl reached for one of her sister’s small, rounded ears and gave it a little tug. Scarlett could pretend to be a princess all her life, but Ana would never stop tussling with her!

She was quick to release her when she was reminded they needed to find a game to play, causing her to flop onto her haunch and stare blankly as she attempted to come up with a suggestion. She quickly forgot about that when the tiniest tickle on her paw captured her attention.

Flinching, she withdrew her paw, causing the beetle to tumble onto the ground on its back.

Eek! Bug! she squeaked, momentarily reviled by a creepy crawly touching her, before curiosity quickly replaced it. Crouching, she observed as it wriggled for a moment before rolling back onto its pin prick legs, resuming its crawling. The light caught the iridescent colors on its elytra, causing Anastasia’s disgust for the invertebrate to dissolve into admiration, Wahhh… What bug?

Scarletts ear would twitch when her sister tugged on it, Anaaa... she complained, though there was no annoyance behind it. Her tail was still wagging too hard for that, the little girl lifted a paw and gently pushed at her sisters shoulder in retaliation, which was about as aggressive as Scarlett was capable of being.

The ear tugging however was quickly forgotten when the beetle became the center of both their worlds. Scarlett remained sprawled against the dens floor, her nose nearly touching the ground as she watched the tiny creature right itself. Her eyes wide as the bug had flipped over all by itself; that seemed incredibly impressive.

Slowly, she crawled closer lowering onto her belly one paw stretching forward cautiously. The beetle continued its journey, completely unconcerned by the giant puppies looming over it. Shiny... she mused in awe as sunlight danced across the insects shell, turning it green one moment and blue the next. She was enchanted, leaning even closer immediately.

What bug? she echoed, glancing up at Anastasia as though surely her sister would know, but after a moment of consideration, she was certain she might know. Maybe... the girl squinted at the beetle. Ladybug? ....it looked absolutely nothing like a ladybug. But she was pleased with the idea anyway.

—

Lay bug? Ana’s nose scrunched at the suggestion. No, that didn’t make sense… Even with her limited eyesight, the girl could clearly see that — No, lay bug red, Carlet!

She followed the beetle as it crawled across the den floor, until it found a hole in the wall, and disappeared inside. Curious, she scratched at the hole, first with one paw, and when she observed the dirt falling away to make the hole wider, she switched to using both paws for better efficiency.

Aww, bug gone… she flopped onto her haunch with a pout when she realized her digging wasn’t making the beetle come back out. However, digging on its own was pretty fun, so she turned to look at her sister with renewed excitement, Carlet, hole! Dig!

She demonstrated the appeal by scratching at the sides of her developing hole further. Can she make her own hole to crawl into? Is that even possible?

Scarlett blinked at her sister's correction, Oh, she paused, Not lay bug... she conclusion was satisfactory enough, whether she understood the difference was questionable but she accepted her sisters expertise without argument. Ana clearly knew more about bugs than she did.

The matter was forgotten almost immediately when the beetle vanished into the hole, causing Scarlett to gasp when the bug had disappeared. The little girl hurried over, nearly tripping over her own paws in her haste. She pressed her nose against the opening and squinted into the darkness. It smelled like dirt, roots and bug. But mostly dirt. Bug?

No response had her ears drooping, but thankfully, Anastasia had already found a solution. Scarlett's attention shifted from the missing beetle to her sister's rapidly expanding excavation project. Her eyes widened as dirt flew beneath those busy little paws. The hole was getting bigger, much bigger! When Anastasia excitedly announced her discovery, Scarlett immediately perked up.

Hole! The pup bounced forward and planted herself beside her sister, for a moment she simply watched, fascinated by the dirt moving everywhere. Then she lifted one paw and began scratching experimentally. When the dirt moved, she gasped, and scratched again; a delighted squeal escaping her. Ana! Look! As though Anastasia hadn't been doing exactly that the entire time.

—

Anastasia wagged her little tail in excitement, glad to be sharing interests with her sister. Nothing like two gals bonding over some dort! With their combined efforts, they were able to displace more dirt, tiny claws scratching at the earth with unrestrained glee.

Ana gave a delighted, high pitched giggle, Yayy, hole! More, big —

And then she scratched open a massive nest of beetles. The creepy crawlies immediately scattered in all directions, some escaping deeper down their hidden tunnel, some chose to scamper up the wall, or across the floor, but many, MANY of them chose to climb up Anastasia’s front legs.

EEK! the girl screamed, piercing the otherwise peaceful atmosphere with her terror as she began bucking all around the den’s interior in an attempt to shake the invertebrates off of her. NO BUG, NO BUG ON ANA!

Hoping her sister might be able to provide assistance, Ana stumbled over to her in a frenzy, beseeching her desperately, CARLET HEEEEELP!

Scarlett's delighted smile vanished in an instant, one heartbeat there had been dirt and the next... bugs. Hundreds of tiny legs shimmered in the sunlight as beetles spilled from the little tunnel, scattering across the ground in every direction. Scarlett froze, her ears pinning flat against her head as her eyes grew impossibly round ...Too many bugs, the tiny declaration came out in a horrified whisper.

When they began climbing onto Anastasia, Scarlett let out a startled squeak Ana! her sister's frightened cries tugged at her immediately and without thinking, Scarlett bounded forward... only to skid to an abrupt stop the moment a beetle wandered in her direction. The little girl recoiled so dramatically she nearly toppled onto her back. No, no...

She looked from the insects to her sister, her face scrunching with worry. Ana needed help, but the bugs were...well...they were bugs. Scarlett crept forward again, placing each paw with exaggerated care so she wouldn't accidentally step on one. She lowered herself until her nose was close to the ground, blowing the gentlest puff of air she could manage toward a beetle clinging to Anastasia's leg when it did nothing she promptly called for backup.

Mama! she barked at last, her voice small but urgent. Mama... bugs! Help Ana!

She looked apologetically at the beetles, then back to her sister, "" Bug nice...far 'way nice."

That, Scarlett decided, was the perfect distance for all creepy crawlies.

—
Raisa