I solemnly swear I'm up to no good

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for fjorir <3 forward dated to the 12th of June, 2024

Damn these short legs.

With eyes and ears open, Atta stood at the mouth of the den his mother and father had dug out. The only thing stopping him, in his mind, from claiming this land like the king he thought himself to be, were the tiny and stubby appendages he dared to call legs. They wobbled uncertainly over the terrain, making short distances feel like miles. He would huff, tired already from the journey, only a few feet away from the cave.

He would grumble under his breath. Mostly just at the world but, Atta did hope that his mother or father would find him so he could convince them to carry him a little further on to explore. So desperately he wished to dredge the world over, reap it for all it is worth. And, perhaps, also to see if there were anymore birds of different colors, different from the black of the ones that flew overhead or the blonde of the one that sat on his father's shoulders.

How he did envy that man and his bird. To just a pup, he was a man bigger than life. An unmovable and unbreakable wall. One day, Atta thought, he should challenge him as he did his own siblings in the nest. 

The young welp would sit and ponder how he would take him down, staring at his surroundings with his pale eyes as he did so.

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Life was nothing but a game, and thankfully the entire world was his playground. Or at least, so he thought. With his parents being in charge of the domain they inhabited, it was fairly easy to wiggle his way out of trouble. Not that he could stir up much at the moment. Confined to the walls of his den, Fjórir was only able to wreak havoc among those he called siblings. Being the fourth born, he didn't hold a lot of hopes of being the future leader.... or anything for that matter. Those were some big thoughts that his small brain couldn't comprehend at the moment. However, what he could comprehend was... 

He screamed, or rather made bumbling noises, before plowing his way into Atta, his youngest brother. Small, stubby legs flailed as he barreled into the lightened babe, laughter echoing from his maw as the two tumbled gracelessly from the jowls of their home. Thankfully, their mother had been sound asleep as their other littermates nestled into her stomach and ate, while their father was out doing who knew what. Not that he cared at this moment. 

The youngster squeaked, rolling onto his stomach to stumble to his paws. Tuffs of snow clung to help pelt, giving him a proper dusting of the North. His eyes shined bright with a new sense of mischief, their intentions seemingly clear to his fellow trouble maker.
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Fimm was usually quiet and tried to keep himself out of trouble as much as he could at his age. He had still to master the art of walking in a straight line without falling and running was something that hadn't even crossed his mind at that point. If someone could describe him now he'd say he's a momma's boy and he had no issue of being called like that. His father was someone he looked up to, someone he felt like he could never reach. His little heart wanted to make him proud though. 

All these thoughts were so big for someone yet so small and fragile. His dual colored eyes opened due to the shuffling and noises to the side of the pile he was in. His head poked out and he shifted to take a look, curiosity urging him forward. He rolled out of the pile, falling flat onto his belly and letting out a quiet whine. He shifted and used all his muscle power in his little legs to stand up. He shook his head and the action caused him to fall on his butt with a quiet thud. He needed a few moments after this one. With a heavy exhale he pushed off again, slowly putting one leg after the other and making his way towards his brothers. By the time he reached them he crouched down and crawled quietly. When he got close enough he pushed himself off of his legs, but he didn't consider the snow and the slip that followed, so instead of a leap he tumbled into a ball and into his unexpecting brothers.

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An ambush!

The young soldier would rear with yips and playful snarls, returning the attack his brothers would unleash upon him. His little tail wagged as best it could as he barked in response. Atta wasn't entirely sure what his brother had meant by 'explore' but, it sounded fun. The young welp would wiggle out from underneath their weight to proclaim his desire with further yipping. Ungainly and unbalanced as he ran a little away.

To think these little minds had absolutely no idea where at they were born or the land surrounding. Such a big world was yet to be explored by the litter and though today they may not travel far, it was clearly a foreshadowing of the great adventures to come. Atta simply couldn't wait to follow his father out to wherever that man went when he left.

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Fjórir hadn't taken into account that other siblings might have been awake and listening, so when another small body rammed into his own, the pup let out a small squeak before his head was shoved into the mound of snow. 

Eyes wild and bewildered, the youngster ripped his skull up with sudden, and excessive force, causing snow to flutter all around him in a chaotic wake. His once dignified features now held a healthy layer of powered ivory. He seemed so... pale. Like Atta! Finally getting over the initial shock of the newest addition to their little outing, the brute couldn't help his wiggle butt. A stubby little tail flailed madly behind him, and in return, his butt swayed with the movements vigorously. So much so, that he toppled over before scrambling up on wobbly paws. 

Parts of him wanted to tackle Fimm, but the other part wanted to chase after his original opponent. Deciding to push further into the domain, Fjórir let out a yip in excitement and thrill, egging the others on as he followed after his youngest sibling. 

Pushing through the fatigue that was quickly eating at his little burst of energy, the small pup had somehow managed to make it a seemingly far distance from the den. And by far, he meant a few towering trees that blocked his immediate view. Little, uncontrollable legs could only take him so far. Not that stopped him from taking a small break and admiring the forest. Trees towered above him, casting long tendrils of darkened shadows. Leaves and pines rustled, creating a tune he couldn't really make out. However, what truly caught his attention was just how vast everything was. Snow and trees and bushes went on for as far as he could see! 

Now lost to his own thoughts, the youngster didn't seem to take notice of whether or not his siblings had followed after him.
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