Viral is the truth [DND]
#1
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Table & Coding © Bobbi & Kiki; Set for whenever (and wherever makes sense for you) within the still nursing period. Also no stress to get to this right away as I'm just putting it up so that it is still within the nursing period and not having to be dated over a month back. So yeah, get to it whenever or whatever; 528 words


Bastion had gotten a pup from Janos and he was still trying to get used to it. Sure, he knew a small bit about puppies since he had been allowed to visit with Eris's. But that was only him stopping by long enough to give a gift and not really constantly spending time with them as he was now having to do with Enigma. So it really was a change for him to have to focus his attention and care on someone besides himself. But he still wasn't yet past the stage where he thought the pup but a toy. Right now its wobbly ways was a great source of entertainment for the small male. Besides, it was also a special gift from his puppy. It was something that Janos had thought of him when getting him. So of course the small creature was a cherished possession since it had come from his puppy to make up for having been gone so long and causing Bastion to fret. But it was also something that Bastion had to get used to.

The boy with the feminine appearance wasn't exactly the best of hunters but he did manage to get by with small things. As well he had Janos to provide larger game. Because of such he had never had to worry. Still Janos had his own job to do and couldn't be with Bastion all of the time. It was just the way that things were within this place. It was something that they both had to deal with. So while Janos was busy with whatever it was that he had to attend to Bastion had taken Enigma out of the tower to explore outside of the room. And well, Bastion also had to be outside in order to find something small for bother of them to eat.

A hare was found and just as quickly was slain. Bastion made to try and share the blood with the pup, pouring it into Enigma's mouth. He had no idea that it didn't contain any of the nutrients that were needed for the pup. Just like he didn't understand why Enigma refused to eat when Bastion held out a bloody chunk of flesh to the pup. "Eat. It good." He commanded of the pup and frowned as Enigma just continued to whine instead of eating the meat that was offered. "Like this." The forced the pup's wobbly head to look up at his as he placed the meat in his mouth and ate it. "You try now." Again he was demanding the pup to eat as he tore out a smaller piece of meat and held it out on his palm for the pup to eat. He just didn't get why Enigma was refusing food. He had torn out some smaller for the pup to eat so Bastion couldn't understand at all what the problem was. It was to the point that Bastion even placed the piece of meat into Enigma's mouth when the pup opened it to whine again. "Now eat." He demanded of the small being, clearly unused to dealing with pups as well as having his orders ignored.


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#2
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Words: 533


The coal-hued woman inhaled the salt sharpened scent of her Salsola. The faint, flowered smell of their gardens was still faintly palpable to her leathery nose, even at this distance. The afternoon sun had no scent, but the hybrid imagined it would smell something like Salsola. Flowers and earth and the faintest hue of leftover ash, evidence of the burning flame at the center of it all. Their fires would burn brightly again soon, she knew. Eris's own flame had been tiny and pitiful against the expanse of black night, but she had burned it anyway, and with it she had burned all the fever and sickness from her life. It had been good since then, but she had not thought of Shibboleth. She would not think of the girl; her mind reeled away from the pale child the moment she so much as nudged herself toward the inevitable.

The woman's feet padded against the stony ground, the autumn wind already nibbling at her. As she walked, licking fingers of breeze whipping in from the coast tousled and ruffled her shadowy fur. Winter would settle over them soon, no doubt. With it, the cold and ice and snow. She was built for it, and she had suffered in Eternian summers for her thick coat and small ears. Her children would be ready, too -- what was left of them, anyway. Her thoughts buzzed around Shibboleth again, Solanaceae -- gone, both of them. One by fire and one by tooth and claw. The pieces left of the darker child left no clue as to what the culprit had been; Eris had smelled nothing, but Larkspur had proposed a feline culprit. She trusted his judgment.

She meandered, coursing the perimeter of the pack border loosely. The holes in her heart ached faintly, but she would cut them out soon enough; hollows were better than holes, after all. The scent of blood caught her nose, and the woman paused, tasting the air. Bastion -- and something else? Curiosity drove her forward, though there was no urgency in her step. Bastion could hold his own, small and odd as he was. So long as his assailant gave him a moment to speak, Bastion could talk his way out of most anything, Eris thought. She did not underestimate the small, feminine boy and his sharp tongue.

She saw him moments later, chartreuse gaze lighting upon his pale, cream-hued back. The wolf padded toward her Arbiter, making ample noise to alert him of her approach. She was drawn to a strange sight, peering down at a baby younger and smaller than her own youngest children. There was a dead hare, and smears of crimson on the baby's face, clearly from the chunk of meat in Basti's fingers. Eris understood what was going on, and she shook her head.

Oh, Basti, she murmured, smiling patiently toward her Arbiter. He can't eat that. Too young, darling, too young. There was no hint of chiding in her voice, and the coal-hued woman, unbidden, reached for the baby, intending to draw him to her breast. He needs mother's milk, The Auxiliary purred. She was still producing enough to feed the little one.

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#3
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Table & Coding © Bobbi & Kiki; 538 words


Bastion had never been accused of being patient when his orders were being denied. It was growing to that point for him again. The pup on his lap was ignoring everything that he said. He was almost to the point of just giving up and letting the pup starve. He figured that it would eventually eat whenever it got hungry enough. And if it didn't then that wasn't his problem because he had tried. He just would have to figure out how to break the news to Janos since it had been him to have bring the pup home and wanting to keep it. So he wasn't certain what to say in that case. Still he hadn't eaten the pup as had been his prior intention.

Bastion looked up as he was spoken to. He allowed for Enigma to be taken from him and watched as Eris placed the pup against her chest. Immediately Enigma started to suckle from the teat that he was presented with. While he might not have understood why what he had been doing wouldn't work he understood that there wasn't a mother around to produce milk for the young pup. or at least Janos had told him that there wasn't a mother. Or at least not a living mother.

Bastion shook his head to end up denying Eris's words. "No mommy. Janos said mommy dead." The small male made to explain the situation in his clipped out way. All he knew was that he had an orphaned puppy and now had no way to feed him since he couldn't feed Enigma what it was that he and the other members of the family ate. It was a rare moment of vulnerability as a troubled expression overtook Bastion's face. For all of those that would believe that the boy would never have a thought within his head this moment would prove them all wrong. It was clear enough to see that his thoughts were racing and he couldn't come to a single conclusion that he desired. He had told Janos that the pup could be kept but this factor of being unable to feed Enigma to keep him alive hadn't been considered at the time of the statement. There was no way that he could reward Janos one day and end up taking it away the next day. For once he couldn't come up with the proper solution to the issue he was having. There was no way he would be able to talk his way out of this. It was a problem that he actually couldn't fix in some form or another.

"No mommy. No milk." The words were spoken softly, airing the thoughts that were troubling him. He fixed his gaze up on Eris's face and further explained his plight. "Janos want. Said no food." It was a moment of true and utmost weakness for him. He had always prided himself on being able to twist each and every situation into his favor but this one was out of his capacity. He couldn't force food and Enigma and there was nothing that he could get Janos to do either. He was at a complete loss as to how to rectify the situation.


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#4
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(329)
I SUUUUUUUUUCK

Bastion was normally a little difficult to understand -- whimsical and childish of manner and speech, the sable-hued woman sometimes wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. Now was just one of those times where she had deciphered the barest meaning from him; she tilted her head and frowned as he spoke. Though she didn't quite understand, there was clear agitation in his voice. She looked down a moment and tucked the puppy more securely under one arm, reaching out toward Bastion to offer a sympathetic touch to his arm.

Don't you fret over this little thing, she said, shaking her head. The tiny puppy was warm against her body, reminding her so much of her own children. They were bigger than this little darling by far, older by far, but it would not be long before this one would grow, and Eris would rue its growth as she had her own children. She wrapped both arms about it and held it close, tucking her knees up to her belly to keep him more comfortable. A squeak burst from the puppy, and Eris murmured softly to it, stroking the child along the head with her fingers.

I will feed him for you, she said, peering up at the pale Arbiter with her chartreuse eyes. There was only motherly adoration for the little child in her arms, but she would use her authority, if necessary -- Eris did not want this little child starving in Salsola. He belonged to Janos and Bastion, and he would grow up in Salsola alongside her girls. I can keep him during the day, and you can visit me twice a night, yes? she asked, figuring this would work. It might sometimes have to be three or four times a night, depending on the little one's appetite, and it might be easier for Eris to simply keep the child -- she did not wish to entirely separate him from her Arbiters, however.

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#5
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Table & Coding © Bobbi & Kiki; 804 words


Sure, Bastion could speak in complete sentences but he was too lazy to actually do so. Proper speech was only applied during ritualistic occasions where it was absolutely called for. He simply found it easier to speak only the bare minimum of words that would convey his thoughts. It would force the other members to actually exercise their brains in order to figure out the meaning behind Bastion's words. That really wasn't so bad now was it? It became easier the more time that was spent around the small male after all.

He watched as the pup was held securely to Eris's body. While he thought that he had already figured out all of his weaknesses he was finding out that wasn't so. There were more things that he couldn't do. The newest being his inability to provide care for the small male that Eris was holding onto. But ten was his first time having ever been presented with an actual puppy to raise. It was going to test him, no doubt about it. He was so used to only fretting over himself and now he had another to worry about. And the only reason he was concerned with it was because he had promised this gift to Janos and he wasn't about to take back the reward now.

"Thank you." It was a rare moment of manners and genuine appreciation. After all that would serve to alleviate the problem that had been weighing on his mind. It was a solution that he wouldn't have any other way. But then her advice fell on deaf ears. or not actually since they prompted him to speak up in disagreement. "No. Mine." The words were stated stubbornly. He knew the pup had to feed but he couldn't see leaving him with her all of the time. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to take care of the pup because he knew that she would. It was simply that he couldn't get give away Janos's gift that easily. "My Enigma. Janos's Enigma. Janos said family." The words weren't as forceful this time but showed that he refused to budge.

Being a leader she could easily take the pup from him for his disobedience but he didn't consider that. Why should he when he had always gotten away with so much already. This was just going to be another one of those things where he did what he wanted to without a single thought for the consequences. He really didn't expect anything to come of it. He would bring Enigma for his feedings but he couldn't just leave the pup with her all of the time.

"Janos said family." The words that Bastion found to be of importance were repeated again as he moved closer to Eris. He wasn't about to snatch Enigma away but just reached out to softly and gently touch the pup. This really was the most that he had referred to Janos by his name rather than Puppy. And well that only happened when there was a change in the relationship. He referred to all of his past Puppies by their names. The only difference here was that he wasn't seeking to replace Janos as he had all of the others.

He attempted to give Enigma's head a gentle lick, should he be able to reach him in Eris's embrace before looking up at the female. "What mean family?" Well, he knew the basic components of a family. There was a dad, a mom, and then siblings but Janos didn't fit in any of those roles. Not that Bastion had ever felt particularly close to his own family either. So he knew the structure for a family but not what Janos had meant by it. Then in a further display of vulnerability and confusion Bastion reached out for Eris's hand. He wished to guide it to his own chest to lay over his heart should she allow it. "Miss Puppy. Miss Janos. Hurt." He paused for a moment before elaborating on the last bit. "Hurt to miss." Bastion knew that Puppy and Janos were one and the same but each name had a different meaning for him. He had missed his loyal servant as well as the being that he truly was. He had come to learn that there was more to Janos than just what he had been using the other for. It had been a slow realization but all of those nights alone without the larger male to cuddle with had helped for him to come to that conclusion. It made him realize that he hadn't just missed someone doing what he wanted them to do but that he had actually missed Janos. After all he had gone without replacing him when he normally would have already had another Puppy already.


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#6
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(407)
<3<3<3



Eris is by Alaine!

The dark hybrid was not used to being disobeyed, and while a momentary scowl crossed her face, she calmed quickly, having perfect comprehension of the cloud-colored wolf's reasoning. She would not have given up one of her children for the world over, and even being able to visit -- well, it was not the same. The dark-furred woman could visit Shibboleth's gravesite, but the sable-hued coyotecould never see her pale, sickly daughter again. She shrugged her shoulders at her clanmate, feigning indifference toward his protests. Fine, was all she said, for a moment seemingly indifferent to whatever Bastion's decision or reasoning was. She could play the cold and aloof leader when displeased, just as Sirius could. It was not a tactic Eris often employed, but she wore a great many masks for her beloved Salsola, and this was but one of them.

In truth, she ached to uproot the puppy then and there and run off with him, to hoard him in her arms. Artemisia and Ataxia and Harrow -- she loved them, yes, she loved them dearly, but they would grow and become adults. They would see her in a different light, sooner or later, just as Salvia had, just as Pandemic had. Perhaps they would even leave her entirely as Wretch had. Maybe she could do it right with this child -- maybe she had a chance at redemption. This greed was stifled by the sable hybrid, who could only agree to her Bastion's terms. She enjoyed indulging him, and still -- practically speaking, it was easier for Bastion to bring the child to her rather than take care of a young child all the time. Why had she even wanted the responsibility in the first place?

You and Janos, the coyote began, looking up from the suckling child. Her chartreuse eyes were wide with greed for the child, but she would hand him back when he was sated. She could not steal from another of Salsola, no matter how badly she wanted what they had. You are a family -- do you wish to become mates, then? Would you stand before Salsola and proclaim your bond to one another? Her question was light, almost airy, but there was an underlying seriousness to it, one that was very much implied in the wording of the question and the dark hybrid's sudden interest in Bastion rather than the pup nuzzled to her chest.

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