Magnolia was growing swiftly into a menace, and it was becoming even more swiftly clear that the little shit enjoyed sewing chaos. When she shoved a misplaced paw at a siblings ribs, when she stole something that wasn't hers, when in general ire was pointed the pale girls way... she conveniently fell back to flop next to Saga, and did something cute like chew on a foot or pretend she was asleep. So far, she'd been allowed to be a mischievous little shit; what was the harm in a baby being a baby, after all? She wasn't hurting anyone, not really! But there was a den full of wriggling bodies, and Magnolia was already tired of being corralled. She just wanted to have fun and play, it wasn't her fault the others (mostly Frigi) weren't up to snuff.

It even seemed she'd inherited her Mother's late-night preference. Many nights Saga laid awake in the den, she had the company of her eldest bundle of joy.

Tonight, Mum was actually asleep. She was never asleep first! Curled around her three dozing babies, she must've decided an early night was in order.... Boy, was she going to regret that. Magnolia fidgeted around the cuddle puddle for several moments, trying to settle in because she didn't really have much else to do -- thoughts were still frayed, and babyish, and one day her poor mother would look back and wish for these simple days -- before deciding.... well, she didn't want to.
She didn't want to be put to bed. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to cuddle with her littermates against the warm, silver pelt of their dam. Even pretending to be asleep and poking someone didn't appeal to her.

Magnolia's unstable ears flopped as she slid over Saga's flank and hit the soft edge of their mossy nest. Nobody immediately moved, and the silvery child toddled off towards Light. It was only a few steps to the wall that separated their nest from the rest of the den, but Magnolia had been here before! It was just another part of the stony den, and while it'd been great good fun to look at in awe.... it'd introduced her to the great outdoors, except she wasn't allowed out there! It was all a terrible slight, but she'd try again, now, while things were quiet. Surely, if nobody was up and doing things and busy, that meant she was free to explore! Normally, people were talking, or someone else was getting a bath, or eating, or whatever.
Not now.

The pups still baby-blue eyes were fixated on the den's entrance, but something wasn't right.... She'd seen it light, and she'd seen it dark, but this was something different. Outside was a color it'd never been, the color splashed across her family, the color of the meat Mum ate when Jaxxon brought it (which turned out pretty fuckin' good, she had a bite yesterday).

For the very first time, Magnolia stepped from the den and was bathed in the light of the blood moon, blinking widely up at the red disk hanging in the crimson sky.

Saga had been asleep, yes, but she was too paranoid to remain that way. Tiny little Magnolia was becoming more of a handful with each passing day, and even worn to her most tired, Saga knew she had to keep a close eye on that one. Between her, Laurel who always seemed to be trying to keep up, and sickly little Frigi.... the silver Fox woman knew she had to keep on her toes. Still, there didn't seem to be much harm in the little shits exploring, though her anxiety skyrocketed when one of Dulcie's brood toddled to follow.
They hadn't really... talked about what would happen. Saga didn't want to parent children that weren't hers if it would stir trouble, but surely the curly-tailed parent would appreciate an extra eye on his child? These children... they were siblings, even if the word couldn't be brought into the light. Saga didn't know if that was important or not, but she'd always had a few siblings she liked, the few littermates that tried to help her be less herself. A support group of any kind was good, especially in a place like this.
Dulcie and Saga might not be buddy-buddy, but the Fox knew she'd appreciate an extra set of paws. She wanted to worry for her babies.... but she also worried those babies could give poor soft pampered Dulcie a run for his money, too. As much as the 'village' would be nice, some part of Saga wondered if she even could trust anyone else to watch after her hellions. Not because of who she trusted, but because of who could handle them.

Was it too soon to ask Jaxxon to watch them so she could get out and stretch her legs?

Saga unwrapped herself carefully from Frigi and followed the three curious babies, also apparently unbothered at the crimson sky. She slunk behind them and hovered just in the mouth of the den, eyes sweeping the area and ears perked as she kept silent watch.

A single, soft yawn split her jaws.

Her lone journey didn't end up so. Very quickly, in fact, a number of things happened. Maggie was just standing there soaking in the blood moon, the yawning shadows of the open mountainside, stars glittering far above the misty ground, the crisp and wet night air as she breathed it in.... A bump against her rear that sent her stumbling forward, and a BITE to her ASS. Magnolia flopped forward onto her chest, growling low at her much larger sister and righting herself just to send a bite back Laurels way. Rude! Uncalled for! She was the leader to bigger things, the first witness to the big red orb in the night sky, the firstBORN, and here she was being harassed. The audacity.

But Laurel wasn't even there anymore. Laurel went hauling further!

That was unacceptable.

'ey,' she chirped indignantly, ears pinning.

Then another nestmate popped from the den and came running as she righted herself. Magnolia woofed a quiet sound, some cross between happy and angry, and even though Saga came to take up the rear.... she did not call them back in, which was a surprise. Perhaps there was something special about the outside being this color instead, or maybe it was what she'd been waiting for! Whatever the reason (Saga being too tired to stop her most willful child and now-cohorts), Magnolia was happy to race alongside Zacharie as he lunged for Laurel. The frosted child just squealed with laughter.

Heavy pawsteps behind them told her Saga was lazily following, too paranoid to leave them out of her sight but unwilling to end the fun.

The pups tumbled and played and ran about, and Saga was content to just exist behind them, watching quietly. She thought nobody seemed to care if she watched or joined or kept on sleeping, but the moment Laurel spotted her --despite getting just a smile in return-- she was off like a shot. Frustration welled up in Saga, and she very nearly turned inside to jab Jaxxon awake to fetch the brat instead. She wasn't a yeller. She barely had rules, just the gentle expectation to stay where you were in sight and to go to the nest when corralled. Why did this asshole of a kid think she was going to... what, holler? Drag them back by the tail like she'd never once done? They had never even been actually outside to know the boundaries she might lay, she thought resentfully. Maybe it was just the Fox instinct to make things as hard as possible for no more reason than being an annoying cunt; It's what they were good at, after all.

Sleep loss was starting to get to the poor new Mother, but it was often her own anxiety that kept her awake late into the night, or drifting lightly like tonight. How could she sleep, though, when her kids were so unpredictable? How did she rest, or take her eyes off them, when they just decided to do the most annoying thing just to grind her gears?

Laurel, she called sharply, a tearful warble to her tired tone as she continued to wonder why, Stay in sight! She didn't have time for this. She'd just wanted to let the little fucks outside to stretch their apparently cramped legs, and this was what she got -- hellions who had no reason to be fucking hellions. It was the middle of the night and these kids wanted to test her patience? Fine -- she knew better than to sling threats they might be starting to pick up on at least soon, so she held her tongue, but a more permanent eye on the den entrance had just been sealed. Hell, she'd follow Laurel more closely, specifically, to be able to snatch her up if this was how she was going to behave. Why, why, why? Wasn't Saga a good Mother? Did her kids fear her, like she'd always feared her own? Or did they just inherently hate her, the soft, the broken, the wilted rose of the Fox clan? Did they think it was all just some fun game?
Why did nobody tell her that parenthood itself was more nerve-wracking than the chance Joxer could come back?
Saga never thought Magnolia would be the good one for once, but she suspected her eldest simply didn't care enough to run.

Laurels burst of speed, of course, was only matched by the other excited puppies. Saga sighed and picked her heavy paws into a fast lope, not actually fussed to keep all three in her sights but heart beginning to thrum with anxiety. They didn't need to be so far from the den for their first real time, they didn't need to be wandering alone in the night, and she most certainly didn't need Dulcie waking and deciding she'd stolen one of the damned kids. She lengthened her strides and arched away, apparently leaving the puppies alone.

The silver waif just wanted to head them off, and hopefully seem as if she was joining the game to run them back along home with a convenient change of direction once she popped out dead ahead. And if she could snap up her silver daughter while she was at it? Even better.

---

It was GREAT out here!

Magnolia had hovered in the entrance before, but their wobbly limbs and stressy Mother had kept them largely hugging the den until now; she was far too pleased to be able to bounce around and sniff things to worry Saga would shuffle them back inside -- it was never immediate, being pulled away from something Not Yet Allowed, so there was time to see how far she could push this new boundary. Would she listen to it? Hell to the no! But it was always good to know where you could act innocent, an idea that hadn't really solidified in the frosted Fox's mind but was inherently built into her conniving nature.

Laurel had no such time for testing. She took one look at Mama, turned, and ran in a way that was less playful than her last jaunt. Magnolia squealed with absolute delight and darted off after her littermate, glad for any reason to go further, faster! There were things to do! Places to see!

A small growl was the only warning she got, mid-stride, before a weight at her haunch made her faceplant. Her next squeal was full of rage, and she spluttered and stood just in time to see Mama haring off in another direction. She was FAST fast! Fast as the wind! Where the hell was she going? Not joining the game, apparently, but Magnolia had never seen her leave them alone! In fact, she wasn't sure there had ever been more than a few moments her dam even left her sight.
But Zacharie pulled ahead of her, and Magnolia was further emboldened. What did it matter if Saga didn't want to play, too, she was leaving them to do whatever they wanted!

She was now dead-last, but very clearly just happy to run at full-tilt, baying a happy sound after her siblings as she took up the rear of Laurel's flight path.