Roam wasn't sure what to feel holding the smallest of the new-born whelps in his arms. It felt different, somehow, holding his own whelp compared to the many others he had held before them. Venture, as they had decided to call him, was the smallest of the four whelps that Fawn had given birth to the other day and had somehow already decided who his favourite parent would be. The other three lay snuggled up to their mom in the other room, but Venture had fussed until his dad had picked him up and carried him to another room to give the rest of his new family the chance to rest.

Still, Venture seemed to be fighting sleep for no apparent reason, distracted by "investigating", or rather pulling on, the longer parts of his mane. Roam sighed, pulling the door to the nursery behind him closed. He had hoped some fresh air- and the lack of sunlight- would perhaps calm the kid down. The sun had already started to rise again, casting a beautiful glow across the fungal forests.

He didn't account for his colony mates, Howl, to be specific, spotting him from across the walkways and running up to him followed closely by two other Xunari. He had seen the other two around, and vaguely recalled them being introduced to him as Leviathan and Hivoo from some other colonies. He sighed to himself, mentally preparing for what was about to come.

"Roam! Roam!" Howl’s voice echoed across the walkways as she bounded toward him with her usual enthusiasm.  her large, bright eyes were wide with excitement, and her gait was as energetic as ever. Behind him, Leviathan and Hivoo followed at a slower pace, each casting curious glances toward Roam and the small bundle in his arms.

Roam sighed softly, adjusting Venture against his chest. His whelp had finally settled, tiny claws still clutching at Roam's mane, though his bright eyes were still wide open, taking in the world around him. Roam wasn’t sure how long the calm would last with Howl's approach, but there was no avoiding the interaction.

"Howl, keep your voice down," Roam called softly as his colony mate got closer. "Venture’s trying to rest."

Howl skidded to a stop in front of him, eyes now fixed on the tiny whelp cradled in Roam's arms. His expression softened instantly. "Oh, I didn't realize—they're here?! he’s so small."

"Yeah," Roam replied, unable to keep a soft smile from spreading across his face. "This is Venture. He’s the smallest of the four."

Leviathan and Hivoo finally caught up, both staring at Venture with awe. Leviathan let out a low whistle. "He’s tiny. I don't think I’ve ever seen a whelp that small."

"Neither have I," Hivoo added, her voice soft as she looked at the tiny whelp. She bent down slightly to get a better look at Venture, her curiosity evident. "But he looks healthy, doesn’t he? Bright eyes, strong grip."

Roam nodded tiredly. "He’s healthy, just… a little more inquisitive than the others." He chuckled as Venture tugged at a lock of his mane again, seemingly fascinated by the texture.

"Curiosity’s a good thing," Levi said, in a more hushed tone. "Means he’ll be a sharp one. Probably gets it from you, by the looks of it."

"Or from Fawn," Roam said, smiling. "She’s the clever one."

Without asking, Howl reached out to grab Venture. "I wanna hold him!" but was quickly pushed backwards by Roam. 

"You will *not*!" He hissed as Howl stumbled back, trying to re-gather her balance.

Howl blinked in surprise, her wide eyes briefly clouded with hurt. She wasn’t used to being rebuffed so harshly, especially by Roam. For a moment, the silence between them felt heavy, as if the air itself had thickened, and even Hivoo and Leviathan picked up on it, exchanging nervous glances.

Venture squirmed a little in his arms, sensing the tension in his father’s voice. Roam's eyes softened as he realized maybe he had been a tad harsh.

"Howl," Roam said, softening his tone as he took a breath. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so… harsh. It’s just-" He glanced down at Venture, who had settled again, now merely blinking up at him. "He’s so small, and very precious to me. I'm very protective of him, and he's supposed to be asleep right now. You can hold him sometime later. "

Howl, still a little taken aback, slowly nodded. "I get it. I was just excited, I didn’t mean to overstep."

Leviathan, watching the exchange with a quiet, thoughtful expression, spoke up in a low voice. "Parenthood does that to many. Parents have to shield their babies from the world, after all, sometimes even their friends."

Hivoo nodded gently, placing a hand on Howl’s shoulder. "It’s a new experience for all involved," she said, her voice soothing. "Roam’s just being a dad. Let’s give him some space to figure it out."

Roam offered a small, apologetic smile. "I know I’ll have to get used to others being around him. I’m just… still learning what it means to be responsible for someone."

Howl gave a sheepish grin, her enthusiasm quickly returning now that the tension had eased. "No harm done. I suppose I have a lot to learn about this, too. And for the record, I’d never hurt Venture. I just—well, I can’t wait to spoil him a little once he’s bigger."

Roam chuckled at that. "Something tells me he’s going to be spoiled no matter what I do to stop it."

hivoo let out a deep laugh, her frame shaking with amusement. "That’s the joy of being part of a colony like this. Your kids become everyone’s kids."

"Right," Howl added, her grin widening. "He’s basically got a whole family waiting to dote on him."

"I’ll be the fun one," Howl countered, puffing out her chest with pride.

Venture yawned, his tiny mouth opening wide as he snuggled closer to Roam’s chest. 

"Looks like he’s finally ready to rest," Leviathan observed, a gentle smile on her face.

Roam nodded, looking down at his son. "Yeah. Finally. I'll see you around tomorrow, Howl."

They all said their goodbyes as Roam headed inside. Howl huffed a bit as he did, annoyance showing. "Could have just let me hold the kid."

Hivoo and Levi both let out a long sigh- seemed like the message was not quite received by the young Tsab.