So, today he would be learning not only that he had a father and not only the routes of the cave and how to be a Good Dog but he would also be learning how to howl! This was all very exciting! So exciting that he continued to stare and nearly forgot to keep blinking. While the sharp-eared head spoke the head with ears like his own began to give a live demonstration. During the entirety of it Zariel simply observed. The pup took mental notes and made sure to keep track of everything his father did with his sharp golden eyes. So, this howling business wasn't exactly like screaming... If anything it looked more natural and less tedious than extended screaming and talking.

After the demonstration the pup nodded his head, he would need to make the proper preparations for this. Little Zariel squirmed his way free of his father's massive paw then trotted a short distance away to stand right in front of his three heads so that they all could easily see. He also needed to be free so that he could properly get in the wind for his intake of air and proper howling procedure. Now... The steps.

He stood for a moment, not moving or even seeming to breathe as he recalled what his Papa had told him.

"First, you take a deep breath." That was first step so he spread his little legs and inhaled with his chest.

"Then, feeling the breath in your chest, you start your howl and raise your muzzle as you call out towards the ceiling." He did just as he remembered his father said. He could feel the tightened muscles in his lungs with the intake of air and then he opened his mouth just as he recalled Kerberos doing and began to attempt the noise. Out of his mouth sounded a little "Oooo" sound as he lifted his head and magnified the tone into a higher pitched --and more pathetic-- version of his father's noise.

After he had exhausted all the air in his lungs he lowered his head and looked up to his father's three pairs of eyes. "Zariel has howled but his howl is pathetic compared to Papa Kerberos'." He supposed it was fair that his was so small since he was a small puppy but how was he to complete the last step. "Zariel's howl does not echo around the tunnels. The last step is incomplete." His brows twitched, the only indication at the frustration of his tiny voice. Other than that his expression was blank as he stood there and awaited Kerberos' verdict.

---

434+
@Kerberos
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7/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

Kerberos' tail slapped against the earth, wagging with gentle encouragement as he watched his little son try to howl for the first time. As the noise came out of the tiny muzzle, the sound might have been a disappointing disaster to Zariel, but to the three headed daddy it was the most precious sound.

Zariel spoke his disappointment calmly, bowing his head-- but Kerberos only barked out his praise in reply, "Good!" "That was perfect!" "Very good!" And his reply was sincere through every tone of his voices. To him, the pup had done his absolute best and that was all that had mattered.

He lowered his noses to the pup, pushing his middle, cold sniffer to Zariel's forehead. "Your breath isn't strong enough yet to make it echo. As you grow, your lungs will get stronger, and if you keep practicing, you'll have a howl to rival mine some day." He reassured the pup, pride seeping out of his fur and showing in the slightly impatient wiggle through his body. His son was an absolute treasure.

i'm ready to start
the conquest of spaces

@Zariel

Perfect? Good? It was not. The little pup believed it to be distinctly below average in terms of sound. His father's was exemplary and well... He hadn't heard an average one yet but he knew his was not there yet. He could not understand how his father would say such things if they were not true. His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared up at the three-headed hellhound. Blink. Blinkl. He tried to process the information but could not understand the strange praising enough to do so. Maybe it was just to make him feel better? But it did not because it was not true.

He did appreciate the cold touch from his father's nose though. It made a feeling of goodness flow throughout his little body, a feeling that he liked a lot. His tail twitched despite the fact that his howl was weak. His father explained further about his failure and it made sense. "Zariel understands. Zariel will practice to make howl better." If his father said his own howl would rival his own then he believed him. Unless... Was he saying that to make him feel better again? His brow furrowed slightly as he thought about this. This was all so confusing.

---

---
@Kerberos
---
5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

Kerberos was nothing if not oblivious and naive, even as he had grown out of his own puppyhood. He overlooked things quite easily, especially when it came to more than just the words another gembound spoke. He took things at face value, missing subtle hints of body cues-- if someone were to lie to him with a straight face, he would believe it.

And while Zariel was not a liar, he did not show that he disbelieved his father. His body was still, aside from a knit of his brows and a small wag of his tail, but his voice was firm, determined. This was all that Kerberos noted, and perhaps a more astute individual would have noticed that Zariel was having a hard time swallowing the praise.

"Good!" Kerberos woofed, love in his triple-wide gaze, brandishing his tongue over Zariel's fluffy ear. "Practice makes perfect." The canine stood up now, towering over the pup. "This tunnel isn't any good at echoing anyway. By where my home is, there is a tunnel that echoes every little noise. Very good for practicing howls."

He would show Zariel some other time, anyway. "But what do you want to do now?" He asked curiously, glancing around as though he was trying to figure out a game to play with his new son.

i'm ready to start
the conquest of spaces

@Zariel

Again he said good but this time the pup could believe it. It was good to practice so he would make sure to do it often. Then he would be a Good Den, if he practiced until he was perfect. The next words especially caught his interest. Hmm... Another tunnel that echoed better? Not only that but one that was near his father's home. Perhaps he would get howling practice and be able to see the home of Papa Kerberos. "Zariel wants to practice howls." He said without hesitation. Perhaps going to that new place would help and give him a buff to his voice. But he also wanted to, "Zariel wants to see Papa Kerberos' home." His blank golden eyes peered up at the larger three-headed hellhound. He was ready to go anywhere with his Papa. After all, after he finished practicing and exploring and learning he would come back to Eridanus for his patrolling.

---

---
@Kerberos
---
5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

Kerberos smiled down at the pup as he repeated and strengthened his desire to howl better. He bowed his heads to the pup and gave him three gentle, delicate licks. Now that his son's haircut was just so, licked right into perfect place, the huge hound rose to his feet.

"Okay," he woofed, wagging his tail. "Come on then!" Already his head was spinning with proud thoughts-- Showing Giggle, showing Bones, his son! They'd be rather interested to see he had a kid, he thought-- though he wasn't sure if they'd be home. Things were weird recently.

Oh, but maybe it would gain him some weight with Aza'zel! After all, they were now Co-Dad's of some sort! He thought about all of this as he padded back towards Orion, eager to show Zariel all of his big bone-laid home.

;; kerb exit

i'm ready to start
the conquest of spaces

@Zariel

The little pup's tail began to twitch furiously when the three heads began to lick him on his head. He couldn't know about the new hairdo on his head of fur that was sticking up at its straight-up angle, like a sort of cowlick. If he had noticed he wouldn't have minded. It was something that his father had done to make him look special so he would wear it with pride.

The pup nodded his head once and with unblinking golden eyes, followed his father to his bone-laiden home.

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Closed
-exit Zar-
5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...