Mochi and Ace Documentation Log: The Challenges of Puphood

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Mochi and Ace Documentation Log: The Challenges of Puphood

Post by AStrangerOnline » Sun Jan 03, 2021 2:40 pm

Credit for the idea goes to GoldenBeauty! They did this and as I enjoy this sort of thing, thought that, with their permission, I'd steal their idea and give it a go! Let's see how this goes.
Also, I very quickly stop this Night One, Day One thing as I lose track of time and end up just writing down the day it is when I'm writing.



January 3rd(AM)
Mochi has finally managed to convince a Hoodoo Dispersal, Ace, to be her mate and accompany her as winter draws closer. He seemed reluctant at first, hanging back during hunts, however, a bond did not take long to form and several days later, the near-black lupine is following the smaller female from the new regrowth of The Burn all the way to the Lamar River, which they will cross and enter Slough Creek, a place Mochi hopes will be quieter than the busy plains of Amethyst Mountain which, despite the beauty of the vast plains and woodland, holds far too many wolves for both of their likings.

One hiccup to their journey is the cliffs. Mochi seems to enjoy sliding down the cliff slopes, whereas her more practical, cautious mate picks out a path and trots after her, most likely with a look of confusion as she takes a quick way down. This means that multiple times, they get separated, though mercifully not for long.

They also chase off a cougar somewhat recklessly for a few bites of a bison carcass. Despite being at only 80% hunger, Ace refuses to eat, possibly anxious about the whole pup-rearing thing that was to come soon. (I learn later that I somehow confused the health percentage with hunger. Do not ask how I did that.)

When they are nearly there, they run into Junction Butte wolves who are unimpressed by the duo interrupting their elk hunt. Any other time, Mochi would want to fight, but she wants to save her energy for marking out a territory in Slough Creek. And so, much to her mate's displeasure, they flee, reaching Slough Creek without any more interruptions.
January 4th (SC Early Spring)
I am not sure how long it took but after a long winter, Mochi and Ace manage to snag a 30 hex territory, after competing with the other packs as they repeatedly tried to infiltrate it. They were chased off so much that fights became little more than a snarl and a chase before they turned and fled.
Now spring has thawed the previously icy earth, leaving several snow-patches behind, and the pair are trotting towards a den that they had picked out during the winter. It was near Prospect Peak, though also not far from the highlands where they would travel come summer. It was a risk that both were reluctant, though willing to take. There were also several dens nearby in case they were forced from it.

Deciding to go mark a few edges of the territory first, the pair turn away from their soon-to-be den and head at a brisk pace towards the fringes of their territory which would need replenishing before the pups would come.
January 5th (SC Early Spring/Spring)
After making sure that the surrounding borders were well-marked, the busy duo heads quickly towards their chosen den, Mochi's belly swollen with unborn pups (If you look closely, you can actually see that they're expecting. Pretty cool feature!)
The borders down by the creek were slowly getting reclaimed, but due to their den being closer to the north side of the territory, there is little they could do except make sure that they stay away from their den.

Some time passes and six pups are born, blind and deaf, their fur a dark brown color.
There are three male pups and three female, and Mochi struggles to think of names for them, naming a few but leaving a couple until a name comes to mind.

2M is renamed Thrift
2F is renamed Oka
3F is renamed Hare

The rest remain nameless temporarily, but the mother's affection does not focus mainly on the named ones, loving all six equally. Soon it will be time for them to leave the den and face the dangers, but for now, they are safe. If only that could last forever.

After the six emerge from the den, Ace seems to want little part in feeding the pups, running away from his responsibilities to probably mark, though I can't see any heavily neglected spots around, making the assumption that he uses that as an excuse. Perhaps his reluctance to sire pups comes down to his backstory?
Mochi considers this as she feeds the pups. She wants to follow her mate, but not wanting to leave her pups alone yet, she lets him head off alone.

Soon most of the pups are well fed and Mochi needs food. Pressing tab, I see that Ace is at 95% hunger. She heads after him to give him a turn at pup-rearing whilst she hunts alone, following the scent of elk.

After several minutes of pursuing the scent of elk, a buck mule deer carcass scent drifts her way, and drawn by the prospect of a free meal, the mother veers off and soon finds the carcass, taken by only two coyotes who are quick to run off.

At 120% or so hunger, she finishes the buck and, at a steady canter, returns to her pups, who seemed to have not been fed by Ace.

Winterview 3M is quickly proving himself to be the most adventurous of the six, despite being the runt of the litter, frequently venturing into the grasses beyond the den. The scent of a cougar on the breeze alerts Mochi who, though comforted by the faintness of it, keeps her pups close, scanning the grass for any sign of a tan body lying in wait.

The runt's adventurous and bold personality makes Mochi finally think of a name. Isamu, a Japanese name meaning brave/courageous, sums up the little pain perfectly! So Isamu he becomes.

More good fortune hits the Winterview pack as a fairly recent bull-bison carcass is scented nearby, wielding a bit less than 75% of its meat left. Though it may draw predators closer, it will also keep them fed for some time.
Last edited by AStrangerOnline on Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:27 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Mochi and Ace Documentation Log: The Challenges of Puphood

Post by -Wolfdog- » Sun Jan 03, 2021 5:21 pm

I think you did it better than me lol! It's interesting reading how Mochi and Ace navigate and hunt in AM. The junction butte one sounded like one of my encounters I had awhile back.
I agree though that Slough Creek is packed with tons of things to document. Very excited to read more. :wolf:
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Re: Mochi and Ace Documentation Log: The Challenges of Puphood

Post by AStrangerOnline » Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:33 pm

GoldenBeauty wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 5:21 pm
I think you did it better than me lol! It's interesting reading how Mochi and Ace navigate and hunt in AM. The junction butte one sounded like one of my encounters I had awhile back.
I agree though that Slough Creek is packed with tons of things to document. Very excited to read more. :wolf:
No, I prefer yours! Also, since Ace and Mochi are 5-star diversity, I think I will need many names. Do you have any in mind? I have only two so far. Naming pups is difficult, haha.

Also, I'll hopefully get another bit added in later today! They're in the middle of marking a 25+ hex territory and all of the packs are trying to steal it. Probably because I stole most of Crevice Lake's territory. Though when it's done I'll be sure to document parts I remember! ^^

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Re: Mochi and Ace Documentation Log: The Challenges of Puphood

Post by -Wolfdog- » Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:31 pm

30 hex territory?! How do you maintain that large of a territory. I only have 14-15 hexes. :shock:
I think "Hare" is my favorite name so far. Is it a coincidence that the runts of the litter are the most adventurous and spunky? Lobo (runt) loved to wander off and he sounds very similar to Isamu.
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Re: Mochi and Ace Documentation Log: The Challenges of Puphood

Post by AStrangerOnline » Wed Jan 06, 2021 2:00 pm

GoldenBeauty wrote:
Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:31 pm
30 hex territory?! How do you maintain that large of a territory. I only have 14-15 hexes. :shock:
I think "Hare" is my favorite name so far. Is it a coincidence that the runts of the litter are the most adventurous and spunky? Lobo (runt) loved to wander off and he sounds very similar to Isamu.
It took way longer than I'd like to admit :lol: . Though I'll probably let quite a bit of it dwindle, I find it even more fun and challenging trying to keep a large territory as well as feed pups and not let them die.

It must be a coincidence, or maybe runts make up for their size by being a handful. I may play as Isamu next if he manages to not die. I must do everything in my power to keep the little runt alive, haha

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