Wild imp affection, bonds, going on about Jesper being overwhelmed
Names of some wild imps -
Ona - elder
Nona - mother to female newborn
Nia - female in bond with Nona, midwife
Lon - male, father to newborn
Kena and Sol will join this bond when going out in numbers since their own bond is very small
I'm thinking of taking wild imps about 2’ on average, so that Jesper looks especially large compared to them, and even more so with their skinnier proportions. Kena will be one of the tallest at 2’5”-7” range.
Since Sol is around 1’5”, her weight would be very low, 10-12 lbs, and the others would be somewhere between 15-20 lbs.
I've been picturing her with one very nubby wing on the left that she is unable to move. It does not have any actual wing webbing, and is just a small fleshy bone that protrudes out. Her right wing is more formed, but permanently furled, and is incapable of flight.
There was talk of culling her at birth, solely due to the cluster now having to actively protect her at all times. Kena is, I'm assuming, older than her and stepped in. He was tasked with being her primary protector, but also just sort of, naturally took that role and continued to do so as she aged into an adult.
Sol and Kena have a relationship that, due to the number of members in each bond and the actual cluster, sort of naturally formed its own bond. When they leave the den, and move in numbers for food or foraging, they will typically join Nona, Nia and Lon’s bond for safety. (Or, inside the den, both will sleep near this other bond.)
Kena is very independent from most other imps, quiet, and to himself. He does not dislike anybody, but stays to himself and has made Sol his first priority.
Wild imps are not typically affectionate outside of grooming, head butts, interlocking horns, or an occasional lick. Kena and Sol, however, are a bit of an outlier in their cluster for both the relationship they have, and their slight inclination towards being affectionate with one another. It's not much, but they do sleep tightly bound together, interlock tails occasionally, rub horns or their foreheads together. Kena especially loves to groom Sol, which is a bit more thorough than with others.
When meeting Jesper, Sol is quick to realize that he is no threat, and warm up to him. Jesper is especially affectionate, in a multitude of ways, and Sol begins reciprocating. Kena initially doesn't trust Jesper, and doesn't see what Sol sees. Over time, Kena begins to see it, and begins to show small affections. Which to him looks like, just sleeping beside Jesper or rubbing their foreheads together.
Once Jesper is invited into their bond, that kind of breaks some sort of barrier of hesitancy that Kena felt existed, and he begins to show warmth much more openly.
Jesper has a tendency to feel things, extremely BIG. When excited about something, he has an inability to contain himself. A lot of times, it looks a lot like screaming, biting himself, and pulling on his ears.
With the wild imps, Jesper learns a lot of new things. Grooming (and what's allowed), mating (and what's allowed), to birth, and babies…
As an example, before meeting Nona’s baby, Jesper is told about birth and babies, but actually getting to see the baby is what makes sense to him. Only then does it click. And it immediately overwhelms him. Jesper just kind of, shuts down, knows he can't scream and bite because the imps will read this as an uncertain behavior…
He begins to pant, open mouth, panicking, and breathing becomes quick. Jesper has no idea how to react. He opens and closes his hands, clawing at his shirt or pants, scratching at his face or scalp.
Sol is initially a little taken back by Jesper in these moments, but is patient enough with him to figure out what to do. Her first and favorite thing to do is to ask him to hold her hand, gently of course. I imagine it grounds him a bit, and brings him back from feeling too much.
Sometimes she's confused about what exactly Jesper doesn't get. She explained childbirth to him. Why is he surprised? Why is he overwhelmed? So she'll ask him to talk his way through it, explaining what he feels, and tries to make sure he understands exactly what is going on.
Kena is less patient, and at first, finds these moments a bit bothersome.