Post by Therdde on Jun 19, 2009 14:56:25 GMT -5
Characters:
Cael - Male Adolescent Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Pine Grove -
Bored. Bored, bored. Bored, bored, bored. /Bored/! There is something to be said for idle paws, though whether it's anything important remains to be determined. Amaranth is a big place, and this crisp, early morning Cael feels as though he's already explored every inch that he can possible reach. Up trees, behind boulders, poking into a burrow or to even at the risk of getting his nose bitten off. The young male is thoroughly unamused, at present, meandering through the denser part of the forest, pausing every so often to investigate the many tree trunks and, out of either complete boredom or pre-adolescent amusement, scrapes his claws along the bark leaving thick rivulets where sap soon starts to run. After his most recent property destroying, he shakes out a forepaw and flops to his haunches. /Sigh/.
Much has been on Kein's mind in the weeks before Nayeli gives birth. He has already informed many of the Matron's pregnancy, and more have found out about it from Nayeli herself. Except for Nayeli, though, he has not spent more than a few minutes around any member of Amaranth at a time, young or old. Cael, for instance, he has not seen since he found out about Ashen... And, now, as he catches the boy's scent, he's not entirely sure he wants to. They're getting older. Too old. And though he said that he won't allow their new cubs to make their older cubs a lower priority, and meant it... Kein knows they won't be allowed to stay here forever. The boys, especially... Though even the girls, traditionally, are meant to leave. How is he supposed to tell little Aurora that she must leave the territory, even if it's only temporary, to go on some spiritual journey? How is he supposed to know what traditions he can overlook without incurring some spiritual wrath? Just because Ayashe's children were allowed to skip those traditions, since they would have happened during a time when there was trouble enough without them risking their lives for the sake of tradition, does Kein dare ignore the traditions of Amaranth that he simply doesn't like? The adult male sighs moments before he catches sight of his son. When he spots the boy, he tries to push most of his doubts aside, tries to smile, with only a little success. "Hello, son."
Kein's approach, directly behind his son, is not immediately noticed. In fact, with a grunt the male stands and begins to investigate his claw marks that are now seeping with fresh, pungent sap. Then with a start his head snaps to the side at his father's voice that so suddenly appeared, and then a moment's pause later he gives the older male a meek smile. Well, he /was/ bored. They haven't talked for a good while, and though Cael doesn't quite believe their silence was unfriendly, there's still a great deal hanging in the air between them. There is a long moment of indecision before Cael finally sits back down and bobs his head. "Hi." Uh-oh, Kein has that 'I need to talk to you' look on his face. Desperately, he tries to think of something he might've done that needs a lecture.
How much longer will it be before what he thinks doesn't mean /anything/ to them? Before the only times they'll agree with him are when they already thought that way? Some of his cubs... Or, rather, his rapidly growing /children/, as he can no longer accurately refer to them as cubs, have reached that point already, and it hurts. Clenching his jaw against the upset that thought causes, Kein lies down, using the time to, once again, try to clear his mind. "Do you have a moment?" There is no anger in Kein's tone. No disappointment. Yes, he wants to talk, and he might even seem upset, but at least he is not upset with Cael, specifically.
Whatever it was, he /didn't/ do it! Of course, destroying Kein's property is doing something, but Cael doubts that a few clawed up trees really matter to his father. He nods again, curling his ears forward as Kein settles himself, though he can't help but pick up and put down a forepaw nervously. "Yeah," he offers, not really knowing what else to say. He decideds against defending himself for something he's not sure that he did, but after a few moments the son realizes that maybe whatever it is doesn't have to do with something that he /did/. Hopefully.
"You know... When I was probably only a little bit older than you, I was living out in the desert with my mother, brother, and Kasim." 'Grandpa Kasim' to his cubs, though Kein has not referred to Kasim as Grandpa Kasim, even when speaking to his children, in a long time. "And one day, my mom asked me if she could speak to me for a moment... And then asked me if I was confident in my ability to hunt, and I knew... I knew that she was telling me that it was time for me to start thinking about where my life would take me in the future... My life away from her." Kein didn't realize recounting this would be as difficult as it is, and only a short way into it, he looks away from his son, off towards the highlands. His mother's resting place.
As Kein begins, Cael's fidgeting grows still and the only movements from the boy are the subtle ex- and inhale from his chest and the deliberate pinning of his ears. He's not angry, not in the slightest, but he didn't quite expect this kind of talk with his father so soon after... after his /latest/ talk about Ashen. But there is a curious glimmer behind his gaze as he watches the other, brows knitting just slightly; he's never quite seen Kein so upset, or upset in this particular way. It's difficult to watch one's father struggle with something. There's not much for him to say, though, but the boy can only guess that Kein will soon ask him if he is confident enough to hunt on his own. But, why? The question nags at him; why would he have to leave?
Kein is silent for a moment, just watching the highlands. He can feel a weight in his chest that he hasn't experienced in a long time, and he doesn't speak again until he's certain he can do it without giving away exactly how reluctant he is. Looking back to his son, he says, "It was a while after that before I finally did leave. At times, I thought that I would stay with her forever... But when she came back here, your mom's dad made it clear that I wasn't welcome here anymore... And I asked my mom to come with me, at first. But by the time I did leave... I knew it was right. That it was time for me to learn how to take care of myself, and that I could never do that if she was there."
"But," Cael pipes up, wary, "A lot's happened... here." Not only is he referring to Ashen, but also the brothers and their role in Amaranth's drama, and his sister shutting them all out. So much, and now that he will have little brother's and sister's again, well... "What if you still need us?" he wonders. He hasn't seen much of his brothers, either, but he knows they're still around. Cael doesn't know much about Amaranth's traditions, but the idea of leaving Kein and Nayeli to defend an entire mountain against whatever else decides to rear its head sickens his stomach.
Kein's muzzle twitches in a thin smile. That his children really want to help their parents... That knowledge does Kein some good, at least. "That's the same reason I told my mother I couldn't leave, when she came to be back here in Amaranth. Because she might need my help." Not exactly, but it's at least close to what Kein remembers. "But I seem to remember doing well enough before you were old enough to help, and it isn't your job to protect us. You can't live your whole life here just because your afraid of what might happen to us when you're gone... And trust me. When you realize that, and not a moment before, /then/ it will be the right time for you to move on."
"Then I'm not leaving until I know," Cael replies, his voice a little low but quite stern as if suddenly reversing the lecture back at his father. He doesn't mean to sound quite so forceful, but after the rollercoaster than Amaranth has gone up and down on (though admittedly there have been way too many downs), he's not about to leave. No, sir. It could be also that rebellious teenager in the boy, but the thought of leaving this mountain isn't something he wants to entertain for a long time. Besides, he ponders, pushing the last from his muzzle, "There's nothing out there, anyway."
"I think your mother would disagree with that. You should ask her about the waterfall, sometime." Kein does not push the issue further, just like his mother didn't, the first time she told he that her could leave, if he wanted. Someday, Kein may have to take a harder stance on it. He certainly will with Ohanzee's cubs... But he rather hopes that his own children will find it in them to leave of their own accord before he has to do that. They will have to leave, but he would prefer that they not leave on bad terms.
Nothing out there for him, anyway. Sightseeing certainly has its perks, especially if you've already seen everything you think there is to see, but Cael + water = no thank you. The boy doesn't say much at the waterfall reference, flicking an ear in consideration. Water falling? Double no thank you. Maybe later. Kein's son sighs heavily, trying not to but really not succeeding in looking exasperated. There's that attitude creeping up, but the boy fights against taking whatever it is that's bothering him out on his father. "Why would you say that?" he asks, not thinking that Kein would approach him in a manner like this.
Kein is a little bit confused by Cael's sudden question. Why would he say to ask his mother about the waterfall? "When your mother and I first left Amaranth, thinking that we would find a new territory to settle, we came across a waterfall. It was... Unlike anything either of us had ever seen. Really beautiful. For a time, we thought we might live around there. Then we visited it again, right before you and your littermates were born."
Cael blinks, echoing his father's confusion for a second. But he lets the story continue, nodding once it's finished, and then shrugs. "No, I meant-- I meant why would you tell me about having to leave... when you already figured that I won't until I want to?" The boy purses his maw, squinting in thought as he tries to articulate it better, "I mean, wouldn't you just let it happen? Why talk about something you don't want to?" Especially if your son doesn't want to talk about it, either. "I know you always want to know we're okay but..." And then he trails off with another shrug, attention flitting from Kein to the surrounding woods. Hey, something that's not awkward to talk about! Lookit the pretty trees!
Ah. Yes, that makes more sense. "I told you, because... Just like I knew my mother was telling me that it was time for me to start thinking about it... It's time for you and your siblings to start thinking about it." It's not a pleasant thing to think about. At least, for Kein, it wasn't, either then or now. It /is/ important, though... And he figures his sons deserve the time to think, to plan, instead of just waking up one day to find they won't be allowed in their home anymore.
"Did you ever ask why?" Cael wonders, wrenching his eyes away from the forest and falling on Kein with a curiously sad expression. His unease has melted away into resignation, somehow knowing that despite his questions nothing he says will make a difference in what happens. What he cannot grasp is that one day he may wish to leave, and his paws will take care of that difficult decision for him. His normally bright blue eyes flit down to his left foreleg decortaed with a sharp, swirling pattern of dye recently applied by deft little paws. Why identify yourself of your tribe if only to get pushed away?
Did he ever ask why? No... He just kind of... knew. Maybe he overheard things, over the course of his childhood, or maybe it's just a part of him. To answer not so much the question that Cael asks as the question he wants answered, Kein says, "When I left Amaranth, Uncle Yuma was the Chieftain. It was my decision that he should be Chieftain, and I still believe it was the right decision, at the time... But if I had stayed, even though I was the one who who said he should have that authority, I wouldn't have been able to accept it. Sooner or later, we would have disagreed on something, and one of us would have gotten very hurt." It was hard enough for just the few weeks that he was here while Yuma was Chieftain.
Kein and Uncle Yuma fighting? Cael blinks. It doesn't really seem possible. And then apprehension creeps behind his eyes and Kein's son looks quickly off into the trees before his father gets a chance to notice, hopefully. Is this all because of Ashen? Cael's flattened ears certainly seems to think so, and all he can do at first to Kein's words is roughly shrug and kneed the ground with impatient paws. "What good is tradition if it doesn't make sense?" he mumbles icily.
It might not seem possible now, but then, Yuma is much more willing to accept Kein's authority, and Kein is much more willing to exert it, than the other way around. Kein already knows what the conflict would have been about, had he stayed. Chesmu. Kein would have pushed until Yuma either caved or pushed back. Either situation would have hurt Amaranth more than it was already hurting. "It doesn't make sense to you now, son... But it will, one day." One day, Cael will realize he can no longer accept Kein's decisions... And if he fights against those decisions, instead of leaving or managing, as Yuma does, somehow, to obey them even if he doesn't agree... Then they will be very lucky if both Kein and Cael manage to walk away unharmed.
"If you say so," the boy agrees, though... it doesn't quite sound like a complete and total agreement. Another uneasy silence passes between father and son; Cael, in his eyes, has it the hardest. Being Kein's first son, and the eldest of the first litter, well... He never heard about Crevan or Nuba getting this kind of talk ._.; They probably did, or will, but it doesn't really comfort him in anyway. Again, his eyes trace over the red patterns on his fur, wondering what their application even meant, now... or does the pattern mean something about the adolescent that he doesn't understand. Hrm.
Kein smiles, but there is really no humor in it. Slowly lowering his head so that it nearly rests on the ground, trying to regain eye contact with his son, he says, "I know it sounds bad now. When my mother first told me... I really did think my life was ending. That I would never be happy again." That he wasn't really happy before his mother told him doesn't mean much. At least he had his family. "It won't last. I promise. Someday soon, you will find something that gives your life more meaning than it has now."
Somehow, everything coming from Kein doesn't seem to hurt as much as it would coming from Nayeli. While right now he's a litte upset about the whole notion, if it had come from his mother Cael would be crushed. Not that Kein's words mean less, but-- who knows? Father's are there for the stern life lessons, mothers take care of everything else. Maybe he can talk with her about it out of ear shot from Kein. While he highly doubts that the answer will be any different, it might hurt a little less coming from Nayeli. Mothers are good at that. "Well," he wonders, still refusing to meet Kein's gaze, "what about everyone else?" There is an unsaid, accusatory, 'Are you going to kick them out, too?' hanging on the end.
Kein doesn't answer that question quite as readily. He sighs before saying anything at all. "Soon... But I don't think I'm going to be speaking to your sisters until Scuddle and the others are a little bit older. Kaya says she'll be leaving with Scuddle... She might as well do it then. And Aurora... Well, maybe she'll grow a little bit more, here soon." Of all of his children, Aurora is the one most likely to return, once she leaves... If she survives the time spent on her own. As far as when he will be speaking to Ohanzee's cubs? A month. Two at the most. They're younger than his children... Be he also can't trust them to accept his authority as much as his children do, especially if his experiences with Kaya, who has largely grown up with them, has shown him anything of what they are like.
His sister's name darkens his face for a moment, and he can't help but snort in distaste. Kein had said that his fight with Ashen caused Kaya to attack him, but even so, Cael doesn't like those other cubs that she hangs out with. He hardly knows them, but he doesn't like them and the knowledge that she prefers them over her own family sours his mood (were it possible to be worse). Aurora, though... what will shy Aurora do? Big brother contemplates this with worry in his eyes, but he turns to look at Kein with steely-blue determination, "Alright," he replies, hardened voice suggesting obedience but not acceptance. Not yet.
Will he be able to do it? Whether it is months from now or years, will he ever be able to tell Aurora that she has to leave, no matter how temporarily or for what reason? "If you see your brothers... Will you let them know I'd like to speak with them?" After asking, Kein sits up, the first step to preparing to leave. He has given Cael plenty to think about, and now, he figures, he probably ought to give the boy time to think about it.
"Sure," Cael replies, standing up himself as Kein begins to end a rather one-sided conversation. Of course, there wasn't much his son could do about it, but he tried a little bit. He certainly has a lot to think about, but whether or not that will cure him of his complete boredom remains to be determined. He might have to find some other way to work of his young male frustration, boredom, and general distaste of life at present with something a little more hazardous. Like rock climbing. He glances north to the mountain, turning and making to leave. With one paw poised in the air, he glances at his father. "Thanks." He doesn't know why he said it, but feels that he has to.
Kein gives a little nod of his head, then stands up, himself. That all could have gone much worse, and Kein is glad that it didn't, but... Just like he has given Cael a lot to think about, he has a lot to think about himself, still.
Cael - Male Adolescent Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Pine Grove -
Bored. Bored, bored. Bored, bored, bored. /Bored/! There is something to be said for idle paws, though whether it's anything important remains to be determined. Amaranth is a big place, and this crisp, early morning Cael feels as though he's already explored every inch that he can possible reach. Up trees, behind boulders, poking into a burrow or to even at the risk of getting his nose bitten off. The young male is thoroughly unamused, at present, meandering through the denser part of the forest, pausing every so often to investigate the many tree trunks and, out of either complete boredom or pre-adolescent amusement, scrapes his claws along the bark leaving thick rivulets where sap soon starts to run. After his most recent property destroying, he shakes out a forepaw and flops to his haunches. /Sigh/.
Much has been on Kein's mind in the weeks before Nayeli gives birth. He has already informed many of the Matron's pregnancy, and more have found out about it from Nayeli herself. Except for Nayeli, though, he has not spent more than a few minutes around any member of Amaranth at a time, young or old. Cael, for instance, he has not seen since he found out about Ashen... And, now, as he catches the boy's scent, he's not entirely sure he wants to. They're getting older. Too old. And though he said that he won't allow their new cubs to make their older cubs a lower priority, and meant it... Kein knows they won't be allowed to stay here forever. The boys, especially... Though even the girls, traditionally, are meant to leave. How is he supposed to tell little Aurora that she must leave the territory, even if it's only temporary, to go on some spiritual journey? How is he supposed to know what traditions he can overlook without incurring some spiritual wrath? Just because Ayashe's children were allowed to skip those traditions, since they would have happened during a time when there was trouble enough without them risking their lives for the sake of tradition, does Kein dare ignore the traditions of Amaranth that he simply doesn't like? The adult male sighs moments before he catches sight of his son. When he spots the boy, he tries to push most of his doubts aside, tries to smile, with only a little success. "Hello, son."
Kein's approach, directly behind his son, is not immediately noticed. In fact, with a grunt the male stands and begins to investigate his claw marks that are now seeping with fresh, pungent sap. Then with a start his head snaps to the side at his father's voice that so suddenly appeared, and then a moment's pause later he gives the older male a meek smile. Well, he /was/ bored. They haven't talked for a good while, and though Cael doesn't quite believe their silence was unfriendly, there's still a great deal hanging in the air between them. There is a long moment of indecision before Cael finally sits back down and bobs his head. "Hi." Uh-oh, Kein has that 'I need to talk to you' look on his face. Desperately, he tries to think of something he might've done that needs a lecture.
How much longer will it be before what he thinks doesn't mean /anything/ to them? Before the only times they'll agree with him are when they already thought that way? Some of his cubs... Or, rather, his rapidly growing /children/, as he can no longer accurately refer to them as cubs, have reached that point already, and it hurts. Clenching his jaw against the upset that thought causes, Kein lies down, using the time to, once again, try to clear his mind. "Do you have a moment?" There is no anger in Kein's tone. No disappointment. Yes, he wants to talk, and he might even seem upset, but at least he is not upset with Cael, specifically.
Whatever it was, he /didn't/ do it! Of course, destroying Kein's property is doing something, but Cael doubts that a few clawed up trees really matter to his father. He nods again, curling his ears forward as Kein settles himself, though he can't help but pick up and put down a forepaw nervously. "Yeah," he offers, not really knowing what else to say. He decideds against defending himself for something he's not sure that he did, but after a few moments the son realizes that maybe whatever it is doesn't have to do with something that he /did/. Hopefully.
"You know... When I was probably only a little bit older than you, I was living out in the desert with my mother, brother, and Kasim." 'Grandpa Kasim' to his cubs, though Kein has not referred to Kasim as Grandpa Kasim, even when speaking to his children, in a long time. "And one day, my mom asked me if she could speak to me for a moment... And then asked me if I was confident in my ability to hunt, and I knew... I knew that she was telling me that it was time for me to start thinking about where my life would take me in the future... My life away from her." Kein didn't realize recounting this would be as difficult as it is, and only a short way into it, he looks away from his son, off towards the highlands. His mother's resting place.
As Kein begins, Cael's fidgeting grows still and the only movements from the boy are the subtle ex- and inhale from his chest and the deliberate pinning of his ears. He's not angry, not in the slightest, but he didn't quite expect this kind of talk with his father so soon after... after his /latest/ talk about Ashen. But there is a curious glimmer behind his gaze as he watches the other, brows knitting just slightly; he's never quite seen Kein so upset, or upset in this particular way. It's difficult to watch one's father struggle with something. There's not much for him to say, though, but the boy can only guess that Kein will soon ask him if he is confident enough to hunt on his own. But, why? The question nags at him; why would he have to leave?
Kein is silent for a moment, just watching the highlands. He can feel a weight in his chest that he hasn't experienced in a long time, and he doesn't speak again until he's certain he can do it without giving away exactly how reluctant he is. Looking back to his son, he says, "It was a while after that before I finally did leave. At times, I thought that I would stay with her forever... But when she came back here, your mom's dad made it clear that I wasn't welcome here anymore... And I asked my mom to come with me, at first. But by the time I did leave... I knew it was right. That it was time for me to learn how to take care of myself, and that I could never do that if she was there."
"But," Cael pipes up, wary, "A lot's happened... here." Not only is he referring to Ashen, but also the brothers and their role in Amaranth's drama, and his sister shutting them all out. So much, and now that he will have little brother's and sister's again, well... "What if you still need us?" he wonders. He hasn't seen much of his brothers, either, but he knows they're still around. Cael doesn't know much about Amaranth's traditions, but the idea of leaving Kein and Nayeli to defend an entire mountain against whatever else decides to rear its head sickens his stomach.
Kein's muzzle twitches in a thin smile. That his children really want to help their parents... That knowledge does Kein some good, at least. "That's the same reason I told my mother I couldn't leave, when she came to be back here in Amaranth. Because she might need my help." Not exactly, but it's at least close to what Kein remembers. "But I seem to remember doing well enough before you were old enough to help, and it isn't your job to protect us. You can't live your whole life here just because your afraid of what might happen to us when you're gone... And trust me. When you realize that, and not a moment before, /then/ it will be the right time for you to move on."
"Then I'm not leaving until I know," Cael replies, his voice a little low but quite stern as if suddenly reversing the lecture back at his father. He doesn't mean to sound quite so forceful, but after the rollercoaster than Amaranth has gone up and down on (though admittedly there have been way too many downs), he's not about to leave. No, sir. It could be also that rebellious teenager in the boy, but the thought of leaving this mountain isn't something he wants to entertain for a long time. Besides, he ponders, pushing the last from his muzzle, "There's nothing out there, anyway."
"I think your mother would disagree with that. You should ask her about the waterfall, sometime." Kein does not push the issue further, just like his mother didn't, the first time she told he that her could leave, if he wanted. Someday, Kein may have to take a harder stance on it. He certainly will with Ohanzee's cubs... But he rather hopes that his own children will find it in them to leave of their own accord before he has to do that. They will have to leave, but he would prefer that they not leave on bad terms.
Nothing out there for him, anyway. Sightseeing certainly has its perks, especially if you've already seen everything you think there is to see, but Cael + water = no thank you. The boy doesn't say much at the waterfall reference, flicking an ear in consideration. Water falling? Double no thank you. Maybe later. Kein's son sighs heavily, trying not to but really not succeeding in looking exasperated. There's that attitude creeping up, but the boy fights against taking whatever it is that's bothering him out on his father. "Why would you say that?" he asks, not thinking that Kein would approach him in a manner like this.
Kein is a little bit confused by Cael's sudden question. Why would he say to ask his mother about the waterfall? "When your mother and I first left Amaranth, thinking that we would find a new territory to settle, we came across a waterfall. It was... Unlike anything either of us had ever seen. Really beautiful. For a time, we thought we might live around there. Then we visited it again, right before you and your littermates were born."
Cael blinks, echoing his father's confusion for a second. But he lets the story continue, nodding once it's finished, and then shrugs. "No, I meant-- I meant why would you tell me about having to leave... when you already figured that I won't until I want to?" The boy purses his maw, squinting in thought as he tries to articulate it better, "I mean, wouldn't you just let it happen? Why talk about something you don't want to?" Especially if your son doesn't want to talk about it, either. "I know you always want to know we're okay but..." And then he trails off with another shrug, attention flitting from Kein to the surrounding woods. Hey, something that's not awkward to talk about! Lookit the pretty trees!
Ah. Yes, that makes more sense. "I told you, because... Just like I knew my mother was telling me that it was time for me to start thinking about it... It's time for you and your siblings to start thinking about it." It's not a pleasant thing to think about. At least, for Kein, it wasn't, either then or now. It /is/ important, though... And he figures his sons deserve the time to think, to plan, instead of just waking up one day to find they won't be allowed in their home anymore.
"Did you ever ask why?" Cael wonders, wrenching his eyes away from the forest and falling on Kein with a curiously sad expression. His unease has melted away into resignation, somehow knowing that despite his questions nothing he says will make a difference in what happens. What he cannot grasp is that one day he may wish to leave, and his paws will take care of that difficult decision for him. His normally bright blue eyes flit down to his left foreleg decortaed with a sharp, swirling pattern of dye recently applied by deft little paws. Why identify yourself of your tribe if only to get pushed away?
Did he ever ask why? No... He just kind of... knew. Maybe he overheard things, over the course of his childhood, or maybe it's just a part of him. To answer not so much the question that Cael asks as the question he wants answered, Kein says, "When I left Amaranth, Uncle Yuma was the Chieftain. It was my decision that he should be Chieftain, and I still believe it was the right decision, at the time... But if I had stayed, even though I was the one who who said he should have that authority, I wouldn't have been able to accept it. Sooner or later, we would have disagreed on something, and one of us would have gotten very hurt." It was hard enough for just the few weeks that he was here while Yuma was Chieftain.
Kein and Uncle Yuma fighting? Cael blinks. It doesn't really seem possible. And then apprehension creeps behind his eyes and Kein's son looks quickly off into the trees before his father gets a chance to notice, hopefully. Is this all because of Ashen? Cael's flattened ears certainly seems to think so, and all he can do at first to Kein's words is roughly shrug and kneed the ground with impatient paws. "What good is tradition if it doesn't make sense?" he mumbles icily.
It might not seem possible now, but then, Yuma is much more willing to accept Kein's authority, and Kein is much more willing to exert it, than the other way around. Kein already knows what the conflict would have been about, had he stayed. Chesmu. Kein would have pushed until Yuma either caved or pushed back. Either situation would have hurt Amaranth more than it was already hurting. "It doesn't make sense to you now, son... But it will, one day." One day, Cael will realize he can no longer accept Kein's decisions... And if he fights against those decisions, instead of leaving or managing, as Yuma does, somehow, to obey them even if he doesn't agree... Then they will be very lucky if both Kein and Cael manage to walk away unharmed.
"If you say so," the boy agrees, though... it doesn't quite sound like a complete and total agreement. Another uneasy silence passes between father and son; Cael, in his eyes, has it the hardest. Being Kein's first son, and the eldest of the first litter, well... He never heard about Crevan or Nuba getting this kind of talk ._.; They probably did, or will, but it doesn't really comfort him in anyway. Again, his eyes trace over the red patterns on his fur, wondering what their application even meant, now... or does the pattern mean something about the adolescent that he doesn't understand. Hrm.
Kein smiles, but there is really no humor in it. Slowly lowering his head so that it nearly rests on the ground, trying to regain eye contact with his son, he says, "I know it sounds bad now. When my mother first told me... I really did think my life was ending. That I would never be happy again." That he wasn't really happy before his mother told him doesn't mean much. At least he had his family. "It won't last. I promise. Someday soon, you will find something that gives your life more meaning than it has now."
Somehow, everything coming from Kein doesn't seem to hurt as much as it would coming from Nayeli. While right now he's a litte upset about the whole notion, if it had come from his mother Cael would be crushed. Not that Kein's words mean less, but-- who knows? Father's are there for the stern life lessons, mothers take care of everything else. Maybe he can talk with her about it out of ear shot from Kein. While he highly doubts that the answer will be any different, it might hurt a little less coming from Nayeli. Mothers are good at that. "Well," he wonders, still refusing to meet Kein's gaze, "what about everyone else?" There is an unsaid, accusatory, 'Are you going to kick them out, too?' hanging on the end.
Kein doesn't answer that question quite as readily. He sighs before saying anything at all. "Soon... But I don't think I'm going to be speaking to your sisters until Scuddle and the others are a little bit older. Kaya says she'll be leaving with Scuddle... She might as well do it then. And Aurora... Well, maybe she'll grow a little bit more, here soon." Of all of his children, Aurora is the one most likely to return, once she leaves... If she survives the time spent on her own. As far as when he will be speaking to Ohanzee's cubs? A month. Two at the most. They're younger than his children... Be he also can't trust them to accept his authority as much as his children do, especially if his experiences with Kaya, who has largely grown up with them, has shown him anything of what they are like.
His sister's name darkens his face for a moment, and he can't help but snort in distaste. Kein had said that his fight with Ashen caused Kaya to attack him, but even so, Cael doesn't like those other cubs that she hangs out with. He hardly knows them, but he doesn't like them and the knowledge that she prefers them over her own family sours his mood (were it possible to be worse). Aurora, though... what will shy Aurora do? Big brother contemplates this with worry in his eyes, but he turns to look at Kein with steely-blue determination, "Alright," he replies, hardened voice suggesting obedience but not acceptance. Not yet.
Will he be able to do it? Whether it is months from now or years, will he ever be able to tell Aurora that she has to leave, no matter how temporarily or for what reason? "If you see your brothers... Will you let them know I'd like to speak with them?" After asking, Kein sits up, the first step to preparing to leave. He has given Cael plenty to think about, and now, he figures, he probably ought to give the boy time to think about it.
"Sure," Cael replies, standing up himself as Kein begins to end a rather one-sided conversation. Of course, there wasn't much his son could do about it, but he tried a little bit. He certainly has a lot to think about, but whether or not that will cure him of his complete boredom remains to be determined. He might have to find some other way to work of his young male frustration, boredom, and general distaste of life at present with something a little more hazardous. Like rock climbing. He glances north to the mountain, turning and making to leave. With one paw poised in the air, he glances at his father. "Thanks." He doesn't know why he said it, but feels that he has to.
Kein gives a little nod of his head, then stands up, himself. That all could have gone much worse, and Kein is glad that it didn't, but... Just like he has given Cael a lot to think about, he has a lot to think about himself, still.