Post by Therdde on Nov 24, 2009 10:27:21 GMT -5
Characters:
Shade - Female Juvenile Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Eroded Well -
The evening finds Shade out exploring the terrain. Her little claws scrape audibly against the porous stone, as she navigates around, poking her head into the hollows that are big enough to allow it, but small enough to make themselves mysterious. She doesn't seem to be looking for anything in particular, nor does the cub show any significant degree of curiosity or excitement. Still, it takes a while before she tires of her game, and returns to the well for a drink. It's certainly not the highest quality of water in the territory, being stagnant and usually not entirely clean, but Shade seems to have a preference for it. Likely the convenience, more so than the actual taste.
Kein has been away from the southern parts of the territory all day. When Ama does finally send her messenger, he expects it to come from the north, and since he has decided against leaving this territory, he has been anxiously awaiting news. Even so, he cannot stay away from the reason he is so diligent about guarding these lands indefinitely... Or, rather, he doesn't want to. He could, but it would eat at him constantly. So, with evening, he is returning, and having spotted his daughter, he crouches to approach her. He is not much the playing sort. He always plays /back/, but he seldom initiates it. He can always write this off as one of those many lessons in remaining observant of the environment, though, should anyone else be observing. And if no one else is, then he can simply enjoy sneaking up playfully on his daughter. He does not get to spend nearly enough time with his family.
Shade's tiny pink tongue taps against the surface of the water. She barely gets a few laps, before being distracted by the ripples she's creating. The cub smiles, lifting her head a few inches to watch the rings slide outwards and gradually fade away. And then she takes notice of her reflection, and studies it thoughtfully. It's almost as if Shade is admiring herself. And why not? She *is* pretty, or so she's perfectly willing to believe. She's calmly distracted by herself, and therefore naturally doesn't realize her father is approaching.
What are the chances she'll get out of this without some statement warning her against letting Kein get so close without noticing him? Slim. Slimmer than the chances that she /has/ noticed him and is letting him play. Kein, of course, recognizes that possibility, so whatever his warning is, it will be gentle, when it comes. That time is not now. For now, what he does is wait, with enduring patience, for her to finish admiring herself, just to minimize the risk that he might startle her straight into the water. It's doubtful a young, vain cougar would appreciate anything he might do if it would result in her fur getting messed up, and he doesn't want to risk being the cause of her inhaling a bit of water, besides. Once he is fairly certain he can pounce at her while still keeping himself between her and the well, he does, notably without growling and with a ghost of a smile on his maw.
What can she say? Shade has grown in relative security. She's still young and naive; yet to understand why it's always vital to watch your back and remain on guard. Particularly when alone. She giggles, poking at her mirror image with a paw. She then backs away, ready to return to exploring the hollows. Instead, a much larger cougar descends out of nowhere. She lets out a half-shriek, taken completely by surprise. It takes her a few moments to recognize who it is. "Daddy!" But not about to miss /too/ many beats, she swipes out with her two front paws, trying to latch onto his face.
The shriek is more than enough to let Kein know he did catch her by surprise. His only response is to chuckle at her reaction, and to turn his head to the side to mouth one of her paws. It can't rightly be called a nip, not even a playful one, since he barely allows his teeth to come into contact with even her fur. He is cautious to a fault when playing with his children. That will never change. It's hard enough having them look at him fearfully when they're being punished. He will never give them cause to do so while he is playing, and so works actively against any accidents that might happen.
"Not my paw! Not my paw, daddy!" She protests, wriggling said appendage. Shade knows her father wouldn't actually chew her foot off, and that trust is evident in how she doesn't struggle with desperation. With her free paw, she bats at his nose, and growls without actually showing her teeth. Her tail does lash back and forth, however; on some unconscious level, though knowing it's just play, she takes it seriously.
Kein releases said paw with no hesitation, grinning as he does. "Not your paw, huh? Then how about... your belly!" His statement is punctuated with a light attempt to knock her onto her side with his head, so that he can get at her underside. As he plays, he lets out a rumbling purr that might be mistaken for a growl, were the situation any less relaxed. The lashing tail and playful growling from his daughter do nothing to irritate him. As far as Kein is concerned, all of his daughters ought to grow up with the confidence that they can respond to any threat, even that a full-grown male can present. It is, after all, confidence that he rather wishes their mother had. Confidence that his own mother displayed when her children were at risk, but not when it was her own life that was threatened.
*Now* Shade is flailing. She kicks out with her hind legs, trying with her meager strength to avert her father's head. "Ah! Tha-That tickles!" In between her squeals, laughter slips out. Confidence is something Shade has in great quantity. Skill? Strength? Not as much. She has the potential, but to meet it requires motivation that she currently lacks. After all, does Shade have any real desire to hurt her father? Not in the slightest. The same can be said of her sister, or mother. Regardless, the playing does help her in ways she's not aware of.
Kein is positively merciless in tickling his young daughter, at least for a few short moments. Then, however, he lets himself be pushed away, and as he does so, he flops over onto his own side. "Oof! When did you get so strong, Shade?" Okay, so he may be guilty of exaggerating, but absolutely only in the interest of entertaining his children.
Shade certainly wasn't expecting that to happen. Is she really that good? Not letting her surprise leave her complacent, the cub is swift to roll herself upright so she may leap forward with the intention of landing on his shoulder, and 'pinning' him to the ground. She must secure her victory, at all costs! "It's 'cause I'm getting bigger, daddy!" She explains to him, with an unwaveringly proud smile.
Kein does not move. He lets her daughter land on him, and though he "tries" to get up a couple times, he doesn't go anywhere. "Well, that /must/ be it!" Kein keeps his head lifted to look at Shade as he continues. "You must know that I am very proud of you, right?" He would never fault her her pride, earned or unearned. That pride and everything else about her makes him proud. She /is/ a beautiful, growing, young cougaress.
Shade giggles, sliding to her belly so she can nuzzle into the side of his neck. "Yes, I know." Does she have a bit of modesty? Maybe, but not right now. She would prefer not to deny it, anyway. Shade has always looked up to her father. She loves both her parents, but between the two, she's always wanted to be more like him. "But..." She lifts her head, turning it slightly. "I think you could'a won if you wanted."
"Hmph!" Kein turns his head so that he can rub his head against the top of hers, but even as he nuzzles her lovingly, he feigns indignation in his tone. "That I would ever not give my all to a tussle. The very idea!" As he finishes speaking, he grins at his daughter. Sooner or later, they have to realize that they do not actually win every bout they thought they did. Better that they learn it in as nice a fashion as possible.
Shade crawls her away over until she's almost sitting on his head, paws draped around either side of his ear; provided he doesn't dump her off at this point. "But daddy, you're the strongest cougar ever!" She tells him, genuinely believing what she says. "That's why when I get bigger, I wanna be stronger!" Not really an attainable goal, given that physically, she would always be weaker than he is now. But at least she has ambitions.
Kein moves just enough that he doesn't wind up being smothered by his daughter. After she finishes speaking, he nips lightly at her belly fur, but other than that, he does not attempt to get her to move. "You will be." Not stronger than he is now, no, but stronger than she is now, certainly. "Every day, you'll get a bit stronger. And you're smart, besides. That will do more for you than just being strong ever will." And now, finally, comes the lesson that he had in mind when he first started stalking her. "You just have to pay attention. Never let your opponent get the upper paw, because it can be hard to get back."
Shade leans her head forward attentively as he talks. Then, as he reminds her of how she's been taken by surprise, her ears dip. She doesn't feel like she's being scolded, but she does get an inkling of how foolish she'd been. "But you were so quiet... I didn't even hear anything." She hasn't quite connected her being distracted by her reflection, with the lack of attention she was paying to her surroundings.
"You didn't hear anything because you weren't paying attention. Even the most seasoned hunter has to breath, has to walk." Kein nips at his daughter's belly fur once more, then slowly tilts his head to encourage her to abandon her position on him. "It takes some practice, but if you pay attention, no one will ever be able to sneak up on you again."
Shade slides down off her father at his cue, landing delicately on her paws, before turning to face him directly. "Oh... I guess I didn't really think about paying attention." Not that she was expecting him to pounce her. But on the other hand, that excuse means absolutely nothing. "I was so busy looking at the water. But I will try harder next time."
Kein rolls onto his stomach and scoots so he can face his daughter. He responds to her statement with a smile and says, "I'm sure you will. That's what makes me so proud of you. You always try hard." If he is lucky, he still has time to teach his youngest children about the importance of safety without being mean about it. He didn't think it would matter, thought he would be taking them to a safer land. All of the time he spent arranging that was time he should have spent training them in caution.
Shade has learned her important lesson for this day, and one she'll remember. There will likely be many times in her future that caution will be vital for keeping alive and safe. Such times seem faraway and unknown to her, but they will be. "You should sneak up on me again, later. When I'm not looking. That way I can practice!" She proposes, with a light-hearted grin.
Kein chuckles lightly. Of course, he had already intended to do so, but he can't precisely /tell/ her that. Not if it's to be a test, of sorts. "We'll see. For now... I know a certain Mommy who I think will be very happy to see the both of us. What do /you/ think?" Kein doesn't wait for an answer before standing up.
Shade bounces slightly as he rises, her grin widening. "Okay! Let's go see Mommy! I can tell her all about how I beat you!" She chirps gleefully, weaving around her father's paws, and nuzzling his legs as she darts around. Clearly, she has no limit to her energy today.
Kein chuckles at his daughter's enthusiastic statement, then begins walking to the south, his steps careful so that he doesn't catch her tail or one of her paws under one of his paws as she darts around his legs. "Mommy can teach you many things about how to be smart and tricky. She has beat me many times." Much as with Shade, it tends to be because he lets her win, but then, he lets her win because they never genuinely fight. She may well do the same to him.
Shade eventually, and thankfully, straightens her pace to walk alongside him rather than under. "Really?" She's never seen her parents fighting, probably for the best. Then her mind wanders to how she would compare to Maul by now. It's been a little while since they had a serious play-wrestle. She'll have to go bother her sister later; and practice her own ability to sneak. Plans firmly in mind, she glances back up at Kein, another thought popping to mind. "Hey, Daddy. Can I ask you something?"
Kein's pace remains relatively slow even once Shade stops walking underneath him. He is always aware that their legs are much sorter than his. Kein looks to his daughter once the younger cougar speaks, and he responds to her, simply, with, "Of course you can. What is it?" Even when the questions make him cringe, he always tries to make his children feel comfortable with asking him anything they wand or need to ask.
Shade glances off at the scenery as they pass it by, the tip of her tail twitching randomly. "You... you know when you go off and walk around the territory? Umm... you know; when you patrol." She tilts her head, looking all the way back up at him. "Could I come?" An odd request, and drifting away from the topic of the day. In truth, it's been something she's been meaning to ask for a few days, but never got the chance.
Odd? It's a question all of his children have asked, sooner or later. With Maul, and her constant desire to explore more of the territroy and spend time on her own, it was sooner. With Shade... The question brings a smile to Kein's maw, and he responds quickly with, "Of course. Any day you want." Of course, as usual with the first few trips, he will not take her too near the border. Especially not now. He will not turn down any chance to spend more time with his children, though. Even if it means he accomplishes little that he might have otherwised accomplished.
Shade has no idea her accompanying would in any way hinder his intended routine, believing she would just naturally be included in everything just by asking. Children of her age can rarely think rationally about how vulnerable they are in the grand scheme of things. "Oh, thank you!" Her smile is already about as wide as it can get without appearing freakish, but that doesn't mean she isn't even -happier- than before. Her two biggest aspirations for growing up is to be a good huntress, and to be able to patrol the borders all on her own. At least she doesn't have any kind of weird goals in life. Not yet, anyway.
If only they could remain so easy to please through out all their lives. Kein can remember a time when just getting to go somewhere new, experience something new, made him that happy. Now, at least, it is a pleasure that he is able to bring that to his children. He allows silence to take over, now, as they continue walking, though he still initiates a bit of playing as he brushes agaisnt his daughter a few times, or points out an interesting feature of the landscape.
With her curiosities satisfied for now, the cub falls into a steady gait, breaking it occasionally to paw back at her father; his legs, or flank. Sometimes allowing herself to fall back a pace so she might nip after the end of his tail. Any time he says something, she listens with such rapt attention, as though nothing exists that brings her more joy than hearing her daddy's voice.
Shade - Female Juvenile Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Eroded Well -
The evening finds Shade out exploring the terrain. Her little claws scrape audibly against the porous stone, as she navigates around, poking her head into the hollows that are big enough to allow it, but small enough to make themselves mysterious. She doesn't seem to be looking for anything in particular, nor does the cub show any significant degree of curiosity or excitement. Still, it takes a while before she tires of her game, and returns to the well for a drink. It's certainly not the highest quality of water in the territory, being stagnant and usually not entirely clean, but Shade seems to have a preference for it. Likely the convenience, more so than the actual taste.
Kein has been away from the southern parts of the territory all day. When Ama does finally send her messenger, he expects it to come from the north, and since he has decided against leaving this territory, he has been anxiously awaiting news. Even so, he cannot stay away from the reason he is so diligent about guarding these lands indefinitely... Or, rather, he doesn't want to. He could, but it would eat at him constantly. So, with evening, he is returning, and having spotted his daughter, he crouches to approach her. He is not much the playing sort. He always plays /back/, but he seldom initiates it. He can always write this off as one of those many lessons in remaining observant of the environment, though, should anyone else be observing. And if no one else is, then he can simply enjoy sneaking up playfully on his daughter. He does not get to spend nearly enough time with his family.
Shade's tiny pink tongue taps against the surface of the water. She barely gets a few laps, before being distracted by the ripples she's creating. The cub smiles, lifting her head a few inches to watch the rings slide outwards and gradually fade away. And then she takes notice of her reflection, and studies it thoughtfully. It's almost as if Shade is admiring herself. And why not? She *is* pretty, or so she's perfectly willing to believe. She's calmly distracted by herself, and therefore naturally doesn't realize her father is approaching.
What are the chances she'll get out of this without some statement warning her against letting Kein get so close without noticing him? Slim. Slimmer than the chances that she /has/ noticed him and is letting him play. Kein, of course, recognizes that possibility, so whatever his warning is, it will be gentle, when it comes. That time is not now. For now, what he does is wait, with enduring patience, for her to finish admiring herself, just to minimize the risk that he might startle her straight into the water. It's doubtful a young, vain cougar would appreciate anything he might do if it would result in her fur getting messed up, and he doesn't want to risk being the cause of her inhaling a bit of water, besides. Once he is fairly certain he can pounce at her while still keeping himself between her and the well, he does, notably without growling and with a ghost of a smile on his maw.
What can she say? Shade has grown in relative security. She's still young and naive; yet to understand why it's always vital to watch your back and remain on guard. Particularly when alone. She giggles, poking at her mirror image with a paw. She then backs away, ready to return to exploring the hollows. Instead, a much larger cougar descends out of nowhere. She lets out a half-shriek, taken completely by surprise. It takes her a few moments to recognize who it is. "Daddy!" But not about to miss /too/ many beats, she swipes out with her two front paws, trying to latch onto his face.
The shriek is more than enough to let Kein know he did catch her by surprise. His only response is to chuckle at her reaction, and to turn his head to the side to mouth one of her paws. It can't rightly be called a nip, not even a playful one, since he barely allows his teeth to come into contact with even her fur. He is cautious to a fault when playing with his children. That will never change. It's hard enough having them look at him fearfully when they're being punished. He will never give them cause to do so while he is playing, and so works actively against any accidents that might happen.
"Not my paw! Not my paw, daddy!" She protests, wriggling said appendage. Shade knows her father wouldn't actually chew her foot off, and that trust is evident in how she doesn't struggle with desperation. With her free paw, she bats at his nose, and growls without actually showing her teeth. Her tail does lash back and forth, however; on some unconscious level, though knowing it's just play, she takes it seriously.
Kein releases said paw with no hesitation, grinning as he does. "Not your paw, huh? Then how about... your belly!" His statement is punctuated with a light attempt to knock her onto her side with his head, so that he can get at her underside. As he plays, he lets out a rumbling purr that might be mistaken for a growl, were the situation any less relaxed. The lashing tail and playful growling from his daughter do nothing to irritate him. As far as Kein is concerned, all of his daughters ought to grow up with the confidence that they can respond to any threat, even that a full-grown male can present. It is, after all, confidence that he rather wishes their mother had. Confidence that his own mother displayed when her children were at risk, but not when it was her own life that was threatened.
*Now* Shade is flailing. She kicks out with her hind legs, trying with her meager strength to avert her father's head. "Ah! Tha-That tickles!" In between her squeals, laughter slips out. Confidence is something Shade has in great quantity. Skill? Strength? Not as much. She has the potential, but to meet it requires motivation that she currently lacks. After all, does Shade have any real desire to hurt her father? Not in the slightest. The same can be said of her sister, or mother. Regardless, the playing does help her in ways she's not aware of.
Kein is positively merciless in tickling his young daughter, at least for a few short moments. Then, however, he lets himself be pushed away, and as he does so, he flops over onto his own side. "Oof! When did you get so strong, Shade?" Okay, so he may be guilty of exaggerating, but absolutely only in the interest of entertaining his children.
Shade certainly wasn't expecting that to happen. Is she really that good? Not letting her surprise leave her complacent, the cub is swift to roll herself upright so she may leap forward with the intention of landing on his shoulder, and 'pinning' him to the ground. She must secure her victory, at all costs! "It's 'cause I'm getting bigger, daddy!" She explains to him, with an unwaveringly proud smile.
Kein does not move. He lets her daughter land on him, and though he "tries" to get up a couple times, he doesn't go anywhere. "Well, that /must/ be it!" Kein keeps his head lifted to look at Shade as he continues. "You must know that I am very proud of you, right?" He would never fault her her pride, earned or unearned. That pride and everything else about her makes him proud. She /is/ a beautiful, growing, young cougaress.
Shade giggles, sliding to her belly so she can nuzzle into the side of his neck. "Yes, I know." Does she have a bit of modesty? Maybe, but not right now. She would prefer not to deny it, anyway. Shade has always looked up to her father. She loves both her parents, but between the two, she's always wanted to be more like him. "But..." She lifts her head, turning it slightly. "I think you could'a won if you wanted."
"Hmph!" Kein turns his head so that he can rub his head against the top of hers, but even as he nuzzles her lovingly, he feigns indignation in his tone. "That I would ever not give my all to a tussle. The very idea!" As he finishes speaking, he grins at his daughter. Sooner or later, they have to realize that they do not actually win every bout they thought they did. Better that they learn it in as nice a fashion as possible.
Shade crawls her away over until she's almost sitting on his head, paws draped around either side of his ear; provided he doesn't dump her off at this point. "But daddy, you're the strongest cougar ever!" She tells him, genuinely believing what she says. "That's why when I get bigger, I wanna be stronger!" Not really an attainable goal, given that physically, she would always be weaker than he is now. But at least she has ambitions.
Kein moves just enough that he doesn't wind up being smothered by his daughter. After she finishes speaking, he nips lightly at her belly fur, but other than that, he does not attempt to get her to move. "You will be." Not stronger than he is now, no, but stronger than she is now, certainly. "Every day, you'll get a bit stronger. And you're smart, besides. That will do more for you than just being strong ever will." And now, finally, comes the lesson that he had in mind when he first started stalking her. "You just have to pay attention. Never let your opponent get the upper paw, because it can be hard to get back."
Shade leans her head forward attentively as he talks. Then, as he reminds her of how she's been taken by surprise, her ears dip. She doesn't feel like she's being scolded, but she does get an inkling of how foolish she'd been. "But you were so quiet... I didn't even hear anything." She hasn't quite connected her being distracted by her reflection, with the lack of attention she was paying to her surroundings.
"You didn't hear anything because you weren't paying attention. Even the most seasoned hunter has to breath, has to walk." Kein nips at his daughter's belly fur once more, then slowly tilts his head to encourage her to abandon her position on him. "It takes some practice, but if you pay attention, no one will ever be able to sneak up on you again."
Shade slides down off her father at his cue, landing delicately on her paws, before turning to face him directly. "Oh... I guess I didn't really think about paying attention." Not that she was expecting him to pounce her. But on the other hand, that excuse means absolutely nothing. "I was so busy looking at the water. But I will try harder next time."
Kein rolls onto his stomach and scoots so he can face his daughter. He responds to her statement with a smile and says, "I'm sure you will. That's what makes me so proud of you. You always try hard." If he is lucky, he still has time to teach his youngest children about the importance of safety without being mean about it. He didn't think it would matter, thought he would be taking them to a safer land. All of the time he spent arranging that was time he should have spent training them in caution.
Shade has learned her important lesson for this day, and one she'll remember. There will likely be many times in her future that caution will be vital for keeping alive and safe. Such times seem faraway and unknown to her, but they will be. "You should sneak up on me again, later. When I'm not looking. That way I can practice!" She proposes, with a light-hearted grin.
Kein chuckles lightly. Of course, he had already intended to do so, but he can't precisely /tell/ her that. Not if it's to be a test, of sorts. "We'll see. For now... I know a certain Mommy who I think will be very happy to see the both of us. What do /you/ think?" Kein doesn't wait for an answer before standing up.
Shade bounces slightly as he rises, her grin widening. "Okay! Let's go see Mommy! I can tell her all about how I beat you!" She chirps gleefully, weaving around her father's paws, and nuzzling his legs as she darts around. Clearly, she has no limit to her energy today.
Kein chuckles at his daughter's enthusiastic statement, then begins walking to the south, his steps careful so that he doesn't catch her tail or one of her paws under one of his paws as she darts around his legs. "Mommy can teach you many things about how to be smart and tricky. She has beat me many times." Much as with Shade, it tends to be because he lets her win, but then, he lets her win because they never genuinely fight. She may well do the same to him.
Shade eventually, and thankfully, straightens her pace to walk alongside him rather than under. "Really?" She's never seen her parents fighting, probably for the best. Then her mind wanders to how she would compare to Maul by now. It's been a little while since they had a serious play-wrestle. She'll have to go bother her sister later; and practice her own ability to sneak. Plans firmly in mind, she glances back up at Kein, another thought popping to mind. "Hey, Daddy. Can I ask you something?"
Kein's pace remains relatively slow even once Shade stops walking underneath him. He is always aware that their legs are much sorter than his. Kein looks to his daughter once the younger cougar speaks, and he responds to her, simply, with, "Of course you can. What is it?" Even when the questions make him cringe, he always tries to make his children feel comfortable with asking him anything they wand or need to ask.
Shade glances off at the scenery as they pass it by, the tip of her tail twitching randomly. "You... you know when you go off and walk around the territory? Umm... you know; when you patrol." She tilts her head, looking all the way back up at him. "Could I come?" An odd request, and drifting away from the topic of the day. In truth, it's been something she's been meaning to ask for a few days, but never got the chance.
Odd? It's a question all of his children have asked, sooner or later. With Maul, and her constant desire to explore more of the territroy and spend time on her own, it was sooner. With Shade... The question brings a smile to Kein's maw, and he responds quickly with, "Of course. Any day you want." Of course, as usual with the first few trips, he will not take her too near the border. Especially not now. He will not turn down any chance to spend more time with his children, though. Even if it means he accomplishes little that he might have otherwised accomplished.
Shade has no idea her accompanying would in any way hinder his intended routine, believing she would just naturally be included in everything just by asking. Children of her age can rarely think rationally about how vulnerable they are in the grand scheme of things. "Oh, thank you!" Her smile is already about as wide as it can get without appearing freakish, but that doesn't mean she isn't even -happier- than before. Her two biggest aspirations for growing up is to be a good huntress, and to be able to patrol the borders all on her own. At least she doesn't have any kind of weird goals in life. Not yet, anyway.
If only they could remain so easy to please through out all their lives. Kein can remember a time when just getting to go somewhere new, experience something new, made him that happy. Now, at least, it is a pleasure that he is able to bring that to his children. He allows silence to take over, now, as they continue walking, though he still initiates a bit of playing as he brushes agaisnt his daughter a few times, or points out an interesting feature of the landscape.
With her curiosities satisfied for now, the cub falls into a steady gait, breaking it occasionally to paw back at her father; his legs, or flank. Sometimes allowing herself to fall back a pace so she might nip after the end of his tail. Any time he says something, she listens with such rapt attention, as though nothing exists that brings her more joy than hearing her daddy's voice.