Almost Dad

[Therdde]

Characters:
Kein – Male Cougar Cub
NPC Male Wolf (played by Chandani)
Chesmu – Mail Cougar
Kasim – Male Cougar
Maulisho – Female Cougar

- Sprawling Mesa -

Kein apparently hasn't learned his lesson about wandering off by himself. He has been staying a lot closer to the cave since the incident with attempting to bring Nayeli home, but he's still interested in learning more about the area around his home. He spends much of his days exploring an ever-widening circumference around the cave, with or without his family. He can't go visit Nayeli or her siblings yet. Mom said he's not old enough. But at least he's not stuck too close to the cave. As he explores the mesa, his nose is low to the ground, sniffing at the various scents that he can catch.

A wolf also happens to be in the area. Slowly making his way closer towards Kein apparently it is the young cub's unlucky day. While heading closer in the direction of the cub the wolf tries to be as quiet, as he possibly can.

Kein is more interested in new scents than in anything that may be near him. Little does he know, one of the scents the breeze is bringing to him is that of the wolf. It is unfamiliar, and there's only one way to learn about unfamiliar things, right? As the breeze brings the scent to him, he shifts direction to try to find the wolf, though his head is still low, so he can't see the potentially dangerous animal.

The wolf who is not on very friendly terms sees the young cub and licks his chops thinking this is his lucky day. Showing his teeth the wolf lowers his head and decides to scare him before moving in to attack liking the thrill of the chase and starts to growl.

The growl is the first thing the catches the young cub's attention. That sounds very unlike any growling he has heard in the past. It is neither the playful growling nor the sincere growling of young or old cougar, and it causes Kein to lift his head, which is when he first catches sight of the wolf. Whoa! The wolf may not be as large as his Mom or the Chief, but it's a lot bigger than he is! He crouches down, defensively, and refuses to take his eyes off of the unfriendly-looking thing coming towards him. He growls back, low in his throat through a closed mouth, without thinking about it. Running really isn't his style. Alas, this may wind up with him being lunch.

The wolf is not one to speak to his meals he lowers his head and with his jaws open looking like he is about ready to sink his canine teeth inside Kein's flesh if only some brave cougar will come to the cub's rescue before he becomes the wolf's lunch.

It doesn't much occur to Kein that he's about to be food. The only thing that crosses his mind is that he has to defend himself against this strange monster. As the wolf darts in, Kein growls a little louder and raises one of his forepaws, sharp little claws unsheathed, to swipe at the animal that is threatening him. Why not? It worked with Chesmu when he was smaller, after all.

The wolf lets out a loud howl and quickly raises his head when the claws hit the side of his muzzle. "You should not do that to us bigger animals." He warns the cub. Looking at Kein with a cold gaze.

Kein keeps his forepaw lifted, preparing to strike again, and he matched the much larger animal's gaze. A much smarter cub would be running away right now, but Kein remains rooted where he is. Still growling, he says, "You go away!" He might not be smart, but hey, he's defending himself and his home.

The wolf shows his canine teeth as he starts to growl again. "I do not want to go away. The way I see it. There are one or two choices. You go away, or you become my lunch. On second thought you can become my lunch either way. I will be sporting and give you a head start."

Kein narrows his eyes at the strange wolf. "You're in /my/ home." In other words, there's no way he's going away. And, of course, if this is his home, it's probably not wise to remain here, because his mother can't be terribly far away.

The wolf twitches his ears as he lets out a louder growl. "Do you really want to make me angry?" He asks making his way towards the cub watching him more carefully this time with his teeth showing.

Kein remains frozen where he is, as much out of what fear he may feel and is hiding fairly well as out of any pretense of protecting his family and his home. It's a weird combination of pride, fear, and duty that keep him frozen in place. "I told you go away." Of course, given that his only experience with creatures larger than he is have been his mom and Chesmu, perhaps he has a skewed view of how well larger animals are willing to listen to him.

The wolf shakes his head appearing to be mockingly, "I also said. I am thinking about making you my lunch." He growls while slowly walking around the cub. "Now I said. I will give you a head start. That offer still stands, and if I was you. I would take it."

Kein has to stand to turn in a circle as the wolf creature walks around him. This puts the wolf in between Kein and Home, and worry pops up in his small mind for a second. What if the wolf turns and goes and tries to hurt his family instead? Kein can't let that happen, so after standing there for a moment, he turns swiftly and darts away from the cave. He hasn't spent hours playing tag with his siblings for nothing, and the young cub is fast!

The wolf gives the cub a good head start liking the thrill off the chase, and when he thinks that the Kein has a good head start... the chase starts.

- Eroded Well -

Kein is fast, but running at such a speed means he can't really keep track of where he's going. He is still young, and he can only focus on so many things at once. Right now, what he is focusing on is continuing to run and not falling. As a familiar hole in the ground appears ahead of him, he is forced to veer to the north, bringing him ever closer to the snowy highlands.

The wolf starts to run as fast... as he can trying to catch up with the cub keeping his attention on the surrounding area. One cannot be too careful, but he is not near enough to catch him yet.

Kein isn't really focusing on evading the wolf. He's focusing on drawing the wolf well away from his home. In which case, the mission is already successful. He is only a few feet north of the well when his small legs begin to tire from the burst of speed, and he makes the mistake of looking behind him... Only to trip as he's no longer paying attention to running, at which point he tumbles head over heels several times.

The wolf has finally caught up and starts to laugh a little when the cub falls down. Making his way in the direction of Kein he says. "Are you alright?" He asks. "You give me quiet an appetite chasing after you like that.

Falling and tumbling are still highly confusing for the young cougar. That's just not supposed to happen. By the time Kein can even begin to process information about his surroundings, again, the wolf has caught up to him, and he's struggling to get to his feet. As soon as he hears the wolf's voice nearby, he begins growling again.

The wolf freezes again not in fear just to see what the cub will do next, "Was that supposed to scare me?" He asks in a mocking tone of voice. "You have to do better than that to scare me off." Then waits to see if the cub takes off running again.

The wolf has made it pretty obvious that he is not scared by Kein. As such, the growling is pretty much just instinct when faced with a threat. At least Kein knows his family won't be in danger from this wolf, since they're... Where are they, now? Once Kein's feet are back underneath him, he takes several cautious steps backwards, away from the wolf, but he doesn't turn around and run again, because, for all he knows, he'd be leading that wolf right back home after leading him away. He needs more time to get his bearings straight.

It is a lucky day for Kein. For if he had not wandered this far, he would have missed Chesmu doing his daily border patrol. Unfortunately for the wolf, signs of a struggle are not that hard to miss especially for someone whose job is pretty much to *look* for trouble. Chesmu sees: Kein wipe out on the ground and a wolf chasing him. *Bad!* Snarling, Chesmu stops marking and walking and runs angrily toward the wolf. Take a cub off of *his territory?* Not on his watch. He yells, "You, wolf, will leave the cub here and go from my territory or you will die! Choose quickly or I shall choose for you!" Chesmu is closing in quickly. Unlike Kein, Chesmu *is* faster than some wolf.

The wolf lets out a loud growl then he quickly bends down to try and pick up Kein in his muzzle so he can run away.

Kein is less prepared now than the last time the wolf lunged for him, so there is no swipe like there was earlier. This might not be the case, but Kein looks away from the wolf entirely when he hears the familiar voice of the chief. Yeah! Now there are two of them to show this mangy creature who is boss! His celebratory mood is short-lived as, all of a sudden, he is lifted off of the group. His response to this is a mewl and worthless attempts to free himself. The creature may not be as large as Mom, but it can certainly carry a cub as effectively as Mom does.

"So you have chosen to die!" Chesmu says, even angrier now that this fool took Kein! He swore not only to protect the clan and its members, but also promised Maulisho he wouldn't let anything bad happen to the cubs. Plus he himself finds himself thinking of himself as their uncle of sorts. Her cubs are his kin. Obviously that includes Kein. Chesmu starts running as fast as he can after the wolf, almost developing a taste for wolf meat between the time it took him seeing the wolf attack and him race after him.

The wolf takes the cub and starts to run off as fast... as he cannot paying too much attention as to where he is going. Any where is fine at the moment just as long, as he can lose the adult cougar The chief Chesmu that is chasing after him.

The sheer audacity and criminality of this act! It enrages Chesmu to his very core. For the wolf to to abduct a cub is one thing, but upon a direct confrontation from the Chieftain. It's almost... insulting. "You stop now before I make your death more painful, you dog!" Chesmu is willing to chase this damned wolf to the ends of the earth to save the cub. "I am the Chieftain and I will *force* you to stop if you do not." Chesmu starts trying to push harder to give himself more speed.

- Snowy Highlands -

The wolf does not even stop to look back of course he is scared off the cougar and he almost falls down in the process. He needs to make it out of the cougar's land and to his family with the nice cub he got for their meal feeling like the other cougar could catch up with him at any moment now the wolf is going to do anything under his power to prevent that from happening.

Kein continues struggling as he is carried by the wolf, but it gets him nowhere and quickly begins to wear him out, a process that was already started when he was running to lead the wolf away from his family. He doesn't say anything else, but he is obviously alive.

Chesmu knows he is catching up. He snarls angrily at the wolf, "I can show you mercy if you release the cub! I cannot promise the mother will show you such compassion, dog!" Chesmu says. "Otherwise I shall have to kill you and take the cub home!" Chesmu is starting to think this wolf is desperate. He could use that.

The wolf continues to run and he is heading in the north direction growing and muttering something about how it is hard for a wolf to find a good meal these days, especially when they are being chased like he is at the moment.

Chesmu decides now is to play on the wolf's desperation. "If it is food you want, then I can bargain with you! I am far from greedy! Just return the cub and I can see about getting you meat!" Chesmu is starting to tire, but he can't just let Kein be taken! He'd never forgive himself. Death of a cub on his watch, what shame he would feel. "I am the Chieftain! I can help you!"

Kasim has considered himself to be a patient cougar throughout his life and not one to worry too much on certain things. However, this is different from those other times. Not being around his mate and her new cubs for some time is starting to take a mental toll on the male. Days spent pacing back and forth, and restless nights all thinking about her and if she's alright. Kasim desperately wants to see her again, and the cubs even though they're not really his. Today is another one of those painfully slow days with little going on. That all seems to change, however, when he hears faint noises coming his way. Standing up, Kasim can faintly make out the form of something coming his way with something in his mouth. Wait... it's a wolf! With a cub in its mouth! Not good. Keeping hidden in the shadows, he lowers himself down low into a pouncing position, waiting for the perfect moment for an ambush.

The wolf continues to run not seeming to heed any warning to Chesmu who as far, as he knows is still chasing after him.... but he does not seem to notice Kasim who is hidden from the wolf's view.

Well that didn't work. Chesmu is starting to get closer, but he is starting to get winded. He's been running too fast too long. Panting, Chesmu is trying his best, but its not looking good. Since when did these damn wolves get so fast? He keeps going, not noticing Kasim. Its the father in him, really, even if this is not his son. Dammit, it’s a cub he must protect! Fulfill his role, be some hope for Kein. He snarls again. "Release my friend's cub now before I rip you!"

He needs to time this just right so he can knock the wolf over without harming the cub in any way. Just a.... little bit.... closer..../now/! Letting out a small snarl, Kasim suddenly leaps out at the wolf right as he's passing him, intending to knock him over, not kill. If all goes as planned, he'll get the wolf subdued without harming the cub, since that's the last thing he wants.

The wolf is indeed caught off guard by Kasim and gets pounced causing the wolf to fall down onto the ground *hmph* letting the cub go right after he hits the ground... the air gets knocked out of the lupine gasping for air... the poor wolf suddenly freezes in fear with two cougars he knows that they could both probably over power him.

All of a sudden, after what seemed an interminable time of being held in the wolf's mouth as the wolf ran from Chesmu, Kein is released and tumbles along the ground for the second time today. This time he is just slightly faster at getting his feet under him, but he is every bit as confused as he was before. Even his capacity for adventure is wearing thin, and he crouches down in the grass before turning to face the direction where the wolf is. For a moment, he thinks that the chief finally caught up to them, but the cougar he sees by the wolf doesn't look like the chief, on closer inspection.

Chesmu sees Kasim stop the wolf, but that doesn't stop him from doing a leaping pounce on the NPC and pinning him to the ground. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now, wolf! You have taken one of our cubs, and deliberately opposed the Chieftain of Amaranth! You have violated my territory!" Chesmu is angry. Very very angry. "Explain yourself before I lose more of my patience and deprive you of your life!"

Looks like his plan worked but Kasim isn't quite done yet. After making absolutely sure that the cub was out of the wolf's mouth and out of harms way, he turns back to wolf only to find Chesmu pinning him down and sounding very angry and like he would kill the wolf at any second. That's not good; there's no reason for blood to be spilt now. Quickly running up to the Chieftain’s side, Kasim yells, "Chesmu calm down!" loud enough for him to hear.

The wolf swallows hard, "My family was hungry and the cub was the only meal, I could find to take back to feed them." Is all he says. "If you want to kill me for wanting to take care of my family go on and get it over with. Other than that. I would like to go back home, or find some other source of food to bring home."

Kein remains crouched where he is, silently watching the larger animals with his eyes narrowed, though when Kasim rushes towards Chesmu and yells at the chieftain, who managed to win Kein's trust, Kein growls lightly and begins to creep forward. That wolf threatened him and he had to lure it all the way out here and then get grabbed and carried in its mouth. Kein, apparently, is not so forgiving as Kasim is, and he would not be concerned if Chesmu killed it. He is a little bit calmer after the wolf speaks, but Kein is not food!

Chesmu eyes the wolf a moment. "You will listen to me." Chesmu says. "Very carefully. You came into my territory, took one of the cubs I am sworn to protect. You ran even after I told you to stop." Chesmu brings his face closer to the wolf. "A lesser cougar would kill you. Would you insult me or my pride and honor to suggest that I would kill you for looking after your family. Listen now to this..." Chesmu looks at Kein and Kasim, back to the wolf. "I am a compassionate Chieftain. Provided you can *behave* yourself and remember you are a provider and shouldn't take this risk for the good of your family, I will help you. Come to my territory and have some meat to take for your family, in return, you apologize to the young one... and you look out for a dangerous cougar we have been searching for. Understand me now?"

Ok, at least Chesmu isn't going to kill the wolf. After all, even though he took the cub from his home, Kasim can't really blame him for being a good father to his family, even if he /was/ going to eat the cub. It's cruel, but it's the way of life. Kasim smiles down at the cub as he lets out a small growl then back up at Chesmu when he offers food. "That won't be a problem, I've got some extra food he can have. Just give me a minute or so to get it." And with that, Kasim turns around and heads back to the small area that he's made his home during his time away from everyone where his food is. Sure he was planning on eating it but, if it gets the wolf away from here sooner, then that's a sacrifice Kasim is willing to take.

The wolf lays his ears down knowing he has been beaten, "I understand. I am sorry. I did not mean to insult any one or to take the cub. I will look out for the cougar. I do have one question who is this cougar you mentioned and why is he so dangerous?"

Kein perks his ears to listen to Chesmu and the strange creature. The apology may not have been said to his face, but Kein accepts it, all the same. The wolf certainly knows that Kein is not food now! As everything appears to be settling down and Chesmu, the only one of the large creatures that Kein actually knows, does not appear to be upset by the strange cougar's yelling, Kein stands upright rather than continuing to crouch down in the grass. He does not speak, though, leaving the adults to discuss this situation. Most of it is beyond him anyhow.

Chesmu gets off of the wolf, then. "The cougar is a danger to cougars in my tribe. Goes by the name LaVeaux. He is trouble." Chesmu says. "It is part of my duty to make sure any threats are taken care of. Unfortunately, we cannot find him. He is wanted for killing cougars... and cannibalizing them."

"Trouble" might be putting it nicely for the mad cougar. More like insane and sadistically mad in the head. Kasim returns a few minutes later, carrying with him two rabbits which he soon drops at the paws of the wolf and giving him a small smile. "He's also the one who gave me these here," Kasim says matter-of-factly and lifting his head up some to show the wolf some battle scars on his neck when LaVeaux had bit. "They're of no importance really. Go on and give those to your family; I hope they like rabbit," he says with another small smile.

The wolf slowly gets up on all fours offering Chesmu and the other cougar a slight nod and smile. "Thank you." The wolf says before turning to face Chesmu. "I will do as you ask look out for this LaVeaux. What should I do, if I do come across him kill him for you or let you know?" He asks in a soft voice. "Also, I did not mean to insult your pride if that is how my actions came out. It was not my intention." Before turning around to face the cub again, "I really am sorry for what I've done to you."

Kein ducks back slightly when this weird creature turns to face him again. Apparently mere grass does not provide the best hiding place. After the apology, Kein looks between Chesmu and the other large cougar. He isn't entirely sure what all of this is about, how a single cougar could be any danger to a whole bunch of cougars, but then, he doesn't know how demented LaVeaux really is. Chesmu and Kasim seem willing to trust the wolf, though, and the wolf seems very willing to help, so, even though Kein was nearly lunch, it can't be all bad. He turns his head to look back at the wolf and speaks up for the first time since he was grabbed by the wolf. "I forgive you." Because that's what one says when somebody else apologizes, right?

Chesmu turns to Kasim, and looks slightly less than pleased. "This was a damn mess." Chesmu says and walks over to Kein, preparing to pick him up and return him to the territory. He looks back over at Kasim. "You saw LaVeaux? Could you not stop him?"

"No, these are from the time when we all fought him. If I did see him I would assure you he wouldn't be living as of now," Kasim says coolly. He could really care less about his scars since they don't bother him at all, but just the fact that LaVeaux was still out there and /living/ was what got him mad. That picture of that poor cub that LaVeaux had killed still haunts Kasim to this day. Shaking his head to clear the image, he turns back to the wolf and says, "Just come tell us if you see him. He can be a pawful so just let us know if you see him and we'll take care of the rest."

The wolf offers a slight nod to both cougars, "Alright, as you wish. If I see this cougar. I will let you know right away. I promise, if there is anything else I can do for you feel free to let me know and I'll do my best to help out. It is the least, I can do for you sparing my life."

Kein is not so defensive when the large cougar he knows approaches him as he was when that wolf creature merely looked at him. He remains where he is and continues to turn his head to look at the three larger animals as they speak. He does not say anything, though, as they are discussing the concerns of Adults, not Cubs. As such, even though he continues to focus on the three adults as they speak, the conversation quickly grows boring. If not for the fact that the Chief is standing right by him, he might take the opportunity to wander off again, but he's really not supposed to be this far away from home in the first place, and it would be rather difficult for him to find his way back.

"Kein." Chesmu says in his authoritarian tone. "The wolf may have done wrong in trespassing and attacking you. But *you* are responsible for when you wander off from your mother!" Chesmu had been asked by Maulisho to keep an eye on the cubs, not necessarily with them knowing. "Therefore you must face the consequences of that act. You will not eat the next meal, but instead you will sit by your family and think of the meaning of the term 'Safety in numbers.' Do I make myself clear?"

Kasim gives the wolf another nod and smile before he turns his attention back to Chesmu... only to find him yelling at the cub now. Jeez what's with all the yelling today? Sighing, Kasim walks up next to the Chief and says calmly, "Oh come on Chesmu give him a break. I bet he was just exploring a bit, it's what all cubs do." Well, he himself was never much of the explorer as a cub but his brother certainly was. Kasim would occasionally join him, but he more liked to stick by his mom. Looking down at the unknown cub and giving him a smile, Kasim says curiously, "Who is this little guy anyway? I've never seen him before."

The wolf looks back, "If you do not need me for anything else. I will take the rabbits and be on my way. Thank you again." He says picking up the meal and starts to head off.

Kein looks up to Chesmu when the Chief speaks his name. As soon as the lecturing starts, though, Kein flattens his ears against his head and ducks his head back down. He was only a little bit away from the cave when this whole thing started, and he wants to argue on his behalf, but he has begun to learn what tones of voice do not bode well for any attempts to argue. He turns his head to look at the strange cougar, appreciating Kasim speaking in his defense, but the only thing he says is in response to Chesmu. "I'm sorry." Once in a while, that actually works to stop lectures before they drag on for too long.

Chesmu would only be happy to introduce Kasim to his son. (Chesmu believes that Kasim is the father, not Azriel the one who produced the cubs.) "Brother Kasim, I would like you to meet your oldest son, Kein."

His... son? Oh, that must mean he's one of Maul's cubs... and truly Azriel's son, not his. This whole situation has been on Kasim's mind the whole time he was out here, and about how he should handle this. Sure, he already knows that he'll treat them as if they were his own offspring, but he's still trying to come to terms when and if he should tell them the truth about their real father. But, don't think about that now, just be happy at finally meeting one of them. Looking back down at the cub-- Kein apparently-- Kasim gives a smile and says, "Hey there Kein."

The wolf turns back and sighs feeling bad about what he did back there he is not really a bad wolf. Then turns around and rushes on home to his family, so they can eat the meal of rabbits while keeping his word looking for the cougar LaVeaux.

Wait, what? Kein looks at Chesmu, his expression betraying a feeling of confusion. Either Kein is missing something, or the Chief has lost his mind. "I'm not his son. I'm Mom's son, remember?" Mom is Mom to more than one cougar, and he and Pelutho are Brother to more than one cougar, and Ruut'h is Sister to more than one cougar, but for the last several months, Kein has only been one cougar's Son, which accounts for the confusion. It's not that he doesn't like this new cougar. After all, Kasim did speak up for him, and help save him from that wolf. He can't begin to compare to Mom, though.

Chesmu looks at Kein and Kasim. "I imagine you wish to speak with me, Kasim, about many things." Chesmu says. "That is good. But let’s not stay out here in the dangerous areas for too long. Come into the territory, I insist."

Of course Kasim has a /lot/ he wants to ask Chesmu right now, foremost on his mind is how Maul is doing. He hasn't seen her in what seems like forever and he just needs to be reassured that she's doing ok. And then there are more question like how many other cubs she has, if they are a boy or girl, how /they've/ been doing, and the list keeps going. Still, he knows he must be patient about this so he simply gives Chesmu a nod before reaching down to pick up his notson and walk more towards Amaranth.

Kein is still young enough that he is not unaccustomed to being carried by the adults of the tribe. That ordeal with the wolf, being carried by a running animal, has left him sore in a way that he only really notices now that he is safe. As such, his feet are barely off the ground before he lets out a complaining mewl and attempts to free himself by struggling slightly. Those attempts are short-lived, though, as they certainly don't help him to feel more comfortable. Speaking up, a great deal more enthusiastically than before, he says, "I can walk, y'know!" He might be tired after everything that happened on the way here, and under normal circumstances, be might welcome being carried when he's bordering on being worn out, but this doesn't feel good.

The moment that Kein starts acting up, Kasim places him gently back on the ground with an apologetic look on his face. "Oh, sorry Kein. I thought it might be easier if I carried you." Jeez what a /great/ first impression he makes. It always seems to be the little ones who don't like him at first. "Are you ok?" he asks with a hint of concern. After all, being carried here by a wolf couldn't have been a pleasant thing.

Kein sits where Kasim puts him down and lowers his head to stretch his neck slightly, the best he can do to try to make it feel better. That Kasim actually put Kein down after deciding to carry him grants Kasim all the forgiveness he needs. Adults can sometimes be more stubborn than that when they think a cub is going to slow them down. "I'm all right." After answering, he looks up to Kasim, his expression more curious now than confused, as it was earlier.

Well at least Kein is feeling ok, or so he says. At least he didn't hurt him. Kein's curious gaze at him earns a small chuckle from Kasim, knowing how the cub must be a little confused about all of this. "I can only imagine how confused you must be right now. Anything I can answer for you before we get going?" After all, with both him and Chesmu here, they all should be plenty safe if anything comes and tries to get them.

Kein doesn't answer Kasim immediately. It takes him a little while to think through what he might ask, and that thought process is enough to answer his first question, which would have been why Chesmu said Kein is Kasim's son. At least, he thinks he figured it out. "Are you my... Dad?" After all, Nayeli has a dad, and insisted that he has one too. And Nayeli was referred to as Chesmu's daughter, even though she must be her mom's daughter, like Ruut'h is Mom's daughter. He's not certain about the line of logic that got him to his conclusion, though, which is why he asks.

Oh boy, how to answer that one. Well, he could do one of two things. One, tell the cub straight up that he's not his father and explain to him who is (which doesn't really sit well with Kasim) or, he could lie and say that he is. Kasim chooses the second one. With a somewhat forced smile, he says, "Yes, I'm your Dad." Boy that sure sounds weird. Never before would Kasim have guessed that he would have called himself someone's Dad. And now this. Not that he minds it or anything, it just sound so... strange.
"Oh." Well, Nayeli was right. Kein /does/ have a dad. "So, are you gonna come live with us?" Bringing Nayeli home was a total flop. She wasn't there long before she had to leave again. Maybe bringing Dad home will be received differently though. And, hey, with two adult cougars around, maybe Kein will get to explore some more! One of them can stay with the cubs, and the other can stay with him, so he doesn't get into trouble any more by wandering off. Suddenly, Kein is rather fond of the idea of having a father around.

Now /there's/ a question Kasim doesn't really know the answer to. Of course, he's hoping against hope that the answer is yes, but there's still the question about what Maul wants. The only reason he's out here and not with her is because she wanted males away for her delivery but, now that that's over, what if her fear of males kicks in again? Well, the best he can do is hope, right? "Well I certainly hope so, but we'll have to see what Mau-- err... Mom says." There's another weird sounding thing he'll have to get used to. "I really hope I get to spend more time with you guys," Kasim says with a smile down at the cub.

Mom... Now that someone has brought Mom up, Kein looks slightly worried. He is already in trouble with Chesmu, and the last time he made Mom worried by being gone too long, his new friend had to leave. What if being gone too long again means Kasim will have to leave too? It is for this reason that he says, "We better get back." After speaking, he stands up to prepare to follow the adults.

Chesmu looks about the wilderness and then looks at Kasim and Kein. "This is not the place to carry on a conversation. I suggest we get back home." Chesmu says and walks toward the territory he always takes time to mark.

- Eroded Well -

Kasim chuckles a bit at the cub's sudden worry for getting home. But Chesmu has a point, they can talk more once they all get home. Nodding at the Chief, he makes to follow but first makes sure that Kein is right behind him. Then something comes to him. "Hey Chesmu," Kasim says suddenly, "Would you mind if I took Kein home by myself? I've... been wanting to see Maul and everyone again for a while now." Ok, it might come off as a bit of a selfish request but Kasim hasn't seen his mate or her new cubs, except Kein, in a quite some time and this could be the perfect way to fix that. Plus, some one-on-one time with Kein may not be such a bad idea either.

Kein follows after his father with no hesitation, walking quickly to keep up with the larger cougars. Kasim did him the favor of putting him back down. He can at least try to repay it by not being too slow. He doesn't bother adding his own opinion when Kasim asks if Chesmu will let just him and Kasim go back to their home. He doesn't really care much if the Chief accompanies them or not.

"You want me to go on ahead without you too back into the territory?" Chesmu asks. He supposes that he could do that, though he is a tad curious why he can't just stay with Kasim and Kein. In theory, he could pull rank and refuse, but that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do.

"That is, of course, if you don't mind," Kasim says as to not sound rude. "You know, for a little... father-son time." He actually has to strain to find the right words to use so he doesn't sound pushy or demanding. It would be nice to get to know Kein a little bit more after this, and maybe even help defend him if he gets in trouble with Maul.

Kein is more concerned about Kasim not getting to stay than about any trouble he might be in. That he doesn't intend to cause his mother any worry ranks in there a little bit too, but mostly because if there's another big cougar around, Mom won't have to worry ever again, right? Plus, having Kasim around will be a /lot/ better than just the interminable waiting to be "older" so that he can go where he wants.

Chesmu shakes his head. "I don't mind. Just remember that I'll want to talk to you later. Welcome into the territory and welcome home." Chesmu says, then heads on out to give Kein and Kasim some alone time.

Home. Another thing Kasim isn't really used to having. He was always a wanderer throughout his life but the feeling of having a permanent place to stay sound very enticing. Giving a nod and polite bow of his head, he says, "Thank you Chesmu," as the Chieftain departs. Once he's out of sight, Kasim looks down at the cub and smiles at him. "You ready to go home Kein?"

Kein nods somewhat eagerly, running for a few steps so he can try to fall in line beside his newfound father rather than behind him. "You know where home is, right?" If not, maybe Kein should be paying attention to trying to follow the scent of the wolf back to that hole in the ground. From there, he could probably find his way home, but until that point, if he spends too much time talking instead of focusing on where he's going, they might not get there.

It's only now (of course) that it dawns on Kasim that he has no idea where Maul decided to make her home. And, since he was never really allowed very far onto the lands, he has no idea where she /could/ be. "Ummm... actually I don't," he says a little hesitantly. "Let's see.... You and the wolf came from that direction over there so that could be a good place to start. I don't suppose you know your way back do you?"

Kein stops walking for a moment, trying to think. If they're going the direction where he and the creature came from... He's not really sure what direction they were facing after he fell while he was running, but that should at least get them to where he can pick up his own scent, and he has gotten pretty good at following his own scent back home. After a moment, he begins walking, taking a few quickened steps to catch up, if he needs to, after which he says, "I can get us there."

Kasim actually has to stop and chuckle a bit at himself. Here he is, a fully grown cougar, asking a who knows how young cub for directions to get home. He's not sure if that makes him stupid or the cub smart. Still, if Kein can find their way back then Kasim isn't complaining. "Alright Kein, let's go," he says and makes to move in the direction in which the wolf came. However, before he moves, he leans down and gives the cub a small, fatherly lick on the head. "I have to say, I'm impressed," Kasim says smiling, then continues to walk.

Praise! Kein knows how to deal with praise. He smiles brightly and purrs a bit as Kasim licks his head, and it energizes him a bit, causing him to walk with his head a little bit higher. It also increases his confidence in his ability to get the both of them home. He continues walking, simultaneously sniffing the air to try to tell how close he is to where he was lifted off of the ground by that wolf and looking for the well. As he walks, he says, "Mom taught me how to follow scents a long time ago." He's an old pro as it by now. He just has yet to realize how truly useful it is, as he has not yet had to go searching for food.

"Did she now?" Kasim replies, smiling all the time. "Well it's a good thing she did. That's a very useful thing to know." Like how to find your way back home is an example of one use for it. Although Kein may not know it yet, Kasim already has a swell of fatherly pride coming from this cub that technically isn't his. However, the more time that Kasim spends with this cub, that fact seems to matter less and less to him, almost to the point where it just doesn't seem to exist anymore. Now, as far as Kasim is concerned, he and Kein /are/ family. Smiling even wider, he says, "So Kein tell me, do you have any other brothers or sisters?"

Kein nods to both questions, and answers the second one verbally. "My brother is Pelutho and my sister is Ruut'h." In the distance, Kein spots the big hole that Nayeli discovered, and he picks up the pace to reach it and turn to the west. With a little hop, he says, "We're almost there!" And hopefully he wasn't gone so long that Mom is /too/ worried. It seems like a long time to him, but then, it was a very intense period.

- Sprawling Mesa -

Two sons and a daughter. Kein, Pelutho, and Ruut'h. More fatherly pride starts building up inside Kasim, much to his own surprise, but he can't help it. Three cubs to look after with Maul at his side, it's the perfect life to have after wandering around for such a long time. Smiling widely when Kein announces that they aren't far, he says, "That's good, let's keep going." Kein really knows his surroundings doesn't he? Again, Kasim can't help but feel a bit impressed.

Kein doesn't bother to keep up the conversation with them this close to home. If Pelutho was amazed when he brought Nayeli home, seeing who he brought home today ought to be even more amazing! It isn't long before the entrance to the cave is in sight, and Kein calls out, "Mom! I'm home!" It won't be long, now, before he knows whether she's upset, but he isn't /too/ worried. They got home quickly enough, which ought to count for something, right?

- Sloping Gradient -

For the slightest moment when Kein calls out to Maul, Kasim gets a little nervous. After all, he hasn't seen her in a while since she wanted all the males away while she was giving birth. The next second, however, the feeling passes into happiness that he'll be able to see her again after what felt like too long of a time. He keeps a fair distance from Kein as he calls out to her, not one to steal the spotlight on others. Let Maul see that Kein is ok first since that's more important.

There's a long silence... and nobody emerges from the crevice opening. No cougaress happy to see Kasim. No cougaress relieved to see Kein but upset at his leaving in the first place. Nothing. In fact, there's almost an aura of abandonment coming from the opening. No sound whatsoever, creating an almost eerie silence. Maybe the call from the now-returned son just wasn't heard? Maybe it was ignored? What other possibilities could there be?

Mom has been asleep when he has left often enough. It wouldn't surprise him to find her asleep upon his return, though that has never happened. As there is no answer, he heads over to the cave and begins to enter it, saying, as he does, "Mom?" Anything else he might have said is cut off by the fact that he doesn't see her inside the cave, and he stops walking abruptly, half-in and half-out of the cave. After a moment of confusion, he turns back around to face the other way, scanning the area directly around the cave. He doesn't think he would have missed her around outside somewhere on the approach to the cave, and if she were outside, why wouldn't she answer him?

Kasim frowns slightly when no one comes from the small den. He was hoping to at least see someone but it's always possible that they're just somewhere else at the moment. Walking up to Kein from behind, Kasim peers inside the den as well and sees no one. "Huh. Maybe they're all out somewhere." Who knows, maybe it was just bad timing.

The crevice is really and truly deserted, and any lingering scent of the previous occupants is stale and quickly fading away to nothing. There's a definite scent trail leading away from the crevice toward the west, but it too is quickly fading. Answers to the questions of why and when and where are not evident.

With no sight of Mom outside of the cave, Kein begins to get worried. He can smell her, but it isn't a strong smell. Why would she go so far away, with Pelutho and Ruut'h, if he wasn't home? Taking several steps away from the cave, he calls out again, louder, "Mom?"

Kasim has no idea if this is a typical thing or not but, either way, it's clearly worrying Kein. Smiling softly, he pulls the cub in close to him as a comforting gesture, saying calmly, "Hey calm down there Kein, I'm sure she's fine." Whether or not his words are true or not, he doesn't honestly know. Kasim too recognizes the faint scent trail to be Maul's and, seeing no other option, he says to Kein, "C'mon, let's go find her," is a playful manner before lowering his nose to the ground to try and focus on the faint smell. "Stay close to me, ok?"

- Stone Formations -

Kein's newfound dad appears to have at least as good an idea of the trail as Kein does, so the young cub satisfies himself with following after the much larger cougar. He spent a lot of energy in evading the wolf as long as he did and getting back to the cave, and his young legs are tired even before they start out, so it doesn't take him very long to have to consent to being carried, whether it is comfortable or not. At least with Kasim carrying him, they ought to be able to follow the trail faster.

Although the trail may be faint, it does start to get a little stronger as he keeps walking. A good sign indeed. Kasim can't help but notice, however, that his surroundings are starting to get more and more familiar. He's definitely been here before, but he just can't quite place a paw on it. Shrugging it off, Kasim returns his attention to following the scent trail as best as he can while carrying his 'son'. Every step means a step closer to a possible reunion with Maul and everyone, and Kasim can't wait.
Seeing one of her sons being carried in a male's mouth -- that's not the most comforting sight in the world for Maulisho, even though the adult male /is/ her mate. Not allowing herself to be seen, Maulisho follows to the side as a silent ghost, knowing it's only a few more minutes and the two males will arrive at her new home at the rock formations. There will definitely be some words spoken, for sure. Not all of them in a happy tone, either.

By the time Kein and Kasim have neared the end of the trail, Kein has nearly drifted off many a time, only to wake up again. He has a limited view of his surroundings, and he has absolutely no idea where he is. This causes him more and more confusion as they go further, but he keeps these thoughts to himself. It's not as though Kasim could answer anyway, unless he were to put Kein down. He must have been gone for a /long/ time if his Mom, Pelutho, and Ruut'h got all the way here, but he still has no idea why they would take such a long trip.

Hmmm, now Kasim is /sure/ he's been here before but he still can’t think of where exactly 'here' is. Its only when the odd stone formation finally comes into view does the male know where he is. Here of all places. The place where he used as shelter while Maul was giving birth. Odd the scent trail would lead to here but, nonetheless, this is where it ends. Gently putting the cub down on the ground, Kasim gazes around at the stones. "Well, this is where the trail ends. I don't see anyone here though. You feeling ok Kein?" he asks, looking over the cub to make sure he's ok.

And without a sound Maulisho is suddenly stepping out behind them, waiting for several moments before announcing her presence by a quick and audible scratch at the ground with a set of claws. No words are spoken, and once the quick sound is made, she returns to a motionless stance, staring at the two cougars with an unreadable expression. Her amber eyes betray nothing--neither warm and inviting, but not cold or distant either.

Kein is tired and sore and hungry and not okay! He doesn't usually complain. He very rarely has anything to complain /about/. Right now, though, his circumstances aren't really 'usual'. Before he gets a chance to start complaining, though, there's a sound behind him, and Kein spins around to face that direction, crouching down for a split second, cautious and wary after a long day, until he realizes who made the sound. "Mom!" He stands upright again to rush over to her. He missed her, not so much during the exploring or during any period after running into the wolf, but after coming across the abandoned cave, definitely.

Kasim spins around when he hears something behind him and instinctively takes a step closer to Kein, just in case whatever made the noise isn't friendly. However, once he takes a quick look of who it is, his mood goes instantly from cautious to happiness. It's Maul. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he's finally seeing her again. He wants to say something to her, like how much he's missed her, but Kein beats him too it. So he just settles for taking a seat where he is and smiling over at the pair and patiently waiting his turn.

"Mom? /Mom/?" Maulisho looks absolutely baffled. "Why do you think I'm still your mother when you left me like that? You just abandoned your family, and you expect to still be a part of it?" Without leaning down to nuzzle or anything, she instead walks past her son over to Kasim, where her expression changes to a definite smile. "Kasim, love... I've missed you terribly." Something about a lesson for Kein is whispered in her mate's ear, but the whole of her attention is quickly focused on the nuzzle she's been aching to give Kasim for... far too long now. Maul doesn't even know how many days it's been, but it doesn't matter anymore. Kasim's here with her now.

That was not the reception that Kein was expecting, and all of the events of the day are quickly adding up to try to overwhelm the young cub. He turns to face his mom as she walks away from him, and his mouth is open, but he has a hard time finding his voice. The first sound he makes is a whimper, and he takes a timid step after her as she addresses Kasim, tears stinging at his eyes as he does. If Mom isn't his mom anymore, then that probably means Kasim isn't his dad anymore either. That was short-lived. It doesn't occur to him to speak up in his defense. He's too sickened and worried at the prospect of losing his family to think about that. The only thing he could possibly do is apologize, but... But what if Mom doesn't believe it?

Ouch. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting out of Maul. Poor cub. Kasim wants to say something to help defend him, but attention to his dearly missed mate comes first. Giving her a wide smile, he returns her nuzzling with his own, finally feeling at peace. He's waited too long to do this. "I dearly missed you too love," he replies, giving her a small lick on the cheek. "Don't be too hard on him," he says softly while still nuzzling her close, "it wasn't his fault."

The cougaress swallows hard at the whimper from behind her, fighting tears herself. "He /must/ learn," she whispers fiercely back, nuzzling Kasim almost forcefully. Without taking her gaze from Kasim, she adds, "My son Pelutho and my daughter Ruut'h are over by the rocks, if you want to meet them." Her voice is louder now--obviously for Kein's benefit.

Kein hasn't been one to give up since the moment he was born, but he remains stuck where he is for several moments, staring at his mother. The whimper is not repeated. In fact, he doesn't make any noise at all for some time, though he does cry silently. When he finally finds his voice, it's quiet, uncertain. "Mommy... I'm sorry." He doesn't want Pelutho and Ruut'h to be his mom's only children. He wants to be included in that group again, and he would do anything to make that happen, but his young mind can't grasp onto any idea that might make things right.

"If you insist," is Kasim's only reply to Maul's whisper at him. Who knows, maybe something like this could be good for the cub and teach him a lesson about whatever it is that Maul wants to teach him. Seems his oldest 'son' is a bit of a trouble maker. The small whimper from Kein, however, does cause Kasim to feel a little bad for him because he knows--to some extent--that his absence isn't totally his fault. "I'll go see them soon but spending time with you again comes first," Kasim says warmly and continuing to nuzzle his mate.

Maulisho smiles in response, enjoying the nuzzling immensely. As much love and joy as the cubs have brought her, there's been an emptiness in her life that now seems to be filled again. Yes, it was definitely necessary for Kasim to leave for a time, for Maulisho's own sanity (and Kasim's protection from her!) while the cubs were newly-born, but now she's at the point where she can fully trust her mate around them. Steeling herself, she pulls away from Kasim and turns to face her son with a face that has returned to the former neutral expression. "You're sorry? Sorry for what? And what do you want me to do about you being sorry?"

Kein hangs his head when his mother looks back in his direction, as much to try to hide his tears as out of any shame he may be feeling as a result of his own misbehavior. "I... I'm sorry for making you worried again." But then, she doesn't seem very worried. At all. Maybe he didn't worry her this time. Maybe she skipped that worry and went right ahead to disowning him. "I'm sorry I wandered off." As for what he wants her to do about it? He wants her to forgive him. That's what one does when someone apologizes. Right?

It certainly had been a mental strain on Kasim to stay away from Maul while she was giving birth. Of all the times, that was the one time where he wanted to be with her the most, but he knew it must be done. Still, that didn't make it any easier on him. He had been incredibly worried about her all the time and not a day went by where he would wonder if she was doing ok. But, all that matters is that she's ok and that he's with her now. Taking a seat next to her once the nuzzling is done, Kasim can only look over at Kein and offer him a small smile of support. As bad as he feels for the cub and wants to help defend him, Maul is the parent who has known Kein the longest so she knows more about this than he does. All he can do is offer his mental support to the cub while he says silent.

"Worried. Yes, I was very much worried about you, Kein. When you brought Nayeli back to the crevice, I thought I had told you then about how I was concerned for your safety and didn't want you wandering off again." Maulisho grimaces. "I had no idea you would wander off at the very next chance you'd get. I thought you'd want to stay with your family, but I guess I was wrong." She studies her forepaws for a moment, then looks back at her son. "How do you think Pelutho and Ruut'h feel? All they know is that you keep leaving them as if they're not good enough for you. They ask me why you don't stay to play with them, and I have no reason I can give them." Her amber gaze turns somber. "I wish you would have stayed as part of the family, because we've had some really fun times over the past few days. I'm teaching Pelutho and Ruut'h some really neat things right now, and I wish you had stayed as one of my sons to learn as well." Her black lips compress into a thin line as she falls silent, gazing down at Kein.

Kein continues crying quietly as his mom makes it quite clear that forgiveness isn't going to happen. He is more frightened than he has ever been, certainly more frightened than when the wolf lunged at him the first time or when it picked him up and carried him off. "I didn't wanna leave you." He had gone exploring, yes, but not far, not since he returned from finding Nayeli. "I tried to stay, mommy, but I was scared, for you and Pel and Ruut'h..." It does not occur to him that it is, in fact, possible that his mom doesn't know /everything/, or he might be capable of explaining better... Or he might not be. His hurried voice combined with the disjointed thoughts to betray how truly scared he is.

Those amber eyes never leave Kein as Maulisho continues to listen to her son's "explanation" -- not even a nod is given in acknowledgment. Only the lift of her eyebrows indicates her desire to hear a definitive answer to her earlier question. Kasim is, for the moment, seemingly ignored, though Maulisho is acutely aware of his presence next to her, and the cougaress is /very/ thankful that he's not trying to interfere in this otherwise delicate situation.

Kein hasn't looked at his mom since she turned back to face him. It only takes a brief moment of quiet for him to continue attempting to stammer his way out of this one. "I won't leave again, never, I promise. Not for anything. Just please be my Mom again." The young cub is nearly out of the energy it takes just to remain standing, and he desperately wants nothing more than to curl up by his mom and be safe. It is only his worry that she would just walk away again that keeps him where he is, staring at the ground because he fears seeing that neutral, careless expression on her face.

It's the last sentence that Maulisho was longing to hear. Letting the silence drag on for a few seconds longer, she finally says in a firm command: "Kein, look at me please." Wait, she'll do one better than that. "Actually, I want you to come over here to me." Yes, this should work even better than just talking. Dropping down into a crouch, Maulisho now has her head level with her approaching son's, so he would have to deliberately look away to not meet his mother's gaze as he approaches.

Kein would not dare disobey his mother in this moment, not even if she demanded the most unreasonable things of him. All there is is some brief hesitation before he lifts his head, then begins slinking in his mother's direction. His small body is tense, as though he expects that his pleas may have fallen on deaf ears and this may be the last time he draws near to his mom.

There is a brief twitch of the cougaress' tail as she watches her son approach. "Come closer--stand right in front of me." Her command is firm; he'll have to force himself to walk the last few feet toward her ever-gazing eyes, neutral and almost somber though they be.

It takes a great deal of willpower for Kein to close the distance between the two of them without averting his eyes. It's even harder to continue to keep eye contact with his mother once he comes to a stop. He really wants to hide his head in his mother's fur and forget the world at large even exists. Remaining stoic, despite the wet fur on his face, in this instance, is the hardest thing he has ever had to do.

Though she doesn't display any sign of internal struggle, it's just as difficult for Maulisho to maintain her expression as her son finally stops in front of her. "Kein," she says at last, her voice finally gaining a tiny hint of emotion. "You have made two mistakes. Two very /terrible/ mistakes that I don't /ever/ want you to do again." She swallows hard, then continues. "The first mistake you made was to wander off, leaving your siblings and I not only worried, but /missing/ you! We not only were concerned for your safety, but we missed you terribly as a member of our family." There's a hint of a quiver in her voice. "That's the first terrible mistake that you made. The second mistake, though, is even worse!"

It doesn't get easier to keep eye contact with his mom and she lays out what she sees wrong with his behavior, how he hurt his family. It is equally difficult for Kein to keep his mouth shut, to allow his mom to talk, and he can't help but whimper quietly and flatten his ears when she tells him he has done something much worse than wandering off and hurting his family. What he knows that he has done is bad enough. He's not sure he wants to know what else he has done wrong, though he suspects nothing he could do could stop his mom from telling him.

"Do you understand what I've told you so far about your first mistake?" The question might seem simple but Maulisho wants to make absolutely sure that she doesn't continue forward until her son knows exactly why she's dealing with him in this manner; if Kein doesn't grasp the gravity of what he's done, then all this is pointless.

Kein glances down at the ground and is silent for a moment. Before he answers, though, he forces himself to look back up at his mother, to regain eye contact with her before he speaks. His voice is still very small when he answers. "Yes. I understand." He is being as strong as he knows how in these moments that he figures are the moments before his fate is decided.

"And now, Kein, I want you to try and think of what your second mistake was." She could always tell him--and she probably will, if he can't figure it out--but she wants to give him a chance. Kein really seems like the problem-solving type, and Maulisho wants to do everything in her power to nurture and build that skill in him.

And to think, mere seconds ago, that Kein was dreading being told what else he had done wrong. Now he wishes that his mother would just tell him, because, try though he might, he can't imagine what he has done that was worse than everything else he has done wrong. He spends several moments thinking about it, quietly. "I... I don't know what's worse than that... I'm sorry." Both that he has done something worse than wandering off and making his family worry about and miss him and that he can't figure out what it is. His voice remains quiet, weak.

[Therdde]

"What's worse than that..." Maul reaches forward with a paw. "...is that you have completely forgotten how much I love you." The paw scoops Kein and draws him tight to his mother, followed by a continual nuzzling and purring. "Dear one, there is /nothing/ that you can ever do that will cause you to no longer be a part of your family. I am your mother, and you are my son. That cannot and will not change." Maulisho draws her head back to gaze at Kein, only this time her expression is warm and gentle.

Today is the day of the unexpected. There was an unexpected encounter with that wolf. Unexpectedly meeting his 'father'. The unexpected way he was greeted when he found his mother. And now this. Frightened enough about the severity of whatever he has done wrong that he can't seem to remember, he shrinks back, just slightly, when his mother reaches out towards him. After all of the lecturing he has received today, the /last/ thing he expected was to suddenly be held and finally comforted, and his tears start anew as he rubs his head against his mother, pressing against her tightly. He couldn't care less that his mother lied, fooled him into believing she disowned him in order to scare him into future obedience, couldn't care less that he was never truly not a part of this family. All he cares about is that he is part of it again. Anything he would say would be muffled by him hiding himself against his mother, and he doesn't bother for the moment, too overcome with relief to worry about such things.

All is well in her son's world, or so it would seem now, and Maulisho gives him another loving nuzzle. She really hated to have to teach Kein this lesson the particular way that she did, but she's a firm believer in dramatic lessons--just telling Kein up front in simple and plain language might have worked, but then again, it might not have... and certainly not to this extent. Trying to hide a mischievous grin, she whispers into his ear, "So what do you think of Kasim?"

The name is familiar, recently so, but... Oh. Of course, she would ask what he thinks of his 'dad'. That makes sense. All the same, even once it dawns on him, Kein does not answer immediately. Rather, he gives himself a moment more to nuzzle against his mother. After everything that has happened since they arrived here, it would no longer bother him quite so much if Kasim wasn't allowed to stay here. Some, sure, but at least he has most of his family again. Once he finally draws his head back, the small cub takes a deep breath and looks up to his mom. "Can he stay with us, please?" That ought to be enough of an answer as to how he feels about Kasim.

The cougaress wasn't terribly worried that Kasim wouldn't be accepted by the cubs, but even still Kein's request makes her smile even more. "Of course he can, Kein. He /is/ my mate, after all, and close enough to be your father... I wouldn't want him to be anywhere else but here with me--with /us/." A grin is thrown in Kasim's direction as Maul keeps talking to her son. "But of course, he might need some introducings to your brother and sister; do you think you can handle that okay?"

Well, it's a good thing everything was sorted out in the end. Kasim had been tempted several times to jump in and help Kein out a bit, but he managed to keep his cool and let Maul do the parenting. After all, she /is/ the parent in this situation while he's just the pretend parent. Smiling when he hears the cub's acceptance of him, Kasim leans over to give Maul a small nuzzle of affection before looking down at the cub with a smile. "I'd love to see your brother and sister Kein."

Wait, what? Kasim is... Close enough to be his father? Confused, Kein stands to look at Kasim for a moment, after which he looks back at Maul. Kasim standing right there, yes... But what does proximity have to do with whether Kasim is his father? Unless all of these things are tied in, and that's why Mom is so upset when Kein wanders off, because he's not close enough to be her son anymore. But if that's true, why was Chesmu never their father? Why was Nayeli never his sister? Kasim breaks him out of this thought process by asking to see Pelutho and Ruut'h, but the confusion is still there when he nods, to both Mom and Kasim, whether they can both see or not, and, with a fair bit of reluctance, begins to step away from Mom.

Still smiling, Maulisho looks back from Kasim to her son, expecting him to jump all over the opportunity to introduce Kasim to his siblings. Her smile falters a bit at seeing Kein's expression. Is he nervous? He almost looks confused, as though not understanding what he's supposed to do. "What's wrong, dear?" Maulisho asks gently, almost expecting him to ask where exactly Pelutho and Ruut'h are. She would have thought he'd want to show off his new tracking skills to Kasim, but maybe his confusion is just nervousness at not being able to locate a scent trail as quickly as he'd like.

Kein led the way back to the cave well enough, though a good part of that was memory. All the same, he's not concerned about his ability to find his siblings, even though there were definitely Other Things on his mind when Maul told Kasim where they were. He doesn't answer his Mom immediately. 'Knowing' what Kein knows, he has (once again) drawn the wrong conclusion, and the part that confuses him is why other cougars who get close to them are not family. He doesn't want to admit to not knowing something again, though. Not so soon after the last admittance of not knowing something. "I, um... If... If I knew that we stop being things when we're not near..." He wouldn't have wandered off like he did? Is there some restriction on how many cougars can be in a family? If another cub had happened by when Kein was gone, would his spot have been permanently filled. That still doesn't /quite/ make sense, but it's the only answer he can find as to why Nayeli and the Chief aren't part of their close family.

Now it's Maulisho's turn to look confused. Stop being things when not near... huh? "What do you mean? Stop being what things?" Once again, her tone is gentle yet curious. If there's one thing she really adores about her cubs, it's their inquisitive nature and questioning outlook on their world. It's almost a challenge for her, too, trying to envision what her son or daughter is confused about from their point of view.

Hmmm, what could possibly be getting Kein confused right now? Always the thinker, Kasim tries to think back when the cub got confused. Let's see... it was after Maul said that he was close enough to be his very own father. Wait a minute... could that be it? Well, he and Chesmu /did/ tell Kein that Kasim was this true father, not 'close enough'. That's gotta be what's on the cub's mind. Smiling, Kasim leans in a bit closer to his mate and whispers so that only she can hear him, "I think he just got confused when you said I was 'close enough' to his father. Chesmu told him earlier that I /was/ his dad, so that might be confusing him." It's certainly a possibility...

Kein can't hear what Kasim whispers to Mom. He looks at them as 'Dad' whispers, his confusion slowly fading, even though he hasn't quite figured out all of details of how that must work. In absence of realizing that he has misunderstood this most recent thing, he tries to explain to his mom what he meant. "I just... If I knew that I have to be close to you to be your son... I wouldn't have left." That words can have multiple meanings is still beyond the cub's mental abilities.

Wait, wait, wait.. no no no. That's not what she meant at all! "When I say he's 'close enough' I don't mean where he's standing. I mean that he's /almost/ your real father, but not quite. He's close." Maulisho headtilts. "See what I mean now?" She certainly wasn't expecting to give a lesson in cougar-speak but hey--you take the opportunities as they come, no? "Sometimes a phrase or even a single word can mean something completely different to someone else rather than what you meant." Why is that, exactly? Maulisho certainly has no idea, and the concept of a language evolving over a period of time is something she's never devoted any time to thinking over.

Well looks like his cover is blown already. The conflict of whether or not to tell the cubs that he truly wasn't their father was something Kasim had thought about all the time he was gone, and /still/ couldn't think of the right thing to do. He's not one to like to lie to ones that he's close to, but this time a lie could prevent the cubs from wanting to find out who their real dad is, and no one wants Azriel as a dad. Well, at least he doesn't have to worry about it anymore since Maul just basically just answered that for him. True, he's not the father, but Kasim already feels a sort of father connection towards Kein and his yet to be seen siblings. His whole plan from the start was to love and treat them like they were his own, and that's what he intends to do to the best of his abilities.

Kein still seems slightly confused as he looks at his mother. He doesn't understand why Kasim is only 'almost' his father. It just doesn't make much sense. All the same, it saves Kein the trouble of trying to understand why some cougars who get close are family and others aren't. After a moment, he begins nodding. "Okay." Maybe, with time, Kasim won't only be 'almost' their dad. Maybe he just has to be around longer before that happens. Kein can deal with that, especially since Mom said Kasim can stay. Stepping away from Mom again, he asks the almostDad, "Y'wanna go meet Pel an' Ruut'h now?"

Yes, the prospect of a notDad can probably be confusing on a cub. After all, they know so little about the world yet, but that's what makes teaching them everything sound so fun to Kasim. He'll have to explain why he's not their true Dad to Kein later... maybe when he's a bit older and can understand it more. "I would love to, thank you Kein," he responds, leaning down to give the cub a small nuzzle of praise. After all this time, he finally gets to see his notcubs.

The lesson he was taught is far from forgotten, but Kein has apparently recovered. He seems in a good enough mood as he walks over to Kasim, purring at the nuzzle. He then begins sniffing around to find his brother and sister. Part of his improved mood was actually caused by the confusion, because it drove the fear and uncertainty out of him. It will be a long time before he even thinks of going off exploring on his own, though.

It wasn't so much the exploring that bothered Maulisho so much; she knows that he's a born leader and will take every bit of initiative he can to understand the world around him and bring it into order and control as best as he can. No, it's the fact that he didn't think through what he was doing. Exploring became a priority over the needs of his family, and that's the lesson that Maulisho wants to ensure that her son learns. And so as Kein starts in his search for brother and sister, Maul tries to think of how she can encourage Kein's love of exploration but in a way that would be beneficial to him. Supervised, of course, but still in a way that would be safe yet exciting. Maybe she should ask Kasim; some input from her mate will help her come up with some ideas. Hmm.