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 Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:28 am
The King of the Tokakinji had never been humbled before. He had never been strong. Untouchable. He was the King of all he saw, and he always wanted more. There was nothing that could satiate him, and he was proud of that fact.
Only Ygraine had filled a hole in his heart. Only in love was he complete. Or so he had thought. It turned out there was another kind of love, one dedicated to the products of the first. Love of his children.
His cubs.
Uther was not particularly soft and warm. He was a warrior first, a knight of the truest form. He was dedicated to his lands, his duties, and his title. His people. He was a King, a ruler. Now he had a much smaller kingdom to rule over, in a whole new way. Cubs running all over the palace caves.
They were cute, but he had no idea how to interact with them. Ygraine insisted they be raised directly, by mother and father, and not by the servants Uther had summoned for it. So he relented to her, and now he found himself wondering just why he let her order him around.
Cubs were complicated. More so than his pride members. They were demanding and loud, constantly hungry and bored, and they looked to him for more than he really knew, understood, how to give. But he was working on it.
Just not right now. Right now, he was working on a nap.
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Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 11:01 am
"Eeep!"
Fluffy ears pinned back as the youth slipped on the cavern floors, her previous concentration having been lost by the drip-drops of cold dew. Of course, everything in the back dens held a chill, but the speckling sensation of the water had yet to calm the young girl. Squirming with her short limbs, the cub managed to roll upright in a ruffled mess and began to peer around. Just...what direction had she been going? It all looked the same to her.
Golden eyes slanted upward almost hesitantly, for fear of seeing a giant water monster looming above her. Often, Sazana had mused the caves to be like such a monster. The stones above hung almost ominously, like sharp fangs in an open mouth. And the feared attacks of the mysterious 'water monster' were more like saliva, if she stopped to think of it.
But the youth giggled and shook her head. Those were just silly thoughts for scaredy-cats! And she was no scaredy-cat, nope nope! Sure she did miss the warmth of cuddling with her siblings for a their nap, but she wasn't going to turn tail now. So choosing a random (and better lit) tunnel, the youth stood up and marched forward with sweet optimism.
That is until she tripped and slid down a small slope, plopping into an unfamiliar and spacious opening. Sazana cringed at the tiny fall, and her eyes instantly began to shimmer. "Maaaahaaaamy! Paapa!" ;~;
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Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 2:05 pm
Uther's ears twitched and he lifted his head from his heavy paws. He looked around and heard the cry again, then smiled. He got up and moved to follow the sound. It was a familiar one, now, with so many babies running around the cavern.
He found her soon enough, tilting his head at the slightly brown girl who was plopped on the floor.
"What's happened?" he asked slowly, looking down at her with a patient expression, at least. He was not very good at talking to them like they were cubs, having trained soldiers for so long he sort of equated the two together in his mind. It was kind of similar, wasn't it? Training new soldiers who knew nothing, and raising babies?
Kind of?
He lowered himself a bit, though not much, looking down at her with his head canted to the side. "Have you hurt yourself?" he questioned, concerned but not quite letting the emotion reach his kingly face. He did have an eyebrow slightly lifted.
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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 10:58 am
Tears and sniffles came to an abrupt stop as the little girl spun around, the familiar voice booming in her ears. Just there, standing regal and calm, was her papa. Golden eyes beamed and the cub skipped to her feet, all 'injuries' miraculously gone. "Ah, you heard me!" And who wouldn't, with her high-pitched wailing? But Sazana was delighted that it was one of her parents instead of the occasional nannies that came to her rescue.
Taking some tender steps forward, trying to avoid another slip, the girl approached her father with a happy swing of her tail. "Oh, have I?" She raised her own brow as she glanced herself over, from oversized paws to her short torso. There was nothing to be found, except for ruffled fur. "I don't think so, papa." Then she pouted openly, her bottom lip puffing out as she mumbled meekly. "I don't like these caves. They're so mean..."
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 2:22 pm
Uther watched her for a moment. These cubs made him feel things he had never really had time for before. Patience. Caring. Certainly he treated his mate with all the love and kindness she deserved, but that was just one creature.
Now there were quite a few that demanded a quiet, tender attitude. One Uther was not used to cultivating.
He found it easier in the moment than when he was thinking about it. Thinking about being kind was difficult. Thinking about smiling and cuddling and being sweet. In theory he thought it all impossible.
It was much easier, though, sitting in front of one of the young little things, and seeing them look up at him with love and a helpless kind of need to be protected. He bent his head down and nuzzled her on the head very softly, and not lingering too long.
"I know what you mean," he said slowly. He picked her up by the back of her neck, carrying her back toward their large den. He put her down on a soft fur, then sat nearby. "What were you doing in the caves?" he asked, his tone more severe than he really meant it.
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:06 am
The youth gave a small rumble in her throat and chest as her father bestowed her with a nuzzle. She was still very young, but already she had come to see that such displays of affection were far and few in between. And so the daughter soaked it in for the brief moment that she could.
Then before she could realize what was happening, she was lifted into the air by the scruff of her neck. There was no threat in the motion, and so the cub simply wagged her tail as she watched the cavern walls pass her by. She could only imagine what this view would look like once she was fully grown. Would she be as tall as her papa? Would her paws be as large, and able to walk so fast? She could only hope so...
Giggling as she was placed on the furs, Sazana rolled about on her back to enjoy the warm material. Sooo much better than the chilly stones in the cave! Peering up at her papa, she waved a clumsy paw in the air to playfully swipe at his lush mane. That was until he spoke in a clipped tone, and the girl's ears flitted back against her skull. Then she shrugged with a shy smile. "Where else am I to go, papa? Does that mean I'm allowed outside now!" And her eyes lit up at the very idea.
"Please? Pretty please!"
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 2:43 pm
Uther could no help but be soft when it came to his family. For all his pride and posturing, he did have a streak of kindness in him. It just took a little digging to get through, passed all the serious duty and focus, and all the grumpiness.
But it was there.
He watched her as she rolled, wondering if he had ever been so small just as she had wondered what it would be like to be big. His eyes were soft and there was a genuine warmth there. His eyes often betrayed more of his emotions than his expressions or words could.
"No... you cannot go outside alone yet, but it seems you cannot play inside either. Unless you will do better to keep yourself out of trouble?" He tilted his head at her and tried to hide the amusement from his tone. He was a very protective father, but he could see there was nothing harmful in all this. She was young and it was an accident. Ygraine would be cross with him if he punished her for it.
"Though, I suppose you are accompanied now... perhaps a trip outside might help expel some of that energy of yours." He watched her keenly, smiling.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:58 am
The daughter waited on stilled breath for his response, hoping her good and quiet behavior would better persuade his answer. And even as his first word 'no' hit her ears, she remained hopeful and peering at him with watery eyes. Surely this adorable tactic would work, right?
"Nope nope, can't play in here. It might wake up mama and the others. Oooor I could get lost in all the tunnels, and mama wouldn't like that either." 8c Could she keep herself out of trouble? Why, she hadn't even known that she started trouble to begin with! Was it really that much of a problem to stretch her legs in the caverns? The young girl sighed as she thought this over. But all the same, she was getting her first sense of cabin fever. And she did not like it one bit.
It took her a few seconds to truly realize what was being said. Mostly because she didn't expect for it to really happen, but also because it was said so softly. Like a spoken offer, rather than a gruff and unwilling agreement.
Testing the waters as if it were a prank, Sazana replied slowly. "S......sure? That would be nice, papa!"
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:03 am
Despite himself, Uther smiled.
Maybe he could figure out this parenting thing yet. Ygraine told him he was too severe and serious with them, that they were just cubs and it was in their nature to want to have fun. That was true, surely, but he did not see why he should placate them because of it.
Ygraine usually head butted him at that point, called him a grump, and told him to be quiet.
He didn't understand what he was missing there, but maybe he was starting to figure it out.
"Yes, well then," he said, still a bit stiff and lacking the warmth in his tone that he felt in his heart and head. He moved to nudge her with his nose before padding, slowly so she could keep up with his long stride, toward the cave mouth that would lead them out onto the mountainside. He would keep an eye on her, both in fact, but there was plenty of space for her to play without too much risk of her falling off a cliff.
He'd prevent that, at least.
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