[PRP] A Proud Papa [ Vodnitvar & Nicolae ]

[Depawsit]

Vodnitvar had awoken with a plan on his mind. A plan to improve his bond, with his youngest son. He had spent lots of time with his children as they grew, but the older they got, the more distant he felt from Nicolae. He was so quiet, and always stuck to the back of the pack. He'd never really understood why, but he respected his son's decisions. Just as he would expect the same approval from him.

Now as he stood at the entrance to the den, his heart was thumping with excitement. He had no idea what the two would do together, but he couldn't wait for it to begin. He loved his son, and he just wanted to get to know him better.

Shrugging off his jittery nerves, he entered the den. He had asked Fireheart to assist him in getting everyone else out of the den for the day. It seemed she had been pretty successful with it. Though maybe a bit too successful? Gazing around their large den, he saw no sign of his son. Not even a trace. A frown ran down his face as he thought of where he could have gone.

....

Maybe he didn't want to Father and son time as much as Vodnitvar had hoped?

Now upset with the unexpected turn of events, Vodnitvar pulled his achy legs under him and sat down in the empty den. His mind running through all the different reasons for why his son wasn't home.

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

The back of the pack was the perfect place for him. There, he could keep his head down, there he could listen without being expected to contribute to a conversation or an event, and there he was allowed to simply reflect and observe. Two things that cubs rarely grasped in their youth simply because the loud, the moving, the colorful, and the busy often took their attention right off. However, his world was nothing but color, sound, movement, and excitement. It was far more interesting to come inside where it was quiet and try to make sense of it all. He loved riddles, loved puzzles, and loved the art of quiet observation. He spoke, but rarely, and often times the content of his contribution went well beyond his young months of life.

He was surprised, but pleasantly so, to hear that his father wanted to spend some time with him one-on-one. It had been difficult to get individual attention with so many siblings but he couldn't complain. He loved his family and while sometimes it got a little busy for him, he was never wanting around them.

However, he wanted to make things a little more....interesting. The cub had found a nice little nook to hide in, pressing his body against the wall and keeping his paws tucked in close. As Vodnitvar appeared in the mouth of the cave he moved with the seam of the den, keeping his small body tucked into the nook where the wall met the floor and moving through the shadows. He froze as his father looked around the den, his face falling from something eager to a sad, quiet disappointment.

Smirking, the youngster rushed out and latched himself onto the grown lion's hind paw. "Dangerous place to be caught unaware~ You never know what creeps in the dark."

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Vodnitvar let out a yelp, a yelp that was a far cry from the many playful ones he emitted while playing with his children. No .. this one was real. His slow reaction was almost embarrassing, but what else was he to do? He wasn't expecting to be attacked in his own den ... especially not on such a special day. Turning with a start, the voice finally reached his ears and the lion's fur began to relax. His claws remained unsheathed though as he felt a fire begin to burn deep in his belly. A wicked smile slowly made its way across his face and he nonchalantly buried his face in his mane to hide it.

"Quite dangerous indeed." He mumbled, making a split second move to roll away from his son. It was a bit chaotic, and nowhere near the perfect attempt, but he was in no real danger. He was merely sparring with his son, he could do as he wished.

"I see you've been practicing your stealth ... that's quite impressive of you ... son."

Finally brushing his mane from his face, his wicked grin became all too clear to his intended target.

And without a second further's warning, he sprung forward at his son. Claws unsheathed and prepared to tackle him to the ground.

Thalion

 

[Thalion]

The youth rolled to all fours and crouched low as his father pulled away from his paws. Both males faced each other, their posture aggressive but their maws were smiling. At this age, play was as good as sparring and in days to come, it would serve him well to have both a lot of play and a lot of sparring behind him to build off of. He flicked his tail, side-stepping slightly as his father readied himself.

"I have been." He jerked to one side, giving himself only a few inches between himself and his father. He couldn't compete strength or size-wise, but he was much smaller and a little quicker on his paws so the match could go either way. In a smaller space like a cave, it wouldn't take much to end the match for Firedog, but he could move a lot easier than his father could.

The cub passed right between his father's paws and reached up to poke his belly. "Gotcha."

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

As the two stood together, face to face, their eyes staring one another down. It took everything Vodnitvar had to not break down in a smile. His cunning son was looking for something a little more serious than a play date, or so it seemed. Vodnitvar was more than willing to give it to him. The corner of his mouth curled into a conniving smirk as he watched Nicolae's moves. He knew his son was smart, despite his insistence to keep to the back of the pack. Which meant he would know who had the advantage in this cave, just as Voddy did.

For a moment, the male danced around on his paws, attempting to trick his son out. Though it didn't last long, before he could realize what had happened his son had already slid right between his front paws and pegged him in the belly.

"So you did ...

But can you do it again?"

With a little less grace than he would have liked, Vodnitvar slid himself away from Nicolae and brushed up against the wall in the process. Hmmm definitely not the best hunting grounds for someone of his size. But this is what was chosen for him, and he would not fail it.

As he slid across the cave, he began to try to formulate a plan. What was he going to do? The option of stealth was not on his side, not with Nicolae keeping such a watchful eye on him.

Finally he hit a wall and was forced to turn around once again, where he could see his son, still remaining in this previous position. Watching, staring, calculating. A glance in either direction gave him more than enough room to move from left to right, but in hopes of going backwards, he was nearly cornered.

"The idea of a moving target ... does it intrigue you Nicolae?" Quickening his pace, Voddy began to pace back and forth along the patch of area he'd been given. If he needed to make a quick escape - he could do so. But for now, this area provided him with enough of what he needed.

Thalion