[PRP] They grow up so fast...[Fleance, Kau, Ninon, & Yves]

[Truth.Be.Told]

"Slow down, Yves! If you run too fast, you'll trip!" Ninon frowned at her rather...enthusiastic son. He was always such a bundle of energy. A complete one-eighty from his brother Hiiro...and it WASN'T a good one-eighty. It didn't help he liked causing mischief.

"But we're going to see Papa today! I want to greet him first!" Especially since he knew his father was not fond of Kau, and Kau was with them. He had to look out for his brother! Ninon sighed, shaking her head slightly. Sometimes, she wondered how such cubs had come from her. But...she couldn't blame Yves for his excitement. She always looked forward to seeing her beloved, and hear the tales he brought with him.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Kau was hanging back behind his mother and brother. He loved his father so much, but the strength of the cub's feelings were returned a hundred fold with hatred by the god. The boy's posture was a physical manifestation of his feelings. Head down, tail down and dragging, slinking, almost, and ears back. It had been a little while since he'd seen his father. Not that Fleance hadn't come around, but that the god tried to avoid this particular son. Ever since he'd saved the cub, he hadn't had much to do with him. Kau sighed heavily.













Fleance paced back and forth at their assigned meeting place. He was so looking forward to seeing his more-or-less mate (and favorite and beloved) Ninon. She usually brought at least one of their sons along, and he loved to see how they had grown. Well, except for that worthless one, Kau. He scowled at the thought of the tan one. He hated that stupid little... His thoughts trailed off as three forms appeared on the horizon. His ears perked up and he smiled. He couldn't tell which cubs she'd brought along. But as they came closer, he could more easily identify their mannerisms. The excited one that seemed to be running ahead at breakneck speed? Ah, that was probably Yves. And of course there was their mother, Ninon. A special smile came across his face for her. Ah... and then the last one. It seemed to be lagging behind. Hiiro, maybe? He squinted and saw that it looked rather beaten-down.

Oh.

Kau.

His face turned stony as he recognized the last of the litter. He heaved a sigh and then thought of how he'd have to cut this visit short.  

[Truth.Be.Told]

Ninon hoped Fleance would actually show poor Kau some affection this time. She could understand why he didn't like the poor boy...but it wasn't Kau's fault. And Kau loved his father. She looked back to give her son a small smile. She never meant to cause him heartache. She just...hoped for the best. Even a Seer could do that sometimes.

She turned her head forward again and smiled when she saw the figure of her almost-mate, ears perking up and her smile turning to one of calm happiness. Yves, of course, disregarded his mother's earlier warning about running and squished and sloshed straight for his father, moving to weave around the god's front legs.

"Papa! Welcome back!" Despite the fact he wanted to say 'welcome home', he knew the swamps weren't his father's 'home', even if his sons wanted it to be. The Seer grinned up at Fleance, hoping him being there might soften any hatred for Kau.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Fleance took a few steps and met them, taking turns to first nuzzle his Ninon and then his son, Yves. He sized up the grey child and patted him on the head.

"Yves, you've gotten so much bigger since the last time I saw you!"

He turned back to the lioness, "And you've gotten much lovelier." The god gave her a winning smile and let his paw rest on his son's head.

Kauaense still hung back shamefully, though he'd never done wrong by his father. The little lion played with the mud at his feet, peeking through his tuft of mane with his light eyes at his father, hoping for some sort of recognition.

Fleance denied Kau the approval and attention he so craved.

The boy sighed.

The god shot him a glare.

Kau's heart skipped a beat and he felt so glad for any recognition. He sat behind his mother's rear leg and played with her tail, hoping that perhaps he'd get another glance.  

[Truth.Be.Told]

Yves grinned and tried making himself look as big as he could. "Me 'n' all my brothers are growin' like WEEDS, Mama says!" Ninon laughed softly and nodded, returning Fleance's nuzzle.

"They are indeed. It seems like just yesterday our boys were barely the size of one of your paws." They were growing so fast...soon enough, they'd be on their Name Quest and bigger than her! She didn't miss the exchange between Fleance and Kau, resisting the urge to sigh. Ninon moved her tail around a bit for Kau, so it'd be more fun to play with. "How have you been Fleance?" The unspoken question in her voice and eyes added to that; had any of the other seers he'd gathered around himself seen any clues?  

[Puhterodactyl]

The god laughed at his son. "I can see why. I still don't think you're the size of my paw yet. Yet." Of course, he was much bigger, but under the god's paw, he did still look rather small.

Fleance hesitated before answering his mate. "I've been... alright. Things have come up lately that were rather... surprising." He was referring to the discovery of children he'd fathered in his last life. Well, he'd found one and they had told him of at least two others. He had no remembrance of them or their mother, but he had reason to believe it.


Kau happily played with his mother's tail, but had bigger prey in mind. He pounced at his brother, knocking him out from under their father's paw.

Fleance was startled at Kau's attack but didn't say anything, for Ninon's sake.  

[Truth.Be.Told]

Ninon tilted her head to one side, curious about what had been surprising. "Is it something we should talk about later?" When the cubs weren't around. She knew there were some things not meant for small ears. Even if those small ears wouldn't be small for much longer.

"I am too big as your paw, Papa!" And Yves squeaked at his brother's tackle, play-growling at his brother and more than happy to start wrestling. Ninon couldn't help but smile at her cubs, some of the uncertain mood lifted by it.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Fleance looked down, and rolled a shrug. Ninon was a very understanding lioness. They began a relationship as her doing him a sort of favor, that is, giving him seers by another seer so that their powers could be stronger and the cubs better trained to use them -all in the unending quest to find his brother and kill him before he could be dispatched. So she knew of his other flings, or at least that he'd had them. He'd already had a litter before they even met. So why did he feel guilty in a way? He almost felt that he'd committed an infidelity to her. He nodded.

"Yes, uh, it's about some of my children." He sighed and met her eyes. "It's complicated." At Yves' insistence, Fleance smiled but it was a sad sort of smile. His heart was heavy about the upcoming conversation.

It was all just so confusing. The children of his were older than he was.



Kau cast a glance towards his parents. Would they approve of him more if he could best his brother in the play fight? He tilted his head, distracted for a moment by the ongoing conversation. "Yves," he whispered to his brother. "What other kids is he talking about? Does he mean like Lennox and Kamen n' them?" He narrowed his eyes. The god often left this one of his sons out of the loop. Maybe Yves knew something he didn't.  

[Truth.Be.Told]

Ninon nodded and smiled slightly, patting his free paw with one of her own. Whatever it was, she would listen with as open a heart as always. She knew of his flings, knew there were others who had fathered his cubs...but she did not hold it against him. Not ever. After all...he wasn't hers. They weren't mates, despite her attachment to him, and his visits. "Whatever it is, you know I'll do my best to help you sort it out."

Yves grinned up at his father, then looked to Kau, and blinked. Huh...He thought a moment, then whispered back. "Maybe he means our older siblings? Like Bedoier and Revez and them?" Mind, he'd never met any of their older half-siblings aside from Bedoier and Revez...but meh. They still counted!
 

[Puhterodactyl]

Fleance gently rested his heavy head on his more-or-less mate. "I know." He let out his breath slowly, and it was a lot, as though he'd been holding it in for a long time. He closed his eyes and nuzzled Ninon. She was such a comfort to have and to be able to return to sometimes. If only she weren't mortal, he thought wistfully. But that was life and that was fate. She would leave him someday. With such morbid thoughts, it felt like his burden weighed all the more heavily on his soul.



Kau shook his head while watching his parents. "I don't think so. Fleance said 'my children,'" he still wasn't allowed to call his father "dad", "not 'your children' or 'our children'." He looked at his brother. "Do you think we have other siblings not in the pride?" For as many things as his father had to tell Ninon, Kauaense had as many questions. While he knew Fleance would never answer them, or even give him the time of day, he would try his best to find these things out from his mother, after her talk with the god. Until then, he would be left wondering.

The end.