It was such an improbable thing. He was a father! He had a daughter! A tiny little thing, all brown and black fuzz, looking so helpless snuggled up against her mother's peppered belly. It pained him every time he had to leave her, leave both of them, though he knew Jessie would protect their child with her very life, it left him aching to be apart from his family. They were his world, his wonders, every breath of his life revolved around them. Which was exactly why he had to leave. Every day he would walk out, searching for food to keep them all alive, as well as more capable wolves to join their cause. Sometimes he brought Askan, other's not, either leaving the young man behind to help watch over his family, or deciding to go separate ways, cover more ground. He had to fight not to turn back early, to run back home and snuggle up with the ones he loved, what he had dreamed of for so long was finally his, how could he stay away from it? Because he had to, that was how. But often he would return early, just so he could spend some time with his little girl before she went down for the night.

Today was special indeed though, he and Askan had had success in their hunt yesterday, employing the same technique that had first brought them together. With everyone properly fed, for once, Drestig had allowed himself a day of rest, one day to stay home and relax with his family. This way, Jessie also got a chance to rest, go off and care for herself for once, while he took a shift watching over the den. Not wanting to disturb the still sleeping pup within, he had laid himself down outside the opening, resting with his back propped against one of the gnarly oak roots. His plan had not been to actually sleep, but in the end he'd apparently dozed off none the less, jerking back awake at the first sound of rustling. He blinked, trying to reorient himself in the sparse, patterned light that filtered down through the trees. At first he figured it had simply been the wind, stirring the oak leaves above that woke him. Then he looked towards the den and saw her, standing stiff, on short, fat legs, puppy-blue eyes blinking against the light.

For a moment he didn't know what to do, almost scared to say anything, as if it might scare her away. But she was no shy deer or baby bird, she was his daughter and he already knew her well enough to know she didn't scare easily; Brave and strong like her mother! So he woofed softly, calling her attention, begging her closer with a big bright smile on his face; My Phoenix!

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He smiled so widely it almost split his face in half, eyes blazing with pride as he watched his daughter come towards him. Her first stumble instantly made him jerk, moving to help her, but before he'd even gotten halfway up she was continuing forwards, undeterred by her stagger. The father breathed a relieved chuckle, lowering himself back down on his elbows. Clearly it would take a lot more to unsettle her! "Yes lass," He hummed warmly in reply, his heart swelling at the one, simple word. He let her close the distance, her tiny body so light he could barely feel her jumping up against him. She was so small, he hardly dared touch her, luckily she didn't have the same reservations. The dark man chuckled again, returning her caress by burying his snout in what little scruff she had grown so far. Her scent was already as familiar to him as her mother's, and he filled up on it, breathing deeply and blowing the air back out into her ear.

Drestig pulled back a little to look down at his daughter, still smiling from ear to ear. There was no debate, she was the most gorgeous being he had ever seen, a muddle of brown and black with a striking white patch on her chest and the most stunning blue eyes. Of course he was biased, he knew that; But just look at her..! "Look at you," He echoed his own thoughts; "Out and about already, such a big brave girl!" Silver-tipped muzzle lowered, moving to touch his nose against hers. "My brave Percy-girl."

Word count: 266

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She was a character for sure, full of spunk and short attention span, eager to experience everything, all at once. Her father watched with a soft smile as she studied the world around her, eyes catching movement easily even if they couldn't yet focus properly, tracing birds in the trees above and bugs in the ground below. For a moment her little face twisted in an expression that send a painful clench through his chest, his own brows twisting in a deep frown as he tried to figure out what his daughter was thinking. But then her blurry gaze returned to him, and the smile was back as soon as it had disappeared, her joyous exclamation completely melting his heart.

He hardly had time to smile back though, before she was on the move again, a bumble of brown and white digging into his fur. With a surprised breath of laughter, Drestig twisted his neck to look back at the girl, determinately digging her paws into his ribs. It made him wince a little, even as he kept smiling, a cough escaping him before he gently cautioned: "Easy there sport!" Still chuckling lowly, the dark wolf reached back, using the tip of his muzzle to bump up her butt, lifting her the last bit of way unto his back. With his flank such liberated, he could breathe a little sigh of relief, shoulders slumping a bit as he rested, for just a moment. With a child like Percy, there was very little time for that.

But while @Askan enjoyed calling him old man, Drestig was far from worn down. Looking back down at his daughter, eyes sparkling, he smiled widely. No he was very far from done. this was the height of his life, he was achieving all he'd ever dreamed of, and here was a clear proof. Pushing the serious thoughts out of his head, he winked playfully, giving only short warning to his pup before he started wiggling his shoulders, turning the previously firm rest of his back into a wobbly ride. Of course he was careful not to be too rough, but he made sure she didn't feel too safe; Otherwise what's the fun?

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He had to close his eyes against the rapid beating of her tail, its taps against his muzzle making him chuckle lowly. The joy of her victory was enough to melt any father's heart though, and he grinned unabashed as his daughter commandeered his back, proudly taking hold of what already belonged to her fully and completely, even if she didn't understand it yet. Her adorable voice seized though when he started his game, confusion filling the cloudy, cornflower eyes, soon shifting to fright as the previously so stable seat began to quake under her. Ember eyes watched carefully as she struggled to hold on, his movements shifting a bit to support her just a little better; Don't worry lass, I won't let you fall!

A distant, hazy memory flickered into his mind, a large, golden-eyed face looking down at him, hefty shoulders shifting beneath his tiny paws, much like his own now did under his daughter's. Drestig had very few memories of his family, faint images that swam in and out of his head, resurfacing at odd hours only to vanish soon after. But, he now realized, this particular game was one that his own father had once played with him.

Partially distracted by this sudden recollection, he didn't realize until too late, just what his little spitfire had planned. He saw her come towards his face, and started to settle his shaking to not knock her over, then her tiny teeth found his ear. "Yaow!" He cried, more in surprise than actual pain, though the tugging certainly wasn't pleasurable; "Okay, okay you got me." A silvered paw lifted to gently nudge at the child, trying to free his treasured appendage from her hold. His neck twisted as he tried to catch sight of her, a fresh chuckle rising in his throat; "You won this game lass, you won!"

Word count: 310

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