Marianna thundered through the territory, stormier than the dark clouds overhead.  It felt like she hadn’t seen her dad in forever, even if such simply wasn’t true.  Gent was always around – even if he didn’t have time to play with her and her brothers, he was patrolling, or marking, or he was doing whatever it was big adult wolves were supposed to do.  All the same, the little princess felt as if she’d been shorted, and she released a pup-sized howl as she roared across the flat.  Thunder echoed somewhere far away and the child did not register it, she cared little for the impending storm when she had her own problems to deal with.



“Dad!” she called out, moments after her howl had ended.  It wasn’t just any wolf she wanted – only the lord of the land.  Of course, she loved @Minka dearly, she looked up to the woman and her ability to lead – she loved her brothers too, as much as any girl could love a set of annoying siblings – but they were not what she needed right now.  After all, @Draven had caught a mouse, and Ari had not been taught how to catch anything.  Rightful heir of all that belonged her (and absolutely determined to to be outdone by any of her siblings, even Kova at a full year older), she absolutely refused to let this stand.  Who else would teach her these important things than her dad?



“Daaaaaaaad!” the little girl called again, becoming impatient in her demands.   “Daaaaaad, where are you?”



Come and see me!

The storm was approaching fast, sweeping down from the lowlands and building pressure as it surged toward the hilly timbers and the Crest. If the ominous clouds held out, the pack would need to bunker down, finding shelter hopefully together, though it had been proven that the domain held multiple safe havens for those caught in a raging storm's path. Until then, however, there was still work to do, and the king was adamant that it got done. His day had been spent entirely on the borders of his kingdom, strengthening the markers that warned others to turn tail and inspecting everything that might have changed since the last time he had done such a thorough sweep.




The end was nearing, pales eyes laid upon the tree which had been marked up distinctly by his own paws at the start of the day. Nose to the ground, he resumed his work with a fresh bout of gusto. Once this was completed, he need only check with @Astraeus to ensure the man did not come across anything during his comb over before the king could return to his family for the afternoon. Yet as he scanned this last stretch of land, a youthful and feminine howl met his ears, turning his head and completely stealing his attention away from the task at paw.



When only silence met him, the monarch abandoned his work with a chuff. Quick strides carried him toward the girl, and as he traveled her voice began to become discernable. She didn't sound alarmed or upset, only impatient. All the same, the king would not ignore his beloved princess, and it wasn't long until he was upon her.



She was met with a loving lick to her crown, a fastidious greeting that may never change regardless of her age.



"What is it, heart?"

If she weren’t in the middle of building up a temper tantrum, Marianna might have actually heard the response to her aggravated calls. The girl stomped and huffed, drumming large paws against the cool earth as she danced about like the falling raindrops. Fortunately, her father did not make her wait too long, and all at once, the large shadow was upon her. The girl wheeled about on her hind legs, stamping front feet behind her as the cries ceased immediately, replaced by a tail that was wagging the whole wolf. Tipping her muzzle up, she returned his greeting heartily, her pink tongue flashing out to lick up underneath the alpha’s jawline.



“I was looking for you,” the little girl announced happily, butting her head into Gent’s thick ruff. So what if that much was obvious? For a moment, she was simply happy to bask in the attention, nibbling upon the swarthy male’s neck and shoulder playfully before finally drawing back enough to address her actual wants.



“I wanna hunt,” Ari explained easily, settling her fluffy rump upon the ground. That storm clouds were overhead and thunder growled far south of their pack’s grounds meant nothing to the girl – what was a little weather to a princess? “Draven’s hunted. He gotta mouse.” Something that seemed entirely unfair, in her opinion. The dark pup was nice, and all, but he was supposed to be the smart one, not the strong one, not like the princess. @Gent needed to fix this for her. “I wanna get something, too!”



Something way better than a mouse!