Lost Lake Swan Lake

lol shoot me

His words had little effect, though the princess was gracious enough to attempt a meek smile his way. Nathaniel's ears ticked back as his fangs grinded against one another, mind mulling over all that he might be able to say. Except he had to be the last one they wanted here. That was it! He needed to herd them back to their home, so that those they actually knew could do right by them and calm their tears. Yet before he could act upon this epiphany, the queen herself descended upon the scene.

Instinctively he stepped back away from the children as their mother approached, though it wasn't necessary; they scampered to her side, Cernan clinging even more tightly than Neha. A mama's boy, ha. Nathaniel was easily reminded of his brother, and a fond smirk passed briefly over his features before disappearing altogether with a sweep of Namid's words.

"The swans got territorial," he answered concisely. "The kids got attacked, so I uh. Stopped it. You might wanna look over Neha," his words paused as his eyes sought the girl of mention; she was already departing. Looking back upon Namid he lowered his voice to inform her, "one of 'em got a few good whaps on her before I was able to reach them."

Cernan was the first to jump to his feet and practically sprint to her. He crashed into her forelegs, twisting his chubby body around her wailing and sobbing absolutely terrified. She nuzzled him murmuring quiet reassurances that everything was alright , that she wouldn’t let it ever happen again. Her mismatched gaze turned on the bodies of the geese as Neha bounded over, jumping up to balance herself on the woman’s chest and explain what had happened. She gave her only daughter a swipe over the ear with her tongue, blinking in surprise as just as quick as she’d come she was off again to part on another adventure. Truly she was the spirit of the youngsters, and she reminded her so much of herself at her age that a gentle smile tugged at her maw.

The Queen of the Lake’s attention turned to Nathaniel as he suggested that she give her daughter a look over at some point in time, and her smile turned into a small frown, headed turning in the direction that her child had gone. She hadn’t seen any immediate damage on her, but it was always best to check. A nod bobbed her head, ”Yes, that is likely a good idea. Thank you again Nathaniel, I do not even want to think of what might have happened if you had not been here. These swans can be vicious. If you would pass the word, I would like to let everyone know that if they see any of them around they should be killed. I will not have fowl running amuck in our territory,” she said, looking disdainfully at the corpses. She was in charge of these lands, not them.

But, what was done was done. They would provide good meat for the caches and their feathers good bedding for the den. Bended her head she nuzzled her boy, “Cernan, darling, if you want to go with Neha you can. If not Nathaniel and I are going to take the Swans to the den and pluck the feathers. You can help if you like,” she said gently, offering him another kiss. She looked up at the man, “As long as that is alright with you,” she said, the corners of her blackened lips turning up in her usual smile. The Star Dancer moved to pick up the body by its long neck, pausing to see what her son would do before continuing to the communal den.

Exit.

Mama reached down to comfort him, and Cernan let his terror show plainly. The safety she provided was a perfect outlet, intensifying the wails if only for a few mere moments. Her embrace was doing its part to soothe the trembling child, and soon the cries were ebbing away into unhappy sniffles. He watched with teary eyes as Neha attempted her defense, switching his gaze between her and Mama for any possible reaction. She nudged the Prince with her nose, suggesting that they keep exploring somewhere else. He froze, unsure how to respond. That was the last thing he desired to do at the moment. Then the dark man spoke up, though some of his words were too large and strange for him to really understand. Still, it sounded like he was saying sort of the same thing as Neha, so that was good.

Another glance to his silver-pelted sister showed that she was leaving, with or without him. The pup's ears deflated, flattening out to the sides in dismay. He didn't want her to go... The rest of their savior's speech slipped by him unnoticed as Cernan's eyes trailed, bewildered, after Neha. Mama started talking again, drawing her son's attention almost immediately. The boy sniffed once more, tucking his forlorn face into his dam's leg for support. He could hear her voice humming through her body with his ear pressed to her like that, and it was comforting in the most primal of ways. His breathing was beginning to settle, along with his heartbeat, when suddenly the lad realized that he was being touched. 

Cernan accepted the gestures passively, now falling into a kind of shock after the harrowing encounter. Her soothing voice trickled to a stop, and his answer was already waiting on the child's tongue. He stepped forward, trying to place his head that much closer to hers. Wide eyes searched her face pleadingly. “I wanna stay with you,”  his little voice squeaked out. No way he was going anywhere after that experience. He would walk in his mom's comforting shadow, even if he felt bad for not following his sister back into the woods. Cernan only hoped she wouldn't mind.

-Fade-

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(This post was last modified: Mar 07, 2016, 12:50 AM by Cernan.)