Round Stone Crest Like Christopher Columbus

For @Gent

Once the young boy had gotten a taste of the outside world, that was that. He couldn’t help himself from wanting to go outside, attempting to sneak from the warm grasp of his mother or sitter to venture out into the outside world. Even though it had only been a day since his first encounter, each sight seemed like a whole new world. As he poked his twitching nose out of the den, his bright blue gaze lifted to the sky and he stood in awe. The early morning sky was colored in an array of hues that he’d never seen before, and though they were blurry to him they were still breath taking. Carefully venturing his way out into the open his gaze scanned from side to side, searching for anyone that might scold him for being out when he wasn’t supposed to. The other adults had scolded him already for moving too far out of the den, so what he was doing he knew he wasn’t supposed to. But who could really blame the curious little pup?

Moving further out his nose seemed to go wild taking in the different scents around him. His stubby tail waggled to and fro being his frame, shaking his rear end with its force. More confident now, he looked around and moved further out to explore. Behind him, the safety and warmth of the den was forgotten as he grew more curious by the minute.

(This post was last modified: May 27, 2015, 03:35 PM by Kino.)

Visits to Minka and the children's den grew evermore frequent as they grew, for the overzealous man did not want to miss a single moment of growth for them. He reveled in each step they took, adored every tiny squeak and murmur that left their incredibly small mouths. Without knowing a single thought that nestled within their minds, without having yet found his permanent place within the pack and at Minka's side, and without anyone inviting him to, he loved each of the three pups completely. Devotion had already cemented itself inside of his heart as each and every decision and goal made was touched upon by thoughts of their futures. He was still wary of Kova, unable to have yet established common ground with the young boy and certainly not having approached the tender subject of what exactly Gent's intentions were giving Tokino's death.  However, the Lieris king-to-be was growing more audacious each day in his desire to spend time with the children he secretly longed to call his own. Thus, when he approached the den and found Kino outside, wobbly but determined in his enraptured exploration of this new world, he did not shoo the pup back inside and keep his distance. Instead, he approached, slowly as to not start the boy, a soft smile reflecting fatherly pride and adoration adding warmth to his features. "Where are you off to, little guy?" he asked at a mindful volume as he stood behind the miniature being, despite being pretty positive that the child wouldn't grasp a single word. His paws had come to rest with Kino's tiny body squarely between them, and as Gent looked down his nose wasn't too far from the top of the little one's head. This was his first litter to have witnessed developing, and thus he did not know how quickly they would absorb information and learn. Minka had described to him some of their stages when they talked, and still he found himself completely surprised by what they could and could not do each time he discovered something different.

The young boy only moved further from the den and from safety, unaware of the fact that any minute he could be taken by a bird of prey or by a fox. He was so innocent to the world, so unaware of the danger and evil that it held. In his gaze only held wonder, but within those depths a strong will could also be seen. A courageous little knight with a silver pelt like armor, that was willing to go out into the world despite those dangers even if he were unaware of them. His nose went to the dew covered grass beneath his paws, which wetted them. He lifted hid peds and gave them a curious look, encountering water for the first time. What he saw in the tiny droplets was only a fraction of what else was held in the world, vast oceans and lakes that one couldn’t even see land from. If only he knew.

As he sniffed at it, he was unaware of a presence until it was right above him. His head lifted and bumped into the muzzle of the man, a surprised squeak emitting from his jaws as he jumped and promptly fell over. Rolling onto his back belly up he looked at the form above him, finding the familiar face of the large black man that frequently came to visit he, his siblings, and his mother. His quickly beating heart began to still in his chest and was replaced with a grinning face. He yipped at the man, his paws stretching out to bat at his muzzle before rolling to his paws once more. He bowed down into a playful stance before leaping forward to lunge for a giant ebony paw. Playful nips covered the man’s feet and an even more playful growl came from his maw.

(This post was last modified: May 28, 2015, 10:07 PM by Kino.)

A chuckle rolled from Gent's throat at both the pup's startled reaction and his continued antics. It was amazing how much energy the tykes' possessed, but he supposed if he had no responsibilities other than sleeping and eating he'd have the same amount of boundless vitality. As it was, he had plenty of duties that must be taken care of daily, but coming to visit the children was a wonderful reprieve. The moment he spotted any of the little balls of fur, he felt all of his tensions immediately dissolve. He felt younger.

Little Kino showered his paws with playful attacks of his needle teeth and slaps of his soft, oversized mitts, ready to tussle. For a moment, the monstrous man was reminded of his own childhood. He'd had the same impulses to wrestle and play, but it had never been allowed. He had learned quickly not to take up that unmistakable pose, for his father had taken every instance very seriously as an opportunity to teach him a lesson and knock him around, no matter how small he'd been. Even before Gent had earned the scorn of his older siblings, if his father caught them in a faux power struggle, he would swiftly demand that the challenge be made real, forcing the children to draw blood from one another. It had all been for Gent's improvement, of course. His father had wanted nothing but the best for his chosen heir, wanted him to be strong, insurmountable. Due to knowing this, the orphan prince did not reflect illy on his father's choices. But as his ice blue eyes watched Kino's valiant barrage, he knew that he could never find it in himself to treat Minka's children the same way.

Suddenly, Gent lurched backward. When his paws hit the ground again, he was perfectly mirroring the little boy's posture; chest to the dirt and tail waving high in the air. A low, put-on growl rumbled within his throat, snaking past a wry smile. He would dodge Kino's strikes infrequently, allowing the youngster to get his hits and nibbles in, and would occasionally bat a paw at him, ever so gently pushing the child this way and that.  Playing. Something he'd never truly gotten the chance to do before.

As the young silver Lagina nibbled at the man’s toes, he waited for a reaction of some kind,Any kind, that would get him some kind of excitement. When he nibbled at anything on his siblings, normally it being their ears or tails because they were the easiest for him to reach, he usually got the reaction he was looking for. Indignant squeaks, a wobbly turn around, and then playtime! While it didn’t often end in him winning these playfights, he found he still enjoyed them all the same in the end because it gave him something to do other than lay around and simply nap and eat. Though he couldn’t say that he didn’t enjoy each activity very much, as such was shown in his slightly pudgy baby belly. That fat would melt off once he grew a bit older, but for now he claimed his milk belly as a sign of good health and a happy life.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to shake to him as the great man leapt backwards and out of the waiting paws of Kino. He blinked up at the man as he bent down into a position that mimicked his own, the boys small maw turning up into a giddy puppyish grin and a yip escaped his jaws at the man’s growl. The knightly boy bolted forward, galloping, or rather cantering, in a less than graceful gate before he was suddenly skidding to a halt to avoid being his across the head by a large black mitten. It narrowly missed his ears, but he’d get it next time instead of the other way around. He let loose some shrill barks at the man, lunging forward before leaping up to nip at the paw that swung over his head. He was blindsided by another paw as it gently batted at his side, pushing him to his right. The prince gave an indignant squeal at his and turned to bat away the paw with whatever strength the lad had, which, of course, wasn’t much. He leapt back and turned his head back to the man, cranium tilting and tail wagging ecstatically behind his small frame as he panted and practically begged for more playtime.

The boy was a little gladiator, which only served to ignite something akin to pride within Gent's chest as he watched the pup try to keep up with him. The man did all he could to let little Kino get his own hits in, without making everything too easy. After all, he would not learn without a little challenge, and Gent certainly didn't want to instill laziness within the boy. No, out of everything, the adoptive father wanted to ensure that the children grew up knowing the value of hard work; something he was positive Minka would effectively handle as well. After all, despite the tragedies befallen him, @Kova was an exceptionally mature young man who Gent had seen several times shoulder responsibility on his own.

When the pup before his thick-padded paws stopped for a moment, possibly to catch his breath or maybe even ready for a new game already, Gent grinned down at him. He certainly didn't mind changing things up for the boy, and wondered just what all the ways they could play were. With a deep bark, Gent launched himself over top of Kino, clearing the small child with ease. He bounded a couple strides away, before turning and once more assuming a crouched position where his tail was held high than his ears. Another bark was sent out, inciting the little heir to chase after him.

"I bet you love tag," he said, well aware that Kino most likely would not understand any of the words he had said. It felt almost as though he were talking to no one, but at the same time he knew that the boy would still pick up tone and intention, and be happy with the communication all the same. He might even try mimicking Gent, and that would really be something.

"Catch me and I'll let you ride on my back!"

For a moment the young silver Lagina thought that the large black wolf wasn’t going to play with him any longer despite the grin on his face that the boy had come to associate with being positive. A pout was just beginning to form on his maw when another deep bark rang out from the man’s chest, startling him into a bit of a jump and wide eyes popping from their bright sockets. He lurched forward, large body soaring over the child and like a giant skyscraper as he sat and watched in awe. His head turned to follow, spinning his little body around and wobbling slightly in his perch before steadying himself. To his delight, the being had once again settled himself into a playful position with a challenge in his icy eyes. Sounds emitted from the man’s muzzle, sounds that he knew had to mean something. His mother made them when looking at other beings, and they would make them back. Most of the time he could only watch and listen in confusion, trying to decide what the sounds meant. He had his own special sound that his mother used when calling for him, so if his sound was meant for him what were the others meant for? Tilting his head he managed to latch onto one thing, “Tttggg” he tried to rumble then paused. It hadn’t quite sounded right, more like a keening whine that anything but it was a start. “Tttgg!” he shrieked before bolting forward after the man.

(This post was last modified: Jun 25, 2015, 10:41 PM by Kino.)

There is a rabbit\'s nest nearby. +1 Health