Paradise Falls you're not technically a rock star

all welcome, heads up to mom and dad~ @Finley @Jethro

Atara was strong, almost dubiously so in comparison to the siblings she would never recall. Ahead of the expected growth markers and gaining motor skills swiftly, she was proving to be a capable, mobile child. Even the bright light filtering in through the long throat of the den did nothing to inspire hesitation. What was there to be scared of, when one was so deeply cared for, right in the cradle of Paradise itself?

She stretched her dark, healthy limbs and regarded the exit, already-risen ears twitching with attention. It had been a bit since she had last seen her father, the kind of long that was only so to a toddler, and her thoughts began to circle around the singular idea of getting out. She was always blocked from doing so, but... what if she explained herself properly this time, used more of those 'muh' sounds that her mom seemed to like so much?

Atara made up her mind in moments, springing up onto her paws and beelining for that sunny world Jethro always disappeared into. If anyone moved to stop her, they would get an earful of puppy babbling.

There was always so much to do. Attending to patrols, refreshing border markers, coordinating hunts to fill prey caches. The days were long, and oftentimes tiring, but that also made it all the more rewarding. He tried, throughout the day and as often as possible, to check in on Finley and their daughter.

She was growing bigger and stronger every day, so surely it would not be long now before she departed the den. While he knew he wouldn’t be able to be present for her every excursion and adventure, Jet sure as hell wanted to be there the first time she got to see the outside world.

As he’d done a number of times, he’d returned to the den to peek inside. Only this time, it seemed like he was just in time to come face-to-face with little Atara making a break for the outside world.

”Where do ya think you’re goin’?” The inquiry was the opposite of scolding. Mostly amused, beaming with love and pride for the girl. Could today be that day?

It was none other than her father himself that appeared out of that bright light, familiar snout and large green eyes blocking her way. His words reverberated around her, but all Atara could know for sure was that she was being addressed. She stepped back just to plop onto her pudgy puppy bottom, determined not to be forced any further away from the outside. Her short tail wriggled and whapped at their earthen surroundings, baby blues bright with excitement.

"MUH!" she declared loudly, a paw raised and windmilling through the air animatedly.

"MuhmuhmuhmaMUHmamuhh!"

Doing her best to let him know that she was ready for more than all her world had so far been.

At his inquiry, the child did not retreat nor flinch back into the den. Jet was not sure if he’d been expecting her to or not, but he was glad she hadn’t. Instead, she just sat back and loudly tried to communicate something, a tiny paw waving through the air as she did so.

Right now, her vocalizations were not words, and while it wouldn’t be long before they were, Jethro was still pretty sure he knew what was being asked. Or perhaps demanded. ”You’re right.. I know. C’mon.” He murmured with a smile. At that he backed up a few paces. Beyond the den, into the light, beckoning with a little motion of his nose for the child to follow.

It had to happen sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

The mother could not have been gone for long, only sneaking out to get a drink and stretch her legs a little bit. She was enjoying having these small amounts of freedom again now that Atara was big enough she could be left on her own for periods of time. Still, given two of their litter already passing on, and Caspian being missing it was hard for Finley to leave for more than an hour or so at most. She was feeling much more anxious this time around than last time.

Hurrying back, she was surprised to see Atara coming out of the den, and relieved to see that Jethro was there supervising. Hanging back to allow the pair this moment to bond, a proud smile adorned her features as she watched their child interact with her father. This was the perfect little family that she had always wanted, that she had thought she was going to build last year.

Tail made wide arcs behind her in happiness, but she remained silent, happy to watch from the sidelines and let Jethro have this moment all to himself. She had had enough of her own last year, he deserved to have this one. He was the reason they all had a home here after all.

He listened. Atara was thrilled to see her father back away and beckon her into that outer world, bounding up off her haunches and into the light. It blinded her but she stumbled ahead all the same, eyes squinted shut and paws tripping over the grass. It didn't take long for her to end up rolling, puppy giggles spilling into the air. It was the first time she felt a breeze, and the unique warmth of the sun upon her small face. Birdsong and the buzzing of insects filled her ears.

It was great.

"Muuum," she mumbled, twisting until she was back onto her paws. Her eyes were beginning to adjust, and she peered up at her father with a broad smile. Mother's presence was not yet sensed, too much new standing in the way of what was familiar, especially to still-unfolding senses.

There’d been a lot of worries, work, and heartache that lead to this moment. Jet very much doubted that was likely to change in the future, either. But for all of the bad, moments like this made that all worth it.

Witnessing the innocent happiness, seeing the smiles and hearing the laughs of a child taking her first steps into the larger world was a treat and a privilege. Jethro was glad to witness Finley in his peripherals observing as well. A part of him couldn’t help wondering who’d been there to witness his first excursion into the world. If they’d cared, or if there’d even been anyone.

Jethro blinked those thoughts away and ducked down onto his belly, closer to eye-level with his daughter. ”Yeah. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

The Lennox woman did a short inhale seeing her daughter take a tumble, but all worries were quickly forgotten at the sound of giggles filling the air. A warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the sun, this was just such a peaceful perfect moment. She was almost afraid to move and shatter the image of it, a core memory being formed, maybe not for Atara but certainly for the parents. It was unlikely that being this small the cub would remember any of it at all in a few weeks.

It almost brought happy tears to her eyes, but she blinked away the mistiness and moved forward. Coming to lay next to Jethro with her side pressed snuggle against his, she licked his chin gently before peering down at Atara. She whispered softly, ”I love you,” before falling quiet to watch what the child would do next on her first big adventure.

She glanced sideways at the man who had helped give her everything that she had wanted and before she could stop herself she leaned in and whispered in his ear, ”And I love you,” she just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Jethro came closer, and she could now clearly make out all the details of his face. This drew her in, a goofy smile on her face as she plodded right up to his nose, able to feel his breath as he spoke. It hadn't occurred to her yet that her parents were a picture of her own future, otherwise she would have been thoroughly excited at the prospect of being so big herself one day. For now, she could just be a little bit jealous.

"Aah," she tried to mimic, pawing at his nose playfully, "immit."

Mom joined them then, and finally fell within Atara's awareness for it. Her stubby tail wagged wildly and she switched her focus, now admiring how big and strong Finley was. There was probably nothing they couldn't do.

"Oo, ob ooo."

(This post was last modified: Sep 24, 2023, 09:06 PM by Atara.)

She came forth and tried to speak. A flailing paw directed toward his nose prompted a wide smile and a gentle laugh, as well as a nod at Finley as she settled down beside him. What was now just puppy babble would quickly become words, then sentences, and after that full-on conversation. Before long she’d be running off on adventures or running with them during hunts and other activities…

Jethro’d already been privileged to watch two children grow up. He counted himself blessed that he’d get to witness and be a part of it again.

With all of those wandering thoughts, it took a few seconds for him to process what Finley had whispered in one ear. When he did though, it was almost flattering. ”Love you too, ” he murmured back, removing his gaze from Atara long enough to speak it. He was beyond blessed to have what he had.

”Both of you,” the dark one added, attention flicking back to Atara playfully. A mock growl emanated from his chest after that, and Jet lunged forth to ’attack’ the girl with a flurry of gentle nudges and kisses.