Dead Empress Backwater Pursuit of Knowledge

Backdated to the 1st, Euna is 6 wks old.

Euna stared out from the den's mouth, her plans for adventure thwarted by the rain that poured down. Droplets splashed the puddles in their wake. A cool breeze ruffled her fur and the musky smell of a storm filled her nostrils. So she watched curiously, unbothered by the occasional boom of thunder that shook the ground. Instead, she was fascinated by it. What was that? So loud and fierce that it moved the ground!

Euna's chin rested upon her crisis-crossed legs, her body sprawled out comfortably. Tail flat upon the den's floor unmoving. If not for her breath and the occasional twitch of the ear, the pup would've been completely still. The weather was like music, a chaotic symphony brought on by the storm that couldn't quite get its notes right. Then again another boom of thunder would roll out across the sky- this time followed by a bright light that struck in the distance.

The child's head popped up at the display, ears pressed firmly forward. She had never seen something so bright aside from the sun! Oh, what had that been? She stood up, stepping close enough to the outside world that the cold shower touched her nose.

Dead Empress Backwater
— through trials to triumph.

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2023, 06:19 AM by Euna.)

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

Vayko was nothing less than a protective father over his brood… especially with the way that he and Clover had already been forced to bury their firstborn. It set him on edge. What if something else happened to the rest of their children? To Tori or Euna or Khalon or Tuwile? What if something happened to his nieces and nephews whom they were diligently raising as their own?

It was that reason that there was some sense of alarm when he saw Euna’s head pop out for a moment, beginning to make her way out. He would hover, his eyes alert as he kept himself appraised of her continued movements.

“Euna, darling.” He would coo softly as he caught up to her, running a maw lightly along her tiny frame for a second. “Don’t wander too far.” Perhaps he was fretting too much. After all, the pups were more than allowed outside of the den… but what if something happened to them?

He feared turning into Viorel, a shell of himself… and he knew losing any of them would do that to him.

Vayko Valle

Before Euna's paw could even touch down on the muddy earth to depart the den she was stopped. Her name was called out and she twisted her head back to look at him. Her muzzle was wet with droplets that dripped off onto the den floor. At his gentle touch, she chirped out a sweet, "Daddieeee." in protest. "Boot why?" She questioned him boldly before another bolt of lightning struck the ground. Her head whizzed around to look with ears pressed forward. "What dat?!" How she longed to know and understand!

She looked back once more and told her dad with much emphasis because he needed to know of course, "Prudy watah." While nodding her head. Then she proclaimed, "I go purdy watah with Daddie!" and squealed excitedly, stomping her paws. Her eyes were expectant and she didn't stop to consider him denying her want. She waited impatiently staring up at him with a bottom lip jutted out. Her little tail wagging a hundred miles per hour.

Dead Empress Backwater
— through trials to triumph.

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

There was a sense of relief when she stopped, even as she protested. Something about even that caused his heart to ache, thinking that she was upset, that she was hurt by him in some ways he supposed… even if he knew that it was for her own good. He nearly jumped himself when the bolt struck outside the den, relief that he had kept her inside coursing through him as he nudged her back inside.

“That was very dangerous.” He stated, though he didn’t know if she was old enough to truly comprehend the word either. “We can watch the pretty water from here, Euna.” He stated, with a little firmness in her tone as he wrapped a paw around her, aiming to pull her closer to him. “When it stops raining then I’ll let you go play in the pretty water, okay?” He offered as a compromised meant to soothe any irritation she might have felt towards him.

No one had ever told him parenting was this hard, or what these experiences of saying no would feel like in the long run… perhaps it was just hard for him to say no and others had no issues, but he found a confliction deep in his soul about it.

Vayko Valle

Euna cocked her head at him, "Dangos?" She didn't understand what he was trying to communicate. Instead, she continued to pout at his denying her. Her attention was drawn back outside as he stated they could watch from here, her head twisting to look back over her shoulder awkwardly. She felt him touch her and squirmed protestingly as he pulled her in further. "No Daddie" She spoke, placing her paws on him so he couldn't embrace her if he tried.

"R-a-i-n?" She sounded out the word while asking her question simultaneously. "Daddie play?" She spoke with a pleading expression on her face. Then, satisfied with his compromise, Euna tucked in against his leg. Her body leaned into him while she faced the outside world. Her lips formed an o and cooed at another strike of lightning. "Brite watah!" She shouted gleefully. Bright indeed. She was fascinated by the weather, "Boom! Boom!" She squealed, imitating the loud noises raging on. She wanted to go look closer! Following her dad's rules wasn't easy. She wanted to do what she wanted when she wanted, and how she wanted. The child huffed angrily.

"Rain go! I n' Daddie play in purdy watah! She didn't understand that her pretty water was the rain. She didn't know that the rain was brought on by a storm, nor that lightning and earth-shaking thunder came with it. All she knew is she wanted to go explore what was happening so she could figure out what it meant.

Dead Empress Backwater
— through trials to triumph.

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

Dangos. It took everything in him to not chuckle at how adorable the mispronunciation was… he tried to think about how he might be able to explain it to her in a way that her young mind could understand. “It’s mean and scary out… it might hurt you.” They had to wait for the scary storm to go away. He hoped that would work rather than potentially traumatizing the girl to rain for the rest of her life… it was rudimentary, but she was very young. With time, she would grow to understand just as they all had.

She tried to push against him but it would not stop him from trying to embrace her, scooping her up to remove her from the entrance of the den as she sounded out the word. “Yes, Rain… it’s the sky water.” He offered up with a gentle smile on his features. Another crack as the lightning lit up the sky and he smiled at it… “Bright water can hurt you.” He warned again gently, knowing she wanted to go out and see it as she danced around yelling out the sounds she heard.

Children were amazingly resilient, he realized in that moment as he moved to once more block the mouth of the den. “After the rain stops, we can play in the puddles.” He decided to try and teach her another word: puddles. “Where the pretty water touches the ground is a puddle.”

Vayko Valle

She looked between him and the water baffled. Da thought the pretty water was scary? She parted her jaws to interrupt him,"No, purdy." In a tone that was an attempt at reassurance, reaching a paw out to pat her dad to console him. He had more to say though and she listened while looking at him like he was foolish, "Huwt? Watah downt huwt." She exclaimed with a dramatic sigh. Euna found herself lifted up off the ground, flailing her paws and twisting her body until she was returned. The entrance was further away now...She huffed and begrudgingly leaned into him.

Little blues lit up at the explanation, a soft coo on her lips, "Sky watah" She repeated back to him. "Why here?" She asked and curiously returned her gaze to the storm. "Sky Watah" She whispered to it as if calling out the name of another. Her father was insistent on water causing harm. The pup frowned, "Brite watah dangos?" She asked him while peaking around him. He blocked her path but was offering her something else. She quieted down to listen to her father, her shouting and whining ceased as she sat. Her face contorted in concentration, fully focused on her guardian now. "Why rain go?" She needed to know. It'd appear now, then would leave later, but what was the reasoning?

Puddles...She didn't care about puddles! She cared about the pretty rainwater. Then he explained what a puddle was, roping her back in. Her tail thumped against the ground as she leaned forward to hear what he had to tell her. She smiled, "Rain...make...pa...pa...paud...paudles?" Her head cocked to the side trying to grasp the concept brought to her awareness. "How?" She asked quizzically then, very seriously, "Why?" She need to know these very important matters.

Dead Empress Backwater
— through trials to triumph.

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

It was clear his daughter did not understand the point he was trying to make as she tried to reassure him. He would shake his head. “Pretty and scary… until the loud noises stop.” He tried to explain, trying to make her see it wasn’t the water but the water mixed in with the booms in the sky… and still, she leaned into him which made him breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps he would make a good father after all… at least, he hoped that he made a good father.

“Here because safe from the sky water… the bright water can give big ouchies.” He added, never thinking he’d have brought himself to such a level of speaking… but clearly, for his children, he would do just about anything. “Because rain has to adventure too.” Just as she wanted to adventure outside of the den, the rain would have to go elsewhere.

“Yes, the rain makes puddles!” Though the how might be beyond what her brain could handle he would try to explain anyway. “Because the water wants to be pretty, and wants to be played in! It can’t be played in if it leaves!” That was the explanation that was going to have to work for now… until she was older.

Vayko Valle

(This post was last modified: Aug 01, 2023, 10:12 PM by Vayko.)

The pup looked outside and then back at her father, trying to understand why she couldn't play right now. Why couldn't they play together in the rain? Not until the loud noises stopped? She whimpered disapointedly. The explanation wouldn't make sense for now, but in time thunder and lightning would be things she understood. For now, though she was small and innocent. Pudgy, soft, and a mere disobedient child.

Euna sighed exasperedtly and rolled her eyes, "No, why watah...rain here?" She whimpered shortly after, "Ouchies?" She didn't like ouchies, especially the ones her sister freely handed out. "Ooooh" Rain went on adventures?! Just like them? She smiled up at her Daddie with curiosity shining brightly in her eyes. "Rain...stawry?" She tried to ask him to tell her of one said adventure, and curled up around herself expectantly. Waiting to see if he understood what she wanted.

She beamed at her dad's excitement, her little chest filling with pride. Her head turned to the side, the water wanted to be played in? So it made puddles? "Want see puh-dul." She spoke as a yawn forced it's way out of her mouth, intercepting her attempt at the word. Puddles were pretty and for playing, she definitely wanted to see one. She blinked her eyes which were suddenly feeling heavy...droopy even.

Dead Empress Backwater
— through trials to triumph.

One Kiss away from Killing

BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON, HEADSTRONG TAKE ON ANYONE

Your toxic I'm slipping under

With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride

He feared them falling ill, or slipping into a lake and drowning, or anything that could possibly bring them harm… and so he would say whatever he needed with the wide breadth of experience he had in order to convince his daughter that it was not safe for them to be outside at the moment. She asked more questions. She would follow it up with how she did not like being hurt. He too did not like the idea of her or anyone else in their family being hurt. The heavens knew he was hurt often enough for all of them combined.

At least she did not linger on it, instead accepting what he said. She would ask for a story and he smiled at the request. “You can see the puddle after the rain and ouchies are gone, okay?” He offered up to her before gently nuzzling along her neck. He would wrap his paws around her. “Do you want to hear about one of the rain’s adventures, Euna?” He would ask, hoping the promise of a story would entice her.