Grayday had left Catori and the cubs behind to seek out his middle two. Easy was still absent, and Grayday was sure Dauntless and Lavender were beginning to worry for her as well.
He found his son's scent first and began to traces it to its source, picking his way rather slowly across the slushy plains. He couldn't see it, but green sprigs were poking up through the white snow all around him - the fields would soon be in full bloom around them.
Grayday's ears flickered at the word that came out of Dauntless's mouth, but he didn't otherwise react. All the kids seemed to want to call him different things, but as long as it wasn't 'Late for Supper' the male didn't really mind. 'Pops' was a new one, though.
Instead, he pulled a face at the mention of fox and shook his head. "No thanks. Doesn't sit well with me. Something about the smell," he demured. And it was true. Foxes were gross just to be around. Perhaps it was a holdover from that failed gift he'd gotten for Adeline. Who knew? "I just came by to see you. We haven't talked much lately, or at all since your brothers and sister were born."
Grayday gave a little wag of his tail at Dauntless's explanation. He was grateful, truly, that his son was so caring and responsible, but he hated to feel as though Dauntless was being pushed aside. "You don't have to avoid us completely," said Grayday, moving forward to bump his head against his son's. "You're still my baby boy too, you know." The last sentence was said in a sweet, surupy voice that he normally reserved for toothless cubs, but the words were only half in jest. Dauntless would always be his baby, just like Sunny and Dawn and the rest of the kids.
His expression spelled mischief for half a second before Grayday ducked down and snagged the fox, holding back a blech at the smell and taste as he turned and darted away, charging across the plains at a much higher speed than he might normally. This would probably end with him flat on his face, but it would be worth it to annoy his son - and perhaps lure him toward his younger siblings.