Redhawk Caldera another day

puppy bonding please! @Ceridwen @Jay @Chickadee @Shenanigans

Eljay could really feel that he needed to slow down. He was tired often and he couldn't wait until he could step down as Auspex so that he had some more time for his children. He was still working out the details, but he would call the meeting and vote for the new Auspex soon, he had decided. One thing that was holding him back was that he still had not decided whether he would vote for Maia or Teya. Both of them were good choices, and honestly, he was not sure what would be better for the pack — or themselves. Teya seemed like she could use a break, too, but she also had always been good to the pack and deserved the position. Maia had been around since the beginning, too, and she was kind and would make a great Auspex, he knew. Both of them meant a great deal to Eljay, further making the choice impossible.

Worries for another day, though. Today, the caretaker lazed in the setting sun at the rendezvous site. The autumn sun was warm yet, and it painted his stale fur a beautiful golden as it slowly inched towards the horizon.

Through sheer determination and luck, Shenanigans had managed to catch a minnow this morning. She held it in her mouth, cheeks puffed out comically, as she scrambled back to the center of the rendezvous site.

As soon as she spotted Eljay relaxing in the September sunshine, she made a beeline toward him and, without thinking, shouted, Look!

The fish came tumbling out with a mouthful of spit, landing in the grass at her feet. It promptly began to flip and flop. Shenanigans let out a noise between a giggle and a shout, pinning it to the ground with her paw as her big eyes looked up at Eljay.

I caught a fishy, Eljay! Look! Shenanigans said excitedly, very slowly prising her paw off the ground to reveal her tiny catch.

Shenanigans' yell caught Jay's attention from nearby.  No way!  I wanna see! He charged over to get a look, but it was so little!  It looked more like a tadpole or something.

That's not a fish! It's a baby. Jay pronounced with a laugh, completely unaware that it was both a contradiction and potentially belittling of her hunt.  He just looked at his dad to see if he was right. It was a baby, it had to be.

Eljay's ears perked up when he heard and saw Shenanigans approach the rendezvous site. Not long after Shenanigans' excited shout through a mouthful of fish, Jay showed up, expressing his surprise. Eljay focused on Shenanigans first, who excitedly exclaimed having caught a fish while the minnow flopped up and down on the ground. Well done, Eljay said with a soft smile, but before he could say more Jay exclaimed that it wasn't a fish, but a baby (well, perhaps a baby fish).

Rather than telling Jay off for being insensitive, Eljay focused on the positive and he smiled at Shenanigans as he said with a wink, All the more impressive that you caught it. The small fish are the most slippery.

When Jay abruptly appeared and denounced her catch, Shenanigans bared her teeth in an entirely jolly leer. Her eyes sparkled as she moved to playfully shove him, only to abort as her minnow began flipping all over the place like a Mexican jumping bean.

She pounced on it, clapping both paws over it and then bursting into a laugh as its movement tickled the sensitive pads of her paws. Somewhere in there, Eljay praised her for capturing something so small and slippery, earning a fleeting beam from Shenanigans.

But soon she was falling over on her side, peals of laughter loosing from her as she began to flop about like a dying fish, a breathless cry of, It tickled me! eking its way out of her throat.

Eljay praised the catch but didn't acknowledge that he was totally right. Fortunately Bluejay wasnt the type to take the lack of a response to heart, or even notice it much when something else caught his attention.  Something like Shenanigans falling over and leaving the fish in the clear for him to steal.

 He pounced on it, snatched it up, then pranced away with it held between his teeth.  His tail waved as he waggled a bit with playful invitation, just in case she wanted to get it back.  She, or his dad, would have to wrestle for it!  And he was totally winning.

depending on if they notice and engage, he might be skippable for a couple rounds <3

Eljay chuckled at Shenanigans flopping about as the fish flopped up against her. He chuckled, but not for long, as Jay took off with the fish. Jay! Eljay called out, Get back here, that's Shenanigans' fish! Jay looked like he was inviting them for play. Eljay felt torn; on one hand, he understood that it was just playful, but he also understood that a first catch of any kind was a huge thing. He looked to Shenanigans for her response, upon which he'd base how to further respond to Jay's act of playful thievery.

When Jay snatched her fish, Shenanigans let out a playfully indignant, Hey! and tried to regain control of herself.

By the time she rolled onto her hip, pushed up onto an elbow, then bounced to her feet, he had bounded out of reach. Eljay admonished his son but Shenanigans launched herself after Jay, teeth bared in an entirely mock snarl.

Give it back or I’ll feed you to a monster! Shenanigans threatened in a sunny voice, the warning punctuated with a giggle as she tried to swat the minnow from the boy’s mouth.

Jay's tail stilled momentarily as Eljay called out, and he stood uncertainly.  She put it down!  That meant she had to come get it if she wanted it!  The momentary worry of being in trouble ended as soon as Shenanigans bounded towards him.

His tail immediately picked up in a flurry again, and he tried to keep his head raised enough that she wouldn't be able to reach. He wasn't quick enough, however, and her paw managed to catch the fish and flick it from his grasp.

Can't feed a monster a monster!!  He crowed, bounding after her.  I'm a fish-gobbler!  But I only eat baby fish!!!!!

Jay would've definitely been in trouble if Shenanigans didn't pick it up so lightly. As the pups solved the matter among themselves, Eljay's tension faded away just as Jay's did, and he chuckled as Shenanigans threatened Jay in a hearty, funny manner. He walked after the pair of them slowly to see how they handled things between themselves in the matter of the stolen fish, and didn't interfere for now.

Says who? Shenanigans rebutted. You? she jeered, a grin still stretching her lips and eyes dancing with merriment as she bantered with the wolf who’d become as much a brother to her as Waxwing had been, once.

Her success caught Shenanigans by surprise, though she quickly recovered and dove for the now-dead minnow. She snatched it up in her teeth and then whirled with surprising speed, trying to slap Jay in the face with it despite its small size.

The minnow managed to catch him right on the muzzle and he froze, more out of surprise than anything else.  Heyyy! he squealed back playfully, then reared up to bat at her ears playfully as she spun away from him with the fish.

If she went to run he would bound after, giggling all the while, more for the fun of the game than to actually catch her or steal the fish back.  Chasing or wrestling, it didn't matter!  Any game was just as much fun!

my last, unless you guys address Eljay <3

Eljay watched the children play. When Shenanigans hit Jay in the face, Eljay froze, ready to intervene if necessary. However, the situation dissolved as Jay sounded more playful than offended, and Eljay relaxed again. The pair of them dissolved into wrestling, and the caretaker laid down again to watch them. The father watched them play with a soft smile on his face, feeling like the richest man in the world.

She froze too, surprised by her own success. At Jay’s indignant cry, Shenanigans let out a little scream too, backpedaling as he reared at her like a wild mustang. She didn’t move quite fast enough to avoid his paws, which boxed her about the ears.

She bolted, knowing Jay would chase her and, quite likely, catch up to her. For a short time, Shenanigans held her own. When the inevitable happened, she dropped the fish and tucked her tail, scooting away toward Eljay.

He was on his belly now, which was the perfect position for Shenanigans to dive toward his armpit and wedge herself in there. She panted for a moment, eyes keeping watch for Jay. She doubted he would retaliate while she was here; that was the entire point!

When her breath settled, Shenanigans did too, letting out some soft, happy noises as she snuggled into Papa Eljay’s warmth.

Wait, he didn't mean to take it!!

Jay watched as she dove for Eljay, then yelled.  WAIT, you left it!!!!  He picked up the fish and took off with it towards both of them, pouncing on his dad too and dropping the fish (to slide off) while he laughed.

Ani might have been ready for a nap, but Jay wasn't even close!  Forgetting the fish, he wrestled with his dad's paw for a few minutes, then his head perked up.  HEY AIDENNNN!!  Just like that he was off, new target ready and honed in on.