Noctisardor Bypass sunday morning coming down

@Arbiter @Beetle @Grub @Slug — Kaertok over here making decisions without his baby momma's approval.
Jenn, feel free to intervene! Private for those tagged. <3

It had been long enough. The children were still weak, still stupid, but at least they were less boring. Kaertok was done waiting for Arbiter to make the decision to move them to the rendezvous site. The time was now, and he would deal with whatever lip-lashing she wanted to give him if she wanted them to stay in the den longer.

Atuaserk. Malrok. Pingasut. It is time to leave the den. You are no longer babies. Well, not to Kaertok. You will learn to sleep outside, and you will begin patrolling a small area for practice. It was never too early to instill good habits. Hopefully habits that would last a lifetime.

When summoned, Grub obeyed, though when she slunk up to her father, she tilted her head to look up at him and said, "I am Hunt." It still came out sounding like "Haunt" on her unpracticed tongue. Neither Grub nor Malrok suited her tastes as she grew and developed preferences, a personality. And if she ever realized her error in pronunciation, she would likely find it suited her just as well. She was both a hunter and a haunter: a quiet, ghostly but (one day) deadly presence.

Whether or not he honored her didn't matter. The words and their meaning still rolled through her head, whispered in her blood. She lived for the hunt, most days. Today, though, she thrilled at her father's words. They were no longer babies; she concurred. They would learn how to patrol; she accepted. Most importantly of all, they were leaving the den for good. That made today the best day of Grub's Haunt's life.

Another command, another growing sound for his effort. She was not some baby to be bossed around, she was a royal, a queen. Her darkening eyes looked over to her sister as she declared herself something other than the names given to them, a nod cam le as she showed her approval. She too did not like the names they had, she was not some bug to be crushed nor this strange name he spoke of. What was she, she was.. well she was royalty. "Haunt." she spoke to her sister in a better tone due to her regular bossing, she spoke more and was typically the loudest like any queen should. To be heard. "I.. am Royal" word was still weird to her lips as she had her tail curve over her back in dominance.

when he spoke of partoling a smile came to her lips, finally thwy were to stop sitting in that den doing nothing! She wanted adventures, she wanted to have freedoms! Oh this was perfect, except one thing. Sleeping outside, what was the point of that? A queen did not sleep outside! "Why sleep.. outside?" her tone reflected her displeasure.

i kept thinking i replied to this for some reason.

they are summoned by their father. knowing nothing other than being addressed by different names by their parents, he does not think to question it. only beyond the very decisive thought that he doesn’t like being called slug. diluted red-brownish crown lifts as he pads outside of the den; bringing up the caboose as his sisters beat him. eyes focus upon kaertok as he tells them they are not babies, they must leave the den, learn to sleep outside and begin patrolling for practice.

he was fine with these things; had no arguments to the facts that were presented to them …aside from an agreement with royal’s concerns about sleeping outside. if they weren’t babies anymore …then surely they could make their own decision on whether they slept outside or not. he wanted his own den not to be exposed to all the elements.

want my own den. pingasut, yet to pick a new name for himself, declares, refusing to settle for anything else.

Malrok spoke, and Kaertok raised a brow. She declared herself "Haunt" and not two seconds later, Atuaserk declared herself royalty. Kaertok looked at Pingasut, but all he seemed to want was a den. These kids thought they could just name themselves? Add that to the list of stupid things they thought they could do. He stared at them a little while longer.

We sleep outside because that is what we do when we are grown. The only adults who sleep in dens are mothers who are caring for their babies. But he would not sit here and argue with children. Follow me, he said, taking a few steps before craning his neck to make sure all three were close behind. Disobedience would not be tolerated, and Kaertok would make quick work of anyone who refused to follow orders.

Beetle's voice piped up close to hear ear, repeating her new moniker. Haunt grunted assent, falling silent again when her sister followed suit and declared a new name for herself as well. A pale ear twitched. She didn't know the meaning of the name but if that's what Beetle Royal wanted to be called, then Haunt would return the favor without question.

She didn't bother saying anything else, letting her siblings speak. They both complained about the situation, which earned a sharp glance from Haunt. Didn't they understand by now that their father didn't tolerate anything but strict obedience? It was a lesson she'd learned well by now. Their refutes surprised her on another level; she was personally glad to be entirely rid of the confines of a den.

Her tail switched, waiting for their Kaertok's inevitable ire. His reply came, brusque as ever. Haunt fell into step behind him, marching like an obedient soldier, but not without giving her brother and sister a pointed glance. Royal might think of herself as above authority and Haunt had no desire to take away her pride or her rank. But both she and Slug would both be foolish if they thought they could go up against the will of Kaertok Tartok.

A growl began to rise in her chest but from the look of her ghostly sister she tampered the sound to stay unvoiced and let it die away. The fur along her back did not fall though, it rose with discomfort as the man that was her father spoke down to her. She would sleep in a den if she so chose, as he said, they were to move from their mother's den to be on their own but she would still sleep in comfort if she so chose! 

the look from her sister again kept her quiet as she moved beside her aand followed like a good little girl,  but she shot a glare at her sister to show her she was not happy about it.

dissent rises clear as morning sun among the trio. kaertok shoots him and royal down both and though pingasut lets out a huff; childish and surly he trudges along without any other choice. dens were, clearly, off limits and the firekissed legionnaire knows to hold his tongue. it is obvious their father will not hear any raises of protest from them, nor entertain such things and he bites his tongue; accepting that this is how it will be. for now.

Any arguments were cut short for the time being, and Kaertok was pleased with the silence that followed as they made their way to the rendezvous site. While most of the shoreline of the lake was wooded, there was a small clearing that overlooked the lake on the southern side, and this was where Kaertok led his three children. Here is where they would spend the next several months, learning how to be adults and shedding their childish ways. This was a moment he was proud of, and he turned to all three when they arrived.

For now, this is where we will stay. You will grow strong here and gain your independence. They were free to go and explore now, if they wished, although he waited any (surely pointless) questions they might have about their new home. He had no doubt that they would push boundaries, as that was the Tartok way, but he would be here to guide them into being strong, competent adolescents who would turn into strong, competent adults.

Haunt remained expressionless when Royal directed a glare her way, sensing it wasn't meant for her. She did take a moment to nip at the scruffy fur lining her sister's face in the hopes of raising her spirits. Her attention then swung to Slug. She wasn't as fond of her brother as she was of her sister, though she liked him well enough. She made a rumbling noise at him.

It wasn't long before they arrived. Kaertok made a grand announcement and Haunt half-listened. Mostly, she was busy scouring the rendezvous site with all her senses, ears pinning and twitching as her eyes roved. As soon as the pups' father stopped speaking, she stalked forth across their new domain, nose immediately lowering to the ground. For once, she didn't so much care about hunting—although she wouldn't pass up any opportunity, should one present itself—as simply exploring her new boundaries.

Last post pour moi!