Whitefish River daddy's always on the move

Of all the wolves he'd failed in this world -- apart from Dragomir, clinging just barely to life -- he'd perhaps failed his daughter the most. Physically, she was whole, but he knew that the chaos of their family had taken its toll on her. He knew she resented him for his absences, his transience. He knew that he had been the world's worst father to her, and the thought hurt more than anything.

He'd failed her, greatly. That was an undisputed fact, and Vercingetorix didn't know whether he'd ever be able to make amends with her. He'd always be the one who'd abandoned them, time and time again.

But despite the urge to run away from these painful truths rather than face them, Verx sought out his daughter along the river, heart sitting heavy in his chest. If he didn't find her now, it would be just another failure to add to the list of grievances she had against him. She needed him more than ever, in the wake of her brother's injuries. How their relationship progressed from here on out was on him.

Make the first move, you coward. Isi deserves better than you.

dated July 19 -- for @Isilmë

the river had quickly become her second-most frequented haunt, besides Dragomir's side. she'd been able to spend more time away from him, in the past few days, especially since Ira had agreed to mentor her. she wanted, more than anything, to never, ever feel helpless again - but the sudden appearance of her father reminded her starkly that that wasn't possible. 

her gaze moved immediately to the river, where it remained. she loathed the fact that passiveness was her first reaction, want to look him in the eyes, to shout. but the fear of the potential of another violent burst of words from him outweighed the loathing, which ultimately made her only angry - at herself, at him. and so, in the end, she settled on acknowledging him with a "hi." her gaze did not shift.

She greeted him in Trigedasleng, which warmed him slightly, though he knew it was through no effort of his own. Aure and Blodreina had taught them the language -- he had been gone, gone, a shitty absent father, with nothing to show for spawning two wonderful children. Still, he pushed back the bad thoughts and managed a shaky smile, responding, Hei, in turn.

They stood together for a few quiet moments, he the yawning darkness of night and she the beautiful moon that lit its depths. That was accurate, wasn't it? He created chaos, confusion; was boundless and wild. Isi was just as boundless and wild, but there was promise in her, an ethereal glow. That was all Aure, he thought; he'd given nothing of value to his son and daughter.

Isilmë, I'm sorry, Vercingetorix said at last, turning to look at her, painful as it was to meet her eyes. I know I've been a terrible father, and Dragomir getting hurt is the worst of it all. But I've hurt you, too -- you didn't need to tumble down a mountain for me to know that. I've hurt you, and there's no way I can ever make it up to you. . .but I want to try, baby. I want to try.

in the silence that followed, she turned then to look at him. he met her gaze after a moment, and she held it, despite the desire to turn away. she swallows, dryly, and wants to believe him. she does, in a way - she knows both him, and Aure, want to be good parents. they've told her, and she knows despite it all that they love her. her tongue flicks over her lips, fleeting. 

I want to try. then stay, she wants to say, stay here with me. but she knows that, no matter how long he remains here, she'll always be wondering, scared, of the time when he'll vanish. what she hates most is not knowing - when her parents leave, she is utterly helpless to know when she'll see them again. "ok," she says finally, acceptance in the simple sincerity of the word. "I'll try too. to be better" she knows she hasn't been the perfect daughter. if she was, her parents wouldn't leave so often, anyways.

and then, because she's seen his anger and it scares and thrills her. "you'll get them? the - the fuckers? and you'll hurt them?" this, she thinks, would be a pretty good way to mend the rifts between them. "I want to hurt them, too." 
 

Her words utterly broke his heart, and he shook his head, blinking back the tears that came quicker than he could have imagined. No, Isi, he murmured, touching his muzzle to the top of her head, giving her an affectionate lick on the ear. You don't need to be better. You've done everything -- everything -- right. All of this is on me and your mom to fix.

The -- the fuckers?! He snorted a little, taken aback. When had he. . .oh. On the mountain, yeah. Goddamn it, Verx. He had forgotten that children were basically sponges.

I will, Vercingetorix said gravely, nodding. At her request, he smiled, shifting his paws. How old had he been when he'd started his mercenary training? Younger than Isi, surely. . .but then again, Trigeda had been a much more militaristic culture than those in which his daughter had been raised. But it was time. She, and Dragomir, needed to be able to defend themselves.

He wouldn't be here forever. Only death could take him from them now, sure. . .but death was inevitable.

You should know how to fight, he said, giving her a look-over as he mulled how to proceed. Which style would be best for his tall, lithe daughter? They're not just gonna go away by yelling at them, unfortunately, Verx added, grinning.

she blinked at the hot tears that came swiftly after his words, remembering in a heartbeat how much she missed his touch. she screwed up her face, refusing to let them fall. 

his snort, however, had her glance up. "good" she retorted, words just as grave as his. she wasn't exactly sure why he smiled. surely he knew she was capable of hurting them? she was aware that her fighting skills were bare and minimal, but she was certain that if she wanted to, she could. but his words sparked a brief thrill anyways, and she peered at him with a new intensity. "they might. they don't know how loud I can yell." she ascertained, but all the same, added, "teach me." despite the hurt of the past few days, this encounter was morphing into something lighter, and her tail gave a trepident wave. she didn't instigate a spar immediately, as she might once have - that wariness was still present. but if her father would offer instruction - she'd be a willing student.

He laughed at her remark, though kept his eyes soft on her face, wanting her to know that he wasn't laughing at her but with her. Or, sure, at her. . .but it was with pride in her spirit, her strength, her vigor. Goddamn, he had a spitfire of a daughter, and he wouldn't ever take her for granted again.

Teach me? I thought you'd never ask, he said with a wink, wagging his tail fervently.

Hmmm. . .where to begin? You're a little on the small side right now, and I'm not sure how big you'll get when you're all grown up, he mused, eyes once more drifting over her form. Big wolves like me can get away with being a little clumsy, because we can just knock everyone over, usually. Smaller wolves. . .they have to be smart, and use their speed and brains to their advantage. You have to anticipate your enemy's next move before they make it, and you can't give away what you're thinking, either.

Verx shifted his weight fluidly from one forepaw to the other, like an athlete slow-jogging in place. If I was a threat—like, on the border, trying to get in—what would you do first? Try and stop me, using your speed against my strength.

It was more self-guided than anything else, mainly because he knew Isi had the smarts to handle it. Hell, he was half-expecting having his ass handed to him, and that was a-okay with Vercingetorix. Again, his kid, his legacy.

for the first time, her muzzle twists into a small grin, and her tail lashes once behind her as her father's tail begins its wagging. 

she listens carefully to what he says, absorbing the information with a tight nod and committing it to memory. she watches as he shifts his weight, gaze following the movement until he invites her to try an attack, at which point she meets his gaze again. her first instinct is to charge at his shoulder, or his neck, the same place a parent would pin a pup when they became troublesome. but he'd stressed the importance of being smart, and that move didn't seem to require much thinking, so it was thrown out.

her attention drawn back to the simple movement he sustained, relearning the beat of it. and then, when his weight was placed on his right side, she moved, and launched herself at his left side, which she assumed to be weaker when his weight wasn't on it. she threw her weight against his shoulder first, hoping to unbalance him, before springing up and attempting to hook a forelimb over his back, intent on pushing him over.

She was smart. She waited until his balance was off-kilter and then struck the weak side, grappling with his bulk against her lighter frame. To her credit, she did manage to make his legs wobble -- but it wasn't quite enough to topple the mountain. Verx shifted his weight into his hindquarters and twisted, rearing slightly to shake her loose (not too roughly, though).

Very good, he praised, once the dust had settled from the scuffle. Love that you went that direction. It might not have been enough to get me down, but plenty of other wolves might have fallen right over.

He canted his head, staring at her. So what about defense? Vercingetorix asked. If a wolf my size came charging at you. . .what to do? Again, your size and speed should be used to your advantage, Isilmë. Your body is centered lower to the ground than mine -- you're much more difficult to knock down than I am, even though it doesn't seem that way. Ground yourself. . .and be fast.

The words only had a few scant moments to rise into the air before he came at his daughter at a lope, teeth bared.

she absorbs his advice like a sponge, warming slowly but surely. she nods in acknowledgement when he finishes, eager to try again. the circumstances change, but she quickly understands how she may use the same attack she'd tried a moment ago, modified. he's quick to move, and despite the overwhelming desire to move in the face of another wolf charging towards her, she holds still. when he's close, she rises suddenly, crashing into his chest while swinging her muzzle around, burying her jaws in the thick fur of his shoulder and shifting her momentum to the side in a swift attempt to bowl him over again.

It probably looked like a musk ox charging a swan, but whatever Isi did was effective. He winced as he felt her teeth and then felt himself jerked sideways, suddenly. Whether his own failure to counter the blow was intentional or not didn't matter (it wasn't); Verx fell to his knees in the dirt with a grunt of pain, followed quickly by laughter.

Yes, hell yes! he cried out triumphantly, eyes flashing to find his daughter. He tried to scramble to his paws and lost his footing altogether, cackling as he floundered onto the ground. Now go for the belly, go for the belly!

It resembled somewhat of a play session, now, which he was fine with. Vercingetorix was all too aware that his kids were growing faster than he could keep track.

a brilliant burning feeling of success and pride, only made greater by her father's shouted praise. and quite suddenly, it was as if some sort of barrier were broken, and she laughed, full and happy, for what might have been the first time in months. with a sharp cry of "I'm gonna get your guts!" she wheeled and launched an attack on his stomach, clumsy and entirely ineffective, though she was too full of this brief and unexpected surge of happiness to worry about that in the slightest. they wrestle a while longer, until exhaustion hits in full and the girl curls close to her father, slipping into an easy sleep.