Swiftcurrent Creek This is the only land my mind could find

@Soter
Family cameos welcome <3

He was torn. He needed to be here, caring for Rosalie and his newborn children, but he also needed to be out searching for his missing children. He couldn't be in two places at once, as much as he wished he could, so he had devoted some of his patrol time to searching areas outside the borders for any kind of scent trail. He could never go too far since he needed to return to the den every night to bring Rosalie food and check on the pups, but he had continued this pattern every day since Zephry and Helios ran away, and every day that he found no sign of them, the alpha grew more and more desolate over the whole situation. What Zephyr had done was unspeakable, but she was still his daughter, and he still wanted her here and safe.

He finally made his way back to the den long after the sun had set, exhausted and hopeless. A hare dangled between his jaws as he passed through the den entrance, and he dropped it near Rosalie's sleeping form, careful not to wake her or his sleeping mate currently curled around the new mother. He nuzzled the two sleeping newborns, drawing in their scents, and then dropped to the ground in front of them, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he settled. As exhausted as he was, he wondered if sleep would evade him for another night while his anxious mind tortured him with the events of the last few days or everything that might go wrong in the days to come.

Even in his almost useless state of babyhood, he acknowledged the fact that the heat sources seemed to rotate. Some brought him milk (his favorite heat sources) and some just brought comfort. This was the one that just brought comfort. Granted he was not entirely convinced of that. When the heater finally settled down, Soter set to work with a hungry mouth.

His work was slow and he had not been tucked into a side like he usually was when he was being fed. So it was a paw that he found himself trying to latch onto. His disappointment with the lack of milk would be displayed in the form of a disgruntled whine.

This would not do.

He was pulled from his sullen thoughts as his attention was immediately drawn to the odd sensation on his toe. It was soon followed by sounds from his tiny son that made his unhappiness very clear to the alpha. Sorry, son, you won't find any food there, he said quietly, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear him. He lowered his head and began to gently lick the hungry pup, hoping he could soothe him despite the fact that he was unable to help in the meal department, at least not directly right now. He couldn't do much for the pups in the early stages except provide warmth and protection and keep their mother fed, but he tried his best to make up for that.

He had thought the words Not cool, Mom plenty of times when she moved him about or licked him just a bit too much for his liking but now he had to conjure up the idea of not cool, Dad. Although his cries here momentarily hushed as he felt the familiar sensation of a tongue sweeping over his form. That was kind of nice. Mainly because he wasn't tucked up against anything which meant he was a touch colder than he'd like to be.

A disgruntled babbling sound escaped him though as he attempted to worm up the side of his father's leg which hopefully led into the plush fur of his chest and neck. The parents should know by now that that was Soter's favorite sleeping spot.

Soter seemed only temporarily quieted by his licking, eventually crying out again and shuffling around near his leg. Kavik was aware of his son's favorite spot, having watched him sleep with Rosalie, and it was also the same spot he usually ended up in whenever Kavik gave their mother a break and took over pup duty. He wondered if that was what he was in search of now. As gently as he could, he picked up the tiny child and placed him against the thick, ebony hair of his chest, nuzzling his son as he waited for him to settle. Hopefully this spot was warm enough for his liking.

eee, sorry about the wait!

Okay, whoa. The boy had not expected to be picked up and that would have been shown in the flailing of his limbs. The trip was short lived though as his father settled him against the plush fur of his neck. Soter, as ballsy as he was for a child who was so recently brought into this world, aimed to bite at Kavik's neck. Granted without any true power to his jaw it was a pitiful attempt.

The real message was clear though. Despite being in his favorite spot, Soter was not quite ready for a nap yet. Give him a few moments though.

No worries <3

He would have soothingly nuzzled Soter in attempt to make up for upsetting him, but he was distracted by the faint pulling on his fur. He looked down and a low chuckle rumbled from his chest at the sight of his tenacious son. Napping didn't seem to be on the agenda right now. Kavik lowered his head to gently and playfully mouth the pup, careful not to hurt him or topple him over. If Soter wanted to play, then the alpha was happy to oblige; it would be a nice distraction from his worries and duties, which was something he desperately needed.

He had not expected retaliation from the lumbering shadow. Although it did not hurt, it was a surprise that he met with a rather pitiful yip. He would have to work harder to come out successful it seemed. What should he do? What did he normally do? Paws useless "clawed" (really, it was more like a kneading kitten) at the plush fur while he still attempted to tug at the strands he had trapped in his mouth. It seemed like the right thing to do. Or it at least felt somewhat familiar.

He was totally going to win.

Soter's response was to softly knead and mouth his fur; it made Kavik chuckle a little. He continued his own assault, though, gently mouthing his son back. But then he switched gears, moving his muzzle underneath the pup's chest and lightly nosing him, attempting to rile him up some more. He knew he would definitely let his son win eventually, but he would make it fun first. Plus, he didn't want Soter to think it would be so easy to take him down; winning would be better that way.

They played until Soter grew tired, releasing a big yawn against Kavik's chest. He curled around his son and fell asleep, comforted and momentarily distracted from his anxieties.