Neverwinter Forest I’m not dealing with the real world anymore

@Nuala @Finínn (And @Sullivan too can show up whenever!). Ciaran can be having a snooze. :P This is backdated about two days from posting.

@Aibreann had been a little weird since Hua had shown up. Quieter, more reserved. Of course from Mal's perspective it shouldn't have mattered, but Mal hadn't been so dumb that he couldn't put two and two together. Hopefully the two of them could talk at some point. Nothing changed, right? Really. So he'd give her the same smiles, kind words, all that, but if she wanted a little more space, she could have it. He'd talk to her about his plan to go off to find Cupid.

Well, he was really here to see his kids. Get a little extra gametime in maybe they wouldn't mind him being gone for a little while (but unlike Cupid, Mal was planning on not being gone that heinously long). As he came up to where the den was he whuffed around the hare he was carrying, planning to at least give that to Aibreann unless the little piranhas wanted some before seeing what they wanted to do.

She was busy, trying very persistently to tackle Finín but so far only managing to jump and land near him with a yip and a snap of her teeth near his ear or shoulder or neck. Her real hope was to maybe get a rise out of him if she was annoying enough, which was why she hadn't actually jumped on him yet. If her first plan failed, then she might try to actually take him down, though. 

But when she heard dad outside, she froze mid jump and landed awkwardly on the ground. Her tail began to beat furiously against the ground and then she was springing up and sprinting. Daaa! she shouted excitedly as she bounded towards him. She had no interest in the meal that dangled from her dad's jaws. Nuala completely ignored it and instead, launched herself at his chest, her needle teeth clamping onto whatever skin or fur she found there unless he stopped her. If she reached her target, she would grab hold and dangle for a few seconds before falling to the ground. Of course, she would repeat the move again and again until she had his full attention.

Sullivan had been watching Nuala and Finín as they fought, keeping close to Aibreann's side. Unlike his siblings, who enjoyed wrestling, he preferred to keep to the sidelines. Roughhousing wasn't Sully's favorite passtime—he much preferred eating, sleeping, and cuddling. 

Mal's voice immediately caught his attention; Sullivan loved when his father visited. Without any hesitation, the chubby child gathered himself onto all fours and raced after Nuala. "Papa!" he squeaked as he broke loose from the den, and soon realized that his father was not alone. He had brought a snack, which delighted the young boy immensely. 

While Nuala attempted to steal Mal's attention, Sullivan tried to take the hare by hoisting himself onto his hind legs while attempting to grab one of it's legs.

it had come to finín's attention that the best way to succeed in irking nuala as much as she did to him, was to simply ignore her attempts. which was no easy feat!! there was nothing he wanted more than to turn around and slap her down like she so deserved, every muscle within his tiny frame sceamed their protests at not being allowed retaliate at each of her jibing snaps stirring the sensitive fur of his twitching ears, refusing to let them pin lest it be taken as a sign of distress. he was just beginning to lose his tenderly grasped cool, noticeable by the scowl making a move on previously aloof features when his sister just so happened to be saved by the bell, or rather, by papa's arrival. of course, nuala sped off like the little firecracker that she was which meant finín had no choice but to take his time. if he too made a dash now then it could look as if he were trying to beat her to him and given her head start he would definitely end up losing which just would not do! so alas, he would have to make it clear that he intended on taking his sweet time as he stretched out like a cat before strolling after sullivan. 

every now and then, depending on what mood he was in, finín would put in the effort and concentration to allow himself to wonder. so there was a moment in which the dusty boy held back, brows furrowed at the energy it took to spin those wheels within his mind as he thought on what exactly made papa, papa. were they supposed to feel the same way towards him as they did mama, despite seeing him not even half as much? the others certainly seemed able to do this quite effortlessly but finín wanted to know why he was papa and no one else got to be. scintillating look snags hungrily upon the limp creature swinging from his jaws, he did always bring such delicious food he supposed. none of the others did that. is that how you were a papa? by finding the tastiest treats? the boy straightened, chest puffing determinedly. he'd already proven to be the best at being mama by protecting the den so well; he would certainly become the very best papa too!!

well chuffed by this conclusion and very ready to allow himself the leisure of no more wondering for the day, he trotted out to join his siblings with a hummed "yummmmy~" at the hare, bouncing eagerly beside sullivan as he eyed the treat with expectant fervour.

And here came the swarm! Or at least the portion that weren't currently dead to the world. Nuala at him, and the boys to the hare. It took a second or two to figure out a plan, and as Nuala launched herself at him again, he toppled to his side, dramatically with a, Augh, you've got me! and letting the hare drop to the ground. It still might be a bit much for the pair to attack on their own, like giving a couple of little kids an entire giant steak or something. But a good toy in the meantime to yank around before Mal stepped in to assist as needed.

After having flopped far over on his side and playing mortally wounded for a moment he rolled back sort of upright and leaned over to give Nuala a big ol' lick. Hey you. Got any big plans for the day? I got you a snack, better not let your brothers steal it all, he said with a grin. Then more to all of them, If you wanted to play a game or go adventuring around, I think that would be fun -- your brother'll just have to miss out if he's gonna keep snoozing. He was happy to see them all, his tail wagging behind him, but it seemed like he'd just have to come back later to see Ciaran before he went.

Dad fell to the ground with a grunt, eliciting excited giggles from Nuala. She took advantage of the situation and leaped on top of him, offering a playful growl and tugging on the fur of his shoulder. 

When he sat up, she slid down to the ground and sitting between his front paws, she stared up at him as he spoke. She didn't really understand all of what he asked her except for the part about her brothers eating all the food. Normally, that would be enough to make her push her way in and take more than her share, and she even looked over at them and briefly considered shoving between them and offering her bony shoulder to Finín's side—but dad's attention was far more coveted by the spotty girl. She looked back at Mal and tilted her head before sliding down to chew on his leg, clearly stating that she was content where she was. 

She continued working on his leg until he mentioned going somewhere. Nuala lifted her head and stared up at him, her eyes widening with excitement. Go! Go! she told him, her tail thumping against the ground. She wanted nothing more than for Dad to take them somewhere they hadn't been before.

Sullivan didn't see Finín as a threat—there was more than plenty to go around. "Fin!" he greeted with a squeak, as he leaned over and nudged his brother's cheek. 

When Mal toppled onto his side and released the hare, Sullivan hesitated for a moment as he watched his father with concern. Had Nuala hurt him? "Papa?" he asked slowly, seeking confirmation as Mal rolled forward to kill Nuala. Nothing seemed wrong—this became all the more apparent as their father continued to speak—and Sullivan's concern was acknowledged. He was now able to eat, now that he was assured that Mal was alright. 

With nothing holding him back, Sullivan turned to face the meal with gusto. Crouching at Finín's side, he gabbed at their prey's belly and began to tug as he attempted to rip-free a mouthful of meat. It was a larger bite than Aibreann would have regularly allowed and would require proper chewing before swallowing—although, Sullivan did not consider this. He was hyper-focused on the end-goal: a full belly.

I forgot I should have totally responded to this, oops. So retagging to point that it exists, plus one bonus tag just for reference. @Nuala @Sullivan

So, adventure! He was pretty sure the grand gallery would be a good stop for them, and it wasn't too far of a walk really. Well, maybe it would feel like one for them, their legs were still awfully small. We can go to a cool place that we can play -- it's pretty! Just have a snack and-- that was when his gaze swept back to his sons who were trying to go to town on the rabbit. Hey, hey Sullivan -- that's really big bite, c'mon you gotta share--! he reached out to try and carefully bite one end of the chunk that stuck out of Sullivan's mouth -- if it became a tug of war, that would at least solve the issue and he could offer that part of the oversized morsel to one of the other kids.

At this rate @Aibreann was gonna have to step in and stop the ones who stayed behind from letting their eyes outsize their stomachs -- or mouths, even -- because apparently they really were to some sort of tiny fluffy piranha stage. At least she'd done a good job training Mal to pay attention to some things. He was still plenty clueless about others, but proper feeding was something he actually had helped with.