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+--- Thread: PRP A second chance at life (/showthread.php?tid=11760)
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RE: A second chance at life - Vasili - 6/6/2026
Sometimes, shit just showed up. Well... living things. Vasi himself had been born here, as had his own children, but his parents hadn't been. Idalie hadn't been, either, she'd just shown up on the island one day just like this little kit had today. If they could keep her and trust her to be raised alongside their own whelps based off youth and strength and smarts, why shouldn't this little guy be given the same chance?
'At least she's a wolf,' he could hear his wife's argument already, but he was ready to use The Bear Pit as another example. Everything had a use to the Dominion, from the ursine captive to the little golden wife for Khyan, and now this sassy little kit.
Yeah. Had to practice in his head before he let this little shit waltz into the nest.
Firethorn seemed smart, at least. Smart enough to come when he was called, and that, Vasi could work with if nothing else. Hopefully in time, just like the newborns, he'd find words and develop into something that could communicate. Maybe youth was his only problem, too -- Vasili didn't know shit about foxes.
Vasili couldn't help but grin when he heard a growl rumble possessively in his daughters throat, eyeing her with a gleam of giddiness in his split gaze as she backtracked enough to admit -perhaps begrudgingly- that he wasn't so terrible.
He would be sure to slip into the den before the whelp, and boofed softly for Neph's attention. He lumbered a little further in, letting her rouse if she hadn't already and get a look at what he'd dragged home for her this time.
'At least she's a wolf,' he could hear his wife's argument already, but he was ready to use The Bear Pit as another example. Everything had a use to the Dominion, from the ursine captive to the little golden wife for Khyan, and now this sassy little kit.
Yeah. Had to practice in his head before he let this little shit waltz into the nest.
Firethorn seemed smart, at least. Smart enough to come when he was called, and that, Vasi could work with if nothing else. Hopefully in time, just like the newborns, he'd find words and develop into something that could communicate. Maybe youth was his only problem, too -- Vasili didn't know shit about foxes.
Vasili couldn't help but grin when he heard a growl rumble possessively in his daughters throat, eyeing her with a gleam of giddiness in his split gaze as she backtracked enough to admit -perhaps begrudgingly- that he wasn't so terrible.
Don't worry, he can't compete with my favorite princess,the Pharaoh mused back, bumping his uninjured shoulder against his daughter before starting back off towards the den. It was easy to hobble along slow enough to let the little kit walk himself, if he was so inclined, and Vasi was glad for the excuse to take a lazy morning -- his leg fuckin' hurt already.
He would be sure to slip into the den before the whelp, and boofed softly for Neph's attention. He lumbered a little further in, letting her rouse if she hadn't already and get a look at what he'd dragged home for her this time.
Dear wife,he crooned, apparently proud of himself,
Look, a future spy in the training.
RE: A second chance at life - Firethorn - 6/8/2026
The world beyond the berry bush didn't scare Firethorn, neither did he seem terribly excited by it. It was as if he accepted it, and did the most with it that he could at his tiny size and utter absence of experience. he had to run a little to keep up with Vasili's longer steps, but never dared step even a claw's length ahead of the pharaoh. That was his limit, and he seemed to be making a point of always holding his pawtoes right where he drew the line. Sometimes he could dare make a step ahead, already wondering what was his place in this new pack he was joining.
Firethorn entered the nest after Vasili, standing as tall as he can next to the wolf who found and brought him. His yellow eyes scanned the den, and finally settled on a white wolf deep within. He wasn't surprised at her appearance or size. Just curious about what she was going to do. He could feel it was another authority figure whose rule he was going to have to follow until he could bend them, and bend them until they broke and he was free. But...it was going to take a while until then.
RE: A second chance at life - Nephthys - 6/8/2026
She heard his paw steps before he boofed, from her place in the back of the den sorting herbs while the pups slumbered. A future spy?
The white mountain of a woman turned, eyes lit up expectantly as she looked at her husband and then past him. Expecting a wolf, or another pup like Idalie.
Not.
That rat.
That?She asked.
What use is a fox, belovedshe sounded annoyed, as she approached, staring down the tiny thing.
You know as well as I how small and pathetic they are, how little they can fightshe had more fox skulls from her childhood than she knew what to do with, most of them left back in The Spine given they had been used as practice.
The pups are too young for their first kill, if that's what you brought it for
A spy, what a thought.
RE: A second chance at life - Cairo - 6/14/2026
Skill:
![[Image: 104773704_swlTqTZqD6O6RUC.png]](https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/104773704_swlTqTZqD6O6RUC.png)
Cai had followed behind the pair, making sure the thing couldn't sneak away at a given notice and kept her eyes trained on it as if she were planning to eat it next chance she got. Her tongue fell from her mouth as they neared the den, smiling as they approached mother. She listened to what the dame said and nodded in understanding, she knew that she easily could take it as her own if she was instructed.
Honestly though, Daddy had said we weren't killing it, I won't kill it.
She narrowed her eyes at the words, confused as to how she should currently feel and plopped her ass heavily down on the ground behind her as she waited for more to be said.
RE: A second chance at life - Vasili - 6/14/2026
The kit kept up well enough, and while Vasi wasn't the coddling type, he also didn't want to make the boy look bad - didn't want to make himself look bad, parading a fox into the family den. A fox young enough, he thought, to be eating some solids... but still needed milk.
Milk only one person on the island could provide.
Neph turned, curious, and he saw her violet gaze darken. 'That?' Small, pathetic, not enough fight. The Pharaoh rumbled a soft sound, something akin to soothing, as she mentioned the pups using it for practice already.
Cairo lingered, watching, waiting.
One wrong word, and the dragons would fall upon the fox.
Vasili canted his head to the side, smiling.
Meanwhile, they would have an informant worth sending across the land. One they could teach to defend himself, to the degree his little teeth could. He would need to be the most wily fox that ever lived, but Vasili thought growing up here, among the dragons... it was possible.
Milk only one person on the island could provide.
Neph turned, curious, and he saw her violet gaze darken. 'That?' Small, pathetic, not enough fight. The Pharaoh rumbled a soft sound, something akin to soothing, as she mentioned the pups using it for practice already.
Cairo lingered, watching, waiting.
One wrong word, and the dragons would fall upon the fox.
Vasili canted his head to the side, smiling.
We've got plenty of little warriors in the making,he crooned,
Yet what wolf, no matter how carefully trained, could be as sneaky? Could slip into the territory of another pack without suspicion and see what others would not so easily tell? Let us know whose worth a damn, who isn't, and whose only a good target.A spy. Someone who could listen to Mythris and tell them who was weak, where best to strike, who was worth allying with. Someone who could steal goods and tell his new, loving, perfect family where he'd gotten them - who was easily taken from, and who could withstand the dragons and what would be needed to break them. Sure, not everyone would share their land with even such a small predator when their pups were at risk, but if Firethorn rolled off the scent of the Dominion and went slinking about, all he had to worry about was being quick enough not to get caught while he listened. Many, he thought, would overlook the smell of a fox lingering, or at best would chase it off. If the beast was lucky, he could find groups that would allow him to stay, to learn, to gather information to pass along.
And even if he did get tracked back home? Well, couldn't be helped, its in a fox's nature! We're just doing our best to raise him into a fine, upstanding member of the Dominion. Even a fox has plenty of uses.
Meanwhile, they would have an informant worth sending across the land. One they could teach to defend himself, to the degree his little teeth could. He would need to be the most wily fox that ever lived, but Vasili thought growing up here, among the dragons... it was possible.
RE: A second chance at life - Nephthys - 7/22/2026
The woman growled low, an annoyed rumble of protest.
You think our own children wouldn't be fitting spies?Even as she said it, she knew it would be true, if their first trio were anything to say about their...subtlety. Already, the newest litter was starting to show their sparks as well, their teeth. Her face showed her thought process, her tail lashed, and she even bared her teeth for good measure as she thought it over, before her body settled.
I'll allow it to tryNephthys spoke, her lip twitching as if she wanted to just kill it and be done with it.
If it survives training, it will become an Ouroboros. But hear me, my love, it will face the same training our children do, when they do.At weaning, when the pups are the size of full grown foxes, this kit will be won't even be the size of a rabbit by then.
The same training that leaves wolf pups battered and bruised, bitten, would surely kill a fox. The way Nephthys trains them, at least.
RE: A second chance at life - Firethorn - 7/27/2026
Firethorn listened to the white wolf's cold words. He couldn't literally understand them, but he could feel their meaning.
This is no wolf, this is a fox, he imagined her speaking,
It's not welcome in our den. It can't be one of us.
Firethorn felt trapped in this nest now, even more than under the berry bush. Ahead of him was the disapproving mother of this pack, who would throw him to her pups to get killed. Behind him was one of those pups, only restrained by the orders of her father, who already expected plenty from the fox. Firethorn started to wonder if he stood a chance among these wolves, if he was ever going to be free of their rule and control.
He stepped back a few steps, then returned a few steps forward and straightened up. Vasili was talking, and Firethorn could feel he was talking about him. About what he could do. He listened, some words coming to him from somewhere far away, from a different world where he used to be.
Sneaky,
suspicion,
target, it all made him more sure of himself. He knew it. He just needed to grow up, grow stronger, become who he used to be, not that he was sure who that was yet.
He could feel Nephthys' words again. They sounded similar to the last time, but she was giving ground. She wasn't aiming to kill him, not just yet. And that was all Firethorn needed. In due time, he was going to make sure all wolves of this den loved, respected, maybe even feared him. For now, he just stood still, and tried the hardest he ever will to be a good foxkit.
RE: A second chance at life - Vasili - 9/7/2026
Vasi watched his wife flare with indignant pride for their whelps, and he knew he loved her for that fierceness, but he often didn't get to see that protective flash - something akin to emotion! This wasn't something she could claim was merely staking claim on possessions, or she would've gladly taken the fox.
That was a mothers love, quiet and firm.
Vasili nearly didn't know how to deal with it, not here, not from Neph.
But he let her irritation flash, and he just waited. Let her come to terms with what he could see she knew could shape into a good plan. Eventually, she bent. Allowing the attempt was all he asked! But Ouroboros?
His fox would be granted the same chances, even if Neph wouldn't let him marry in. That, he understood - a fox could not further the dragon lineage. He would find uses in other ways, Vasi thought as he stepped closer to the little beast, a flag of his tail spouting possession of his own.
He dare not voice it unless he was desperate, but even Reign adopted those who deserved it as her own. He remembered, vaguely, her mourning over Hel.
That was a mothers love, quiet and firm.
Vasili nearly didn't know how to deal with it, not here, not from Neph.
But he let her irritation flash, and he just waited. Let her come to terms with what he could see she knew could shape into a good plan. Eventually, she bent. Allowing the attempt was all he asked! But Ouroboros?
Had Idalie not taken a shine to our boy on her own, would you not have adopted and called her Spark like any other claimed Saxe until she was old enough to potentially match her with someone?Yes, the girl would've ended up married in eventually, he knew, if his wife had anything to say about it…. but that was entirely off the point. The point was she had taken in the kid as their own, no question. He had not complained, he'd allowed events to unfold, and the girl had found her own reward for being loyal and strong enough to keep up with training.
His fox would be granted the same chances, even if Neph wouldn't let him marry in. That, he understood - a fox could not further the dragon lineage. He would find uses in other ways, Vasi thought as he stepped closer to the little beast, a flag of his tail spouting possession of his own.
He dare not voice it unless he was desperate, but even Reign adopted those who deserved it as her own. He remembered, vaguely, her mourning over Hel.
He's mine, Neph. At least let me name him among the Ashes until he proves himself worthy or not.