roughly 2 months |

Winter's grip tightened around the high peaks of the Vale, but nestled within the snow-clad pines and plummeting slopes, the robin thrived. A breath of spring itself, his laughter and chatter echoed off the walls of Svajone's densite with increasing frequency as he grew. This morning was no exception - he heard no coarse whistling wind outside, and so his heart was set on an excursion.

He had tried to prepare. Reid clambered to his paws and shook his pelt out - confident no one would laugh when he inevitably stumbled under the force - then tried to groom his downy puppy fur into order. He could not see the tufted cowlick atop his head or the cheek fur smashed flat against his temple, and so he paid it no mind - his paws looked clean, so he was ready!

Svajone had most surely heard him jostling around with puppyish excitement. Reid did not think to even check with her - his eyes had developed enough to make out some shapes and movement outside the den's mouth, and he wished to know what it was! He surged forward on clumsy paws, huffing and whuffing with the exertion and his mounting excitement. His tail curved over his back, he stuck his head out of the den and...

And promptly shrank back as a cold few snowflakes landed atop his crown and muzzle. Why was the sky spitting cold at him?! Oh-! Reid pronounced, profoundly hurt by this betrayal. He flopped onto his stomach, paws at the edge of the den's sheltered entrance, and whines in protest.

skill: entertainer1/5

Since Reid still made his steady progress, and thanks to Svajonė encouraging him to relent a little in his worrying, Vidarr was slowly learning to relax into parenthood. While he was not so bold as to just assign himself the title of 'Father,' Vidarr was enjoying filling the role. It wasn't that he'd call himself a father figure, but he would concede that he had a bit of a Dad-bod going on. Vidarr let out a large yawn as he heard Reid starting his morning. He rolled carefully to his feet, where he occasionally ended up on his back with either Svajone or Reid curled up against him. He didn't want to admit it, but he loved the time he was able to share with them both. It was enough that there were times Vidarr worried over when he might lose them.

Those thoughts were still far off thankfully, with his mind groggily finding it's way back to the figure of the little boy. Oh but he was full of energy this morning, wasn't he? Vidarr couldn't help but laugh at the disgust in Reid's voice and stood, seeing the boy just at the edge of the den. It was quite cooler, the world itself seemed to slow to a crawl in those deep nights of winter. Vidarr affectionately leaned down to press a kiss to Reid's brow. Auðr (Treasure) - that is snow. He reached forward with one big paw to scoop some of the chilly mush and bring it closer to let Reid look at it. You can play many games in snow. He said, hoping to perhaps change the tone of the exploration into something a bit more positive.

When Vidarr shook the snow from his paw onto the ground he was careful not to just sling more into Reid's face. Hmm, you know it was snowing when I met your Mamă. He was getting better at the particular cadence of the Romanian on his tongue, but he'd always enjoyed learning languages. Golden eyes twinkled a bit as Vidarr leaned in, tone soft and conspiratory. Maybe the little bird would want a story to start the day?

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Warm breath and a velvet muzzle tickling his brow - this had quickly become a universal sign of greeting to Reid from his parents. Mama took the undisputed pedestal in the boy's mind as the Parent, but Vidarr occupied his own, similarly important space in Reid's heart. His tail swished side to side fiercely at the contact, and the alarmed bristling of his thin coat smoothed now that one of his guardians was here to make everything right.

Vidarr said it was snow, the cold stuff falling down, the same stuff that lined the earth sometimes when they went Outside. Reid's oversized ears twitched as he considered this, sticking his face enthusiastically into the lawful of snow Vidarr presented to him.

A furious sneeze soon followed that seemed to stun Reid more than the cold, snowflakes drifting through the air and melting into translucency wherever they landed. Ok! He remarked, eager to match Vidarr's energy toward the snow and snowfall.

A pause, as he pawed the snow off his face and considered what Vidarr had said. Play ou'side? Reid asked, but Vidarr went on to speak of Mama.

The boy's now-hazel eyes gleamed. He stepped toward Vidarr as the giant leaned down, expression intrigued and intent. Mama. Reid replied in a stage-whisper. Like snow. She was as pale as it, for the most part. Did she like it? How had she met Vidarr? Did they not simply exist here, around Reid, forever and all time? Did they exist outside of the den????
What revelation! He plopped onto his haunches, sensing a story about to be woven, always a polite and attentive audience.

skill: entertainer 2/5

Vidarr hadn't expected that Reid would immediately put his face into the snow. He'd assumed the boy might poke at it, maybe sniff it, but no - the little bird was enthusiastic and his excitement was clear. The sneeze that followed and the boy cleaning his face off brought a fond smile to Vidarr's face. This was somehow different than he'd experienced with other cubs in Kaldrvegr. He hadn't been this active in rearing any of them, and he hadn't shared his living space day after day night after night with any of them. He'd mostly taken young cubs out to help them learn how to hunt, or what to watch for on the borders. This felt so different, too, but Vidarr felt he might overstep if he tried to lay any claims to either of the Lăutari. There was a part of him that feared if he was too possessive, if he tried to hold too tight, they might also vanish into thin air the way so many others had.

But he did not want those sour thoughts to start the day. Instead, he considered the boy's request - to play outside, and it sounded like a perfect idea to Vidarr. Reid couldn't help the way his little mind immediately bounced to the next thought, and the giant let out a chuckle. Would you like to go outside while I tell you? Golden eyes glanced over towards Svajone, hoping that he might be able to offer her a bit more sleep if he took the first duty. When their eyes met again, there was a bit of a twinkle to Vidarr's as he considered how to weave the tale.

He shook his coat habitually before he took a few steps out of the den. Beyond the comforts of the furs they had lined the space with, the cool of the early morning set in. Vidarr was quiet for a moment as the snow fell, watching the world around them, the place he'd come to love so dearly. He felt fortunate. He had to appreciate the fact that even with all the losses they had faced, he still stood proudly. His shoulder ached and slowed him down some days, but overall, he was blessed to be alive. He was blessed to have Svajone and Reid share his den - his life. The children, which he shouldn't even call them children any more even the boys were fully grown now, they thrived. Each very different, each distinctly their own. The Shakti-Vaes children had taken the foundations of what their parents laid out and they soared above every expectation. It was a morning like this, actually. Cold out, snowing, early enough that not much was awake yet, and Mythris was quiet and peaceful.....until...

Vidarr's soft smile landed on Reid again, and he tried to focus again on the now. It was very cold outside when I met Mama. There was a big, giant bear trying to eat her up. He wanted to not make it too terrifying - they were all here, they'd survived, it was fine. And I helped her defeat the bear, before we found a place to hide and rest. - Mama was so brave, the bear was big but that was how we won. Vidarr had a thought and leaned down, trying to do his best to make a snowbear and two smaller snowwolves to show. It wasn't a great attempt, but he tried all the same. The snow-lumps were at least different sizes, and then Vidarr took a claw and crudely drew Winterscar and where they had been.

We had to tackle the bear - push it back into the water so Mama and I could run away and come here to the Vale and be safe. It had been so much more complicated, it had felt like so much more was happening then. But recounting for the sake of a cub meant Vidarr shrunk some of the story down. He didn't think Reid needed to hear about the gory details and how they'd had to recover from their injuries. Quick, Reid! Help me defeat the snowbear and keep Mama safe! He crouched down, tail swishing in the air like he was preparing to launch himself at the snowlump again.

Hopefully if he tacked a little game onto the story, none of the scary parts would stick.

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Vidarr suggested outside for storytime, and Reid jumped at the chance. Literally, the boy lunged for the bright light at the mouth of the den with a cackle, hot on Vidarr's heels. The snow underpaw was strange, and he flung his feet up dramatically once outside as he encountered the new sensation and adapted to it. Any upset he might've summoned was entirely muted, for Vidarr's tale of his and Svajone's great battle had the boy enthralled.

A bear had tried to eat Mama - terrible. Reid's thin hackles bristled along his back at the thought, stomping through the snow around Vidarr's heels as the man built up the little snowcreatures.

Of course, Mama and Vidarr had defeated the bear. They were so strong, the strongest! He paid little mind to how much he was hobbling Vidarr's snowman building, traipsing around underneath the man's bulk to shield himself from the snowfall and biting at the snowflakes from time to time only to squeak at how much he didn't like that. It was all very good fun.

His tail wagged over his hips, until Vidarr turned his attention to the snowbear. The snowbear that was like the one Mama had fought, like the one that was going to EAT MAMA.

The boy squealed his mightiest war-cry, a vicious, high-pitched Go 'way!! before he three himself at the pile of snow. There was nothing scary here at all - except maybe the idea of Mama ever not being here and safe - but Vidarr was here to help Reid protect her.