[PRP] Ambitious [Calder/Kifu]

[Bronze Coffee]

The Reaver worked his jaw as he got back from a small viking group. There were some new members that worked his last nerve worse than his cubs did when they were little. The fox colored male just wanted to go home to his den and lay down and get rid of the pressure building in his head that also seemed to be sucking the very energy from his body.

Maybe he'd find Kifu there. The two had cubs together before, and he'd been around her enough but never actually formally asked her to be his mate. A mate was something Calder didn't think he'd get. Sure, cubs, but love wasn't one of his strong points. At least, he didn't think so. Kifu though... She'd woken something in the bitter male that wasn't actually bitterness. He enjoyed spending his time with her. Even his daughter, Ikili, noticed how different he was around Kifu than any of the other females he worked with.

Maybe that was one of the big differences. She wasn't a warrior or anything like it. He had no doubt she could take care of her own, but in all honesty, she was more suited for her current position.

Shaking out his blond mane, which turned out to be a very bad idea, Calder continued on his way to the den, hoping to spot Kifu along the way.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani had been quite busy since she and Calder had had six cubs. In that time her aunt, Pur'Coeur, had claimed Kifuani and her mother, Chayah, as family and raised them from thralls to Freeborns. If things had happened in a different chronological order, she would not have been driven to seek Calder's help in having cubs before some unknown male forced her to carry his. But Kifuani didn't think she would have changed a thing (well, if they'd still joined the pride but without being captured as thralls that probably would have been ideal). Maybe she would have chosen having fewer than six cubs, but they were all so distinctly their own (even the twins) that she could never choose between them.

She was glad to have so much family in the pride, but she was on babysitting duty constantly. First her own cubs, then five half-siblings, then her aunt had cubs again... And shortly after that, Brynhildr had had a litter of seven, as did Hróðvitnir only two months later. Then her half-sister had a litter of five... Now Bryn's cubs were adults and probably on the lookout for mates of their own and she suspected Bryn and her mate, Kekale, would be interested in growing their family further.

If only she could find someone to help take care of her.

She sighed and putzed around the dens, wondering what distant relative she'd have to take care of today. Maybe she should become a reaver, if only to get some time away from cubs... She blew a puff of air upwards to get her forelock out of her face, and once her vision was clear, she saw a sight for sore eyes. The large, fit, orange male made her heart skip a beat. She always thought of him very fondly, but didn't expect seeing him to make her so giddy. She took a deep breath and tried to collect herself before padding over to say hello.

"Hello, Calder. It is a good day to die."  

[Bronze Coffee]

It seems she spotted him first. Calder's head turned to spot Kifuani padding his way, making the male mentally smile. Outwardly his stance relaxed and he nodded his head at the greeting.

"Indeed it is," he said, looking at her. A very nice looking girl with colors that were pleasing to him. None of this bright pink or blue. The larger male moved over to her and gave her a sort of awkward head-butt of greeting before settling back and sitting down in front of her.

"I was hoping to find you." His head pounded as he spoke, so his ears went flat before he just focused his attention back on her. "I have something to discuss that could change things for you."

If there was one thing Calder was, it was direct. Beating around the bush was never something he liked to do, or leaving something open to interpenetration. That was dangerous as not everyone thought about things the same way he did. Calder watched her freckled face for a long moment, quiet, just taking her in before he shifted his weight slightly in a nervous way. It was no secret he'd come to care for her, except he didn't show it that well at all. So this was a little... not great feeling for him.

"That is, if you say yes to being with me."

There, he'd said it. Would she be able to understand what he meant?  

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani responded with pushing back his head-butt with a fond nuzzle of her own. The scent of foreign territory hung in his mane, different smells on different hairs, it seemed. He was an accomplished reaver, after all. She was quite pleased to hear he had been looking for her, but her white eyes widened slightly when he brought up the need to discuss something, and her heart fluttered again. Strange, regardless the context or the individual, it seemed 'we need to talk' always brought up that kind of reaction. She felt her heart pounding for what felt like an eternity while he watched her and shifted. Her ears were nearly as forward as they could go, as though she was trying to hear his thoughts (but unlike her mother, she was no Seer).

After he finished speaking she stared at him dumbly. It was like she had spent so much time with her thoughts racing about what he could say, that when he did speak, her brain was exhausted.

"I-i, uh, Cal-d..."

She sputtered a little bit.

The lioness shook her head to clear her thoughts and her eyes were bright as she looked at him.

"I... Yes! I mean, like.. mates, you mean?"  

[Bronze Coffee]

The way Kifu hung on his words were part of her over all appeal to him. Calder never felt like he had anyone's full attention, which was fine. Everyone had more important things to do than listen to this male grumble about the times when his father was the warlord of the pride and the bitter feelings the fall out that followed.

But then she realized what he'd said and that expression, shocked and full of affection...He'd made the right decision.

"We've been at one anothers side for some time. I saw you get to freeborn status.." He shrugged. "I ...enjoy your company a lot. More than anyone else thus far in the pride, which says something." Calder wasn't very romantic, but he was trying to be.

Words weren't his strong point. "...I ...would very much like the mother of my children to be my wife. It.. fits and makes sense."

Puhterodactyl

 

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani felt warmth flood her cheeks and... tears come to her eyes? She had never thought of herself as emotional beyond shallow moods. She had been happy, sad, angry and so on, but never so... ugh... downright sappy. But she didn't care if the whole pride was watching her cry right now, she was ecstatic.

She nodded, the bobbing of her head making a joyful tear or two spill over onto her cheek, and she slowly pushed her head into his large, yellow mane.

She knew that Calder's proposal being explained because 'it makes sense' wasn't just a boring pragmatic offer. The lioness understood that there was affection and deeper feelings that he just wasn't as good at articulating. Which was fine; neither was she. Most of her strongest feelings in her life that she had communicated were expressions of love to her mother and her cubs when they were small, normal stuff. But now, she was going to have a husband!!

Her mind was racing now with her heart. Would she move into his den? Would he move into hers? What would their children think? Surely they would all be thrilled for their parents. If not a little worried that it might mean more siblings for them. Oh gods, would that mean more siblings for them? Kifuani has been very happy as a mother, regardless of her motivations to become one, so she would gladly do it again, but what did Calder think? She tried to calm herself, they would have plenty of time to sort all of that out.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

He froze when he spotted tears and just stood there fairly awkwardly, looking like he didn't know what to do. In truth, Calder didn't know what he was doing, but.. He supposed that would have to be how it happened. Instead he dipped his head down and licked at her own before finally starting to relax, and his amber eyes closed.

"...The den.. my den is big enough for the two of us..."

Did she want to stay closer to others? Her friends, any other relatives? He'd proposed, but honestly wasn't sure how an ideal marriage worked. His father certainly didn't tell him anything about the life of love.

"Also... I'm going to try to climb higher. I'm telling you know because with that.. means more vikings." Going on Vikings was something he really enjoyed. Getting out of the pride, bringing back potential slaves or potential reavers gave him a rush like no other. Calder could easily become addicted to it.

Puhterodactyl

 

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani withdrew her face from his mane and nodded, smiling and with her tears dried.

"I think your den would be perfect." To be honest maybe being just a little further away would give her more of a break from babysitting... which would be wonderful.

When he talked about vikings, she was a little quieter. Her background experiences with reavers were different than his, of course. She and Chayah had tried their bests to deter their offspring born into the pride from becoming reavers– certainly from taking thralls– but they had failed. None of them had ever been captured or forced to live as thralls. Any scars they bore they had won through their own choices, sparring or viking and so on. But just because Kifuani didn't understand it didn't truly make it evil, right? And she would miss him, too, but at least she would be with Calder for more time overall, she mused. So, Kifuani nodded again.

"As long as you always come back to me."

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"Of course I'd come back." He didn't know what she meant by saying that, but he'd put her fear to ease, he supposed. He moved in to lick her cheek a bit and then shook himself out, which once again, proved to be a bad move. He winced and just let his eyes close one more time and stay that way as he sat down.

"Mmm. Headache..." He opened them and shrugged. "I need a drink, Kifu.. Did you want to go ..get what things you have and move in tonight, or should I help you out in the morning to say your goodbyes?"

Puhterodactyl

 

[Puhterodactyl]

She responded to his lick with one of her own, and another when he winced. Her ears were pricked forward towards him, concerned. She nudged him gently to his feet.

"Drink first. I'll have our children and their children help me, not that there's too much, but it's nice to finally put them to work." She smiled gently and nuzzled her mate. Kifuani was a little sad the way he said 'say your goodbyes' but she quickly took comfort in the fact that at least they were all still in the same pride and truly not that far from one another. No, his den would be as homey as hers that was surrounded by their children. Maybe even more so.