[FIN] A New Generation's Decoration Fixation (Ealhild/Vidar)

[Anderleit]

Her eyes gleamed in the dark.

They weren't nearly as bright as the shiny baubles in her father's mane, though. There was one in particular that caught Ealhild's eye: a glittering bit of metal dangling just over his nose. It jingled every time he took a breath. In, and out. It chimed, and shone. She found it absolutely enchanting.

That was, of course, why she'd wiggled her way over. She laid on her side, mouth open in amazement and eyes full of the shiny. Her paws lifted, delicately avoiding Papa's sleeping face. Tap the bauble to one side, watch it jump and dance. Tap, tap, tap it to the other and listen to it sing.

Eyes widening, Ealhild reached both paws out to the precious shard. Tiny claws teased the metal, sifted through hanks of her father's mane. Now the bauble's jingling was less sweet; now every little tinkle threatened to give the enraptured cub away. If it could only be a little quieter! If she was very, very careful, maybe she could...!

Two things happened at once. First, the treasure snagged on her claw, pulling free of its master's mane. It took everything the little girl had not to squeal her joy. Second, the trinket slipped from her outstretched paw and fell - booping her father right on the snoot.

Its happy little jingle almost seemed to make fun of Ealhild's gasp of horror.  

[SilverLutz]

Man, no one said having kids would be so hard! Vidar, the captain who adorned himself in noisy trinkets to alert foes of his approaching presence (to give them a head start to run...even though he'd always catch them in the end), the lion who didn't let size set the tone for who would win in a fight, the confident and cocksure male whose swagger and bravado backed up his skill and finesse was being run ragged by three little Freeborns he had dumped in his lap after a fermented fruit-induced fling while out in the rogue lands. The mother hadn't wanted anything to do with the three little girls and Vidar had fallen in love with them instantly. How could he say no to taking them in?

Now he was well aware that raising three cubs on his own wasn't going to be a walk in the park. They never slept as long as he'd like them to, he couldn't go out on Vikings while they were still so young because he had no Thralls to watch them and he couldn't saddle his dear friends with them, and they were constantly wanting something, whether it was food, his attention, a toy, or for him to tell them who was the best daughter.

It was exhausting.

Thankfully he had run the three daughters ragged and they were all sound asleep...at least, they had been when he had shut his eyes for a much needed nap. He was in such a deep sleep that he didn't notice little paws tugging and tapping at one of his trinkets. Not until something hit his nose and tinkled onto the ground right by his ear.

Green eyes opened slowly and Ealhild's brown and blue face came into focus, the look one of pure horror.

"Eal...what'ya do?" he asked quietly, no hint of anger in his voice. Just exhaustion. Something felt slightly off, although he couldn't put a paw on just what it was.

Anderleit

 

[Anderleit]

Her father's eyes seemed to open in slow motion. Ealhild swallowed thickly, unable to move under the weight of that slow revelation. Even pulling her paws back - tight against her chest, fast as she could! - felt like moving them through water. He was going to realize what she'd done, and she woke him up! He was going to be so mad!

"Umm..." she floundered, looking everywhere except that big green stare, "would you believe 'nothing'?" Her words came even quieter than his. Part of that was the cub's innate sense of trouble; the other was the instinctual hush that followed sleep.

Though he didn't sound mad. And Eal couldn't help but feel just a little bit proud of what she'd done. The shiny trinket was still there, after all. Her eyes settled on it, enthralled even though it couldn't dangle on the ground and there was dust all over its shine. Trouble or not, how could she just leave it there like that? Those bright, clear eyes met his. She gulped. Squirming guiltily, one tiny paw pointed towards the bauble.  

[SilverLutz]

The reply from the cub made Vidar chuckle softly despite his exhaustion. The three girls that he now called his own were a pawful, that was for sure, but he saw so much of himself in them that it was easy to know how to play the cool dad role. He followed her motion to the small trinket that was usually in his mane and shifted a large paw to cover it up.

"Now, how did that get there?" he asked softly, picking it up to inspect it. It was the first little charm ever made for him by his dear friend Asla, now a Priestess, and the tooth that hung from the end brought back fond memories of his first Viking. Ah, how young he had been! Not that he was old now, of course, but having cubs to look after certainly made him feel older than he was.

"I don't suppose you had something to do with that, hm?" he asked, fixing the little brown lioness with a stare and a grin.

Anderleit

 

[Anderleit]

She wriggled again. The cave wall was suddenly very, very interesting. "Mmmaaaybe..." Eal murmured. Try as she might, though, she couldn't stop her eyes darting back to her father's paw. The charm was so tiny in his grasp! But as he held it aloft - as it twirled and gleamed once more - the cub was caught in its spell all over again. Her pupils dilated to limpid pools, her mouth half-opened in a thrilled pant. She couldn't hide it if she'd tried.

"It's just so pretty, Da'!" She rolled over as she protested, bright eyes wide and doe-y. Eager front paws kneaded the air beneath her very favorite bauble. Ealhild was well-aware that this capitalized her cute. All the better to plead her case with, of course. That her father was smiling only emboldened her; how angry could he be with a grin like that? "You have so many shinies in your hair - how am I s'posed to resist alla' them all the time?" Some of that exasperation was genuine, of course. She was only one cub! And her dad was so shiny an' jangly an'...! Trying to keep her paws to herself was exhausting!

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Watching Eal's bright blue eyes unfocus a bit while staring at the little trinket made Vidar chuckle. While he wasn't one to go out hunting specifically for things to add to his mane, he did like shiny and noisy things. It seemed it had passed to at least one of his daughters.

"I never said you have to resist all the time," he said, leaning in to bump his much larger nose against her smaller one. "But don't you want some for yourself? It's much nicer to have your own than to admire others things." He tilted his head a bit to attach the little trinket back into his mane, ever thankful that Asla had made it easy to get into his fur.

"I worked hard for every one of these, you know," he said, tossing his head a bit to ensure the gold and tooth were secure, a pleasant jingling noise filling the den. "And if you work hard I bet you'll acquire your own little hoard at some point too!"

Anderleit

 

[Anderleit]

A giggle met her father's affectionate bump, irritation forgotten as Ealhild nuzzled into him. She grabbed his face in her paws, just for a moment before he lifted it away. If she could be half the warrior he was one day! Striking out for the pride, with a band all her own! Surely that was how he'd come by his treasures, so it would certainly be the way she obtained her own.

"I'm gonna go out a-Viking, just like you." Sincerity made the cub's vow uncharacteristic solemn - especially considering the way she giggled as Vidar tossed his head. The jingling of his mane was music to her ears. "An' then I'll bring back all the treasures! But I'm gonna save the shiniest for you, Da'. One paw moved to his nose, confirming her words with a firm pat. "Then you can have something from me in your mane, too." Her gaze flickered briefly to her favorite trinket, before returning to his with a slow, pleased blink. She'd just decided that it looked best there, tinkling away at her father's brow.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Eal's goals in life were her own and Vidar would support her in any venture, but to know she wanted to follow in his paw prints made his heart swell with pride. He grinned and leaned in to wrap a paw around her, using the other to give her an affectionate noogie.

"That's my girl," he said proudly before melting completely at her words. She'd give the shiniest to him when it was so clearly what she favored? Bless her little heart.

"I don't need the shiniest, sea spray," he said with a chuckle as he pulled her in for a nuzzle, the little nickname one he had made just for her thanks to her blue splashy patterns. "Just the noisiest. You keep the shiny ones for yourself and bring back some nice noisy things for your old man."

Anderleit

 

[Anderleit]

"Daaaaaaa-!" Eal squealed, paws pushing in futile protest against the dreaded noogie. She'd be upset about it, if only she could stop the laughter bubbling out of her. She was still giggling, even as subsequent nuzzles coaxed her into quieter, joyous chirps.

"You can have the noisiest everything," the cub vowed, rubbing her already-scuffed headfur into his mane. "Ever'one will hear you comin'. Even the gods inna sky." Blessedly - for her father, at least - the combination of the night's little adventure and warm cuddles lent a little weight to Ealhild's pale eyes. Sleepiness wouldn't make the little girl take her lofty oath any less seriously - though no one else needed to know that.

Secretly, the fast-fading cub made herself another promise. She would seek out all manner of trinkets, and take the shiniest and most interesting for her own. That way, when the gods heard her daddy coming, they would see her from afar. Everyone would. There would be no one who dared to doubt her strength when she saw them, and every one would tell a story of her most grand adventures.

SilverLutz

I'm so sorry for losing this!

 

[SilverLutz]

"They'll need the heads up, too," Vidar growled playfully. When his children were older he would tell them fantastic stories of gods. Gods that he battled (and lost badly to), gods that he spoke to and befriended, and gods that he had never seen before but knew of their powers. But for now he was content to let his daughter sleep, nuzzling her as she shifted off. He knew without a doubt he would raise all three to be the best they could be, whether that was a Reaver or Captain like him, a den-minding Freeborn, or perhaps even Warlord some day. They could do anything they set their little minds to.

Anderleit

Fin!