If only he could get a rabbit for every patrol he ever did. He'd never go hungry again. He chuckled softly at the thought as he trotted back toward the den he shared with his children. After having to chase down Alfie it was hard for him to be away from them for more than a short time. He knew his children would get tired of him being so overbearing eventually, but he couldn't help himself. He had such a poorly hidden fear that they would disappear out of his life like Svetlana had.

He slowed a bit as he got closer to the den, glancing around to see if any of his children were actually in the den. It was the middle of the day so he was sure they were off on their own small adventures. They knew better than to leave Fiori's lands, or at least he hoped so. He had given them all a stern lecture about it when he got back with Alfred. The only one that he was sure would be there was Alfred, his poor son that was currently grounded to the den.

He smiled a little and padded over to the den, poking his head inside and blinking to adjust to the darkness. He hated to have to ground him when he had only left with good intentions, but he had to show that rules had consequences. But it had been a couple of days and he felt like it had been plenty long. "Hey, buddy," he told his son with a smile. "You're off the hook."

"DOTHETALK"

Being confined to the den had been hard, but Alfred understood why his father had punished him. So he lay there dutifully, not wanting to stress his father further by disobeying him, and hardly moved from the den save to do well, necessary things such as the bathroom or get a drink. But other than that he’d been a good boy! Alfred watched the sky outside longingly, wanting to be out there with his brother and sisters and having fun once more. But that wasn’t an option right now; he was grounded.

Hearing his father’s voice Alfred would jump to his paws. He bolted out of the den, looking up at his dad with shining blue eyes. “R-really!?” The days had felt like an eternity. But he was glad he’d be able to at least wander around Fiori lands again. He looked down at the ground, ears lowering as he spoke in a quiet tone. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find mom...”

"Speech"

Seeing how excited Alfred was to get out of the den after hearing that he was no longer grounded made him chuckle. He wished he had half of his children's energy sometimes. He turned to face his son again as he darted out into the open, settling on his haunches. He was surprised to see the sudden change in Alfie's expression as he looked at the ground, but when he spoke it nearly broke his heart. He felt his shoulders fall a little and he gave a little shake of his head. "No, don't be sorry, Alife. It's not your job to find her, okay?" No, that was his job. A job he was failing at over and over again. He wasn't even sure if he wanted her home for himself at this point. He just wanted her to come back for their children's sake. They needed her much more than he did. "I'm sorry I can't find her either..." he added softly, his expression growing more sad as he did so. "But it'll be okay. We still have your sisters and brother and Aunt Ama and Athena and your cousins and Grandma Pip to look after, right? We should focus on our family that is here right now." He wasn't sure if he was saying it for Alfred's sake or his own. He pulled a smile onto his lips and leaned his head down to place a lick between Alfie's ears. He noticed as he did so that he didn't have to reach nearly as far to do so as he used to. When did his son get so big? How was he growing so fast?

"DOTHETALK"

His father told him he wasn’t his job to find his mother... He furrowed his brow, looking up at his father. The moment Leo apologized too Alfie shot up to his paws. “W-Well it’s not your job either! So you can’t be sorry.” The child didn’t even think of the words before he spoke them; he was just trying to comfort his father the way Leo tried to comfort him. When his dad spoke of the rest of their family, and licked him between his ears, the boy’s expression brightened again.

#8a2300“You’re right!” He nuzzled up to his father, a large grin appearing on his face. “So we can’t be sad, right?” Sure he was forcing the grin, but he hated seeing his father sad and it was all his fault! So it was his job to make it better again. “Hey dad? I want you to promise me something...” The grin faded, a serious look entering the child’s eyes.

“If... If mom doesn’t come home...” He lowered his gaze for a moment before lifting those bright orbs back to meet his father’s own. “Promise you’ll never leave us. Promise you’ll find some way to be happy.”

"Speech"

If his son hadn't broken his heart before it certainly was now. He knew Alfred was just trying to comfort him and he didn't have it in his heart to tell him that it was his job. When he married Svetlana he did it with the understanding that they would look out for each other for the rest of their lives. He wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't exhaust every possible avenue to bring her home. "Right!" he agreed, also forcing a large grin onto his muzzle.

He blinked with surprise as Alfred's expression sobered all of the sudden and he grew much more serious. At his request a sad smile touched his lips. He lifted his foreleg and wrapped it around Alfred's shoulders, pulling him closer and nuzzling his son's scruff. "I promise I will never leave you or your siblings, Alfie. You don't have to worry about that." That was one promise he could confidently keep. As long as his children wanted to be with him he would have a home for them. He lifted his head again with a sigh, trying his hardest to keep the smile on his lips. "You guys make me happy every day that we're together. Don't worry about me being happy. I'll be very happy if your mother comes home, but I'll figure out a way to move on if she doesn't. If nothing else we have each other and that's all I really need."

"DOTHETALK"

Alfred didn’t know how much his words might have effected his father. But he had to know, had to be reassured that their remaining parent would not disappear too. He longed for his mother, sure, but if she didn’t return he wasn’t going to break because of it. Not anymore. He would become stronger so he could help protect those who remained in Fiori. He was going to be like his dad; a hero for their pack and family. He would not fail.

Once Leo pulled him in Alfred smiled warmly; a true smile. There was a sign of relief in his eyes. His tail even started to wag as he nuzzled against Leo, closing his eyes. “Good... I... I really needed to hear that.” The child moved from his father’s side now. Things had been too serious and sad for too long. He batted at his father’s right forepaw, calling out as he darted away from the man.

“Tag dad!”


"Speech"

Leo felt like he could relax now that his son had nuzzled into him and assured him that he had just needed to hear that. He worried so much about his children and making sure they were still as happy as they could be through all of this. Sometimes he wondered if he had been taking Svetlana's disappearance harder than his children. They had been so young when she left that he almost wondered how much they would really remember of her once they got older... That thought saddened him, but at the same time it was almost a relief. It was a hard blow to lose a parent, but he couldn't imagine how they might have been if she left out of nowhere when they were older and had gotten to spend more of their life with her.

He blinked with surprise when Alfred tapped him with his paw and broke him out of his own thoughts. He barely heard his son yell tag before he took off and his russet and white form disappeared into the mangroves. Leo grinned and hopped up, calling after him, "Oh no you don't! I'm gonna get you!" He took off at a run, hopping over the roots that stuck out of the ground from the twisted trees that dotted the mangroves, dodging the many pools of water around him. He followed Alfred's scent until he came back into view and Leo grinned, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he chased after his son. He had forgotten what it was like to really goof around and have fun. He had to be so serious all the time when he was an alpha and a father, but there was another side to it. His children needed to play too and sometimes he forgot to do that.

"DOTHETALK"

I have my mother's dreams, I have father's eyes, Alfie let out a giggle, a mingle of good anxiety rising within him as the game started. He was excited! Their talk had been too serious for too long, and now it was time to get back to something else that was just as important as being serious; fun! Enjoying each other’s company! He felt lighter, his body moving almost automatically as he dodged this and that in the mangroves. He knew the area well enough.. It was his home after all! It would be rather sad if he wasn’t prepared! Though Alfred was growing tall and strong he still wasn’t fast enough to completely outrun his father. Leo was gaining on him after Alfie’s head start, though the boy didn’t mind the possibility of getting caught. He was having fun with his dad! The boy glanced over his shoulder, and this was where Alfred made his mistake. Next thing he knew he was tumbling head over paws as he tripped on a root. But he wasn’t hurt -- the laughter spilling from his maw revealed that much. When he finally came to a stop Alfred was laying on his back, gazing up at Leo with a huge grin on his face. "Talk," 'Think.' You can't take that from me; Just Go ahead And try!

Leo raced after his son with a grin on his lips, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Alfred probably knew the mangroves as well as he did by now so he wasn't surprised as he watched his white and russet form dart around the trees with ease. His children had been born and raised here after all. Leo was certainly feeling his age as he chased after his son, feeling way more out of breath than he felt like he should and feeling the ache in his shoulder from the old wounds from the challenge with Bacchus. He wasn't really even that old, but with his history he could tell life was wearing on him quickly. Those thoughts went flying out of his mind though when he saw Alfred go tumbling across the ground. Worry shot through him like a bullet and he skidded to a halt to keep from running into him. He subconsciously held his breath till he heard Alfie's laughter and he let the breath go in a sigh. His children were going to be the death of him, he was sure of it. He chuckled and padded over to Alfred's side, looking over him carefully to check for injuries all the same. "Gotta keep your eyes on the road!" he teased, grinning down at him.

I have my mother's dreams, I have father's eyes, Alfred giggle a bit more as his father checked on him, teasing him once he spoke. The boy rolled to his paws, wiggling on the ground as he beamed up at his dad. “Guess so!” He didn’t realize the fear his father had seeing him fall but luckily Alfie was alright. Nothing more than some dirt in his fur that would need to come out in a bath later. Alfred got to his paws, bouncing to Leo’s side happily. “So does that mean I’m going to be it now?” The child wiggled again, his blue eyes shining mischievously. "Talk," 'Think.' You can't take that from me; Just Go ahead And try!

Leo breathed a sigh of relief as Alfie rolled to his paws and started bouncing around him again. He was sure that his children would understand this constant worry he had over them one day, but for now he just tried to keep it to himself and let his kids have their fun. He grinned at Alfie as he questioned if he was gonna be it now. Leo 'hmm'ed as he pretended to consider it, looking at his son thoughtfully. Suddenly he dipped his head down to tag Alfred's shoulder with his muzzle, calling, "Tag!" He ran off with a chuckle, darting around the trees and roots of the Mangroves again. He didn't look back at Alfred so he wouldn't go tumbling like he had, but he did keep a ear turned back to listen for Alfred's paw steps just to make sure he didn't fall too far behind. Leo spotted a larger bush up ahead and he pushed himself a bit to get farther ahead before he ducked behind it, panting hard and grinning as he ducked down. He crouched and chuckled breathlessly as he waited for his son to find him.