Kotori sat outside his den, looking ahead of him, and imagined making his way into the willows beyond and a variety of prey he might hunt.  His confidence in his skills was growing quickly and the experience he had to draw on.  There was the other option of looking for more fights but between the two things, it was the hunting he needed to work on more.

Kotori was a prince and the more he trained the more he knew that it wasn’t enough to be in a pack.  Kotori was not on level with the wolves of common blood but he’d let himself remain at their rank.  It was understandable to an extent with how he’d spent time roaming and rank meant a little while alone.  However, it couldn’t stay that way.  Still, what rank did he want?  What role would he take upon his shoulders to prove himself?

Such thoughts when all he had planned on was going hunting?  Kotori glanced up as he heard his father howl and loped in the sound of his call.  This was perfect.  Dad didn’t know it but he was enlisting himself in going hunting with his son.  Hopefully, dad’s other plans could wait for another day.

"Kotori Fatalis"

The Warlord raised his head, howling for his son to find him as he moved lightly through the tall grass plains. The Warlord was a busy man lately, tracking down the wolves of his pack and organising where they were at, and where they needed to be. He looked forward to taking a moment to catch up with his dappled son.

Kotori was quick to respond, appearing silently before him in the grass. The Warlord leant forward and nuzzled his marginally shorter boy's crown. “Ko, your looking good” he commented, pleased. “Tell how you’ve been, I want to hear everything you’ve been up to and going through” he instructed the other wolf. He needed to see which of his wolves were physically or mentally scarred by the strange infection. Then, he needed to move o to his sons future, and what the two of them needed to work on together.

"Sirius Fatalis"

Kotori nodded at his father’s assessment and while his head was focused on suggesting they go out hunting his dad asked for a rather detailed report.  How detailed and what was worth mentioning?  A simple nod granted agreeably on doing well.  Heck, how far back were they talking for that matter?  It had been a busy winter with the healing only starting partway into the spring.

“I’m good.  After the chat, we need to see if my dad’s still in good shape though.  He’s getting older and I worry if he’s still useful in a hunt.” No reason not to throw that part out at the beginning.  “It’s been busy lately, though a lot of the same stuff repeatedly.  So a detailed report might get boring.  I’ll highlight a few things.”

“Summarized portion.  For the winter I worked at getting stronger, a spar or two but then the curse came on the land.  I did try to learn a bit about it.  Caught some rabbits in snares to run tests on.  I sent off Splash and Fang to visit a cave and see if things were any different there but, same thing there also.” A small shrug, “not that it matters now with the curse broken.”  It didn’t matter for a report of trying to solve a riddle but it did count as a note that he hadn’t been dawdling around the pack shirking his own jobs.  Kotori had been working his arse off and it was time to share.

“Hikaru and I were patrolling a lot lately.  Killed more predators than I have toes on my paws to count.  Mostly sick ones driven mad to risk stepping foot on armada soil.”  There were times for cheery chat with daddies, this was a chat about Kotori proving he was more than just a prince by blood.  “and I’ve been working on my hunting,” a sly eye cast to his dad, a twitch of his lip, “and while I’ve improved, I could sure use someone to go out and hunt with me.”

Sure, he had done other things but as far as the highlights that should do it Kotori imagined.  He could mention the Ashen princess but Kotori wasn’t even totally sure where they stood to bring up that topic yet.  Right now she was just a smile that could play on his lips when he thought about their time in the woods and how she had felt sleeping next to him.  Nope, that was for another day.  

"Kotori Fatalis"

The Warlord guffed and thwacked his son’s around the head gently. “You’ll be struggling to keep up with me and begging for mercy” he bantered lightly back. He settled back on his hunches as his son began to get into the meat of it. “Good, go on” he prompted.

He nodded his head, hearing how the boy had attempted to find answers about the curse. Good, he hadn’t been sitting idle. He was really growing into himself, Kotori. He was more than the reckless, but brave kid the Warlord had loved to tickle. That was still in there, inside of him, of course. But it had grown, and evolved. He was becoming a productive member of the pack.

“You’ve made your point” he laughed softly. “I’ll take you on a hunt” he promised. “Sounds like you’ve been making good use of yourself. I’m proud”

"Sirius Fatalis"

Kotori snorted indignantly at his dad’s banter, and leaned his head away from the whack, though it was a token dodge, letting the thwack hit.  Dad got the special right of being allowed to do that.   Kotori was growing in pride every day along with ability.  His attention to being of higher blood than most along with his own abilities meaning not many deserved to banter with him.

Dad mentioned making good use of himself and Kotori gave a smug smirk, “Of course, I’m a Fatalis.  We can’t be anything but the best.” At least he sure as hell wouldn’t accept anything but being the best.

At the end of the summary, Kotori grinned as he got what he wanted all the time.  Dad would be his hunting partner. “Great, let's go.”  No time for small talk, well actually there was but, it would be on the way to leave the pack land and find food.  The boy didn’t even consider the fact he was telling dad what to do now. He’d been working with Hikaru for a while now and Hikaru had let Kotori make decisions and it was just becoming the normal thing.

“Hope I didn’t interrupt too important of a day,” it was said playfully, and quite frankly if dad had to take time away from other matters to be with Kotori it was just a sign of dad being willing to prioritize him over other matters.  Somewhere in him was indeed still a boy, a growing boy but, still the one that had looked to dad to decide what he would do with his future.  The boy's goals were simply growing grander.  

"Kotori Fatalis"

His proud smile held no small measure of fondness as he looked at Ko. He’d gotten so big, so sure of himself. He was truly seeing how his second litter was developing of late. It made him miss them as they had been when they were little, even as he looked forward to meeting who they were becoming. He knew that he needed a full day with Ko then. A hunt, perhaps a drink by the fire, and if he convince the other boy, a nap at his fathers side. The idea warmed him more than any sunshine could.

The Warlord laughed softly at Ko’s next words. “Aye, you know it” he agreed. Ko got it in a way his firstborn son, Mortis, didn’t. The Warlord got to his paws with a creak and shook out his coat, following along beside the younger wolf. “You got a plan on where to take this hunt?” he asked, amused at the boys assertive movements. “And no - the plan today is to spend it however you see fit, you’ve got me the whole day” he promised.


"Sirius Fatalis"