The ordeal of the night before was forgotten... At least the danger part of it. Lior had spent the better part of the morning in the den sleeping, curling up with her paw over her muzzle as she dreamed. Anais had gotten her back to the den this morning... she had spent the night with her sister. The only sign that anything had gone on was the girl sleeping so late into the morning. Whether or not Anais had told their parents or not was left unknown for the moment, however.

Finally, just as the sun was getting close to the highest point in the sky the little girl would open her eyes and stretch. Her fur was dry now, and excitement bubbled within her. Out of the den she would bound, little black paws coming to a stop once she was outside. The autumn sun shown down upon her, and the femme would look around happily. Her tail would start to wag as she bounded towards a familiar shape.

?Daaaaaddy~~? Lior would plop down on the ground beside the elder male, not caring at the moment what it was he may be doing. All Lior knew was she wanted to spend time with him.

The pale elder sniffed the entrance of his den for the umpteenth time that morning and let out a sigh as he turned to overlook the lake and try to solve a worrying question, head dipping into the den and eyeing his daughter. How the pup had made it past his sleeping form in the carved out alcove of the dens tunnel entrance, he had no idea. The little one had bumbled away last night by the fact that Anais had arrived bearing Lior in the morning much to both of the adults surprise and worry.

He'd taken Lior from his daughter, but as he placed the pup by Tahlia to feed he caught the dry stink of lake water that made the elder wolf give pause. It was true that Bane was old, but he wasn't a fool, his nose was far better than a pups. And Lior was still sleeping despite the time.

Bane snorted and drew his head back out and looked around at the trees surrounding the den. They should be marked. They have to be marked... but he wouldn't in this pack. Talutah would die with his offspring. The tribe in the northern ashlands were all gone. The pale wolf lay down with his head over his paws and eyed the lake, a few shapes shifting amongst the tree as fellow packmates went about their day.

A cry went up from behind and Bane couldn't help but grin at his daughter as the pup's pattering paws brought her to him. "Hey little trouble maker. How you doing?" The elder chimed as shifted to lay on his side, a paw waving over his daughters head. What Lior had done last night wouldn't be brought up. Life was to short for something such as a midnight sip of water to bother Bane too much.

[[Ooc:: Also needed to change something in the first post. Lior slept in the den with Anais the night before, but was brought to the regular den in the morning. She was still tired so she just went back to sleep.]]

Lior would giggle a little as her father spoke, ears twitching happily as her father greeted her. ?I?m good... Just waking up... I was really sleepy.?[/color] Her tail would wag as she snuggled up to Bane?s side, settling herself down and looking at him with bright eyes. She was happy, and spending time with her father, even if he didn?t have the energy to romp around and play like her siblings, but he was still her favorite person in the family. Lior was a daddy?s girl through and through.

?Is anything interesting going on??[/color] She would ask, looking to him with curiosity. He would observe, and because of that he could find out all sorts of information. Her ears were perked, but before he would answer Lior would speak again, getting excited just by being with him. ?Daddy... What do you think I?mma be like when I grow up??

The pale wolf gave a lazy upturning of his maw as his head twisted to better look at Lior. A grey little thing, Bane's tongue flicked in her direction and set his waving paw down, his daughter uninterested. The wispy fur of the pup mingled with his, the wolf letting a rumble reverberate through him. Bane was quick to stand up and shake himself off as Lior asked how he was doing. The wolf's cheeks would upturn in a smile as he nosed his daughter onto her back and closed his maw around her belly. Amusing noises were made as he blew air onto the pup's stomach, the sounds after a moment rapidly dissolving into laughter.

"Nothing for me, maybe a hunt soon with your brothers in a day or two." The pale wolf laughed as he picked up his daughter and made his way down the lake a short walk away. "Were you thirsty last night? You must've been so tired you went in the wrong den." He'd do Tahlia a favor and start their future fisher a little early on how to swim. It wouldn't be the sink or swim test for Lior, but it would be different. "I'm gonna teach you how to swim, you can drown in the water at your age if your not careful." Bane plopped his daughter at the edge of the water and sat down, wondering how to answer her question. A reply was given after a moment of thought. "We must all walk our own paths in life Lior, it is the nature of things. As for what we become, it is all up to you."

Lior would give a little, happy squeal as her father nosed her onto her back. Limbs would flail in the air as the male blew air onto her stomach, giggles of glee leaving her. It tickled a lot when Bane did it, and Lior loved it. Just spending any time with the old wolf brought her a lot of joy. His own laughter would soon mingle with her own, creating a light scene between the father and daughter. When he finally pulled back, answering her, she would pout just a bit. Jakart and Nako had the best fun with him... Going hunting and stuff. But she was still too little to do stuff like.

She would be picked up without protest, carried to the lake and set her down. She would look up at him, ears lowering a bit. What she became was up to her... Though if it wasn?t for Anais she wouldn?t have had the chance to become anything. She would put on a little, guilty smile. ?W-well...? She was only trying to smile cause she thought her daddy liked when she smiled... And then maybe he wouldn?t get upset with her if she did.

?I... Couldn?t sleep last night... So I came out to explore... But I slipped too far into the water... But but Anais got me out! She made sure we were both okay!? Regardless of how she put it... The news was hardly the type of thing a parent would want to hear from their pup.

Lior's delighted squeal still echoed in his head, the wolf still grinning for a moment until his daughter uneasily began to speak. An anxious shiver of horror overcame the old wolf at her words. She had almost drowned!? How had Lior gotten past him? Had he rolled in his sleep to expose a gap between him and the side of the tunnel? Lior... thank whatever gods were out there for Anais and whatever she was doing at the hour. If he had awoke to a missing pup, finding her body floating in the lake that morning or the next few days after. Bane closed his remaining eye and gave a shaky exhale. "Lior... Lior why would you do such a thing? Your too young to be in the water. Do you have any idea what I would have to tell my mate once we found you if Anais, anybody, hadn't happened along?

Bane eyed to calm waters of the lake with useless resentment. A paw was placed on Lior's back and the elder lay down before holding his offspring in place with a firm press. "I want you to look at me. This land, it is a hard place with many dangers. Foul individuals roam the lands. And your not ready for it at your age. Not the cold or the hunger. It's not safe out in the world. It's a test of ones mettle and resourcefulness. It is nothing like the den where your warm and full all the time." Bane relieved some pressure of of Lior's back though he still wouldn't let the pup.

"You mustn't do anything like this again until your old enough that your mother and I feel that you can go your own way on life. Soon the season will change to the most harsh, the most hungering, the most cold. Winter is coming. The cold is already here along with greying sky's. And I want you to use your head when it arrives." Bane stood and picked up his daughter, wading into the shallows and hovering the pup just over the water. With a rumble the pale wolf turned and headed back up to their den, he for one could use another nap.

-Bane is sleeping-

The young girl would lower her ears as her father let out a shaky breath, starting to speak. She would lower her gaze, head sinking down. She didn?t want to think of that... She had been so caught up on everything being okay that she didn?t think about what might have happened to her. She would be pressed down, held in place by her father?s paw. Slowly she would look up at him, listening to him speak.

Foul individuals.... Dangers... Hard things to face... She would frown deeply, shifting slightly on her paws. The world was a bad place and she wasn?t ready for it cause it wasn?t safe like the den. She let out a little sigh as he continued. Her father and mother would let her know when it would be okay to go off on her own... Especially something like this. She would give a wordless nod, lowering her gaze to the ground. ?Yes daddy...? She would say softly. There was no point in trying to justify what she had done... It had scared her father... And Anais too.

She was picked up, her father carrying her first into the water, holding her above the shallows before turning back and heading towards their den. Lior closed her eyes as he carried her. ?I?m sorry...? She would say, though she wasn?t sure if her father would hear her or not.