(pi)r² or are they round?

[Phoenix]

Icarus
The den was darker than usual tonight. All of the sudden it wasn't cozy anymore. Instead to the pup it was suffocating. And the tears that were hiding just beyond the blue eyes Icarus had inherited from his mother only made things worse. If he didn't suffocate in all of the disappointment of his parents, then he would surely drown in his own sorrow. Things were not going to be good. He knew that just from the long walk home.

The pup had been caught on Inferni lands with a pup from Jaded Shadows, Amaury. They had thought it would be okay to go play on the beach together, especially with a little bit of reassurance from Amaury. However, it turns out that they weren't exactly welcomed there. Why? Icarus still wasn't crystal clear about that just yet. But by the look in his father's eyes, he assumed that he would soon find out.

"Dadddd." The boy dared to whimper in a soft tone barely audible. "I didn' mean tah do nothin'." The pup sat in a far corner, tailed curled around his four small paws. The blue eyes fell towards the ground as he felt his father's gaze closed in on him. He was in trouble now.

Phoenix
Phoenix spoke next to nothing since getting his son back. He knew the silence itself conveyed his dissapointment in his wayward son. In reality, though, he was more angry at the coyotes than the pup. If it weren't for their sociopathic tendencies, he wouldn't have to worry so much about the well-being of his children. Of course, he knew that they weren't the root of the problem either, but their continued predjudices only served to aggravate the rift between the two species. He was seething with anger at the whole situation and struggled to put a cap on it before he let it out on the wrong person.

The elder Phoenix paced back and forth until his boy finally broke the silence, and his sharp gaze bent down to bore into the boy. The main reason why he hadn't said anything yet was that there was so much he wanted to say, but he had no idea how to begin. He was relieved his son hadn't been seriously hurt, but he was also angry that the boy had run off in the first place. Fatherhood was an overwhelming job, and shenanigans like this didn't make his life any easier. While he doubted that a war could have resulted from this incident, he just wanted to stay the hell away from Inferni and let them have the beach they were willing to kill for.

Finally the father took a deep sigh and sat down facing his shrunk-down mirror image. He'd been this troublesome for his parents around this age, and he couldn't fault the boy for wanted to know more about the world around him. But he was still too small to take care of himself out in that big, dangerous world. "I know you didn't son," he said, calmly. "But jus' because you don't know about danger don't mean it ain't there. There're a lot of bad things an' bad folks outside Storm who don't care that you're a pup. They'll hurt you jus' because you're smaller then them. An' a lot of 'em live in Inferni, on th'beach. You still got a lot t'learn 'bout the world, an' the reason your mother an' I make rules is to protect you. You disobey us, you put yourself is serious danger. Do you understand me?"

Icarus
Icarus didn't care about the rest of the world, and his father's lesson about its cruelties wasn't exactly the entertainment he was looking for. He and Amaury had been just fine, even if that coyote pup had come along. It wasn't like they had gotten hurt or anything. Besides, they were just having a bit of fun.

He didn't dare to look up at his father while he spoke. The tears welling in his eyes threatened to spill over their rims if he looked anywhere other than his paws. Danger, danger, danger. That's all the grown-ups were ever worried about. His parents were always warning them about danger when ever they ventured out of the den. Even now he recited similar words. There's danger everywhere, don't yah know? Sure, the message had been clearly implanted into the little cranium of his, but he wouldn't really absorb the advice until he saw what danger was. Today… there had been no danger. What was his father freaking out about?

"Yes, daddy. I understan'." He had to speak now, for Phoenix had directed the question towards him. He was doing better staying quiet. But now that his father had opened the door, he shoved the rest of the way through it. "But daddy, we was just playin'. There weren't no bad guys there. Just lil' pincher crabs, and theys weren't hurtin' nobody."

Phoenix
Phoenix wanted to be able to trust his children, but the fact of the matter was he couldn't stop worrying. During the first few months living alone as a pup, something had tried to eat him almost on a daily basis. Puppies were not yet the formidable predators they were destinied to grow into. And at Icarus's age, he was the perfect size to make a convenient snack for any one of the other major predators that roamed the lands. Phoenix just didn't want to lose any of his children, and he couldn't be there to protect his son when he was halfway across the valley.

The adult sighed again as his son protested. How much easier this would have been if an Inferni coyote had actually made issue of this. Phoenix didn't want his son to get hurt, but if he'd just gotten shaken up a bit then he would understand. Phoenix hadn't understood how frightening the world truly was until the first time a predator had attacked him.

"Miss Phasma used t'live over there at the beach," Phoenix explained. Perhaps if he could not hammer the lesson in with academics he could use an example. "She used t'be the alpha of another pack. Then the Inferni coyotes decided they wanted her land, and they attacked her pack. They really hurt her friends and even killed a couple pups." He pasued for dramatic effect, giving the young boy a chance to process the horrific facts. "Not everybody who lives in Inferni is bad, son, but most of them hate wolves... for no good reasons. You stay away from 'em... and until you're older, you'll stay inside Storm unless you're with me, Mama, Moon or Pilot an' Dierdre." He hated tomake such an authoritarian ruling, but until Icarus was old enough to understand the murky situation between the pack and the clan, he left him with no choice.

Icarus
Stay in Storm? His father was being completely ridiculous. Icarus could take care of himself! He wasn't that small anymore. He was two months old now, for pete's sake! He wanted to yell and scream and tell him just how unfair he was being, but Icarus was smart enough to realize that wouldn't get him anywhere. However, he wasn't old enough to shy away from pouting. And that's just what he did. A grimace formed along his small face and he left a heavy sigh sound after his father's words. Phoenix just didn't understand... Icarus could take care of himself.

"Okay, daddy." He wanted to say so much more, but he couldn't find the use in it. His father would just turn it around and use it as a springboard for some other lesson. And right now that was the last thing Icarus wanted. He just wanted to go and play. After blowing of some steam and taking his anger out by yowling at a squirrel or two, that was.

"Can I g'out now?" He knew he was in trouble for venturing outside of Storm, but it was worth a shot. Daddy wouldn't make him stay inside for the night, would he?

Phoenix
There was just so much Phoenix needed to teach his son. Pups were basically blank slates, needing the knowledge to be put there by their parents. It was a grave responsibility, something with tricky pacing. Too much information, and it could overwhelm them; too little, and they could lose interest. Icarus seemed to have inherited both his childhood impatience and his mother’s sense of adventure. At least Icarus knew better than to argue. Phoenix could see he was unhappy, but didn’t care. As long as the boy stayed healthy, in time he would grow to appreciate what Phoenix was doing here.

It was getting late, and when Icarus seemed to shrug off what he was saying Phoenix just let loose another ragged sigh. Had anything he said sunk in? Was he a poor father for not commanding his son’s attention and loyalty? “Eventually you’ll be old enough t’take care of yourself,” Phoenix tried to explain, “But right now you’re still a little too young. Trust me, I was twice your age when I hadda take care of myself an’ I barely survived. Your mother an’ I love you, is all, an’ we don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

He still wasn’t totally convinced he had gotten the message through. Kansas and Ember had yet to give him this sort of trouble, though he would have expected a stunt like this from Firefly. Sun and Moon had never been this kind of trouble either. All children were different, he knew, but at least this time around he had Moon and Dierdre to help him and Iskata keep an eye on any troublemakers. It was just a shame Sun had gone off at a vital time like this. “Do you mind me comin’ along?” the father asked, leaning down to look his son in the eye. “I’d like t’spend some more time with you, an’ have some fun this time.” A situation like this called for some male bonding.

[Icarus Phoenix]

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--> Icarus didn’t exactly want his father tagging along with him, now that he had been lightly scolded for venturing outside of Storm. Phoenix hadn’t punished him severely, put the pup’s feelings still needed a bit more time to simmer down before he wanted to come in anymore contact with his dad. He just needed to go outside and forget about his troubles. The only problem though, was that Phoenix was looking for some father-son time... Time which Icarus would have preferred to spend later. --> "Well, all right." Icarus replied, tone indicative of his pouty mood. He pulled his rear off of the floor and moved toward the door – he small frame looking almost comical next to Phoenix’s fully grown build. "But you can’t be ‘barassin’ me in front of the other wolfs!" --> The pup was truly a mama’s (as well as daddy’s) boy at heart. He’d much rather avoid the commotion that his siblings raised in order to spend time with his parents. When his feelings were hurt though, Icarus would try and slink off on his own. The only other time he really enjoyed the solitude, was when he knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with something with his parents along side. Which had been the case earlier that day. --> The pup tossed his head back, so his blue eyes found Phoenix looming in the den behind him. "Let’s go! I only got ‘til the sun goes down!"

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[Phoenix]

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I'll break in my kewl new table with our thread. He realized he was probably the last wolf that his son wanted to hang out with at the moment, but Phoenix missed his son. He hated not being there for Icarus, or Kansas, or any of the others whenever they wanted him. The alpha was still unaccustomed to his new position of leadership, and had yet to settle into the role. He was worried that by the time he was used to being alpha and could afford to spend less time out, his children would be too old to want to bond with him. He wasn’t in competition with Iskata, but deep, deep down the idea that his children might end up loving her more bothered him. Wearily Phoenix got back on his feet to follow his son outside. He was not exhausted physically, but emotionally the position of leadership was taking its toll. He needed to cut back and spend some time for himself, as Iskata put it. And nothing made him happier than spending time with his children. “How ‘bout tonight we stay out late?” he asked before flicking Icarus’s dark brown ear. Perhaps it was bad parenting to let his son bypass one rule after laying down another, but seein his son unhappy made Phoenix’s heart melt. “Long as you promise t’keep close after the sun goes down.”

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[Icarus Phoenix]

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Sorry this post is kind of horrible. I was just itchin' to get a reply up so you didn't have to wait anymore. _____ Truthfully, after a long day, the pup was already starting to become slightly tired and there was no guarantee that he would last any longer than sun down. However, at his father’s bargain, Icarus’ eyes were wide with satisfaction. No longer did his feelings feel singed – now daddy was once again the whelp’s hero. He turned to grin at his father, letting his small tail wag excitedly behind him. "Yah mean it daddy? Reallllly?" _____ He was determined to take Phoenix all around Storm so he could show off the best dad in the whole world. Of course, Icarus assumed that everyone already knew that Phoenix was the best, but he wanted to just rub it in their snouts a little bit more. Oh, the emotions of a child. _____ "D’yah think momma will mind?" He was, after all, a momma’s boy as well. He couldn’t leave her all alone at home if she was going to be scared without them. Icarus had a small fear of the darkness so of course he went ahead to assume that all wolves did. He wasn’t about to admit it openly though. "I jus’ wanna make sure momma don’t get scart when we’re gone."

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[Phoenix]

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No problem, my reply probably won’t be much better. ;p Before becoming a father, Phoenix had never really lived with any semblance of a schedule. He pretty much did what he wanted, when he wanted. He got up when he woke up, hunted when he was hungry, slept when he was tired. It wasn’t until he had been giving border-scout duties that he’d first begun to fall into a crude routine, and when Sun and moon came along he had to acclimate to the routine that pups needed. Odds were Icarus was used to growing sleepy around bedtime, but he couldn’t be totally inflexible. Phoenix was prepared to let him run ragged tonight, and had no problems with having to carry him home asleep in his arms. Children’s minds were funny. They were totally in the moment, happy or sad or angry depending on the immediate circumstances. Phoenix’s stern treatment seemed thankfully forgotten for now by the promise of some father-son bonding. Perhaps all this had merely been a cry for attention. Phoenix knew that his children wished to spend more time with him. If he could retire from alpha, he would in a heartbeat so he could be with them more. As things stood it was a no-win scenario all around. Despite his slip-up Icarus was still a good boy, a fact proven by his concern for his mother. Phoenix smiled at that, glad to know that the love and his mate had invested in them was already coming back exponentially. “Don’t worry ‘bout that, son,” he said as they began trotting deeper into the heart of Storm, “Your momma an’ I have a very special connection that very few wolves have. She’ll know that we’re a’right.” His psychic ability was something he didn’t feel nervous talking to his own children about. Perhaps one or more of them would develop the ability someday. In that case he wanted them to be prepared, as he hadn’t been. Parenthood was all about preparing children for their future, and Phoenix would not deny them any of his experience.

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[Icarus Phoenix]

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_____ As the two walked on, side by side, Icarus couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride swelling in his small chest. He was like a miniature model of his father, despite his blue eyes, and that made him one of the happiest pups ever, he imagined. His father was the best wolf in the world, after all, and he was the spitting image of him. He only hoped that he would grow up to be just like him. And no matter what he would have said earlier when he was getting scolded, he cherished the time with his father most out of anyone. _____ "Daddy, you’re the alpha, right? Whas that mean?" Icarus turned to glance up at his father, with an idea already formed in his head. To Icarus, being alpha meant that daddy got to spend less time with him. He couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do that. He questioned whether it was because Phoenix’s love for his children was faltering. But in his heart he knew that wasn’t the case. So there had to be something more. Something he didn’t quite understand on his own.

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[Phoenix]

Good news and bad news… Good news: I have net access back here at home, so no more time away. Bad news: I have the flu. So don’t expect much.

As the two walked on, side by side, Phoenix couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride swelling in his massive frame. It had been only a few months ago that he’d held doubts that he would ever meet the right female and become a father, and yet here he was now, with a smaller version of himself trotting by his side. The only thing that differentiated Icarus from himself (besides the size) was the blue eyes, inherited from his mother. He had certainly sired a diverse litter, thanks to the fact that he and Iskata were diametric opposites of the spectrum. Phoenix wondered just how much more this son of his would come to resemble him as he grew. Would he overshadow most other wolves, grow a braid, develop the ability to read minds? Phoenix didn’t know, but he was in no hurry to find out.

Icarus had asked a good question, and Phoenix was intent on giving him an answer… but he needed to think about it first. What exactly was needed of an alpha, anyway? Phoenix himself still was not completely sure or accustomed to the job… and perhaps he overcompensated at times—which was why he was away from his family so much. “Well… a pack has t’have a structure, or else it’ll fall apart. There’re all kinds of different jobs that need t’be done, so each member is given a rank an’ a job t’do. There are hunters, guards, teachers… an’ leaders. As Alpha I’m in charge of th’whole pack. It’s my job t’make sure everyone is safe an’healthy an’ getting’ along. An’ I gotta deal with the other packs in the land, make sure no fights break out ‘cause of misunderstandin’s. It ain’t an easy job.” Nor had it been one he had sought after, yet here he was.

[Icarus Phoenix]

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Get better!! _____ Icarus understood things a little better, but he still didn’t understand why his father had to stay away from hom.e so often. He was always out orchestrating things for the pack, and Icarus missed seeing him around. Though he loved his mother whole heartedly, his father was his true role model and seeing him less and less made his little heart break. If Phoenix couldn’t be around so much, then maybe these duties were more important than his family. _____ The small whelp was confused. His mind tried to tell him different things about pack life and this structure Phoenix talked about. Then Icarus decided something. If his father was spending less time at hom.e to perform these duties, perhaps that meant that they were really important and vital to the pack. The brown pup wanted to be just like Phoenix, so he needed to find duties to do too. Then he would understand how things worked. And maybe one day he could do what daddy was doing. _____ "Whas my job?" Icarus asked as the two marched on. They were closing nearer to the creek, for Icarus could hear the low grumble of the water. For a split second he wondered where Firefly was. He turned to his father with a quizzical look. "Daddy, where’s Firefly? She don’t like us no more, does she?"

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[Phoenix]

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Already am. Hmm… this thread is actually set quite a bit before Firefly disappeared, but I can work around it. Phoenix almost regretted the day he’d decided to dedicate his life solely to the pack. If he had just goofed off a little more instead of struggling so hard to fit in and make a difference, perhaps then he wouldn’t have caught Gibraltar’s eye and wound up with the responsibilities that imposed upon his family. What was it iskata had once said to him before they were mated? He needed to live for himself a bit more. At the time he didn’t agree with her, but now he could see the wisdom of her words. It was easy to, after all the time they spent in each others’ minds. It was just a shame that they were both to stubborn to change and learn from each other. The father chuckled a bit at his son’s question. Pups were in too much of a hurry to grow up. He recalled the time when Le Soleil in Teh Sky had asked similar questions. Thankfully his prior experience as a father could benefit the children he had now, and he could now anticipate such questions and prepare answers for them ahead of time. In that respect, Loony Luna and Le Soleil in Teh Sky had really gotten the short end of the stick—Phoenix had little idea what he was doing when he’d raised them, though thankfully they’d grown up to be good, responsible wolves in spite of him. “Your job,” he answered, “Is t’learn everythin’ you can from the adults, so when you grow up you can take care of yourself an’ your pack.” Firefly was the anomaly of the litter, the hardest to manage, and yet ironically she was the one most like her parents at that age—Iskata especially. She was definitely her mother’s daughter, pushing the boundaries and not taking “no” for an answer. “A’course she loves us,” he reassured Icarus. “She jus’ likes t’do her own thing; but when you go off on your own y’get lonely. Jus’ give her some time, an’ she’ll realize how much she really does love you deep down.” As they came upon the river Phoenix swerved to give it its space. “Watch your step, th’river can be dangerous, ‘specially at night,” he warned, once again switching into protective parent mode.

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[Icarus Phoenix]

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Whoops, I wasn't even thinking. We can just say by that he meant he hadn't seen or played with her that day... or something. XD _____ Icarus scrunched his nose and made a face at Phoenix’s reply, only hoping that the darkness disguised his true expression. His answer wasn’t exactly what he was looking for. He wanted something more specific – something that would really guide him with what he was supposed to do from now until he was considered an adult. Learn everything he could from the adults? What kind of job was that? He wasn’t even sure of all the things there were to learn, but he would attempt to complete his job successfully. But would that really take him from now to adulthood to figure out? _____ Firefly would probably figure things out way before Icarus, considering her adventurous spirit. Even now Icarus and his siblings would look to her for guidance in different situations. He only hoped that when they grew older that he wouldn’t be living in her shadow all the time. After all, everyone was always looking after her more than the others and Icarus couldn’t help but call her names behind her back. She was an attention seeker! _____ Icarus scoffed at his dad’s warning – he was always being so protective of him, even though Icarus could take care of himself – but then the pup quickly wiped away his expression. He wanted to be just like dad, and so he didn’t want to be caught being apathetic towards his words. "Yes daddy," he added for good measure in case he had been spotted. His small pink tongue rolled out of his small mug as he let out a long yawn. The day's adventures to the beach were starting to take its toll. He looked to Phoenix, hoping he wouldn’t make them turn back _home just yet. He was rebellious, like most kids, when it came to bed time and would fight it for as long as he could manage.

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[Phoenix]

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Yeah, that’s what I figured. In Phoenix’s mind, the river was a friend an ally, not merely water rushing down a carved-out rut in the ground. As a youth he’d imagined he could hear a voice in the babbling stream, giving him wisdom and encouragement and—most importantly—someone to talk to. Of course, it had nearly taken his life once, but considering that he might not ever have come to the Place of Lightning and Thunder if he hadn’t been swept downriver, he was willing to forgive. Of course, with adulthood his imagination diminished, and he no longer paid that much attention to his friend. But he still hadn’t forgotten how temperamental this element of nature could be, and he did not want it to claim his son. But right now Icarus needed a friend more than a parent. Phoenix had spent so much time being authoritarian with his son these past few hours, he needed to remind his son that he was more than just some boring adult who threw his weight around. Ignoring the yawn, Phoenix changed the subject. “Don’t worry son, someday you’ll be as big as me an’ I won’t hafta worry so much. A’ready you’re so much bigger an’ stronger than th’day you were born!” There was an authentic pride in his voice as he spoke. Icarus was a healthy, comely youngster, and Phoenix was proud to be his father. “Let’s see jus’ how tough you are. C’mon! Are y’strong enough t’bring down your old man?”

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[Icarus Phoenix]

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indent Icarus cast a glance towards his father at the invitation for a wrestling match. A small grin formed, though sly in nature, and he shook his head. "Oh come onnn, daddy. I don’ wanna." He turned away, and pretended to stalk off a few steps, before hesitating. The thin smile grew into a mischievous sneer and he turned quickly on his paws, launching himself at Phoenix. "GOTCHA! HA!" Icarus yelled, as he collided with his father’s side. "I tricked yah, didn’ I? Didn’ I?"

indent He would have loved to stay out like this with his father for hours more, but his body couldn’t handle too much more. Spending time with Phoenix was the farthest thing from somniferous, but Icarus couldn’t help to let a few yawns escape.

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[Phoenix]

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Not many could get the jump on Phoenix easily, if there were any at all. Even as a youngster he’d honed his senses to be razor-sharp and capable of detecting any looming threat. That was before his psychic abilities manifested themselves, and he became (sometimes painfully) aware of every presence around him. Even if he had to concentrate to leave the boundaries of his own head he still had an alertness, a sixth sense. He could feel life-forces around him, even those of unborn children. It had been amazing at first, but ironically he hadn’t noticed the budding lives of his own children in Iskata until she had told him he was going to be a father and brought it to his attention. The changes had been so subtle, almost undetectable, that he hadn’t even noticed the extra “luminescence” inside his mate. So of course he knew what his son was planning, but the father played along. He resisted the urge to tense his muscles in preparation for the impact, and let himself fall over easily under Icarus’s assault, laughing all the while. “Yep, y’got me,” Phoenix said, seeing no harm in a white lie to boost his son’s confidence. If Icarus was to ever become a good hunter, he needed to start practicing early. A tackle was hardly a smart move when bringing down a massive buck, but he had to start somewhere. “Mebbe we should head on 127.0.0.1 now,” he suggested as he saw the fatigue begin to manifest through his son’s mouth. “I love you, son,” he felt the need to say before giving Icarus a loving nudge on his small flank.

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[Icarus Phoenix]

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indent Icarus grinned in satisfaction at his success of tackling his father. Though at his young age he didn’t quite understand his father’s true strength or the small act of deception he had just played, Icarus was proud of his accomplishment. He was growing stonger, and he knew that was only one step in the direction of being something like his old man. Eventually he knew that he would get just as big! At least, he sure hoped so.

indent With the events of the day behind them, Icarus had forgotten all about his adventure’s on the dog land beach or the scolding he had received after. And at his father’s mention of 127.0.0.1, he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, le’s go." Before he had a chance to wander that way, he father managed to land him an adoring nudge with an added statement of affection. Icarus grinned. "Aww, daddddd," he moaned, though secretly he felt the same way about his father.

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