[PRP] I'm back... [Safi & Fiyali]

[Das Tor]

Safi was nervous. He loved Fiyali very much...but with him gone so much, did she still feel that way for him? Was she angry? Sad? He hoped not. If there was one thing the wild dog did not like, it was others being sad...his fault or not! When he finally caught sight of the familiar white and gray form, he smiled a bit.

"I'm back Fiyali..." Once again, he prayed she wasn't mad at him.  

[Manda]

Fiyali raised her head from where she was laying beside a little group of rocks, watching their children playing among them. Her ears came up and tail wagged at the orange male as he approached.

It wasn't that she was sad, or mad at him ... just lonely when he wandered. And it left her to take care of all the pups by herself, and answer their questions of 'where is daddy?' and the like.

But in a way, she understood that Safi was still young and wanted adventure... and the pups were really still too young for them all to wander together, so it was all right. In a way.

"Welcome home," she replied, as she always did, and got up to lick at his face.  

[Das Tor]

Safi felt relieved, and returned the show of affection. "I missed you. I was gone longer than I intended..." He sighed. "And still no sign of them..." He smiled a bit. "Pich says the others were good while I was gone?"

He was looking forward to the day the pups were old enough to travel. Then he wouldn't have to be lonely, and he wouldn't have to leave Fiyali...but he felt this driving need to find his parents and siblings so they could see their lost son was alive with a family of his own.

"And I brought back new stuff for Lela to use...it smells of the ocean."  

[Manda]

Fiyali made a kind of churring sound at him that wasn't exactly a purr, but maybe close to it - at least as close as a dog could get to sounds a cat normally made.

"I'm sure you'll find them sooner or later," she assured him quietly, sitting down and leaning against the male a bit.

"They were good, yes... they're playing now." As if he couldn't see for himself...

By that point, several of the pups had noticed that Daddy was back, and Kisu in particular bounced over, mock-attacking his father's feet with puppyish growls and much nomming of toes.

"Hey, Dad! You were gone a loooong time!"  

[Das Tor]

Safi was content...he was going to stay longer with his family, since he'd been gone longer than usual. "Playing is good...Even when they're bigger." He looked to her with laughter in his eyes. At times, he acted like nothing more than a big pup...and a dorky one at that. but he was a sweet dork.

With the attack on his paws, he chuckled and lay down himself. "And I'll stay for a long time, this time." He gave his son a lick on the top of his head. "Anything interesting happen to you while I was gone, Kisu?" He liked hearing what his family had done while he was gone...it helped him keep a hold on each of the pups individuality...despite his absences.  

[Manda]

Little eyes widened at that, and the pup's tail wagged enthusiastically, ears perking toward his father. "Really? Really, really, you are? Awesome!!" he half-yelled, bouncing around to tumble over his father for a moment or two.

"It is," Fiyali agreed, with a fond smile toward her son as she moved to lie down beside Safi and lick at his ears affectionately. Then she laughed and shoved at Kisu gently. "Hey, now. Your father asked you a question, dear."

The pup instantly froze, the look on his face clearly saying 'he did?'. Then he remembered and burst out, "Oh! Yea! We caught a bug the other day," he said proudly. "But Mom wouldn't let us eat it..."

"It was a stinkbug," Fiyali murmured into Safi's ear. "They're lucky it didn't spray them..." She smiled at the thought.  

[Das Tor]

Safi chuckled softly at his first son. "Yup, I am." He didn't mind the tumbling over him, taking it all in stride...He'd had worse than some scratches from puppy claws before.

At the thought of his pups eating a stinkbug, it took a LOT of willpower to not cringe. He'd done that once. Never, ever again.

"There's a very good reason you can't eat every bug you find, Kisu. But I am proud you all caught a bug on your own!" He liked being a father, he reasoned. To be a part of so many wonderful lives...  

[Manda]

Kisu practically preened at that, but nodded almost solemnly at his father's words. "Kay. We'll show any more bugs to mom, first, then!" he promised enthusiastically.

Fiyali laughed softly at that and leaned over to lick the pup's ears. "That's a good idea..."  

[Das Tor]

Safi gave his son a lick on the top of his head. "Why don't you go let your brothers and sisters know that?" He smiled brightly. "Wouldn't want them to catch a bug and not know, now would we?"  

[Manda]

Kisu's ears flipped back against his head for a minute, then stood straight up at that. "Oh yea! I should!" he said quickly and bounded off toward his siblings.

Fiyali smiled and turned back to lay her head against Safi's shoulder. "Here's hoping that they don't find something that could make them sick," she murmured.  

[Das Tor]

Safi chuckled, both at his son's enthusiasm, and his mate's statement. "They're...mostly a smart bunch. But yeah...let's hope the uh...enthusiasm of youth doesn't end up with them sick." The thought of one of his precious sons or daughters sick...it was enough to make him shiver. And if one did end up sick, and he was gone...He couldn't think of that.  

[Manda]

Fiyali blinked at the worried expression suddenly on his face. Tilting head, she leaned forward a little and licked him. "Hey ... what are you thinking so hard about? I doubt that anything they can get into would make them all that sick..."  

[Das Tor]

Safi chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry...I guess I'm a little...uh...paranoid!" He nosed her affectionately, glad he'd found the right word for his train of thought. "You and the pups...even though I'm gone a lot...you're my world. I wouldn't know what I would do if something happened to any of you."  

[Manda]

Fiyali tilted head at that and nosed at him a bit... wondering. "Then... stay?" she said softly - not asking what she really wanted to ask. Why leave, if they were his world..?

Soon enough, it was likely they could all travel together. Couldn't he wait until then to go wandering....?  

[Das Tor]

Safi smiled and thought. "I...I think I can stay." He chuckled. "I can find my parents later. But right now...I have you and the pups." He was happy, with his not-so-little family. Because it was HIS, and he knew he wouldn't lose them. Not ever. "You're my family."