Mikiri entered the cave with a smile, a young boy clinging to her skirt and looking around, wondering why they had come to the usually empty cave. He was surprised to find people there, and tugged on his mother's skirt and pointed at the blue haired boy cuddled up with the man on the pallet. "Mama! mama! Boy!" "Yes honey I see..." Mikiri smiled, and giggled looking to see Torvil sleeping with his son, she spied Ala as well. "Hello sister..."

Ala looked up from the book she had been reading in the peaceful cave and smiled "Well hi Mikiri, it's been a while, is he yours?" she asked seeing the young boy clinging to her

Mikiri smiled. "Yeah, he's mine..." She ruffled the boy's brown hair, obviously his father's son. "It's good to see you again, it's been far to long..." she smiled. "I see my brother is asleep... as is your child..."

Ala nodded "Yeah, it's hard to do everything back at the shop and be here a lot too, but we'll be here for a while this time.. We plan to stay till Surion has grown and gone on his first hunt, not sure when his next growth spurt will be though so it might be a while" she said and glanced towards her mate "Yeah Surion needed a nap so Torvil napped with him"

Mikiri grinned. "That's good to hear..." She said with a happy nod. "Jakath will be doing his first hunt soon, maybe they'll be lucky and do it at the same time?" She sounded hopeful, and doubtful at the same time.

"Who knows, only time will tell, I find it hard to predict, but such is life of mixed races. So how many little ones, and not so little ones do you have now?" Ala asked standing up and putting her book on a table

Mikiri bit her lip and lifted up her hands, counting on her fingers... Well trying to. "Uhhhhh...." She giggled and blushed. "I lost count awhile ago..."

Ala laughed "Well I can still count on mine, but I don't really expect to have any more, least not any time in the near future"

Mikiri nodded and giggled. "Well you know how we are..." She waved her hands at Jakath. "Next thing you know he'll be chasing girls instead of running from them..."

Ala burst out laughing "Very possible"

Surion yawned and sat up rubbing his eyes his mother's loud laughter had woken him

Jakath's eyes instantly turned to the other boy child. He tugged on his mother's skirt. "Play?" He asked her. "Yes love you can go play..." Mikiri smiled and patted his rump.

Surion opened his eyes and looked around, he heard another voice he didn't know, or rather two of them he scooted tot he edge of the pallet and stood his tail moving lazily behind him as he looked for the source of the voices

Jakath smiled and started to move towards the other boy quickly. "Hihi!" He called to him waving, a big smile on his face. Torvil started to snore.

Surion stared he wasn't expecting one of the voices to be a boy hurrying towards him "Hihi" he replied "Who you?"

Ala chuckled and looked to Mikiri, "shall we sit and visit?"

Mikiri smiled and moved to sit, finding a spot that would fit her. "Yes, let's..." "I'm Jakath!" He grinned, his brown hair being blown out of his bangs with a quick breath of air. "Who you?"

"Sur" he said pointing to himself his blue hair not quite in his eyes enough to even care about as he took hold of his tail

"Cool! You have tail!" The boy pointed. "I wish I had tail!" He said, wiggling his tailless rear.

Surion looked around the boy walking a few steps to do so "Yeah you no tail" he said playing with the tip of his "Sur had since little" smiling a pointy toothed grin

"Sur Lucky!" Jakath grinned and giggled boyishly. "What you want play?"

"Otay!" Surion said warming up to this boy, least he had someone to play with, every other time he'd been to the cliffs he did not

The boy grinned and tapped his chin. "What play tho?" He asked, at a loss, most cliff games required more than two kids.

Sur's face faulted "Sur dunno..." he said playing now with one of his pointy ears and looking around

The boy tapped his chin and then smiled. "Me know!" he said, reaching out and grabbing Surion's hand. "Ma! Me taking Surion out to play!" "Okay Honey, be safe..." Mikiri looked at Ala for an okay as well.

Ala nodded "You's likely knows this place better then anything anyways... Sur you stay with Jakath"

"Otay mama" Surion said as he was drug towards the door

Jakath smiled. "Fun!" He said, heading out the door and stopping, listening for a moment, and then hearing what he wanted... The happy laughs of children, he started to drag Surion off that way

Surion too heard the noise and turned his head just before his cousin started moving again . He hurried after Jakath "Where going?"

"Play! My sisters and brothers, and other friends!" Jakath smiled. "Fun!" He smiled, pointing at the rather large group of children pretty much just running around at random

Surion blinked and then smiled moving faster with Jakath "More kids!"

Jakath smiled and soon they were swarmed by kids. "Everybody! This Sur! He cool! he have Tail!" There was a loud oooo sweeping among the children as they all clamored to try and see it.

Sur stared at them confused as all heck what the fuss was about it was nothing new to him to have a tail, even his mama and dada had one

Jakath smiled and pulled his cousin close. "Sur my cousin! Sur cool, lets play with Sur! Oh! I know... We can play war! Sur, you're on my team..." The kids were all divided up, and they parted ways across the expanse of space, they all stayed away from the edge of the plateau, well away. Jakath pulled Surion down behind some rocks. "Okay, this game, we fight the other team... Who ever has the most 'forts' wins..." Jakath looked up over the rock, pulling Sur with him, pointing out the 'forts' they were just little rock outcroppings. In the middle of the plateau some kids were putting a big pile of toy weapons. "Otay, when that person yells go, we all scramble and gets a weapon..." He smiled. "I'm sure we'll win with you on our side!"

Most of this went right over Surion's head and he stared looking back and forth between his cousin and the toy weapons

Jakath giggled boyishly and pointed at the weapons then at Surion. "When they say go, we get, then we try to keep these..." He patted the rocks. "Away from them..." He pointed at the other team.

"O..tayyy..." Surion looked towards the other kids

Jakath sighed and heard the go. He pulled Surion up over the rocks as all the kids were shouting and screaming towards the play weapons. Jakath was able to get them a sword and a spear, and he gave the spear to Surion. "Now hit the other kids trying to take our rocks!" Jakath said, doing just that.

Surion watched him holding the spear in his hands he took a couple tentative pokes at the other kids not wanting to seem... out of place

A few kids started to gang up on him, and Jakath tried his best to hold them back. "Sur, fight! No poke... stab!"

Surion cried out as he got hit rather hard in the side with one of the swords and dropped the spear turning to run in the direction Jakath and he had come, in the direction of his mother's scent

Jakath, sighed and waved off a few kids, heading after his cousin, letting the others play.

Surion was still running stopping only for a brief moment now and then to try and find hs way

Jakath caught up with him. "Where are you going?" He asked his cousin.

"Sur want mama" he said crying his light red tears and not stopping

Jakath sighed and took his cousin's hand, leading him back the way they had come to his house, walking into the cave.

Surion sniffled his free hand on his side

Jakath let go of his hand as soon as Ala was in sight. Mikiri turned around. "Did you have fun?" She asked. "We barely even started..." Jakath pouted.

Surion saw his mama and ran to her "Mama Sur owie" he whined

Ala quirked a brow putting her arms around him "Ok.. what's owie?" she asked

Jakath looked at Ala. "We was just playing war..." Jakath said. "We was winning too!" Mikiri rolled her eyes. "Visha..."

Ala looked at Mikiri "What is... war? the kids one that is" she asked her sister in law Surion still had his face buried in her chest

"It's not a game I enjoy my son playing that's for sure..." She looked at her son pointedly. "But that's besides the point. Pretty much it's a kiddy version of a bar brawl with play weapons. They defend little rock croppings out on the plateaus with their play weapons..."

Ala nodded "Well I suppose that could lead to owies" she said looking down at her son and pulling him from her "Show mama the owie Sur"

Surion sniffled and pulled his tunic up to show a nice purpling bruise on his side

Jakath rocked on his heels. "You get owies in war, but you have to ignore the owies and keep playing so you can win..." He pouted. Mikiri sighed. "Yes Jakath, that's why the game is allowed still, because we know it's important for you to be able to withstand pain..."

Ala winced slightly "Only difference is Surion isn't used to those kinds of games, I doubt he was expecting to have that happen" she tried to explain to the boy

Jakath nodded slowly. "Jakath see... he think... Sur no play games with owies?" He asked softly, tilting his head. "Then how Sur grow be strong?"

Ala sighed putting her hand on her son's side her gem lighting up as she spoke "He will learn, but my guess would be is that he didn't expect to get hurt, Surion is like you but a little younger here" she pointed to her head "He'll catch on, and who knows in time perhaps help your team wallop the other's team"

Jakath smiled. "Oh, me see!" He tapped his head. "He like me on outside but not in head!" He tapped his head again. "Me see! Me see!" He nodded his head. "Think he'll want to play with me anymore tho?" He said looking at his feet, a little worried his coolest friend wouldn't want to play with him no more.

"I think he will, just need to explain things lots ok?" she said and pulled her hand away from her son smiling at his normal skin as her gem went out "You're ok son.. wipe your tears, and go play ok?"

Surion sniffled one last time then wiped his eyes and looked towards Jakath as he pulled his tunic down again

Jakath smiled and moved over to his cousin offering him his hand. "Come on, lets see if our team won yet?" He said softly. "And then maybe we can play a game with not so many owies..."

Sur nodded "Otay" he said taking his cousin's hand again wiping the last of his tears as he followed Jakath

Jakath led him back to the plateau, when they got there most of the kids were laying on the ground, basking in the sun, the swords and spears were gone, probably taken home, it looked like Jakath's and Surion's team had won, cause they held the rocky plateaus where the best sunning spots were.

Sur smiled seeing the game over, he didn't want to play that, least not right then "Look over"

Jakath grinned. "Yeah, lets go claim our spoils!" He giggled and pulled his cousin down to the 'best' spot to sun, waving at his friends there, his siblings were spread out on the other outcroppings and these were mainly Jakath's friends. One of the boys smiled. "Our leader and his right hand have returned!" They grinned and all of them sat up for a moment, to listen as Jakath pretty much lied about the reason Surion ran away, saying it was a tactic to distract the enemy.

Surion sat down on the ground his tail wrapped around his side and into his lap "Who you" he asked when Jakath had stopped talking

"Barkis!" Said the boy. "Jaine!" Chirped one of the girls. "Kaila!" Squeaked another of the girls. "Joshk!" Said another one of the boys.

Surion nodded looking from one to the next with his blue eyes the sun catching his gem as he turned his head sending a blue hue onto the rocks for a moment

"Ooooo Shiney!" All of the kids said at once, clamoring once more to get a look at him. "Sur is sooo cool!" They all agreed.

Sur stared at them wide-eyed being surrounded again "Sur cool?"

"Yeah Sur cool!" They smiled. Jaine and Kaila smiled, and Kaila giggled, handing Surion a small red flower. "For Sur!" She giggled.

Surion took the flower not knowing it's meaning but thinking the color was pretty "Thank" he said turning it between his fingers

Kaila giggled happily and clapped her hands, hugging Surion and smiling. She kissed his cheek and ran off. Jaine giggled and smiled, having done the same to Jakath, who sat there blushing and looking at the flower. The two other boys sat there laughing.

"Sur miss somefin?" he asked seeing the blushing of his cousin and hearing the laughter of the others

Jakath nodded. "They our girlfriends now..." He muttered weakly. "Jakath no want a girlfriend..." He said, standing up. "Lets go home..." He held the flower protectively tho.

"Otay...." he blinked getting up but not holding the flower quite as protectively, this was something he knew not and even that, he didn't know much about girlfriends yet either

"We have to be super nice to them now..." Jakath pouted as they headed for home. "Now we have to go somewhere with them if they want..." He kicked a rock off the edge of the path. "It's no fair..."

"Huh?" Surion stopped scratching his pointy ear completely bewildered "Sur do?"

"Yeah, you do too..." He said looking towards the cave they had come from just a few minutes ago. "It's so not fair..." he pouted.

"Uh.." Surion bit his lip drawing a little blood and wiped it off with a finger and then licked his finger "Sur no get"

Jakath stopped and turned around. "Okay, here's how it goes. They gave us this flower and we accepted it. This flower means they like us, and when we took it, it means we liked them back..." He said looking at the flower for a moment and blushing. "Now we have to do whatever they want us to..."

Surion looked at the flower "Sur not know dat" he mumbled

Jakath nodded. "Well now Sur know..." He said. "We better hurry before they come find and make us play cave..." He made a not happy hissing noise..."

Sur nodded "Jakath go Sur come" he said shoving he stem of the flower into the pocket of his trousers so it stayed but hung out

Jakath held the flower for a moment before putting it in his hair, walking quickly towards the cave.

Surion followed after him thinking the flower looked interesting in his cousin's hair

Jakath entered the cave in a nasty pout, kicking a rock into the cave, it clipped Torvil's horn which caused him to shoot dead upright and swear, loudly, clutching at it.

Ala spun "What?"

Surion blinked "Uh oh..." he said stopping dead in his tracks

Torvil winced and rubbed his horn. "Something hit my horn..." He grimaced. Jakath quickly moved over to his mother, trying to feign innocence.

Ala winced in pity "Ouch that would hurt"

Surion walked towards his father "Dada ok?"

Torvil nodded. "Yeah, Dada fine..." He smiled and then blinked. "Sur, where did you get that flower?" "Yeah Jakath... were did you get one..." Mikiri grinned. Jakath looked at his feet. "Jaine and Kalia gave them to us..." He was blushing.

Surion pulled it from his pocket and nodded after his cousin answered for them

Mikiri giggled. "Looks like our boys have gotten themselves some crushes..." She giggled and grinned. Torvil chuckled softly and patted his lap for Surion to come sit on.

Jakath refused to look at his mum.

Surion turned and dropped into his dad's lap

Torvil chuckled and brushed his son's hair. "I don't think we'll have to worry about Surion chasing after them just yet..." He smiled. Mikiri let out a soft sight. "You're the lucky ones... Well I guess we better go have lunch..." Mikiri smiled. "You're welcome to come by for some if you'd like..."

Ala nodded "Thanks Mikiri, I'm sure Sur will want someone to play with at some point"Surion looked up "You go?"

Mikiri smiled. "Yeah, we're going..." She walked over and bent down, kissing her nephew on the forehead. "You be safe..." She smiled, and walked over, gathering Jakath and waving. "Bye!" "Bye sis!" Torvil called. "Bye Sur!" Jakath waved.

Surion waved "Byebye!" he called after them

Torvil smiled and watched them go, then turned to Ala. "So... Now what shall we do?"

Ala smiled "How about supper you two sleep a while and then Surion went out to play so it is starting to get later"

Torvil smiled and nodded his head. "Alright... Shall I cook or do you want to?" He grinned softly. "Though not much cooking is required..." He smirked.

"You can I'll deal with Sur... and that flower" Ala said with a chuckle standing and heading in their direction

Torvil chuckled and stood up, slowly offering Surion to Ala, then he headed off into the kitchen to make dinner.

Ala took him heading for the bathroom to get him cleaned up for supper

Torvil smiled, and tossed some meat on... He and Surion would have to have a talk... soon...