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Post by Atticus on Dec 28, 2015 17:14:49 GMT -5
Angelo smirked. A few minutes ago, he must have been the same to Vivian with his dumbass questions. Good thing his mate was very clearly used to this behaviour, as well as almost uncharacteristically patient with them.
"Yes, very good," the father grinned, reaching up and gently batting at Austin's nose. "She hatched at dawn, Aus. You're a big brother now." Despite being their firstborn, Chance had sort of taken up the position as the oldest of the group, meaning Angelo's son was a "younger brother" from the start. Now, he had the chance to be the older one, the protector. Angelo wished he was awake enough to register it; he was dying to see his reaction, though he could only imagine good things. He had no clue how Chance or Austin's friends would react... or anyone in the ranch, for that matter.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 17:26:20 GMT -5
He blinked at his father's swat, and some clarity came into his eyes. His gaze shifted to the Eevee again, and his eyes narrowed. "She's... our baby?"
Vivian laid down next to Angelo, smirking. Angelo had got him to pay attention now, at least, and he was catching up. "Yes, Austin."
"Oh... Oooh!" His eyes widened, and fueled by a sudden burst of excitement he bounced up and down. "Oh my gosh!"
"Be quiet," Vivian hissed, looking around. A few Pokémon nearby stirred, but to her relief, her son's outburst drew no more attention than that. "Keep your voice down."
"Sorry." He dropped to a crouch and crept closer to the little Eevee; his tail fanned wildly behind him, sweeping around hay on the ground. "Oh my gosh!" he whispered, sniffing Winter. "Oh my gosh-- When did you lay an egg?"
His emerald gaze shifted to Vivian, who looked at her daughter instead of either of the Umbreons. "Not long ago." She hoped her mate wouldn't question any further. The potential Pandora's Box the question presented wasn't one she wanted to open.
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Post by Atticus on Dec 28, 2015 17:39:10 GMT -5
Angelo stifled a laugh, but the amusement was etched clearly onto his dusky features. He was getting the reaction and relief that he was waiting for-- Austin's excitement. His tail swished as he looked over his family and its newest member. How incredible... he had gone to bed as the father of one, and awoken as the father of two. And Chance, but we're talking biologically here.
He blinked curiously at Austin's question. Angelo had been so excited about seeing his newborn, he hadn't actually thought about the whole cycle of life he had missed. Where had Vivian been hiding it? His attention shifted to her, and he offered a quizzical look. "Why didn't you tell me?"
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 17:51:28 GMT -5
Vivian looked down at her paws, and her claws kneaded the bedding. A whirlwind of potential answers swirled in her mind. Should she tell him? Should she lie? Should she refuse to answer? No matter what she told them, they wouldn't be happy. And she didn't want to drain the enjoyment out of the morning. "I'll tell you later," she murmured at last, laying her head beside his. "It's a long story."
Austin looked at her bemusedly, but his attention quickly returned to his little sister. "She's so cute," he cooed. "I can't wait to tell everybody! Chance is going to be so excited!..."
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Post by Atticus on Dec 28, 2015 18:07:33 GMT -5
Angelo nodded and gave his mate a gentle lick on her cheek. Vivian had her reasons, he was sure. As strange as they may be to other Pokémon, their relationship was probably one of the healthiest on the ranch-- built on support and trust. Sometimes, Ang didn't understand how he had gotten so lucky.
His crimson eyes peeked back up at his son, who continued to bubble with joy. "Just don't invite them to see her yet, okay? I don't want her getting overwhelmed by too many smells." Babies in the ranch tended to be a big deal, but Angelo was adamant to do this parenting thing right. He'd done pretty well last time, he felt, and was experienced now when it came to raising cubs.
Chance was still the exception; he was family, after all. Even if he wasn't his biological son. But he did just wonder how "excited" the Espeon would actually be. "Do you know when he's getting back?" the Umbreon asked.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 18:16:29 GMT -5
"Not exactly, but he would be coming soon if Tunes wants to see the baby, right?" Austin asked. As big as babies on the ranch were, Note's and Ellie's baby had to be a bigger deal. It wasn't something that had particularly caught his attention, but the older Pokémon- the blondes' main teams -had been in a tizzy ever since the little girl had been brought home. They hadn't seen much of their humans since then, but Austin had caught that Tunes was slow to arrive because she was so far away. But it had been a week. Surely they were close by now.
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Post by Atticus on Dec 28, 2015 18:26:26 GMT -5
Angelo nodded, elated. He hoped Ellie would be excited, even if she was exhausted with her own baby. He really did love his trainer, and it felt kind of special that they had both had daughters so close together. Humans matured so slowly, though, that Winter would likely be an adolescent by the time Ellie and Note's baby could even walk. They were weird creatures like that, and it was such a wonder that there were so many of them.
"I can't wait until our trainers see her," he murmured, once again nosing the newborn cub. "Do you think you could get Elliot to tell Note what we named her, when the time comes?"
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 18:43:32 GMT -5
"If he could do it for Austin, he can do it for Winter," Vivian replied lightly. She was sure that Note would be ecstatic, too. She hadn't seen much of him lately, but when Austin had hatched, the blond had been beside himself with excitement. He would no doubt get a kick out of them both having daughters at the same time. Elliot would be just as excited to hear that they needed a translator for a baby name. Vivian was sure that it was his favorite job on the ranch.
Austin shuffled closer and rolled onto his side, his tail tip still wagging. "I can't wait..." His drowsiness was once again sapping his energy, and he was quickly falling asleep.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 20:04:55 GMT -5
By the end of the week- a mere three days -the ranch was abuzz with Tunes' arrival. It was a warm winter day when her Pokémon were released into the pasture, and Austin immediately set out to find his adopted brother. He was running circles through the field when he was tackled from behind. He fell to the ground with a startled yelp with the lanky Espeon on top of him, snickering. "Hey, bro. Gotcha."
"Chance!" He wiggled out from under him and jumped up, dancing on his feet. Chance's eyebrows rose, and he waited for him to speak. But when the Umbreon did not, his tail lashed.
"What?" he demanded. "Arceus, Austin, just tell me already!"
"Come look!" He reared up and turned, and he dashed for the barn. Chance watched him go with a bemused frown before trotting after him. The younger canine's unfixed enthusiasm wasn't making him hurry.
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Post by Atticus on Dec 28, 2015 20:34:07 GMT -5
Angelo had hardly left Winter's side while they waited for Tunes' arrival. She was so cute and small... and helpless. To a parent with a newborn, even the safest place was riddled with little dangers. The cub's father did his best to avoid all these mini tragedies-- and it wasn't like he could really get bored, either, so it worked out for him. His excitement hadn't swayed since day one, and conversations with his mate and visiting friends kept his mind stimulated enough.
Chris and her mother were in the barn, looking over the fox from a safe distance. Back when they were younger, Brooke and Vivian had rarely seen eye-to-eye, but the hyena was genuinely happy for the two canids. Her daughter was, too, but she was less expressive about it-- instead she merely stared at the wriggling bundle, her head tilting occasionally. Angelo, meanwhile, spotted his son and his adoptive brother making their way. He shifted excitedly in his nest and nosed his mate to get her attention. "He's here."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 20:52:01 GMT -5
Vivian's ears perked, and she stood from the sitting position she had been holding. She walked to the front of the barn to meet the boys as Austin bounced into the barn. Chance followed more slowly and looked around the barn, puzzled. "Okay... Hi, Vivian. What's Austin dancing about?"
"Look!" Austin cried, scurrying into the barn and dropping into a playbow a few feet from his sister. "Come here, Winnie! Come to me!"
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Post by Atticus on Dec 28, 2015 20:58:36 GMT -5
Angelo glanced down as Win began to paw her way out of her father's bushy tail fluff. To help her, he swiftly moved it away and sat up, nosing her onto her paws. The stubby-legged thing began a slow and awkward crawl towards her sibling, making excited squeals as her determination to get to her brother amplified with each clunky step.
The Umbreon watched his daughter's progress from the nest, his chest swelling with pride. It was such a gift to relive these precious moments of parenthood.
"Chance, this is Winter. She was born a few days ago." Pride glowed in the canine's red eyes.
Chris watched, amused, from her place next to her mother. The little Eevee's attempt to get to her brother was actually endearing. The mutant got up and approached the two brothers, sitting down and waiting for the youngest to reach the trio.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 21:16:02 GMT -5
Chance's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the little Eevee waddle to Austin. He hadn't seen such a tiny creature in a long time; he had been the last baby that Tunes picked up. It was a slow awkward crawl; the little creature didn't look like it was supposed to be able to move at all. He didn't know what the purpose was of showing the little thing to him. So Note and Tunes had gotten an egg to go with their baby, and Austin and Angelo had taken a liking to it? What did that matter to him?
Austin's tail wagged energetically as the infant reaches him, and he howled triumphantly and gave her a loving tap on the nose. "Isn't she cute?" he exclaimed, sitting with Winter securely between his paws.
"...Yeah..." The Espeon's gaze trailed from Austin to Angelo, and he regarded the Umbreon's puffed out chest and brimming smile. Then he looked at Vivian, who sat off a bit, watching the three with the slightest hint of a smile. Her gaze met his, and she looked at him expectantly, her head tilting slightly.
His fur prickled as realization hit, and his tail stood straight up. "Wait, you mean...?" The words evaded him, and he looked between the trio once more.
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Post by Atticus on Dec 28, 2015 21:21:05 GMT -5
"She's Viv and Angelo's," Chris butt in with a nod to the couple sitting in the nest. "Austin's little sister." When she had heard the news herself, she had of course been surprised, but... Arceus, what did it take for these Pokémon to connect the dots? Her tail-tip swayed, unimpressed, until she caught sight of the little Eevee wiggling joyously between Austin's paws. She kept trying to look up at her brother, but her neck couldn't crane that far back without her falling over.
Angelo nodded and looked at Austin and Winter giddily. The older of the two was doing a good job at being an older brother already, so he had high hopes for the future. Once she was more resilient to the little dangers of her surroundings and fully cognizant, he had no doubt of the bright future ahead of them.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Dec 28, 2015 21:38:59 GMT -5
"Oh." He found his head tilting to the side as he looked down at the uncoordinated little welp. Arceus, had he been gone that long?
"That's... good." He glanced at Vivian, and when she nodded, he said it again, more confidently. "That's good! Congrats." The confusion was fading, and he smiled a bit. "She's cute." Is that what all newborn Eevees look like? No wonder Vivian joked about eating them when they met.
Austin grinned down at Winter and tapped her gently on the top of the head. "Don't fall over!" he said gently. "I'm not going anywhere." His enthusiasm had remained as high as his father's; he absolutely loved the little furball who had joined their family.
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