Sunbreak

His nose was gently tucked under his larger sister’s neck, not moving an inch since he had awoken, not wanting to disturb her from her own slumber and he would wait patiently for her to wake up too or remove herself. His tail would wiggle greatly at the sudden movement, opening his eyes to watch her roll over and away from him, finally freeing him. In no time at all, he was up on his feet, stretching out every little kink in his body, a little crack being heard from his jaw as he yawned out to the morning.

Once he was done, he would smack his lips sleepily, wanting a nice meal but not wanting to make his mom up either by nursing on her, causing his attention to drift to the one that was indeed awake already.

Looking around, he would find a little dust ball, running over to it on awkward baby stubs. Dribbling the gray ball over to his father with it getting away from him every few steps, which would run to retrieve again, knocking it into his leg with a big grin on his face. He would then waddle forward, pressing his little paws onto the man’s leg before burying his face into tawny fur. “Daddy, I’m bored. Let’s play, pleeeeease,” he pleaded gently, trying not to be too loud as he gave the man big round eyes to try and sway him some.

manip + code: clae

With the morning sun peeking in through the window, he'd awoken before anyone else. He shifted slowly and moved away from Sif so as not to disturb her as he began to rustle through some dusted books that rested on the table. He hadn't opened a book in quite some time and contemplated doing so while he waited for everyone to wake up but before he could, he noticed a movement. He heard a little yawn as he looked over and saw Haskell stirring beside his sister. His lips curved gently as he watched the boy begin to play with a dust ball, ushering it over as if they might play a game with it. Of course dust could only keep a boy busy for so long and before Khepri knew it, Haskell was upon him and begging to play. He glanced towards Sif and Sheik, who were still sound asleep, and then nodded his head. "Okay, but not here." he said quietly.

He turned toward the door and muzzled it open with some mild effort in keeping things quiet. It groaned on its hinges and he winced, but nobody stirred... "Come on!" he said as he lifted a paw and beckoned for his son to follow. He would step out of the room and wait for him to catch up on his little puppy legs.

Once they were in the clear, he headed a short ways down the hall and into the next room. It was a grand room with several books and places to read them. He'd not spend any time trying to show Haskell the fun of books today though, knowing he was probably too young to be interested. Instead he would turn and look at the boy with a small smile on his face. "Would you like to play... hide and seek?" he asked. "It's a game where one of us hides and the other seeks! You start by counting up to ten while the other hides and then when you're done you go looking for them until you find them." he said. There were plenty of spots to hide in here and he thought it would be a fun game. He and his sisters had played it many times as pups. "Unless you have a better idea?" he offered curiously.

manip + code: clae

He would stand there eagerly, tail wagging back and forth as he looked up at the man of sunshine and copper, slowly growing curious about what he was reading all the while wanting to play all the same. Where it was faint, he couldn’t remember a time before moving here that didn’t consist of stories being read to him, the soft dove like voice always in his ears having long been stripped away. There was no question on where his big sister was now, having been told plenty of times she was in a safe place and though he missed her, so long as she’d come back to read him stories from time to time, he saw no reason to be sad.

His dad probably wasn’t reading the same kind of fun stories though, he looked far more serious than whimsical at whatever his eyes danced upon. Probably no fairies or witches or magic love stories were in his book but maybe one day he’d ask but today wasn’t that day. Story time was better for sleep not fun.

Just as he was about to taddle over the rest of the way to crawl into his arms to at least look at the book, he would perk up when he got approval, bouncing eagerly in place before quickly chasing after the much larger man. It wasn’t an easy feat, his gait rather tiny, his poor balance not allowing him to take longer more effective strides to keep up. “Wait for me!” he yipped quietly, trying to keep his voice down as he nearly crashed into his father’s heel when he had stopped to fumble with the door. A giggle bubbled from his tummy as they went down the hall, always liking to adventure within the stone building, making him think maybe they were going to go on a grand quest of daring obstacles. Like not being seen by a butler or stealing from the pantry without being caught. His little milk teeth are not all that great for eating meat, but he still likes the flavor of whatever his mother chewed up for him from time to time.

“Big Sissy Ra Ra would love this room!” he said in awe, looking around at all the books, looking for any with covers that held any childish intrigue he could pull off a shelf to have her read to him and Sheik when he saw her next. In seconds that thought would poof when a game was introduced into the conversation. He would shake his head yes enthusiastically, looking about to burst out of his skin. “Okay! I go first! I bet I can find an awesome hiding spot! And! And! …ummmm nevermind,” he decided not to admit he forgot some of the numbers to get to ten. He’d deal with that when it was his turn to count, his father probably needed the extra time anyway.

“Close your eyes! No cheating like a bad daddy!” he cheered, sitting up on his hinds, reaching his paws up as if trying to cover his eyes.

manip + code: clae

There was something about his sons eagerness and childhood wonder that created a sort of admiration within Khepri-- he remembered being like that like it was yesterday despite it being so long ago. It had been tamped out of him by life but he hoped the same would not happen to Sheik and Haskell. They had so much of their lives ahead of them, so many wonderous things to learn and experience... he only wanted the best for them.

“Big Sissy Ra Ra would love this room!” he said as they stepped inside and Khepri chuckled softly. "She sure would," he agreed. "I used to come here a lot as a kid myself," he admitted, though he hadn't read a thing in quite some time outside the College.

The idea of reading went right out the window at the mention of a game, however, and Haskell was eager to play. He even wanted to go first. “Close your eyes! No cheating like a bad daddy!” the boy chimed and Khepri did as he was told. "Find a good spot!" he said before he began to count slowly. "One... two... three..." he said aloud, dragging each syllable out until he heard the sound of little paws pittering away.

"Four, five, six..." he continued, giving the boy ample time to hide. He wondered just where he'd choose... behind a chair or under a table, hidden by a dusty tablecloth? There were many spots within the room he could hide just as Khepri had done when he were a child. "Seven... eight... nine..." he carried on, all the while thinking about how it was crazy his children were growing up in his childhood home and not in the cottage. He wondered if he would be here now if his mother were still alive. It didn't seem likely; she wouldn't have extended such an invitation like his sister had. It didn't matter now, thankfully. "Ten!" he finally said before opening his eyes.

manip + code: clae

The little boy often forgot his father was a creature of knowledge, never having gone to the college himself and therefore having no real perspective of what that was like. His ears would flick at the idea of his father being younger, smaller, finding that nearly impossible but at the same time he felt like there was hope in there somewhere for him to get big too. Being the runt made him worry he would be trapped this tiny forever, especially with how much his sissy teased him and was certain if she had it her way he would be patted on the head so he’d never grow ever again. Tilting his head, he pictured his father looking a lot like Sheik in his youth, which made him giggle at the idea of her future. Was she going to end up just as scruffy? The idea tickled him, maybe one day he could tease her about looking like a female version but for now they were different enough that he couldn’t say she for sure would look like a spitting image of their father.

As the prospect of games came into light, he giggled when he was told to hide. He would take off as soon as the large man’s eyes were closed, though his clumsy baby steps probably made it easy for him to track where the toddler was going. Letting out a breath, he looked around, listening to every number that was spoken aloud so that he might be able to copy it. Oh yes seven came after six! This thought went with every number really, anticipating ten to be after every single one once he got past five. Not fully sure how much time he had left, he started to panic, looking at every little nook in such a short time.

His eyes would sparkle as he saw his perfect target, pushing a few books over to a tall shelf, wiggling up onto it. With some effort he would get up there, little claws scraping and breaking as he fought to win his little climbing session.

Once he got where he wanted, he would stand there with pride until the numbers caught his attention again. Oh no! He wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready! He went to push the books around to hide behind a big one, but it was well bigger than him, falling on top of him and knocking him off the shelf entirely, sliding in between the shelving and unable to move as the book fell on top of him. He let out a small yelp shortly after his father said the fancy number ten.

He was in a good hiding spot out of view, but he was also trapped and starting to panic, in pain but trying to keep any whimpers from escaping. It was a game, he had to not disappoint his daddy and stay hidden, including in sound.

manip + code: clae

Khepri looked around the room, wondering where his son might've chosen to hide. He'd heard some thumps while he'd had his eyes closed but thought nothing of it-- assuming it was just Haskell knocking about somewhere looking for a good spot. He moved towards the chairs in the room, pausing a bit before ducking underneath to see if the boy was there but when he found nothing he moved on. Next was the table, but again... he wasn't there. Khepri lifted his head, ears splaying slightly. Haskell had not chosen somewhere obvious that was for sure and he wanted to praise the boy for his skills but also he was becoming a little worried at not being able to find him. He drew a breath to calm himself, it wasn't time to worry... yet.

So he continued his search for Haskell and after a few minutes of coming up with nothing he grew even more worried. "Haskell?" he called out, not knowing if the boy would respond or not since he was supposed to be hiding. When he did not receive a call back he started to feel the panic settle in. Sif would kill him if he lost the boy for real; he'll, he might do the job himself and save her the time. He moved quickly beside the bookshelves, peeking in the nooks and crannies that might be hiding his son when he noticed something shuffling slightly out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head, unsure if it was his mind playing tricks on him or something else. Between two shelves he thought he saw something, but wasn't quite sure. He moved closer. "Hask, you win! You can come out now!" he said loudly, hoping the boy would listen and come out of hiding.

manip + code: clae

The counting had truly ended which meant this little bit of misery would come to an end soon, he figured, making him try to nest a little more comfortably in the far from comfortable position he was in. It was taking a lot out of him not to whimper and give himself away, ruining the game. He would hold in his breath as he watched his father roam around the room away from him, the moment it looked like he might come toward him, his little tail would wiggle eagerly in expectation of freedom. It didn’t come through, as he heard his name echo with confusion and demand.

His head tilted, growing confused himself thinking this seemed like the complete opposite of how to play this game. Hide and seek. Not hide and call out.

There was no falling for it, though his mouth did open about to but thinking better of it last second as he clamped his jaws shut. No fooling him into giving himself away, that wasn’t in good sportsmanship, not at all. That determination would be rewarded as he heard steps move closer to him, his tail thumping again and he was close to hushing at his betrayer of a tail till a surrender was issued. He paused in disbelief, feeling like his dad was so close to finding him yet he gave up!? That wasn’t the spirit he expected from him, and he was tempted to tell him to keep trying but, in the end, knew better than to argue. Mama would be very angry if she heard him disobey his father and besides, he was the winner even if by forfeit.

“You were so close!” he giggled. Taking in a breath, he would try to move out of the crevice but found he wasn’t wrong at all about being in a bad spot. His heart started to pound in his chest as he panicked, scraping at the side of the shelf frantically, only growing more frantic the longer he failed. “I-! I’m stuck Daddy!!!” he cried, tears starting to spill down his pale cheeks. “Daddy! Daddy! Ouch!! H-hurts…” He chanted between whimpers, having broken a nail that only caused him more pain, making him stop scratching at the wood in hope he would be found and retrieved.

manip + code: clae

The heavy silence that followed his first call of his sons name only filled him with more worry. It Haskell had not finally responded to his offering of winning he might've gone into full panic mode. "You were so close!" Haskell giggled, and Khepri's ears twitched on his head, guiding him towards where the boy's voice was coming from. He couldn't see him anywhere yet but then he started to hear little scratching noises, like claws against wood. “I-! I’m stuck Daddy!!!” The stressed in his son's voice was enough to cause a swirl of emotions within Khepri and his own heart began to beat faster in his chest as he headed towards the crevice between two bookshelves, where the tiny voice was coming from. “Daddy! Daddy! Ouch!! H-hurts…” More clawing, and finally he saw something rustling down below. A large book had fallen down between the shelves and was bumping up and down. He gasped and reached down to lift the book up quickly, finally finding Haskell beneath. At the sight of his son, he calmed a bit, but hearing that he was hurt still had him on edge.

"What happened?" he asked before he scooped the boy up by his scruff and pulled him from his hiding spot. He assumed the book had fallen on him and trapped him where he was since he hadn't been able to come out on his own. He left the book strewn aside and placed Haskell down so he could look him over. He didn't appear to be bleeding but he could be bruised from having something so heavy fall on him. He nuzzled the boy, his tail swaying behind him as he felt relief wash over him. "Tell me what hurts," he urged as he pulled back to continue inspecting him further.

manip + code: clae

In a matter of seconds of crying out, he was being rescued, suddenly feeling a great weight being taken from his back in one easy motion. Some of his panic would simmer, a small smile on his face as he saw his father’s face growing larger from out in the light, ears drooped back submissively with his tail swaying in silent enthusiasm. Quietly, he would try to squirm out on his own now that a giant book wasn’t crushing his tiny body but he was still too far out of his element to get out of this hiding spot. Pawing a little at his face as he noticed his vision blurring, he would try a second time, using all his energy in his hinds to try and jolt out of place but instead he just wedged himself worse. Before he could admit defeat once more, he felt his scruff being tugged up, lifting him from the cubby.

“Pwease don’t tell Sheik what happen,” he said awkwardly, not wanting her to have more reason to call him Little big brother than she already did. To be squashed by a book was the most mouse-like problem in his mind and he didn’t want to be a mouse, he wanted to be the giant that scared and ate the mouse.

As he was set down, his head rolled along his shoulders, working out the kinks that had taken over his body from being stuck that way for a minute too long. The questions tossed in his direction and the eyes on him would catch his focus almost instantly, hopping onto his paws like a startled feline for a second at the chocolate orbs so close. “I was tryna hide behind a book then went boom! It attacked me!” he explained, animating the action of being knocked by the book then falling to his doom with his paws, only to wince when his paw smacked the ground, causing him to hold his left front paw to his chest.

Looking down at his paw then up at his father, he let out a soft whimper before hesitantly extending his paw out to the older man. It would appear his second inner nail was cracked down the middle right into the quick where the nerve was being pinched between the split. It had pooling blood within the casing, but it was being stopped from pouring out thanks to the nail itself having no large openings.

manip + code: clae

When Haskell urged him not to tell Sheik he almost wanted to ask him to do the same with Sif, but of course he would never ask the boy to hide anything from his mother. "I won't," he said as he patted the boy on the shoulder gently before he began an animated recap of what had happened. Khepri's lips twitched into an amused smile but he noticed quickly how the boy held his paw to his chest, as if that was what had been injured. It could easily have been twisted uncomfortably beneath the book and sprained or even broken but he suspected it was not the latter for Haskell would have likely been weeping in agony. Khepri had never broken a bone before but he'd seen it before on others and knew it was probably one of the most painful things that could happen to you.

As his son extended his paw for Khepri to see, he noticed one of his claws was cracked quite a ways down. He grimaced, knowing well the pain a cracked nail could cause. "Ah, it looks like you've nearly broken a nail." he mused, more to himself than to young Haskell. He sighed softly and looked the boy in the eye before telling him his plan. It would be best to talk it through, he thought. "I'm going to have to bite the tip of the nail off so that it stops pinching you. It's going to hurt a little and it might bleed a little..." he said, not finding any point in lying to the boy and stating otherwise. He did not want to damage his sons trust by doing so. He swiped his tongue across the top of the boy's head before looking back at him again. "Are you ready?" he asked.

manip + code: clae