With the dawn of a new day approaching, Vahn gazed out over Avalon, watching as the first rays of sunshine began to crest the horizon. It was currently mid-January so a palpable mist had settled over much of the island, drawing out the inherent mysticism that one might expect from such a legendary location.
Vahn's fondness for Avalon had only grown with the passage of time. Not only was it indescribably beautiful, but it also represented everything he believed in. It had become a land where all manner of creatures could live in peace, be they human, Fae, or even Dragon. Though there were certainly a few issues here and there, chiefly involved the more 'free-spirited' creatures, things rarely developed beyond a point where they couldn't be settled with dialogue, negotiation, and competition…
As this thought crossed his mind, Vahn couldn't help but smile as he placed his pinkies in between his lips, curling his tongue slightly to release a piercing whistle. It was loud enough to cause a few birds in the nearby trees to startle awake, but, most importantly, it served to announce the end of yet another exciting evening.
Before the echoes of his whistling had faded away, Vahn saw two figures emerged from the mist, each attempting to outpace the other. This was none other than Fenrir, her expression a mask of focus as she darted over the uneven terrain, refusing to fall behind the slightly faster Atalanta.
Under normal circumstances, both girls would have been able to close the distance in an instant, but, in order to even the playing field, certain restrictions had been put in place. These prevented the use of Skills and Magic, forcing them to rely solely on their physical bodies to swiftly navigate the terrain. They even had seals placed on their arms, legs, and abdomens, serving to restrain their movements and restrict the flow of energy within their bodies. This reduced their maximum speed to just under 400km/h, a fraction of the thousands they could manage unrestrained…
As the duo moved closer to his position, the distance between them was gradually reduced. This made it apparent that Atlanta had a demonstrable lead on Fenrir, but, not to be outdone, the latter adopted a borderline feral expression as transitioned to running on all-fours. This gave her a slight edge, but, due to her affinity with the wind, Atalanta was able to further increase her speed, staying just ahead of her staunchest rival.
Fearing she would lose, Fenrir's body began to glow with an icy-blue light, the fur on her arms and legs becoming more prominent. Unfortunately, this caused the seals on her body to glow with a dark red light, undermining her attempts to 'bend' the rules in her favor. As a result, her speed drastically reduced, allowing Atalanta to open even more distance between them, far more than she would be able to overcome…
Without bothering to confirm her lead, Atalanta continued to move as fast as her body would allow, quickly reaching Vahn's side. Then, as had become customary between them, she pulled out a large, rather monstrous-looking, Horned Wolf, gingerly placing it on the ground at his feet before taking a knee and adopting a somewhat expectant look on her face. Fenrir arrived moments later, presenting her own spoils, an elk-like creature that had horns reminiscent of tree-branches, complete with a few sparse leaves.
Before bestowing his praise upon the two, Vahn gave a curt nod, smiling as he turned his attention to several other figures approaching. This included the familiar figures of Hati and Mordred, but, as a relatively recent addition, there was also a peculiar youth with predominately white hair. If you were to look closely, however, you would see an undercoat of black, but, even more noticeable, there was a pair of tiger-like perched atop their head, complimenting the moderately thick tail poking out of their tunic…
As if fueled by the fact his Master was looking toward him, the peculiar youth more than doubled his speed, waving excitedly as if to gain Vahn's attention as they shouted, "Maaaaaster, I caught a super big prey~!"
Unlike the others, who proudly presented their catch at Vahn's feet, the youth nearly ran directly into him after pulling out a strange bull that was partially covered in scales. It easily weighed several tons, but, as if it was lighter than a feather, the youth hefted it above their head, leaving deep footprints in the relatively soft earth.
Using his telekinesis, Vahn was able to prevent himself from being overrun, laughing lightheartedly as he said, "Báihǔ, did I not tell you to behave? You're going to upset your big sisters if you don't pay more attention…"
Seemingly confused by his Master's words, Báihǔ tilted his head adorably to the side before turning his attention to the glowering Fenrir and Atalanta. It was only after he looked towards them that he even seemed to notice their presence, causing a shiver to run through his body as he instantly made a gesture of surrender and said, "Ah, Aneue, Nee-chan, I didn't see you…I'm terribly sorry…!"
Hearing Báihǔ's apology, Atalanta combed her fingers through her hair, muttering, "It's fine…"in an uncharacteristically soft tone. She had a soft spot for children, and, though it was a little annoying to have someone steal her spotlight, she didn't have the heart to blame the youthful White Tiger. As for Fenrir, however, she knew discipline was important, so, rather than let Báihǔ off, she adopted a stern look and said, "Sit!" while pointing to the ground.
With his ears folded flat, Báihǔ obediently listened to Fenrir's, his Aneue's, command. Fortunately, he didn't have to listen to her lecture for very long, as, shortly thereafter, Hati and Mordred reached the top of the hill where Vahn had been sitting. Then, much like their predecessors, they pulled out large game from thin air, setting it on the ground before Vahn to be evaluated.
So as not to waste everyone's time, Fenrir let Báihǔ off with a very brief chiding before taking a knee next to her own catch. This was emulated by Báihǔ, who, due to the circumstances, ended up at the far end, lining up next to Hati. Despite this, he still had an expectant smile on his face, appearing not all that dissimilar to a kid in a candy store.
Seeing the humanoid manifestation of the White Tiger, Vahn couldn't help but smile affectionately. Báihǔ had become something of a son to him over the past few months, training alongside his other children and fostering a healthy rivalry with Kamiya and Daiki. Though he was 'much' stronger than them in his true form, the youthful appearance he had in his humanoid transformation allowed him to use less than one percent of his power, a restriction put in place to ensure he was able to manifest without issue.
To summon a 'whole' Divine Beast, Vahn would end up tanking more than 80% of his reserves just to keep them manifested for a short period of time. This also caused a significant amount of damage to his body, so, in the hopes of mitigating this, he had been experimenting with summoning weakened versions of them that could be powered up during an emergency. Báihǔ was just the first of the four to be summoned, taking on the form of a human child to reflect the fact his animal form was that of a tiger cub…
After evaluating everyone's prey, Vahn adopted a serious expression as he said, "Atalanta has, once again, claimed the prize for being the 'swiftest' hunter. The prize for the most difficult hunt, however, goes to Mordred. Though she and Báihǔ both hunted a Nightmare Beast, it is easy to see that her attacks were far more precise, causing significantly less damage to the hide and internal organs…"
Though they would be satisfied just hearing his opinion, Vahn made sure to properly evaluate each person's hunt. He properly commended them for everything they did well, and, though he used a harder tone, he also encouraged them to correct their mistakes. This was especially so for Báihǔ and Hati, as, due to their rather 'vicious' styles, they had a habit of bringing back incomplete, borderline unusable, remains.
With his evaluation complete, Vahn adequately caressed each person's head, fluffing the ears of those who had them and rubbing the fringe of those who didn't. Then, once even Atalanta had a contented smile on her face, he asked, "In accordance with traditions, the victor is allowed to make a small request. So, Mordred, Atalanta, what would you like as your prize…?"
Without missing a beat, Mordred raised her hand up as if she wanted to be called upon, exclaiming, "I want a kiss, this time with a bit of tongue! I won't let you cheap out on me like last time, Chichiue!"
Though he rolled his eyes in response to Mordred's accusation, Vahn still nodded his head, gesturing for her to come closer. This caused Mordred to practically pounce over to him, arms behind her back as she stood on her tiptoes, lips puckered in expectation. Unfortunately for her, she also made the 'novice' mistake of closing her eyes, allowing Vahn to smile cheekily as he gave her a quick peck on the lips before poking her nose with his tongue…
Opening her eyes, Mordred had a moderately confused expression on her face. It was only when she saw the cheeky smile on her Chichiue's face that she realized what he had done, causing her to puff out her cheeks in frustration before saying, "Hey, that isn't…!!!"
Just a she was about to express her dissatisfaction with her reward, Mordred's eyes widened into full circles as Vahn tilted her chin up, stealing her lips a second time. She could feel his tongue enter into her mouth, probing around with impunity before tracing her own. This caused her heart to beat like a drum in her chest, but, just as her mind reached the point of allowing her to reciprocate, Mordred was shocked to discover it had already come to an end…
Seeing the stupefied expression on Mordred's face, Vahn lightly chuckled, tracing her bottom lip with his thumb as he said, "That'll be enough for now. Keep working hard, Mordred."
Following his encouragement, Vahn affectionately ruffled Mordred's hair before turning to Atalanta, finding her blushing red as an apple. His gaze caused her to avert her eyes, and, as she was prone to due when feeling nervous, Atalanta began combing her hand through her hair, feigning disinterest.
Unfortunately for the feline huntress, she suffered from the same ailment as other Cat People, being that her ears and tail gave away her true emotions. Though she pretended to lose interest, much like a normal house cat, her tail would gently sway and curl. Then, if you tried to look away, she would be compelled to shift her attention back toward you, eventually resulting in her getting closer if she felt you had actually stopped paying attention to her.
Though he was tempted to bait her into trying to earn his attention, as it was a rather adorable habit, Vahn knew it could easily take several hours before she finally gave in. The presence of other people made her less honest, so, rather than beat around the bush, Vahn just gestured for Atalanta to come closer to him.
Atalanta wouldn't be able to voice her desires around others, but, with his ability to read the Flow of Fate, Vahn could make a reasonable assumption about her request. Thus, once she got close enough to easily caress, he 'surprised' her by gingerly wrapping his arms around her body. This caused her tail to twitch in frustration, but, rather than try to pull away, she just lowered her face, hiding it from view as he gently stroked her hair and back…
After several seconds of silence, Atalanta ultimately broke free from Vahn's embrace, adopting an 'annoyed' expression as she muttered, "I didn't ask for that…"
Rather than argue, Vahn just gave a curt nod in response, smiling as he said, "I suppose that was just my selfishness acting up. What can I say? You looked very…huggable?"
Hearing Vahn's words, Atalanta began combing through her hair, refusing to make eye contact with anyone as she said, "Whatever…I didn't really have anything I wanted so I guess I'll accept that as compensation…"
The moment her words fell, Atalanta tapped the gemstones on her bracelets, deactivating the seals on her body. This caused a powerful gale to spread through the surroundings, courtesy of the green aura shrouding her body. Then, without looking back, she darted away, her destination the pristine white castle visible in the distance…
Following Atalanta's departure, Mordred threw her hands up in mock exasperation, remarking, "That woman never relents. She acts like you don't make her purr like a cat in heat whenever you're alone together…really, what a waste…"
Shaking his head, Vahn looked toward Mordred with a reproachful look in his eyes as he said, "What have I told you about badmouthing others, Mordred? Even if you aren't directly insulting her, it isn't nice to say such things. Now, take Báihǔ with you back to the castle. You'll be late for your morning training if you idle for too long."
Though she still wanted to remark on Atalanta's behavior, Mordred obediently nodded her head in response to her Chichiue's words. Truthfully, she was just jealous of the fact that Atalanta already got to spend time with her Chichiue, but, knowing she wasn't too far away from reaching her goal, she decided not to let it get to her. Instead, she playfully ruffled Báihǔ's hair, saying, "Come, I'll take you to visit King. She broods when you're not around so cheer her up for me, will ya?"
Báihǔ wasn't too fond of other people petting him, but, hearing Mordred mention King, a youthful smile spread across his face as he replied, "Sure! Leave it to me~!"
Despite the fact Báihǔ was a tiger, he had grown rather fond of King. Though this first manifested in the form of him bullying her a bit, as he felt compelled to 'dominate' the only other big cat living in the Ivory Castle, it quickly turned into a rather peculiar friendship. King was relatively subservient to Báihǔ, but, as if he was unaware of this, the youthful White Tiger pampered the once-proud lioness quite a bit…
Seeing Mordred sprint down the hill, allowing Báihǔ to ride her shoulders, Vahn couldn't help but issue a light chuckle. Then, after stowing all of the captured prey, he turned to the Vanargandr duo that remained behind, smiling even wider as he gestured for the two girls to approach. This instantly improved both of their moods, and, as he still had some time to kill, Vahn decided to spoil them for a bit. He knew they were still excited after spending the last few hours of the evening hunting, so, in order to help them 'relax', he spent the better part of an hour grinding his [Hands of Nirvana] before spending almost double that brushing their hair and fur…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Shota Báihǔ appears!?','Cats are inherently tsundere…if not, they are, without exception, assholes…','Fenrir still gets the best reward (UwU)…')
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