Quintus’s little brown eyes looked up into the eyes of his mother she had been cooing to him and even his big sister Note was over to see him. Quintus liked that. His sister was nice and snuggly like mom. Reaching a paw up he touched the cold metal of his mother’s piercings. There were so pretty with how they had different colors in them. He though someday he might like to have a few. Bounding away from his mother he headed straight into his father’s side. He recoiled off the side then readjusted his aim and started climbing on his father’s wing. He noticed his father watching him but did nothing to stop him so Quintus figured it was fine. The leathery wings beneath his paws were nice and warm. “Papa can we go flying?”

Radu rumbled and shifted his wing so that his son rolled down and slide down his front shoulder. “If you want we can do a bit of flying.” Curling his paw he cupped his still small son he took a look at Lyrica and gave her a grin before holding his son close and kicking off with his back legs. Going from a laying to a flying position was hard given he had three legs and he wasn’t really a spring chicken anymore. He likely looked a bit odd doing the hop, but he knew that from Quintus’s little view it must be spectacular. Radu remembered that Note liked it when she was younger. He flapped hard kicking up a lot of dust and lift off was harder then he remembered it being but from the yelp of joy from Quintus it must have worked. Radu wondered if his little gooses girl was mad at him for making a mess when she had some time with their kids gathered. He knew just where he was taking Quintus. To See his other sister.

Note chuckled and flipped her hair back brushing the dust from dad’s take off. “Looks like he hasn’t changed at all. I remember when I was little and he would take me flying.” Note watched her mother give off a musical laugh. Given the way her mother shook her head it seemed that Note was right. Radu her beloved grumpy father hadn’t changed a bit. He always was pretending to be grumpier then he was. Note never really understood but took a lesson from her mother and just let her father think he was more blazen then he was. “you know it’s kind of nice to catch up like this.” With that she went back to the discussion of how things were going and the small detail she had yet to tell any of her parents about the fact she had found a mate. He was a quite but dependable type. It was nice. “So mom you know when I said something interesting happened in my life recently….”

Lyrica nodded and listened as her little girl decided to reveal whatever had her all in fuzzy happy knots. It seemed she had found a mate a Takao. He sounded quite nice but she could see why Note would hold this information close until her father was out of earshot. After all a father was a father no matter how disinterested he pretended to be. Lyrica still remembered Radu sneaking about watching Note’s first solo flight. It had been so amusing she teased her mate in private on it for quite some time after Note was grown and gone. Now here her little baby girl had grown up and gotten herself a mate who made her smile and her heart sing. “so when should I expect grandkits to teach singing to?” Note ducked her head under her wing which was cute. So not too soon then. Lyrica nodded. All things in time. She wouldn’t pressure her baby to go have babies so soon in life.

Quintus saw the water’s edge as he bounded up to it excited. The water’s surface rippled as fin’s appeared first before the hair of his sister. Quintus never really understood why it was that his sister had no wings and fins instead. She didn’t seem to like him to much but dad said it was important for all his children to know one another if they knew him. Apparently dad took Note here too a lot when she was younger. He dodged the jet of water that his sister spat out him like she did every time he came to visit. He was tempted to go swimming with her, but dad said that would be a bad idea as she was just as like to drown him as she was to help him swim. Quintus knew it was true after all Fiammetta had actually shown him the skulls she kept at the bottom of her watery home. “Hey Sissy~” He darted forward and reached out a paw to bop her nose but she was just out of reach. He heard dad chuckling behind him.

Radu shook his head watching Fiammetta and Quintus at play. He doubted she would actually cause him harm but just as with Note he kept close eye on the water vixen and his little gosling. He knew well that Fiammetta had never held love in her heart for his mate and never expected her to. He didn’t expect love or even like among the kids but he did expect toleration an she knew it. “Now now Fia, keep him breathing after all I’ll be returning back shortly. I just wanted to check in and see you’re still breathing.” He watched as she didn’t even bother to suppress the snort. He did so love his little fire spirited child. There was just something naturally nice about modiphims that made him want to tease them. He never had that problem with Fia who might as well be a water deava. He watched the water shift as she flicked her tail about splashing water on Quintus. Laughing he was content to let the play go on a while longer. It was doubtful Fia would need anything from him. She had been quite independent from the moment she had been born.

Note had finished gushing over Takao to Lyrica after a bit and she had gotten the advice to keep him close and cherish all the time together. She would keep it close. Soon enough she knew Quintus would be coming home with her dad. “Looks like the flock keeps growing here.” She teased her mother. Her father had started to call them all that seeing as it was clear that Lyrica’s marking’s were on her children. The pair laughed about it for a moment. Lyrica used to hate her markings. Note knew that because Lyrica had told her once long ago that’s why she had gotten the modifications, but then Lyrica told her she loved her markings now because it was those markings that Note now had with Radu’s colors that proved she was their shared little bundle of joy. Note had quite some confidence in her appearance because of it.

“Well it was an empty nest with you up and gone so of course we had to do something to occupy our new freedom” Her eyes danced with the statement while the pair shared a laugh. She waved a wing. “you know if you want we can go for a fly ourselves or if you’d rather we can bath in the sun.” She would rather lay and sunbath personally but any time with her daughter would welcome. She was thrilled when Note started looking for a place to lay down and sun herself. “A daughter after my own heart.” She followed suit as the two decided to enjoy the silence and piece of the day before her lover brought back the hyper ball of engery that was her little baby boy. She must have dozed off because next time she opened them Radue and Quintus where already back and the little ball of brown fuzz was sitting right in front of her and looking at her. “Yes little one?”

“Mom you shouldn’t be napping it’s too early in the day for that!” With that he reached out a paw and bopped her on the nose like she always did to him when he was being silly. He yelped when a paw reached out and knocked him over dragging him half under her as she covered him with her wings giggling. “Noooo!! I don’t wanna nap!” Wriggling free he bounded about and attempted to jump over Note which did not work because she sat up making him roll down her back between her wings. “Ambush! Dad help” Quintus looked pleadingly at his father for assistance which did not come.

“Nope kid, those girls get you then you’re on your own. I am not that brave.” He watched his son get carried off by Note and Lyrica for what he could only assume was more singing practice. Radu was glad the pair at least took Quintus away for that. He wouldn’t ever tell them that he sometimes snuck by to listen to his mate sing and that he loved to hear her sing. She and he both knew all too well, but Radu was a bit bittersweet all his children with Lyrica took so much after her and didn’t seem to share many of his charactistics. He was most surprised when Quintus came up and pounced him. “What’s going on little chick. I thought you were off to sing with your mother now.”

“I told her I didn’t want to today. I’m big enough I get to pick when I sing and when I don’t” Quintus puffed out his chest proudly. “I want to play with you more dad. Can we go hunting?” Quintus jumped and bit into and imaginary prey like his was doing a takedown he had seen his father do so many times. He heard his father chuckle and the little brown phim rolled over and looked up at his father waiting for an answer with hope in his eyes. “Can we hunt please? I really don’t wanna sing tooooddaayy.” Quintus stretched the last word out as long as he could sulking just a bit.

“of course. Here I was thinking you were a gosling but perhaps not” Radu didn’t want to say how much it warmed his heart that his little boy wanted to do something with him that was bonding and fun. “Still you can sing later with your mother if you want.” He watched Quintus shrug it off. “Well then lets not waste anymore time. I think I know where a den of rabbits is at. So let’s head out Quintis.” He gathered up Quintis to head out for another adventure this day.

Wc 1,800
finished I wanted to do a bit of building on Quintus's personality as a kit.