I'll be home come next spring

@Renn

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Their kids were getting so much older, day by day and it was honestly bittersweet to the new father. A part of him was proud that they were curious, wandering more and more and getting stronger and willing to see all the beautiful things the world had to offer, while another part of him was concerned. Wanting to keep them near and protect them from all the awful things that the world also had waiting for them.

Between all the chaos that would come and go, though thankfully the mountain was relatively quiet for the most part, Hieronymous would try to spend as much time with his children as possible. Today he would bring Renn out with him on a little trip to the hunting grounds. A little father/son bonding time to gauge what kind of interest the boy had. “Mommy hasn't taken you fishing yet has she?” Honestly he already knew the answer.

Ira wasn't one to fish but why not give Renn the chance to answer for himself? “Would you like to try and catch a fish today?”

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He was spending some time with his father today, and it seemed it was a rare moment of solely the two of them, with no siblings to fight for his attention or be pushed aside as the dominant ones shone through.
Perked ears caught a question that intrigued the boy, sure they'd venture to the local streams, but daren't venture into the icy waters, and he debated if this sounded appealing, but he also didn't want to miss the opportunity to do something alone with his dad.

'Yes! Is it hard though, dad?', his mind was already wondering of the possible dangers that entailed in this task, and did they bite? Would they attack him if he wasn't sharp enough? But before he drove himself into panic, he reminded himself he was with his dad - everything was going to be okay. He needed faith. 

So he shook off his fear and wagged his tail to show his keenness to get going.

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Hieronymous was well aware of how cold it still was during this time of the year. That to make Renn jump into the water and fish himself was out of the question without risking the young man's health with the chilling winter water. As per usual, Hieronymous already had a way around this without babying his son.

“No, and I will teach you why~” He said lightly with a breezy tone. “Fishing is all about patience. Timing and fishing location can be taught, but patience is something you do or do not have.” And patience was something he wanted all his children to have if possible. Exercising it at a young age would always help in bringing out that trait.

“If you were a fish, where would you be in this river?” he turned to Renn, starting the lesson now while never breaking his slow-enough-stride to keep in pace with the smaller child.

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He hopped and skipped to keep up with his father's already sedate pace, already feeling the excitement when they let him know it wasn't going to be hard. The prince liked easy.

'I'm patient!', he gasped, pointing out and happy that this was a trait he carried and could already win at this game lesson if he was one step in the right direction. They carried on to where he assumed his sire was taking him to a big school of fish, which meant he only needed to wait - patiently - until one jumped aboard into his mouth. 

But when it materialised this was not going to be a straightforward lecture as he initially assumed, he squinted hard with concentration when his father queried him. Stopping alongside the stream they had arrived to, he took a generous peak, unknowing if this was cheating or not. 'Uuuuh, well if I'm hungry, I'd be near food, so would that mean they would be near lots of food?', his voice continuously rose until the end of his unsure answer, with a toothy big smile to finish off, hopeful he was correct in his guess. Though when scouting the river, there was no evidence of any near him.

His trailing thoughts then crossed over to wondering what fish ate...

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“Yes you are!” It was all about being positive as far as Hiero knew when it came to raising kids. Ignore the bad, punish the terrible and praise the good. Nurture the positive traits you wanted, and ignored the mistakes or help them grow. There was no part of him that wanted to instill doubt or put the weight on "because you're my son" on any of his children's shoulders. They were their own individuals, they didn't need to carry their father's burden of expectations. Especially at this tender, young age.

Letting Renn lead the way toward the water's edge, Hieronymous followed behind. “That's right.” He'd say with a nod. Stepping into the water while purposely shooting a glance over to Renn to make sure he would remain on the banks where it was warmer, Hieronymous couldn't feel the chill of early spring's water needle at his legs, while he was certain Renn could and possibly get ill from it at his age.

“Small fish stay closer to shallow waters, while larger fish hunt the smaller fish. They like to hide in weeds, between rocks and in fallen logs.” He would go in deeper with the lesson, Renn was able to put the basics together so Hiero would simply explain the logic further with experience under his belt.

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Oh how he rolled around in that praise. A small happy bark was the reply to both of his father's positive answers, as though he had just been told he was the goodest of dogs. 

It made his heart swell that he was indeed correct in his lesson already, though when his sire then swiftly took to the chilled waters, Renn began to whine, continually doing so whilst his father continued talking. The prince was reluctant to join him in the baltic-temperature river and made it very clear he was upset they had gone in and without him. 

Proving to be a difficult lesson now, he stopped his whining and just stared bug-eyed and worried at his dad. He needed to concentrate. But how could he?

'Can we not catch fish out of the water?', his version of persuading his father to come out of the water. Renn lacked the same courage, and it showed. He really wanted to learn, though.

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Renn cried out and whined as he sat on the dry banks where the boy belonged for now. “Perhaps, I have seen cats do that but we lack claws.” The High King didn't move much as to not disturb the fish too much with his constant movements. To be one with the river was key. Smooth, calm, confident in his movements without turning around aimlessly.

“We must use our teeth, it's far easier in the water than out. But it's a little cold for you still, so you have the important task of finishing it when I throw it to you.” He'd wink playfully to his son. Knowing very well he himself could do most of the kills by crushing whatever was in his mouth or carrying it to shore himself to deal the final blow. But that would be no run for Renn to watch. The purpose of today was to participate.

“Watch as I do, and when the water warms up it will be your turn. When I throw a fish to land, make sure it doesn't flop back into the water.” He was almost certain one or two would find their way back into the safety of the stream, but that was what lessons were all about.

The first was patience as they spoke about.

A while passed with nothing as Hieronymous watched the water. Listening to his son for any movements should he wander away, but watching the waters for their first target. The sun moved slowly across the skies until finally he struck. Grabbing out a silvery fish and throwing as far onto shore as possible for Renn to finish the job or fumble. The fun had begun!

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His father paid no attention to his cries as he stood statuesque, an unmoving shape in the water. And Renn then focussed rather than crying out. Intrigued his dad could remain so calm within the depths of the water (though shallow to Hiero of course). 

Letting out an involuntarily whine every so often as he listened to the lesson being taught, he couldn't help but let his anxiety override him sometimes.

But when he was given a task to do, to partake in the hunt, the young boy's tail swayed to and fro, slowly hyping himself up for the role he was about to attempt.

'Uhhh, okay dad!', calling out to assert to him, in the least reassuring way, that he was prepared nonetheless for what was about to be thrown his way.

Though he really wasn't prepared in the slightest. The glistening scales twinkled as the sunbeam bounced off of them, and they glinted in an alluring way which sparkled Renns' focus, zoning in on the fish whilst it was sprung his way.

ohgodohgodohgodohgod

The fish danced as it hit the earth, and the prince struggled to keep up with its flapping and flailing. Chasing it as it blindly moved about. His jaw parted and he kept biting at the air frantically, missing a dozen or so times, he lost count. 'DAD I CAN'T DO IT', a frustrated holler aimed toward his father, in a way that deemed a tantrum was inevitably brewing up. He was persistent in carrying on, but his pace was slowing as he continued to follow the slimy creature along the bank and was growing disheartened by his disappointment. The fish just seemed so vibrant and very much alive as it narrowly missed the pup's jaws several times.

 
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At least Renn didn't wander off in boredom while waiting for a fish to be tossed his way - that alone was enough to make the jester king proud of his son. After all, it was every little victory that mattered when raising children. He wouldn't focus on the misses or failures but instead use them as moments of teaching. Celebrate the wins and learn from the losses - there was no such thing as punishment or shame as far as Hiero was concerned.

Even just listening to his son call him "dad" made the man's heart skip a beat as it fluttered in his chest. He wasn't quite sure if it was Ira accepting his accidental proposal, the feeling he had when they were married, the birth of their first litter - or this, to hear his own children call him "dad" that made him happiest. Perhaps all of them was the answer as one couldn't exist without the other.

The little things he had once thought was impossible for him to see in his own lifetime.

So when the boy fumbled and panicked while chasing the fish on shore, Hieronymous smiled. Not only finding it humorous, but making sure Renn didn't take it too seriously by showing his pride as it beamed off of him. “YOU CAN DO IT!” He'd encourage with the same vigour as the panicked boy. “Anticipate its movements, bite where you think it'll go instead of where it is!”

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He persisted with his futile attempts. Zig-zagging his way along the bank, chasing the fleeing fish. It was beginning to tire, and combined with the positive encouragement from his father, the boy then redirected himself to snap at the right moment. 

Renn stood over the flailing fish, watching it spring from side to side for a few seconds, before landing his final blow at the right and precise moment to grab hold of it with all his might. The punctures he created within the tissue of its scales had stinky fishy juice spewing from it. But boy did it taste delicious. 

He trotted back a few paces to his father, keeping on the cautious side of the bank. The prey now hung limp in his mouth and that gave him an indication it had lost its battle against him. He dropped it to the floor, yapping with excitement. 'I did it, I did it!', utterly elated he could achieve something so minor, 'We make such a great team dad!'. His infant mindset was still reflected in his words.

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Renn struggled with his own agility against the flailing fish. Its movements were strange in comparison to what Renn was possibly accustomed to thus far and so his confusion and panic was absolutely understandable. But that was why they were learning now, weren't they? Patiently Hiero watched from the waters, yelling out every now and then some encouraging, guiding words to his son until finally victory was theirs!

“You did!” Soaking wet his movements were sluggish, but the little excited hops in the water Hiero did scared away any other fish nearby for the time being as he celebrated with his son on the kill. “I knew I picked the right fishing partner for today.” He laughed a musical tone, knowing very well that pass or fail, he would have been proud of Renn regardless for at least trying.

“Do you wanna do more or take that one home?” He'd let the boy decide if he wanted to catch more fish and practice further, or maybe take it one step at a time - one fish at a time in this case. Hiero could always come back later and catch more if Renn had enough for one day and wanted to show off his first fish to the rest of the pack and littermates.

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His dad matched his own excitement and this only boosted Renn's confidence and enthusiasm even more. His tail now rapidly dancing with a mind of its own behind him, and his tongue rolled out of his mouth panting.

'Let's take this one back. I can't wait to show Móður — Mother!', it was his first fish, she would surely be just as proud as him as his father was. 

Both front paws padded the ground, bouncing his weight from one to the other as he waited for his dad to exit the water and join him in the safety of land. His anxiety had subsided, but he still didn't trust the water to join him in there.

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With Reno's answer, Hieronymous carried himself out of the water and shook off the excess moisture from his coat with a vigorous movement. “I'm sure she will be very proud.” He said while pressing a cold wet nose onto his son's prideful cheek.

Once Renn gathered the fish in his mouth to carry, the both of them would set their sights back to their home - taking a dry path of course while Hieronymous would let Renn carry his prize all on his own. He'd take it slow of course to match his son's pace, carrying the fish would probably slow him down just enough as is and there was no rush for them to get back at a certain time.

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