She moved as fast as her chubby little baby legs could carry her, still seething and more than a little upset. Diantha had been so vile and Victoria had no idea what to do with the magnitude of feelings welling up inside her. Of course, the middle princess did not consider the fact that she had been equally vile and hurtful, that in fact she had been the one to start it. Well, who knew who had started the brawl, but the hurtful words had absolutely come out of Victoria's mouth first. She had been the one to say Papa liked her better and she'd been the one to say the 'h' word first as well. Really Diantha had only been throwing her words back at her. Nevertheless, Victoria raged and fled from her sister, her chest burning and eyes shamefully full of tears. When the girl felt that she'd gotten far enough away from Diantha (when her little legs grew tired and her gulping breaths to stop the tears from falling became too much to maintain), the young girl found herself further from the den than she'd ever been. She stopped, gulping down air again and desperately trying to hold onto her tears.

@Genya

genya is somewhat aware that her eldest and middle child have been fighting. while she thinks a little brawl between sisters will hone their skills and get them closer to each other, she never expects the insults to be hurled. when all is said and done, she made diantha go back into her den while she looked for @Victoria. it takes her a few minutes to find the white and brown princess, a bit farther from where her den is. what's wrong, darling? genya asks as she walks closer to victoria, before moving down to curl her body over the child. victoria looks like she's on the verge of crying, though genya's not sure if it's a tantrum or if she's genuinely upset. coming to think of it, diantha looked a little upset too.

image by amphispiza, code by koi

She should have known that someone would come after her - whilst her parents did not intervene in the scrapping between sisters, there was no doubt in her mind that at least one of them was always there. So far the little princess had only really been within a few hundred metres of the den site - always within sight of her parents' watchful gaze. So when her mother appeared, it did not surprised Victoria in the slightest. There were other feelings though - shame for the tears welling in her eyes, guilt for the things she'd said to Diantha, fear that she would be in trouble for being so far away and for the things she'd said. And then, niggling away like a parasitic worm - What if Mummy and Daddy did like Diantha best?

@Genya moves to envelope her child and her gulping battle with the tears is lost. They spill forward shamefully down her cheeks and Victoria burns hot with embarrassment. They were Miroslav, they were meant to be tough. The softly probing question from her mother is kind however, the swipe of a toe wiping away her tears and Victoria hiccups once before burying her face in inky fur. "N-Nothing." She lied - highly likely unsuccessfully - as she tried hard to get ahold of herself. Emotion management at such a young age was a bit of a losing battle. Between clenched teeth and tense little muscles, her tears grew bigger and a tiny little sob came from the back of her throat. "Dia said s-she h-hated me - " She hiccuped jerkily, her face pressed into her mothers breast more firmly. "And - and - " And she paused, uncertain whether she could admit to her mother what else the sisters had hurled at each other.

it doesn't take long for victoria's tears to fall and genya swipes them all away with her toe, wishing that she's a woman who knows how to use words to console. this is her first time speaking to a child of her blood, but all kind, intelligent thoughts escape her. genya can only hold her daughter closer for now as her mind tries to think of something for her mouth to utter. at the very least, she's certain victoria's lying when she said nothing's troubling her. then why are you crying @Victoria? surely something- she stops when victoria hiccups out an answer. ears cupping forward, genya finally realizes just what her two daughters were babbling about. initially, she thought they were simply speaking, normally, but now it's a cause of concern for real. there, there, you're safe with me. genya hugs victoria, choosing to purr against the side of the girl's cheek. then, she raises her face and asks did you say anything back? diantha's words are immature, but biting and definitely not something genya's happy about. still, she wants to know what victoria also said. genya knows well enough of her three daughters' personalities by now; plus, she doesn't want to be biased or show favoritism.

image by amphispiza, code by koi

Her mother's questions were interrupted as the (semi-)truth came out of the girl. In reality, it was hard to tell if she was truly upset or whether it was an overflow of frustration and anger that was really the culprit. Her mothers words are soothing and @Genya holds her tight - it makes her feel safe as she had been told she was. As quickly as the tears had spilled over they began to calm and her gulping breaths were steadying as her mother held her. And then Genya asked what had been said back and Victoria swallowed softly. She hadn't finished telling her mother the whole story and in the way only a child knew she disregarded her mothers question in favour of her own agenda. "She said you and Daddy liked her better." Victoria admitted, her breath softer and body less tense. "Is that true?" Victoria asked pulling her tear streaked face back and away so she could look at her mother's face.

genya eases her ministrations into smoothing down the back of her daughter's fur. as time passes, @Victoria begins to calm down, now only breaking out to minor hiccups and some very wet cheeks. at least she's clean when she cries; diantha gets snot and drools on her when she cries and septima - well, septima does what she does. children are liars, whether on purpose or not, and genya can't exactly blame them when adults lie for the worst things. no, honey, of course not. we love all three of you equally genya says as she lathers victoria with kisses. i can talk to diantha and she will apologize to you. but you will have to tell momma if you said anything to her. genya's not unconscious of the fact that victoria ignored her question. so she had to ask just to be sure it's not a one-sided problem.

image by amphispiza, code by koi

As with everything in the young girls life, this is yet another lessons. Initially she didn't think she could cry and tell her mother the truth. In fact, she felt distinctly awkward about it and knew without a doubt that this would be a rarity for her. But this experience is teaching her that she is able to come to her mother with problems - @Genya listened and soothed and before long the princess had calmed down. Her anger was a fickle thing at this age - no doubt she would have gone back to the den eventually and curled up with Diantha and Septima for warmth and comfort before bedtime. But expressing these feelings had made her feel better and her mothers immediate reassurance that they loved their girls equally soothed a vulnerable part in Victoria's brain. "Promise? Even though Dia is bigger? And stronger? And louder?" She could go on, but the point had been made.

Of course, her mother would not have let her question go unanswered. Victoria paused, grey eyes searching Genyas before the pressure of keeping her mouth shut was too much. As she grew up, the girl would likely find it easier to lie, but she was still so little that she cracked under the pressure. "I said I hated her too. And that you and Daddy liked me better." She admitted in a small voice, tail curling around her body protectively. "An' that she was disgusting - - but she was gonna toot in my face Mummy!" The little princess rallied to her cause, face contorting into the disgust she had just spoken about.

promise genya says, leaving little kisses still for her girl. it had been a surprise to her that diantha was born not only the first but also the biggest. no doubt she will tower over both her sisters and even genya herself once she's of age. even still, diantha's her daughter and the sister to @Victoria and septima. they are family and family doesn't separate. the image of her first litter appears in genya's mind, perhaps fate reminding her of the time she failed as their mother. not this time, however. never this. well, that's a mean thing to say; you should've come to me first genya says, though she notes that diantha, too, could've come to her. instead, the eldest led her younger sister down another path. it's not like that will be where they end up, but genya's keen to divert them now that she's aware. once diantha wakes up you and she will make up to each other, okay? genya says, hardening her last word so that victoria knows. when her brown and white child responds with diantha's threat to...gas her, genya giggles. it's immature and nasty but the wording is still funny to her. did she do it? genya asks, half-curious if diantha did do what she threatened to do.

image by amphispiza, code by koi

A promise was made and in Victoria's mind, that was a done deal. Mummy would never lie and she had made a promise that they loved them all equally - if Diantha ever tried to tell her otherwise then Victoria would know she was lying. Of course, the Princess didn't get off lightly on her own admittance and the stern instructions from @Genya were met with a flattening of her ears and a small nod. At the moment, she didn't want to apologise to Diantha. And she certainly wouldn't be the one to offer the olive branch first, so to speak. "Okay Mummy." She agreed, before a big yawn cracked her lips open. Her brawl with Diantha and the emotional rollercoaster that followed had really taken it out of her and she was jealous of her sister, back in the den cosy and warm.

it's easy to teach children at this age. @Victoria's malleable and doesn't seem to hold the same stubborn streak as diantha is. she looks forward to speaking with all three of her children at once and telling them about respect. sensing that victoria's ready for her nap as well, genya raises onto all fours after giving her one last kiss on the forehead. let's take you home, darling genya says as she prepares to grab the little one by her scruff. she's certain the two girls will immediately cuddle up once she deposits victoria beside her sister. no matter how many fights they may have, they will always cuddle together in their den. [exit]

image by amphispiza, code by koi