[FIN] 'Till Death Do Us Part (Riot, Nikita, Bob, Cain, MS)

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

Riot remained mellow as the three of then walked back to camp, though he did keep a reluctantly forced smile on his maw. After all he was with his family, it was a happy time, anytime the three of them where together.

With every nudge Nikita returned, Riot answered with his own taking in the soft bump of her purr every time he did. Every once and a while a glance was given to Bob, to make sure he wasn't acting too 'outspoken'...just in case. Sir. Bob seemed focused and alert for some reason, and Riot didn't want to disrupt that...again.

As Bob questioned of game, and Nikita answered with 'tag', Riots tail spoke of excitement. It whipped off to the side, and little kitten ears twitched and bounced with a flick of revived excitement.

He did like Tag.

"Yeah! Tag!" Left Riot in a mew, as he stopped in pace for a split second.

It was just that good of a idea.  

[GunSniper]

Riot's enthusiasm easily amplified Nikita's own for the game of Tag. Her tail puffed a little in the excitement of getting to play while her paws seemed to hardly touch the ground as she moved in a 'trot step'. The promise of a game with the two best B'alam in the world was a gift.

Her nostrils flared the closer they got to the den. She had hardly noticed that the first star had already appeared in the sky just behind them. The red glow of the sun's light poured through the trees, casting long shadows as if to make a forest world on the ground. Pollen and dust from the desert sands could be seen sparking amongst the ruby rays of light between the trees and plastering the mouth of the cave. This cave was far bigger than the one Riot and Nikita had claimed. Bob personally hand dug it out against the side of a group of large boulders all leaning against each other. The mouth of the cave seemed so dark compared to the evening's glow, but Nikita still found the sight to be as safe as possible.

"BOB'SIT!" Nikita called as she took off from Bob's side, minding to stay within sight of their guardian.

Her tail stuck up behind her as she loped at a sideways angle away from Bob. Crimson eyes glanced backward to be sure that Riot was following after her, or at least not getting caught by Bob. She wanted to make sure that didn't happen.

Bob rumbled a chuckle upon seeing the excited reactions of the two cubs. It always made him smile to see them happy. They never failed to do so.

"Alright, but you must always keep in sight of me and of the other." Bob sternly added the rule. "Think of it as a harder way to play the game. No hiding."

Her looked down to the two cubs to be sure they understood. Nikita had offered a nod, and he nodded back acknowledging there was an understanding. The cubs had no trouble with new rules... sometimes. But hopefully this one they would not break. A good game would hopefully help them get to a well restful sleep, and tomorrow, hopefully that dreaded feeling would be gone.

After he saw Nikita take off, within sight (good girl), he glanced to Riot to wait for him to spread as well. As always, he planned on purposely being slow and lumbering for a bit to keep the excitement of the game up.  

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

Just as Nikita's paws found new life in a trot, Riot's tail rose and he almost started to hop in his step.

"Bob'sit!" Riot repeated, and quickly went around And behind Bob. Same destination, Just taking an alternate route from Nikita, he was quick to join her. It was as if the small quick maneuver was an attempt to confuse Bob. However, that was unlikely, because Bob taught Riot all the good tricky things. He was the best!

Little cub paws took time to curl and grab at the earth, just as Nikita stopped to look at Bob. Yeah! With a hop, Riot flipped around and raised his back hunches to the air. His wild tail flick and whipped as if trying to throw an unseen lasso. Eyes focused on their guardian. Bob was tricky, even if he was pretending to be slow...

Butt wiggle loaded, Riot nodded. "Okay." The cub answered, they would stay in his watchful sight. Training was good, there will be times where they couldn't just hide. Nikita had speed on her side, with those longer legs of hers, Riot would just have to be a big distraction.  

[GunSniper]

Nikita glanced over to Riot to be sure he was ready. Despite her being longer than he was, for some reason, they had managed to continue to to cooperrate on trying to take down Bob. It never really happened. Nikita could always tell when he allowed them to tip him over, or catch him in a game. It still felt amazing to at least seem like they had won over the much larger B'alam.

Ah! The butt-wiggle. That was the signal!

Carefully Nikita turned around to face Bob. He was playing slow-giant again. It was typical of him to start out this way. But he still managed some kind of trick. Bob wanted them to learn something in all of their games. Nikita didn't mind, at least it was fun.

her head lowered to be level with her shoulders while her ears perked forward to hone in on Bob. She lifted a paw and readied to run forward. There was no doubt in her mind that Riot's fat head would make a great distraction. They could easily avoid being tagged, as long as they worked together.

Bob was already onto their game. Nikitra, being fast, was the one to swoop in and be a last minute distraction while Riot was the ultimate distraction. He had yet to fit into his awkward limbs and was still slowed with cub pudge. It was good for them to lean on their strengths and use each other to buff their weaknesses.

Bob lumbered forward toward Riot, keeping a side glance of Nikita and where she seemed to have be pointed to. She was getting ready to dart. Her muscles were tense, and her eyes had taken on that hunter look to them. This was something, Bob had noticed, that was becoming more apparent in Nikita the older she was getting.  

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

"Rrrrrrrr" Left Riot In a rattle that sounded like a mysitrious mechinal object trying to start. Tail whipped and Brown toes gripped and pushed off the earth, as Riot made a charge for their guardian. His job was to distract, and not get caught. He could do that right?

Riot seemed to think so. It was shown in his fierce and determind attack toward their guardian. He would use his small darty body, against Bob. Dodging Bob should be easy enough, right? After all Bob was bigger, where Riot was small and mobile. Which he planned on using to his advantage.

The cub had plans to bound away from Bob as soon as he was encroached on.

Focused eyes remained on Bob, being watchful for any hinting movement to help in his evasive maneuvers, instinct would have to guide him in Nikita's movements. It always had served him well before, it was like he naturally knew what Nikita was going to do next...

It was rather helpful.  

[GunSniper]

Nikita held her gaze on Bob while she skirted around the area. There was no need to watch what Riot was doing, she trusted him fully to be the distraction. That was a relief and one less thing to worry about. The more she could watch Bob's movements. And, just as Riot was distracting Bob from her, she wanted to be able to swoop in time to distract Bob from her friend. It was an endless cycle, of not getting caught, but it was a lesson of survival.

Though, as her eyes were tamed on Bob, she caught a glimpse of something in the sky. It was hard to see, a mere shadow that was gone just as fast as it had flashed by.

Her crimson eyes widened than narrowed, taking all focus from the taller b'alam. Both ears pointed forward toward where she had last saw the shadow.

Was... was there pink in that shadow?!

The thought had fully pulled her mind from the game of tag. Riot was the only one with pink, but that couldn't have been Riot as he could not fly and was only a little away from where she was currently standing with her maw slightly agape.

Bob continued to alter his focus from the cubs. They often fell back on this tactic, but that wasn't a bad thing. He could tell they tried to mix it up now again, but held to the core strategy of relying on one another. It made Bob proud to see such collaboration.

The lumber begun to pick up to a trot, but at last minute his path changed from Riot to the apparently dazed Nikita. Perhaps she saw another "falling star" or some other sky phenomenon that she had been distracted by before.

The trot quickly turned into a half-hearted sprint toward the still distracted Nikita. His armor clanked against each other to the sudden dramatic movements, but even that did not seem to pull Nikita's eyes back to the game. Odd, especially considering how he had seemed incredibly focused just moments before.

His ears tuned behind him, in the same direction Nikita's were pointed toward as he continued his forward pursuit.  

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

As Bob adjusted course, Rio t's ear flicked and swiveled over to where he no longer heard Nikita moving.

Popping his head up, Riot took in how she was distracted. Quickly Riot looked up to where she was looking, but he didn't see anything.

"Nikita!" Riot called as he hopped and tried to think of a way to divert Bob's path from her. It was the hero's instinct call out from inside him, he had to protect his friend. Even if it was a game it still was training.

Maybe he could move her?

"Nik!" The cub tried once more, as little padded feet thundered on the ground to catch up with Bob.  

[GunSniper]

The sudden sharp tone of Riot's voice caused Nikita to snap back into the present. Before her was the enclosing Bob, though at a slowed trot. He too seemed to be alert to someone else, perhaps from her own strange distraction earlier?

Nikita didn't have time to dwell on it. She could see Riot coming her way as well... Bah! Dang it. This was bad form.

With a slight growl she hopped backward a few times than darted back toward Riot.

"I'm okay!" She called. "Thought I saw flying pink!"

She didn't have time to think about what she was saying or what she really did see, it was a mere shadow that might have had pink on it. Her mind scrambled to get back into the game and explain what she had seen.

"Maybe not itwasfastshadow!" She blurted out her rapped thought process.

Bob halted on his last step. His head swiveled back to look where Nikita had been, while his ears swiveled about to try and pick up any strange noises that may have been lingering.

His lips thinned while his tail stiffened behind him. A flying pink shadow?

"We should move inside." Bob instructed, his sight lingered on the spot just a little more before returning to the cubs.  

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

Riot slowed his charge as Nikita returned to his side. He paused with a raised paw. Ears lowered back as a raised eyebrow perk from his brow.

"Flying pink?" Riot repeated, looking over to Bob, his attention turned his head upward. With a turn and twist of his head, he set his paw down.....

...

He didn't see anything, but if Nikita said she saw it, it must have happened. Turning his head, Riot looked back to his friend and troted a long side her pace as they got back in to the 'game.'

Though any thought of it, was halted as Bob stated to go inside.

"race you!" Riot spoke to Nikita as he picked up his pace, gently bumped his body with his how as he passed her.  

[GunSniper]

Nikita opened her maw to respond to the claim, but before a mere 'well' could pass, the words were knocked out by Riot's bump. With a huff she charged after. Challenge was accepted!!

Her legs stretched to their fullest to gain maximum propulsion toward the cave's entrance.

She was certain she had seen something. It seemed more like a blob of a figure, but she had very easily picked up on the sudden flash of pink that was mingled with it. Since meeting Riot all that long time ago, she had become accustomed to picking out the color. Mainly because at that point, it meant that was where Riot was.


Bob released a soft sigh as the cubs willingly called off their tag game to return to the cave. And quickly at that.

He did not follow their example. Instead he watched the area very carefully for any signs of this pink shadow. There was nothing to be heard but the rustling of the occasional evening breeze in the trees. The light was more ore less gone at this point and more stars were beginning to dot the sky.

They could play in the cave, it would be safe in there... If only that unsettling feeling would go away.  

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

Riot's back paws awkwardly kicked off in a scramble of oblong haste. He was still getting use to his mispraportion body, but he still wasn't going to let that get the best of him.

As always, Challange accepted.

A happy mew left the cub, as he felt Nikita gaining on him his tail flicked and whipped as he started to bound side to side making serpentine maneuvers toward the cave, just Incase she tried to bound on him. Nikita seemed to always be good at pinning him.

As for the cub being easily coxed back into the cave, Riot just didn't want to make Bob roar at them again. He was going to be a good cub for Sir, Bob...  

[GunSniper]

Nikita echoed back with a playful mewl as she sprinted forward. She had hopes of pinning him just as they made it to the cave, however, that now seemed unlikely as he zigzagged in a patternless manner (Or rather, she did not catch the pattern). Her crimson eyes trailed after him as he opted out of the direct route.

Well than. Despite not being able to tackle him without calculating his next move further, and hope for the best, she still formed a grin upon her maw. He was adding more distance to his route by zigging and zagging. She, on the other hand, was taking a direct route. Confidence begun to swell from her slender toes to the tip of her nose. She was faster than him for now, this was winable.

Nikita shifted her focus from bobbling after Riot to the cave of the mouth itself. Bob had always told them to focus on the goal rather than the obstacle, that way they wouldn't run into the obstacle.

She had been so lost in the new game that she didn't think much about the roar and whether of not Bob was going to do that to them again. She had no time to dwell on it once Riot had called the race. Thankfully, this mindless pursuit of a game was more to Bob's favor.

Bob followed slowly after the cubs back to the vast cave set amongst the rocks and dirt. His ears continued to swivel about and strain to hear anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps it was just the location or some built up stress that had finally caught up?

That had to have been it.

They would be safe in the cave. Nothing could get in there without having to deal with him, and he was not going to let anything through the cave.  

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

Riot took the longer route in hopes of avoiding the tackle, however he did to think about Nikita taking he shorter route.

Opps.

Turing his head, Riot took in the sight of Nikita gaining on him, and if she didn't pounce him, she would beat him to the cave.

"Hey!" Riot mewed with a hop in his race, which quickly turned into laughter-he was going to loose...again!

Turning his head back, Riot made a glance behind him, making sure Bob had followed. Stretching his forward paws, Riot's back paws kicked off from the ground at leap, aiming to reverse the pounce on Nikita if she passed him. If she went for a tackle for him, she would have it.  

[GunSniper]

(seeing what she'll do)

Nikita had been so focused on getting past Riot that she almost did not notice the change in his awkward foot padding. Almost. She sprinted past him while he moved in different directions, however, as the footing changed from the sound being more dominant on either side of her head, she lept forward in hopes to avoid the tackle (and win the race).

All the while she couldn't help but begin to laugh allowed to the game. It was almost like a racing tag, Riot was it now because he was behind. Bob didn't seem in the mood for games, so she didn't count him as playing.

Her tail straightened out behind herself for balance in both running and the leap forward. Since her legs had gotten a bit longer, she had noticed that the hind-legs were becoming fine springboards. Perhaps this was why she was so good at pouncing.

"ALMOST GOTCHA!" Nikita called back, her eyes remained forward while her ears docked back.

Bob waited until the cubs had entered the mouth of the cave at least before he hurried his pace to join them. He hoped that they were paying enough attention to where they were going so they didn't trip on the slope leading deeper into their home. The large concave base was covered in soft leaves, grass, dirt, and some sand that Bob had helped bring in so both Riot and Nikita felt it more a home. This was reason to be less worried about the landing if any of them tripped. It really was more the fall or cause of fall that was to be worried about.  

[[ Radical Dreamer ]]

as they both passed the entrance of the cave, Riot instinctual knew that he was now 'it'.

"Yeah! But I am gonna get you!!" Riot happily roared back, Bob momently forgotten in their gleeful cub play. It was like the fun was never going to stop as long as they where together.

Though the cub sparked a quick idea, to help him perhaps at least tackle Nikita as they entered their din. Hind legs sprung from under Riot, propelling him up and to the side of the tunnel. Claws dug into the earth, and like a male shift spring board, Riot propelled himself towards the racing Nikita. He wasn't as fast, so he had to use what was around him in awesome technique, however hit or miss it was. Tail poised, it Arrowed out behind him.